Extra Credit: Even MORE questions for your group time!

Happy Thanksgiving! As you meet this week, consider the idea of sharing things you are all thankful for.

This week's 'Extra Credit' questions are:

1. Have you ever had an investment go badly, or had someone else abuse a gift you gave them? What happened? How did you feel?

2. Remaining connected to the Body and to Christ is a key part of using your Gifts well; what are some ways you can be sure you are doing so?

Remember, these questions are optional, bonus content for your group meeting; you are always free to come up with others yourself if you like!

Friendship, friendship!

'I am a friend of God...' Those are the words in the chorus of a popular song sung by our worship choir, and truer words were never, er, sung!

I came across this little cartoon on the web today; the headline read, 'The real reason Dinosaurs went extinct'! I have a feeling that Noah wasn't even on facebook (or the internet, for that matter), but I'm grateful when I think that our 'friendship' with God is not contingent on something so trivial!

Romans 5:8 is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses and a real life-verse for me. 'God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Just after that, in verse 10, Paul writes 'For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!'

It's a powerful reminder to us that we were God's enemies, and have now been declared friends, even children, of God. As a result, we are to share, out of gratitude, the love of Christ which caused this transformation in us.

This is one of the many things that Life Groups are all about; that sharing of friendship and the transformational love of Christ. We share it when we gather around a table and talk about the week, consuming treats as we do; we share it when we open his Word and discuss the verses for the evening; we share it when we pray for each other; we share it when we reach out to each other in love, meeting needs and sharing burdens.

My question to you today is, what are you doing in your Life Group, moreover in your life, to share your Friend?

EXTRA CREDIT: Even More Questions for your Group Guide!

This week's EXTRA CREDIT offers up a few questions about the idea of prayer, PLUS a BONUS: an alternate idea for your ENTIRE evening!

Here are the questions:
1. If you could ask for ANYTHING in prayer, what would it be? Have you ever asked for that? Why or why not?

2. Do you think of yourself as an effective communicator? Do you think that matters in prayer? Explain.

And here is the alternative meeting idea: Instead of your regular Life Group meeting routine (sharing, discussion, prayer, etc.), have an evening of prayer! Spend time in each of the four varieties of prayer together:
1. Adoration (prayers of praise & worship for who God is)
2. Confession (confess sin and ask God for forgiveness)
3. Thanksgiving (thank God for what He's given you and done in your lives)
4. Seeking (Ask God to help you grow as believers in various areas of your lives)

OR find other ways to make prayer the center of the evening; mix it up!

Give Us Barrabas!

John chapter 18 describes Jesus' arrest and trial, such as it was, before Pontius Pilate. In verse 39, Pilate offers to release Jesus as part of a Passover tradition, to which the crowd famously replies, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!"

I was reading this passage today and noticed something I had never thought about before.

Sometimes I choose Barabbas.

In the depths of my heart, in the flesh that is cursed to live out this tentative existence, in my old self, I shake my fist defiantly not at a Roman governor, but at God Himself and scream with all the wrath I can muster, "GIVE ME BARABBAS!"

This truth slapped me across the face as I read; every time I choose my way instead of His, every moment I spend in disobedience, each minute devoted to prideful, self-absorbed rebellion, I cry out "Give me BARABBAS!"

It's no coincidence that Barabbas was imprisoned for leading a rebellion; in my mind, he will forever more be it's poster boy.

So this morning, I pray, "Father, give me a heart to obey You; a heart that seeks to know and do Your will above all else, as Christ did. May You be glorified by my words, deeds, actions; by my life itself.

Think about it: are you calling for Barabbas' release in your heart right now, at this moment? How do you need to turn away from sin today? I pray that God will reveal it to you and give you resolve to obey Him, by faith.

EUREKA! I have an idea...

As the economy continues to be poor and life throws many challenges our way, prayer time in Life Group can become focused on struggles and difficulties. Lately we've been noticing that our prayer time has focused increasingly on requests and negative events in our lives, so one creative member of our group came up with an idea...

Each week, at the beginning of prayer time, we put a vase in the center of the room and pass a bag of marbles around. Everyone takes turns putting marbles into the vase, sharing a praise or answer to prayer for each one, until everyone has had a chance to share. After this, we spend time sharing needs and requests, praying for each other as we do.

This has helped keep what could be a downside of group life positive and encouraging, while also providing a visual representation of God's work in our lives!

What kind of creative prayer exercises does your group use? Share in the comments below!

Recommended Reading: Creating Community

Over the summer I read several great books about the Christian life, ministry and more; this one, however is all about groups!

Co-authored by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits, 'Creating Community' is an easy read but draws deep from the experiences of its two authors to pass on ideas and principles in order to help develop a 'small group culture' at your church.

In chapter 1, Willits writes, "We are a culture craving relationship. In the midst of our crowded existence, many of us are living lonely lives. We live and work in a sea of humanity, but we end up missing out on the benefits of regular, meaningful relationships.'

And that's just the beginning! If you are interested, like me, in helping develop a small group culture at your church, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of 'Creating Community' today.

Extra Credit: Even MORE questions for your group time!

It's BACK! 'Extra Credit' is a weekly blog feature where I put a few extra question ideas up for you to use as you see fit. Feel free to take or leave these for your group meeting this week...

1. This is a very light opening question: 'What is your favorite kind of fruit? Least favorite?' This could be good if you have a new group that doesn't know each other at all yet...

2. Romans 12:1 talks about our old nature and new nature in terms of being transformed. What do you think of when you hear the word 'Transformed'? What do you think 'renewing of your mind' means?

Enjoy!

Speaking Out

I was honored this past Sunday to deliver my first message to our entire congregation as Pastor Mark and his wife were away for the weekend. I spoke on 'Group Mentality', examining Acts 2:42-47 and sharing with everyone what Life Groups are and three qualities that should characterize them, drawn directly from the early church.

What qualities, you ask? Well, if you were present on Sunday, you already know! If not, you can listen to or view the message on our website.

Incidentally, we post the sermon online every week, so don't hesitate to get over there when you've been away and hear what Pastor Mark is speaking on!

Hello, I'm a Life Group!

Recently I was on vacation in the Bay Area with my family, which presented me with a unique opportunity. See, while the Golden Gate Bridge and Monterey Bay Aquarium are definitely remarkable and worth seeing, I march to a different beat

You may already be aware of my somewhat fanatical love for a certain company named Apple? Well, their headquarters are not far from San Francisco, and they have a store on campus that sells t-shirts, hats, etc. Needless to say, I felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to 'The Mother Ship' (they even have shirts that call it that!).

I browsed the mousepads, mugs, pens, etc. until I found an item that I felt was just right for me: a shirt that says 'Hello, I'm a Mac!' It's pictured here:


Unfortunately, on my return home, I discovered that I had grabbed the wrong size shirt! As these items are not available in any other Apple Store on the planet, I called the 'Company Store' as they call it, and inquired about sending my shirt in for exchange. The associate on the phone said it was no problem, and this morning I found my new shirt in a box outside my house.

I was so excited, I opened the box, ironed the wrinkles out of my precious garment, and put it on immediately. I'm sporting it even as I type these words...

My point? Apple's customer service and product quality is highly regarded in the business community and they have developed a unique culture of loyal users and consumers in the computing world. They are so good at this, in fact, that I couldn't wait another minute to put my t-shirt on! In addition, the prospect of owning a shirt that expresses my excitement for Apple and their products was enough to warrant an extra stop during our family vacation.

In the 1980's, Ford Motor Company ran an ad campaign with the slogan, "Quality is Job 1". I think Apple could say, "Service is Job 1". As a Pastor of groups first and media second, I believe it's safe to say our slogan for Life Groups could be "Caring is Job 1"!

But the real question is: do we care? Are we showing Christ's love to those in our groups and around us? Are we developing a culture that causes people to stop and ask, "How can I help this person right now?", "Can I pray for you?", or, "Is my comfort more important than this person's need?"

I'd like to think so, but it's a question worth asking again and again. Do we care? Do we truly, passionately, wholeheartedly care in ways that make a tangible, practical and relational difference?

If we created a t-shirt that said, "Hello, I'm a Life Group!", would others be so excited about what Christ is doing through this ministry that their vacation plans were changed, their boxes ripped open and the shirts put on without hesitation? I hope so...

Bright Ideas: 10 Commandments

I met briefly with a Life Group Leader today who shared with me that he's feeling led to have his group study the 10 Commandments. I told him I thought this was a great idea!

While we emphasize following the Sunday sermon series in our groups, I've always granted leaders freedom to select something unique for their flock if they felt the need. This frees leaders up and allows for variety that is absolutely necessary to keep group life fresh.

As we prepare to launch the Fall session, what are you planning to study with your group? Will you use our Group Guide, following the sermon series, study a book of the Bible or possibly select a video series to do?

Speaking of video series, the conversation I had with that leader reminded me of a very cool video I came across about the 10 Commandments:

The Ten Commandments - motion (kinetic) typography from Vit Ryznar on Vimeo.

An Experiment...

I've been a fan of social media (facebook, Twitter, etc.) for quite a while now and while I'm not exactly a facebook junkie or an avid 'Tweeter' I do like to share things I'm thinking or reading about from time to time with the rest of the internets.

Lately, I've been wondering how I might use this tool to enhance ministry, and I've come up with an idea...

This Fall, anyone at Desert Springs will be able to send me questions that come to mind while listening to the Sunday Message, which I will then post to a new Life Groups Twitter feed and facebook group! This will allow anyone following either of those accounts to view a wider variety of questions that could potentially be used in Life Groups, and possibly even start some conversations about them online!

I hope you'll plan to participate with us in this grand experiment and that it will be an encouragement to you!

Summer's End

What a Summer it's been... I've gone on a couple of trips with my family, read some excellent books, enjoyed a few great ministry experiences and seen my kids grow in new and exciting ways.

I've also said farewell to a couple of friends who left this world behind, cried with others who are struggling with hurts that are relational, financial, physical, emotional and spiritual and watched as disasters and wickedness take their toll on our world.

In all of that, I've been reminded quite poignantly that my life on this earth is a vapor and that how I invest my time into those whom God has placed in front of me is so very very important.

One of the books I read this summer is 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan. Without belaboring the point, Chan writes about God's great love for us first, then asks us to carefully consider what our proper response to that ought to be. Are we living a real, authentic, practical daily life that honors Him? Are we caring for the sick, poor, orphaned, addicted, disillusioned and broken?

-- Are we too comfortable? Am I?

Those are the kinds of questions I find myself asking as a new season of ministry is about to begin at Desert Springs. I believe that God is stirring up some new things in me; I'm not satisfied with my level of 'commitment' any more. I want to learn new ways that I can serve Him as I serve others, and I am firm in my conviction that the kind of relationships that can develop through Life Groups are where that will happen.

I'm excited to find the answers and to respond to God's leading this year, and I hope you are too!

See you out there...

Recommended Reading: Multi Site Church Revolution

As our church began a new 'alternative' service in November called 'Refresh', I began thinking about how other churches do this sort of thing and whether or not I could learn from them by doing some reading.

I did some research and discovered that there are only currently three books out there about the concept of 'multi-site' churches, so I ordered all three and got started.

I'm currently about one third of the way through the first, called 'The Multi-Site Church Revolution', by Greg Ligon, Geoff Surratt and Warren Bird. In it, these three authors share their findings as they have travelled the country visiting over twenty different churches that are using some form of multi-site model. Many of these have been the trailblazers in this movement and no two are doing things exactly the same way!

If you'd like to know more about a model for church that helps Christians connect with people where they are at, allows growth without expensive building expansions and offers variety in worship and atmosphere, this is a great read. Multi-Site Church Revolution is a thorough survey of what the future church in America will probably look like!

Extra CREDIT: Even MORE questions for your group time!

This week's Group Guide is all about hope; how it impacts our future (heaven) but also how it impacts the present! The questions are meant to help your group get talking about how they view hope, the promises that God has made to us in scripture and whether or not they 'invest', or put their trust in that hope.

The opening question, which is purposely lighter than the others, would be great to break into pairs and answer. And don't forget that the bonus questions can offer some other ideas for discussion!

Here are a couple of additional questions that occurred to me while listening to the sermon:

1. How does your life reflect the hope you have to those around you? Has anyone ever asked about it? How do you respond?

2. Name one situation in your life right now that leaves you feeling hopeless. Pray together as a group over that problem.

As always, feel free to call or e-mail me if you have further questions about the Group Guide for this week!

EXTRA CREDIT: Even MORE questions for your group time!

This week's Group Guide focuses on the concept of Grace as 'undeserved & unearned favor from God'. The questions are designed to help spark conversations about whether or not you realize that we all live on God's favor, how we respond to God's grace, how we extend grace to those around us (or not) and whether or not we have a sense of entitlement, brought on by the strong emphasis our society places on rights.

Here's another few questions you might consider using in your group meeting this week:
- If you were the woman accused of adultery in John 8:1-11, how would you feel about the accusers? About Jesus?
- If you were one of the Pharisees, how might you feel after this incident?
- What do you think Jesus might have been writing on the ground (WARNING: there's no way to know, so remember there is no right answer to this)

EXTRA CREDIT: Even MORE questions for your group time!

This week's extra credit feature brings a new idea to the table!

See, I've become aware that not everybody always understands the intent behind the questions we write in the Group Guide, and I think this feature is the ideal place to clarify that. In addition, I'll still post an extra question (or two) that has sprung to mind as a result of hearing Sunday's message.

So, here goes:

This week's guide is all about our dependence on God and how He is the one responsible for touching the lives of those we encounter, rather than we ourselves. The scripture passage used to illustrate this idea is continued from last week, Mark 1:40-42. In it, Jesus encounters a diseased man (leprosy was a widely used term for various diseases back then) who asks to be healed. Christ responds that He is willing, reaches out and touches the man, and he is healed instantly.

'Extra Credit' Question:

1. Have you ever tried to help someone out in your own strength and only made things worse? Or had someone else do that to you? How did you feel?

Recommended Reading: The Furious Longing of God

Another 'feature' I plan to continue on this blog is 'Recommended Reading', in which I'll mention a book I'm currently reading or have previously read, including a little taste of what it's about.

Right now I'm about halfway through Brennan Manning's latest, 'The Furious Longing of God'. I've been a fan of Manning's books for some time, for their eloquent language, powerful testimony and inspiring thoughts on the love of God for us. This one is no exception! In fact, our Life Group may very well be reading through it together in our next session...

In it, Manning shares that "the Jesus I met in the grounds of my own self, has furiously loved me regardless of my state -- grace or disgrace. And why? For His love is never, never, never, based on our performance, never conditioned by our moods -- of elation or depression. The furious love of God knows no shadow of alteration or change. It is reliable. And always tender"

Manning may challenge you, offend you, frustrate and confuse you at times, but without a doubt he is a man who has learned much about God's love and I recommend this read for anyone!

Fellowship: the Secret Weapon

In the 1990's, runaway hit series 'Seinfeld' changed the face of comedy with its unusual style, odd stories, ridiculous personalities and 'about nothing' dynamic. Many television executives referred to the show in interviews as a 'water cooler' show, meaning that people at work the next day would start chatting about it at the water cooler. This was a term that denoted the success of the show.

At any typical Life Group meeting, most of us enjoy the small talk, 'water cooler' conversations and relational dynamics that go on before and after the 'official' content of the evening. This time is spent catching up on life's events and developments, swapping stories about your latest vacations and bantering about work, school, marriage, t.v. or whatever else as you munch on some goodies, or perhaps even dinner.

I think it's safe to say that the best stuff often happens during this time of fellowship, and as a Life Group Leader I think it's just as important for us to be thoughtful and deliberate about it as we are about the rest of the evening! In fact, many people underestimate the value of this 'secret weapon'.

So, what kind of things should be considered when thinking about fellowship?

• Do you meet people at the door as they arrive? This can help them feel more welcome, especially on a first visit.
• Do you go out of your way to make conversation with newcomers? Putting a priority on guests will put them at ease!
• Do you allow sufficient time before group begins for fellowship? We don't 'start' the meeting until 15 or 20 minutes after the 'official' start time, just because we feel it's so important!
• Is the atmosphere in your home or host home warm and inviting? Maybe having some music on, food out, conversation starters ready will help!
• Are you in a frame of mind that is conducive to social interaction? If you just walked in the door yourself, you may need to step out for a few minutes to breathe...

There are many other things that can come into play, but I like to think that simply remembering the purpose of Life Groups can help a great deal; it's about relationships, so don't forget your secret weapon!

New Feature: Extra Credit

You'll notice in the coming weeks that I will be adding some 'features' to the blog - these will be posts that appear weekly under recurring titles, with a repeating theme.

The first of these is 'Extra Credit' - a weekly posting that offers additional questions or ideas for your Life Group to use!

For this week's 'Extra Credit', I'd like to share a question that my wife brought up yesterday as we were discussing this week's Group Guide, which covers 1 Peter 3:8-9 and talks about living in Harmony with others. The question was this: How would you define the qualities of compassion, love, sympathy and humility and how are they different from each other?

Feel free to add this question into the mix at your Life Group meeting this week if you like!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Pastor Mark's sermon this morning, on 1 Peter 3:8-9, seems especially relevant as we enter week 7 of this Life Groups session.

We all have varying degrees of harmony in our various relationships, no matter who we are. There are people we get along famously with, those we have little in common with but respect nonetheless, and then there are those who just rub us the wrong way.

You know who I'm talking about - those oddballs that you just don't understand, no matter how hard you try. We find them un-relatable, annoying, frustrating and bothersome. We'd rather avoid passing them in a hallway, let alone developing a relationship with them!

If you're in a Life Group, odds are you've even found one or two such people in it with you! If not, you no doubt have already thought of the names of a couple that you work with, are related to or cross paths with in some other way.

Guess what? Jesus loves them, too, and that means we are called to do the same! I'm not suggesting that it will be easy, but if this short passage in I Peter tells me anything, it's that I'm to treat everyone, everyone EVERYONE with love, respect, compassion, sympathy and humility.

How about you?

Why Sermon-Based?

As our Life Groups ministry is really just getting off the ground, people are just starting to understand the model we are using. Some have been accustomed to doing things differently, others are just new to the group concept entirely, but everybody is encountering change.

One such change is that our groups are now mostly using a sermon-based curriculum, which we call the 'Group Guide'. This guide is created by our Senior Pastor, Mark Cedar, and myself each week, and made available online and in hard-copy form at our worship venues.

Sermon-based groups aren't new, nor were they my idea, but I've become fond of the model for a number of reasons. I came across an article on www.smallgroups.com that clearly explains those reasons in detail. It's by Larry Osborne, author of Sticky Church, and you can view it here.

I've recently been approached by several of our newer group leaders and told how much they like using the sermon-based Group Guide each week. Some have even stated that they were skeptical to begin with, but have really seen the benefit since they tried it out!

You can get the guide yourself on our website at www.desertspringsfamily.org, by clicking 'Connect With Ministries', then 'Life Groups'. The link is near the bottom of the page.

Story Time - Holy people we know

This week one of the questions in our Life Group Guide was, 'Have you ever known someone you think of as holy, or at least who has a great deal of self control?' While I'm sure that there were many interesting answers to that question shared, I'd like to offer one that I just heard about today.

One of our group leaders stopped by the church offices today, and as we were talking, he brought the aforementioned question to my attention. He asked me to look up an article online about a Christian couple that has been foster parents to 11 children, in addition to their own three. These children had been deemed 'unadoptable' by many others, but this family saw a call God had placed on them and followed it. You can read the article here.

The group leader in my office shared that he knew the father from this family, Daniel Obrien, all the way back in high school, and even before he had a dramatic conversion experience, and that watching his life unfold as he pursued God's will has been a joy and a privilege.

I shared myself at our group on Tuesday night about Jeff Shaffer, a friend and mentor who has inspired me for many years. Jeff currently ministers to 'friends without homes' and other low-income people in Santa Barbara, CA and his e-mail updates often bring me to tears as I read about people struggling to overcome addictions, starvation, exposure and societal apathy. Jeff's chief desire, as I see it, is to be Christ to everyone around him, and like Mother Theresa, to see them as Christ and treat them accordingly. You can read about Jeff's work here.

Who do you know that exemplifies Christ in exceptional ways? How do they inspire you to serve and live a holy life?

Story Time (part 2)

So, apparently when I posted last week about sharing stories about your group experience so far, I didn't realize that there is a problem with our 'comments' area. As a result, I'd like to ask again that you let me know how things are going, but this time do it via e-mail. Just drop me a note at mpatterson@desertspringsfamily.org, and tell me all about it!

Story Time

As we are now two weeks into the session, I hope many of you are enjoying your Life Group experience thus far! Remember that the purpose of these groups is for you to develop significant relationships that will result in spiritual growth in Christ - as this happens, we all have stories to tell about our own growth and development.

One way I am growing right now is in my own realization that I tend to assume that other people look at and think about things exactly the way I do. Our Life Group is diverse and no two people in it are quite the same (surprise!), so the relational dynamics have demonstrated clearly to me that I need to learn how to be sensitive to people's differing personalities, viewpoints and thought processes, while still holding fast to the truths of scripture.

How about you? What kind of growth are you experiencing as a result of connecting with others weekly in this manner? Let us know by clicking 'comments' below and adding your two cents!

What It's All About...

Being part of a Life Group can be challenging, stressful, stretching and tough at times. On the other hand, it can also be remarkably rewarding, fulfilling, life-changing and wonderful! These latter qualities are something I'd like to share with you today...

My own Life Group has been gathering for well over a year now, and we've had some amazing windows of opportunity to experience these times of Christian community. One such time came recently, when a family in our group found themselves quite suddenly without a home.

They called during our group meeting that week to let me know of their need, and several things happened. First, we stopped everything to pray for this family, including their three children. Second, members of our group opened their home to put the family up for a few days while they figured out what's next. Finally, several people went and helped them move to a new home the following weekend.

These actions, not to mention the emotional support needed, were all born of the care and friendship that we've developed as a group. We aren't all 'BFF's' (Best Friends Forever), but we've developed a bond that is stronger than friendship, but could be better described as family.

As you meet together in your Life Groups, you will discover that you may not have everything in common with your fellow group members, or even that you don't like some of them too much! Let me assure you, though, that building relationships with those God has placed there is well worth the effort. You may just find that you end up sharing the kind of support and love Christ gave to his disciples, and THAT is What It's All About...

This is IT!

No, I'm not citing the Michael Jackson film... This is the week we begin our first session of Life Groups! Here's a progress report:


As this eight week session begins, I'll be praying for our leaders and all who have joined Life Groups - it's an exciting time!

Building Up!

This week Pastor Mark spoke about 'Affirming Together' in the continuation of his series, 'Let's Get Personal'. The idea here is that we are called to encourage one another, and that part of building relationships with each other is building each other up!

As an example, I shared in my Life Group last night about a time I was encouraged. See, I spent 10 years working part or full-time for a McDonald's franchise in Santa Barbara, from my junior year of High School until I was 27 years old. I began as your average crew worker and worked my way up into middle management, then carved out a unique role for myself as a Training Coordinator and Specialist, helping launch new stores.

When I decided to move on into a new career path, the amazing people who owned and operated this franchise honored me at a manager's conference, presenting me with the plaque you see above. It hangs in my office to this day!

My point? That encouragement, which was both verbal and tangible, has impacted me forever in a powerful way. It not only gave me the courage to move forward in my professional life, but it also inspired me to grow more like those who were giving the encouragement, people who are among the most admired in my life.

As you spend time sharing life together in your group, I'd challenge you to pause and ask yourself, 'How can I give this kind of thoughtful, tangible and authentic encouragement to others?' You'll be glad you did!

The Numbers Game

I'm not one to focus solely on numbers as a measure of ministry success, but I do believe that a wise leader in ministry will pay some attention to what is going on with the numerical qualities of their flock. After all, the book of Acts records that at Pentecost, when Peter and the disciples spoke in other tongues, three thousand came to Christ!

That said, I'd like to share some numbers with you about Life Groups at Desert Springs! You see, as I spent time evaluating the ministry this past Summer and as we approached the three year mark in this journey, I felt compelled to set some goals that we would try to achieve this year.

My heart's desire is that as many people as possible find significant relationships that help them grow in Christ here, and so I feel it's safe to say that my ultimate goal is 100% participation in Life Groups! I am a realist, though, and I know that such a goal is not truly attainable. Thus, I have set a more pragmatic short-term goal for the ministry, as a jumping-off point to keep working toward the future.

Twenty-five percent. Pastors Mark, Tom and myself all agreed on this as our first goal when we determined to begin a dramatic shift in how Life Groups work here at Desert Springs, and we have planned, prayed and prepared to do all we can to reach it as we launch our first 8-week session. In fact, I have set up a white board in my office with the number of groups, number of people in groups and the percentage of adults in groups on it, just to remind myself where we are at in comparison to our goals.

So, how are we doing? Well, I'll let this photo answer that:


That's right - with only one of our three sign-up Sundays behind us, we've already reached the first goal! Do we let up? No - there are still 75% that may or may not be experiencing belonging through significant relationships! We must continue driving home the importance of this purpose, as well as how it is integral to the purpose of Desert Springs.

But we should definitely celebrate and give praise to God! He is the one who has made this possible, and He is the one who will make even greater things happen! Amen!

ALL ABOARD!

The Life Groups train is leaving the station!


That's right, we've begun sign-ups for our first 8-week session, which will take place in February and March. Our first Sunday of sign-ups, January 17th, had great results, with 25 people signing up for groups and 9 more on waiting lists! I've had to close a few of the groups because they are already full, and we have two more Sundays to go!

If you are a Life Group Leader reading this, you should be encouraged and excited!

If you are someone who is thinking about joining a group, DO IT! Or talk to me about how you can start one, because we've got people lined up to get in one!

Leaders Workshop

We held our first ever Life Group Leaders Workshop on Saturday, and it was a great success! Twenty people were in attendance, and I gave a presentation (with plenty of breaks) from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on the vision & purpose of our Groups ministry, along with a lot of the how-to's of Life Groups.

We begin sign-ups for our first 8-week session this Sunday, and we have several new groups that people will be able to get into. Exciting!