Love:Hate

I have a love-hate relationship with Small Groups.

Why I love Small Groups: We pray for one another.
Why I hate Small Groups: In order for others to pray for me, I must confess my sins to them.

How humiliating...er...um....humbling it is to be in a Small Group. It is also liberating, to confess your sins to another sinner.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16 ESV)

Healing Begins Video Journal

Small Group & Psalm 51

Our church is made up of Small Groups. Ideally, these are groups of 10-15 people that meet in a home each week and are together for about a year. We eat together, discuss the Word and pray together, (guys with guys and ladies with ladies). I love my SG dearly.

For a while I've been in a rather sad place. I've been disobedient to the Lord, lazy, lethargic and just plain rebellious. I can relate to the Psalmist who wrote, "Before I was afflicted I went astray..." SG has been good for me in this time, though. Even if we're all struggling, we still meet and just confess our sins and pray. It's selfish, but for me it is helpful to know I'm not alone in my struggles.

Last night was an especially sweet time for me. As a whole group we made a lengthy list of things we want God to do in our own lives, in the lives of those around us, at church and in the rest of the World.

How beautiful it was to see that we all struggle with similar things--laziness, selfishness, pride. We want the same things for those around us--healing, jobs, salvation. We have great desires for our church and its leadership--stay simple, follow the Spirit's leading, shepherd their families well. For the rest of the world we want to see slavery abolished, closed countries opened to the Gospel and perseverance for believers under persecution.

We printed our lists and split into 2's and 3's to pray. We had only a little time, so we only prayed for ourselves. It was so liberating! My partner and I chose our top three struggles (mine: laziness, no desire for things of God, obedience). Then, we prayed for one another, hard and with great earnest. We prayed, sitting on my bed with the dogs and folded clothes. We prayed and prayed, confessed sin and prayed some more. How freeing!

I don't know what God is doing in our SG, but I know that last night felt like Revival for me. Now, I must be praying that it lasts and that it spreads.

I received a text message from one of the girls in SG early this morning. She read Psalm 51 this morning and was amazed to see how pertinent it is for our SG. She's going to be praying verses 10 and 12 for everyone in our little group.

Revival may be coming.


"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me...
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit."
(Psalm 51:10 and 12 ESV)

Diversity--Things I Love Thursday

I'm young, married, female, middle class and white; I don't have any culturally interesting labels. I have interesting qualities, I'm sure, but when I fill out paperwork, I check the less-than-exciting boxes.

The little ekklesia to which I belong is a beautiful one. It resembles heaven far more than it used to, and I'd love to see more color and age and SES.

Diversity is pretty to me. That may sound cheesy, but it is. Here's why:

• I like lots of colors.
• I like learning from people older and younger than me.
• Heaven will be really colorful.
• I love to learn different languages.
• Believers in humble economic states have much to teach the rest of us about humility.
• The church is filled with gifts that I don't have but need in others.
• Believers in high economic states have much to teach the rest of us about humility. 
• Older believers are wise.
• Young believers are free.

I love diversity. I really do!

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