Perspectives: Tree at the Alamo

 

Small Group Resources

 In a previous post about the book Gather Us In, I mentioned that I would post a list of resources our guest speaker provided during his presentation to our CLM Class. 

• Sticky Church by Larry Osbourne.  Amazon/Cokesbury
• The Class Meeting by Kevin Watson. Amazon/Cokesbury.
• Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Thriving Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley. Amazon
• Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups by Nelson Searcy.  Amazon/Cokesbury
• Waking to God's Dream by Bishop Dick Willis.  Amazon/Cokesbury

Book Review: Gather us In

Information about the book

Gather Us In: Leading Transformational Small Groups by Angela D. Schaffner.  Upper Room Books. Nashville, TN.  2020.  Amazon

Summary

From Amazon: This comprehensive guide to leading small groups provides eight strategies for leading transformative small groups, dispels common myths about leading groups, and helps readers understand how groups work and the life stages of a group. The author suggests practical ways to lead groups effectively, using examples from scripture of how Jesus worked to transform people spiritually and emotionally.

Impressions

I had invited a pastor in our conference to join the CLM class for an evening to speak about small groups. I often use an interview format for those guest speakers, so I needed to provide him with the questions I would ask. I had no idea what kind of questions to ask, so I did what I usually do and found a book to read.

This book was OK, although not outstanding.  I felt like the advice was particularly targeted towards those who needed advice regarding how to run a group that feels like a therapy group. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it did slant the book in a particular direction. I think this book could be one of many to provide resources for a person leading a group, and it would give good advice. That said, I think the person leading the group or starting a small group ministry would benefit from a variety of sources - not just this one.

In a future post, I'll provide a list of resources our guest speaker suggested.

Perspectives: Stream at Canaan Valley

 

Complicated feelings

Yesterday, I posted thoughts about my dad.  

I remember, when Steve and I were getting married, that Judy (my soon to be mother-in-law) told me how lucky I was to have had a father in my life.  I'm not sure what happened to her father, but he was not in her life.

Dad was in mine, although not in the same way that fathers are usually in their children's lives. He was, truthfully, mainly an absent presence. My thoughts about him are not simple - they are complicated.

That's OK - whose relationships aren't complicated? 

I think it is OK to feel what you feel - to realize that feelings are what they are. And move on from there. 

Thoughts about Dad

 

I mentioned earlier that my dad died in June.  I was asked to send thoughts to be shared at his funeral.  This is what I sent:

My parents were divorced when I was very young, so for most of my life, I have not lived in the same state as Dad.  Even so, he always made intentional efforts to stay connected.  I remember writing letters and going on trips with him as a child and visits together all through my life.  He came to my graduations, walked me down the aisle at our wedding, and celebrated milestones in our children's lives. I remain grateful for his love and already miss him. 

Perspectives: Mushrooms

 

Grateful

I mentioned on Monday that my mother had two surgeries in June. During one of those surgeries, while I was in the surgical waiting room, I overheard a conversation between two other waiting family members. 

They were upset that their family member's surgery had been postponed to a later time in the day, necessitating that they spend a longer amount of time in the waiting room than they had planned for. They were from out of town, so when the surgery was complete, and the patient finished with recovery, they would get a late start on the drive back home.

They were not happy, and their unhappiness was very loud.

It made me think about the woman who was waiting for her surgery to start. I'm sure she was afraid and unhappy, and at the end of the day, when her family was home, she would have been through surgery and had to start recovery.

It seems like - even though I understand the impatience of the waiting family - that their day was not the worst it could have been. 

We do that sometimes, I think. We lose our empathy, and we live in our complaints. At the end of a Thursday in June, when I was dealing with the emergency surgery for one parent and the death of the another, I was still able to go home with my husband. We need to remember that living in our complaints can be crushing.  Where can you be grateful today?

Blog Pause and Return

 Hello, all,

I have been absent from the blog for a little while.  

In June, my mom had major surgery on a Monday and then emergency surgery on a Thursday. On that same Thursday, my father died.  

I decided I needed to step back for just a little bit in order to have the time to handle what I needed to do (mainly care for Mom; my father's death "aftermath" is the responsibility of his second family).  One of the items I could "pause" was my blog posting. I set a goal to be back to three times a week in August. 

So I'm back, and I hope to stay back.

Perspectives: Red Rock Canyon

 

Red Rock Canyon, Nevada