Tripp and Tyler released this video at Catalyst Conference.
Enjoy a little pointless humor.
Did you ever have a bowl cut?
Category: Videos (page 3 of 5)
My friends Steve Gladen and Bill Donahue talk about the fact that healthy, Biblical community is not full of meaningless talk.
Or, as Bill calls it here, vain janglings. To which Steve, like the rest of the world, says, “What?!?”
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love my son. While some fathers may dread spending an entire day with their son while their wife works, I truly relish it.
My son loves being silly and making people laugh.
I think he’d like your response to this video.
Rex & his silliness from Ben Reed on Vimeo.
Song from the album Slugs, Bugs, and Lullabies by Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame
I’ve been posting mostly serious stuff lately. I figured you’ve had enough of that.
(HT: Tyler Stanton)
Ever start a discussion in small group, and find out 5 minutes into it that it’s headed a different direction than you intended it to go?
I have. And part of me stresses out when this happens. I could easily find a home in asking every single question in the book, getting the “right” answer, and movin on. Not that I don’t value off-topic discussion, and discussions that take a while to work through, but I’m comfortable when things are neat and tidy. Chaos and messiness are not where I thrive, though I would quickly acknowledge that those are a healthy part of a small group. Creating, and not completely dispelling, tension, and leaving a bit of un-resolve in discussion is something I’m beginning to enjoy (and greatly value).
What do you do when your group veers off from your intended goal for the night?
A skilled small group leader knows:
1. When to follow the rabbit trail. Not all trails are bad. Sometimes, meaningful discussion happens when the group goes off-script. That rabbit trail could be exactly what God wanted you to talk about. Knowing when to follow the trail is an on-the-fly skill that’s developed as you get to know your group at a personal, spiritual level, and as you spend time seeking the Lord on a consistent basis.
2. When to reign the discussion back in. Staying on a rabbit trail too long can cause frustration, and can cause the group to feel stalled out. Some trails aren’t helpful, and need to be squashed before they become a hindrance to the group.
3. How to ask questions to help move the group forward. Understanding the heart behind a person’s somewhat off-topic question can help you, as the group leader, to know the right kind of questions and statements you need to make so that the group centers back on biblical truth. Listening well, knowing people’s faith stories, and understanding the struggles and victories of group members will help you know the right kinds of questions to ask that will keep the discussion from stalling out.
4. How to find answers. Group leaders don’t have to have every single answer to every single question asked in small group. But they do need to know how to find the answers, and how to utilizing people, books, websites, and other resources. For questions that are singularly focused, humbly saying, “I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find it out” can be a great way to move the discussion forward.
5. How to involve the whole group in the discussion. Rabbit trails can often be so laser-pointed focused that the rest of the group feels alienated through the discussion. A good group leader knows how to rephrase the question (or ask appropriate follow-ups) so that it resonates with the rest of the group, and gives them a chance to join in the discussion.
Do you have a person in your small group that seems to always bring up off-topic discussions? How do you handle it?
What’s the funniest rabbit trail your group has gone down?
I’m a big Will Farrell fan. Watch, and laugh, as he leads Mark Wahlberg down a path he didn’t intend.
Does the coffee that you drink help change the world?
Mine does.
We’ve just recently started serving Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee (you can follow them on Twitter HERE)on Sunday morning at Grace. Every pound of coffee we purchase from them helps to fuel their ministry. I love what they’re doing to impact Rwanda. For starters, they’ve adopted a coffee farm, and guarantee the farmers a premium price on their coffee. Continue reading
I have lots of respect for the Honda company now.
“The idea is that you can fail 100 times…if you succeed once.”
We will have loads of bad ideas. Ones that fall flat on their faces. Maybe even right out of the gate. And we’ll have to take the rap, own up to our mistakes, and learn from them.
Because a failure doesn’t mean that we’re done.
(HT: Mike Foster)
I’m in the process of reviewing a small group series called Convergence. Have you heard of it?
Convergence is a series of DVDs designed specifically for small groups looking for more than just Bible study. Convergence will examine the intersections between faith and real life with the goal of sparking deeper conversations and stronger community within small groups.
Each DVD will feature Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) facilitating a conversation with another well-known Christian author or speaker about the challenges that Christians face while trying to integrate faith with real life.
Unlike other DVD series that rely on a single person to speak and teach, these DVDs will rely on the interviews hosted by Donald Miller to start conversations within small groups.
Here’s the promo video:
Convergence Promotional Video from All Things Converge on Vimeo.
What do you think makes for a successful small group study?
I’ve read through Randall Neighbour’s The Naked Truth of Small Group Ministry: When it Won’t Work and What to Do About It. I was challenged, but had some follow-up questions for Randall.
I thought that my interview would take 3-5 minutes. 30 minutes later, we were still talking. So I’ve decided to break it up into 5 sections.
Please bear with the audio and video quality. I’m doing the best I can!
If you’d like to get a free copy of Randall’s book, I’m extending the contest giveaway until tomorrow at noon! Click HERE to enter.
1st question:
What are some of the major problems you see in most small groups systems right now?
I had a chance to watch The Summit live, but many people didn’t have that opportunity. So, Lifeway has made the video available for you to watch. And, just like the conference, this video is FREE.
I blogged the event, including highlights from the entire week while the small group experts were in Nashville, at Rick Howerton’s new blog. Click HERE to see his blog, and my notes.
I’ve posted the video of the event below.
The Summit: A Convergence of Small Group Experts from LifeWay Productions on Vimeo.
What were your takeaways from the event? Was it worth your time?
My Book
Starting Small: The Ultimate Small Group Blueprint
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