3/20/2020
I will continue to put some curriculum up as it comes out. I know you probably will not use this in your small group but I thought you could use it in your own personal time with God if you wanted something to do :)
3/08/2020
Alright Small Group Leaders,
We only have a couple weeks left of this session (if your following the typical CS calendar). We are continuing our series in the book fo 1st Peter and I have heard some GREAT stuff about small groups and the fruitful conversations that have bene happening.
You can download the curriculum for this week by clicking HERE
This is a “leader” version of the curriculum. The small group curriculum has some questions about slavery in the context of Peter. If there is something we want to equip you with you will see a little section after a question that says “Leader insight” which is for you and not your group. This is a little insight that will help you answer some hard questions.
Have a great group this week!
Want to grow in your leadership? Learn how to ask GREAT questions that actually build relationship by clicking HERE
3/01/2020
Hey Everyone,
This week we are continuing our series in 1st Peter. A direction we are trying to head as a church is this idea of “whole life discipleship.” We want to help our church members learn how to frame the Gospel in light of their whole life and not just certain parts. Especially their work which is a place where the sacred typically doesn’t intersect with the secular….
It is really easy to contextualize and make sense of the Gospel and Jesus’ words to us in light of parenting. That is typically the go-to for a lot of small groups. Which is good and we do not want to take away from that but that is only one part of our life. We also want to make sure we are ministering to people in light of all aspects of their life. Most people will spend 1/3 of their life at work. We have to learn to apply what we are learning from Jesus in our careers. So, you will start seeing some more questions, even just 1-2 sometimes, that help our people think about application at their work and their “whole life” and not just parts of it…
A couple things YOU can do as a leader to help people enter into “whole life” discipleship.
- Ask specific and focused questions bringing in all aspects of a person life. So the question “How does this apply” now becomes:
- How does this scripture apply to your relationships with your kids
- How does this scripture relate with your life at work?
- How does this scripture work when it comes to your marriage?
- Share examples from all parts of your life and not just what is easy and comfortable
- If you always share about parenting, share about your marriage
- If you always share about work, talk about your parenting
I am praying for you and rooting for you!!
2/23/2020
Hey Everyone,
I hope your small groups were great last week. This week some of you may be meeting and others are only doing Ash Wednesday. Whatever you decide is great. If you are doing small groups this week you can find the attached curriculum below. A note on this weeks curriculum. The last question can either be awesome or it can fall flat. At the very end you are asking your group to be real and confess some fears. A couple tips
- Lead with vulnerability. Share yourself and get deep yourself
- Embrace the silence. Do not feel the need to talk. There will probably be a nice space of silence before someone shares. Embrace it and be okay with it
- Do not offer advice or try to “fix” just listen and say things like “Thanks” “Appreciate you sharing”
I am praying for your groups.
Small Group Questions CLICK HERE
2/14/2020
Hey Everyone,
This week is the first week of Dawn is Coming. This is a study of 1st Peter. It should be a great series. The curriculum is attached and I want you to pay attention to the spiritual practice you will do with your group called “Lectio Divina.” Read through that so you are comfortable leading it. If you have questions text me at 949-335-2101.
Attached is the curriculum. I am praying for your groups this week :)
Small Group Questions CLICK HERE
2/9/2020
Hey Everyone,
This week we are talking about worship at church. Why worship? Why do people raise their hands? How can I be challenged in my intimacy with God? The goal is not to coerce and get everyone to raise their hands. The goal is to stretch people in their intimacy with God and that will actually mean something different to every person. We are going to help people assess their cultural upbringing and their theological bents based on their past and then help push them towards doing something that is not their default. There are many different streams of God’s living water so sometimes we just need to go against our default in order to experience a different part of God’s Spirit.
HERE are the questions. Have a great group!
Want to create a plan to grow in your leadership? click HERE
Want to do 3 easy things this week to take your leadership to the next level? click HERE and scrool down
2/2/2020
Hey Everyone,
Some of you are starting small groups this week and others are waiting till after the Super Bowl. Regardless, congrats on starting. For this weeks curriculum you can click HERE. This week we are talking about a “Mute God” and this idea of hearing from God. The curriculum will guide your group to wrestle with the idea of prayer. A fun exercise as a bonus would be to work through what I call, “The 5 Spiritual Windows.” People love working through his cuz its practical and its similar to a personality quiz like the Myers-Briggs etc..
5 Spiritual Windows
We tend to all hear from God in various ways. Here are the 5 ways that people typically hear from God. Most people have one dominant window. The goal is to identify your window and then open it up often to let God’s Spirit breath in. If you are ever burnt out and in a rut then I like to ask, “When was the last time you opened your window?”
1.) Physical- You hear from God through the physical. You are the kind of person that when you are on a run or in the beauty of God’s creation you have a strong sense that God is with you there. You hear from God through the physical
2.) Social- You hear from God through social environments. God has spoken to you strongest through other people. The pastor said something that really resonated with you or a friend encouraged you and spoke to you in a way where you felt like God was in the midst. You tend to hear the voice of God through others. You hear from God through the social.
3.) Intellectual- You hear from God through intellectual conversations and readings. You enjoy studying and learning theology. You geek out when anyone uses the phrases “Well the greek says” or “In its original context.” You love having deep and philosophical conversations with others. You get fired up through this because….You hear from God through the intellectual.
4.) Spiritual- You hear from God through spiritual things. You love worshipping at church. You prefer to have a good cup of coffee or tea and snuggle up to your favorite devotional. God speaks to you in those moments and YOU hear from God through the spiritual
5.) Emotional– You hear from God through your emotions. This can be similar to spiritual because you hear from God when worshipping of listening to a good song on the way to work. You hear from God through the physical but instead of physical activity you hear from God through hikes, watching a sunset, writing or reading. Oh and don’t get me started on journaling…You hear from God through the emotional.
How This Helps
-Helps you identify how you hear from God
-Gives you an understanding that not everyone hears from God the same way you do so don’t get bummed when that person doesn’t care about the greek. On the flip side don’t get bummed when that person doesn’t care to read that devotional you keep sending them. Everyone hears from God different and there are many different streams to drink from
-Most people have 1-2 dominant windows. You can challenge yourself to experiment with the windows you don’t resonate with.