Something “Borrowed”

Hello Leaders! It’s been a while since my last post. As we aren’t currently studying a book or series of articles, there hasn’t been much need for my commentary. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this with you, though. Read on…

A new acquaintance of mine, a Small Groups Pastor in another state, Ben Reed, also hosts a blog. I came across a post of his that I wanted to share with you. On his blog, he asks, “What makes a small group successful?” (You can read it here).

I want to echo that question to you – In your experience, what would you say makes a small group successful?

Airports and Stories

I’m currently sitting in the Airport in Hot-Lanta. It seems that yesterday’s delays have forced more than a few into sleeping in the terminal, and from what I can gather, lots of people are not happy.

It’s times like these, when I’m sitting somewhere outside the realm of the usual, that I’m reminded that each of us, diverse as we come and whether we spent last night in the airport terminal or in a five star hotel, has a story to tell.

Learn a piece of someone’s story today.

Exciting Times at VBS

As you may know, Vacation Bible School has been taking place this week. Each morning more than 400 youngsters gather with their “crews” and embark on a journey of discovery. What are they learning? All about God and how He saves! This morning was the designated “altar call” day, and a large team of EE-trained volunteers were on hand to personally lead over 100 little ones to Christ!!

I didn’t have a permanent volunteer position this year, so I took the opportunity to capture some of the morning’s moments with my camera. What did I learn? There’s not much out there that is more exciting than seeing young people come to the knowledge of Jesus as their personal Savior. Today was all about both tears and smiles…

Here are some of my favorites:

Innovate

As I was tossing some thoughts around in my head today, the word “Innovate” came to mind. I’m not sure why, or where it came from, but it sort of struck me (and apparently stuck with me!). Then somehow – maybe because it is my job – I thought of Manna’s small groups. The following encouragement quickly took shape.

Innovate! I want to see some innovation over this Summer cycle! Introduce something new – break the mold. Take what makes you, you – what you’re good at, what you like/interested in – and get innovative about connecting with others. Whether it’s how to get people involved and interested in your group or the actual outworking of the group’s facilitation, be innovative about it!

Innovate!

Just For Fun

So, I have this giant whiteboard in my office that doesn’t work. What I mean is that once you’ve written on the board, it’s a pain to erase! The coating that makes a whiteboard easily erasable has been stripped off of mine, so it takes some serious scrubbing to get the scribbles off (try saying that 3x and fast!).

I just couldn’t trash the thing – I mean, I like it. So, I asked an artist (and Manna’s maintenance worker), James Richardson, to design something that embodies what I do – and thus turn a whiteboard into a piece of art. Here is the result:

Now if I could just get him to lead an art-based small group!!!

Why Helping Other People Grow Can Become Life’s Greatest Joy

I am going to approach this post a little bit differently that I have all of the others. This week’s chapter, the last in the book, discusses the reasons why serving others can be so life-giving. Whereas I would typically rehash the chapter and challenge you to begin (if you don’t already) to find joy in serving others, today I just want to share from the heart (okay, maybe there will be a challenge, too!).

For me, the chapter is a no-brainer. I’m like, “Duh! People need to be sold on helping others?!” While I’m not sure about you, I don’t. I love serving. Let me say that again: I LOVE serving! Seeing someone else (whether I’ve helped them or not) accomplish something, big or small, fuels me – it gives me life. Here’s an example…

Yesterday I had the privilege of witnessing a friend and teacher of mine baptize his young son. As I leaned over to my wife to point out the situation, I couldn’t help but imagine all the conversations this father-son combo must have had leading up to that moment. And when the man put his hand on his son’s head to pray for him, emotion flooded my heart and nearly escaped through my tear-ducts (I choked them back!). It was a beautiful thing to witness, and I had nothing to do with it coming to pass! I was overjoyed to have seen it, and can’t wait for that moment to come in my life with my own son (choking back the tears again!).

Here’s the bottom line.

If you don’t already know how great it is to see/help others grow, then do these two things:

1. Look around. Whether you have taken part in them or not, awesome things are taking place daily in people’s lives. Be it a baptism, someone leading a friend or coworker to the Lord, a friend’s personal success in some area, or other, exciting things are happening – all you have to do is look.

2. Get active. It’s so much more satisfying/life-giving to know that you’ve been used by God to help someone grow. Imagine the joy…

The Personality of the Motivator

Have you caught the underlying concept that leading people is all about your own growth yet? Well now it is time to look at yourself with some serious intent. This chapter is all about you. It’s about your ability to motivate, inspire, and influence people. It’s about what you have to give.

Do I have something to give?

If you are asking me, I say “yes, you do.” You do have something to offer. God has gifted you with talents, a unique gift-mix, and certain desires and interests. He gave you those for a reason: That you might use them to gather others and grow together. That’s why you’re a small group leader. You do have something to give.

Now, about motivation… What are you doing to stay motivated? I must say, I love the practical advice McGinnis gives us for renewing our motivation. I’ll review those points with some of my own comments added (for fun!).

1. Associate with successful, positive people. They are infectious! When you get around someone like that, you can’t help but get excited about doing something.

2. Monitor carefully the ideas entering your mind, for as the computer people say, “garbage in, garbage out.” I guess it’s true: you are what you eat, or in this instance – think positively, be positive.

3. Take advantage of the wealth of information now available on inexpensive audio cassettes. Haha! I remember those! Let’s modernize this one and say get ahold of a good podcast, blogsite (like this one!), or follow a motivator on Twitter. @MPFletcher is a good one!

4. Attend classes and seminars. I would say you don’t even need to go anywhere. You can usually listen in to a good seminar like this one for free. Then, join a worthy project such as a community outreach – those are always exciting, aren’t they?

5. Keep a journal in which you write down goals and a record of your spiritual journey. Raise your hand if you’re not the same person now as you were a year ago. Now look around and make sure no one is looking at you like you’re crazy. The point here is that it’s always motivating to get a perspective on your own growth. But you have to track it.

Most importantly… Have fun doing what God has called you to do! If you stop having fun, so will everyone else.

How to Deal with the Abrasive Troublemaker

At last! The chapter/post on which we have all been waiting – How in the wide, wide world of people skills do I properly handle “that guy,” or “that girl?” Ahh!!! And the answer is… Read the chapter, over and over, pray, rely on the Holy Spirit to lead/guide you, etc… Okay, maybe there are some practical tips to chew on. You can find them on pages 157, 158, and 159.

So, Matt… What exactly do you have to add to this topic?

Thanks for asking. I once came across an interesting recording. It was an interview with a guy who had performed a study on whether or not a “bad apple” could spoil “the bunch.” That is, whether or not an individual with a bad attitude or a serious lack in the interpersonal skills area can ruin a good team/group dynamic. It was a very interesting recording. You can listen to it here. Pay close attention to the end of the interview, where the guy mentions the one group from his study that overcame the “bad apple.”

Here’s the bottom line for us small group leaders: People can be difficult sometimes, and when they come across our paths there is always purpose in it. God either wants to use us to lead them, to use them to cause growth in us, or both. As soon as a difficult person arrives, look to Him.

How to Get People to Cooperate with Each Other

When I think about cooperation, I think about my dogs. I’m not sure why, since they rarely cooperate with my wishes! But I think they may be useful as an anti-example for this post.

I have two dogs, a 3 year old Black Lab (Chloe) and a 5 month old German Shepherd Dog (Dorje, pictured above). They are awesome, and I love having them around. But… Sometimes I wish they would walk better! It’s like, “C’mon pups, can’t we just move in the same direction – you both following me?!” Do you ever feel that way with the members of your small group – like people are going in all different directions?

Then there are those awesome teams of dogs you see on TV, pulling a guy on a sled a 1,000 miles in the freezing cold, working together in unity – each member doing his/her job and pulling his/her weight. Now that’s cooperation! You know it’s teamwork that gets them to the finish line…

So how does this apply to us? Whether your group is like my two pups sniffing around in all different directions, a well-oiled Iditarod sled team, or somewhere in the middle, building Esprit de Corps is something on which every leader should be focused. Here are the steps our book gives for building cooperation:

1. Reward Cooperation. It’s not always about the goal-scoring, basket-making, home-run-hitting superstar. Sometimes it’s about the strong team-player.

2. Assign responsibility for group morale to the group itself. People need to own whatever it is they are a part of. Let them.

3. Plan occasions when people can be away together. BBQ, anyone? You’d be surprised by what you see from the people in your group if you coordinate some “just fun” time for them.

4. Assign a high value to communication. Watch out for misunderstanding – it can sneak in and steal unity. When in doubt, clarify.

Try this and let me know how it works! Also, share your own insight by leaving a reply to this post.

The Will to Win

This week, you get to write the post. There are so many different analogies for describing “The Will to Win,” and I want to hear some of them.

Instead of me throwing out some thoughts on the content from the reading, I’d like you to. Please participate! We can all gain from your experience/knowledge!

To join in the conversation, simply write your thoughts down in the “reply,” or “leave a comment” portion of this blog. I am eager to hear what you have to say!

- Matt