If they’re from further south, they think Tennessee weather is cold.

If they’re from the north, they laugh when we Tennesseans say, “It’s cold outside!”

A 50 degree day in the middle of July in Tennessee is freezing…in January, that same temperature would make for a beautiful day.

Cold…hot…it’s all relative, to a degree (pun intended).

One of the most important aspects of small group life at Grace Community Church is discipleship.  I often say to group leaders that making disciples is the #1 priority of their group.  Everything else falls under this.  If your group ends up bringing 50 new people in, meet 5 times/week, and blaze through 100 curriculums/month, but don’t help those in the group become more faithful disciples of Jesus, the group is a failure.

But I quickly follow that up with the fact that discipleship is relative.

Before you write me off as a post-modern, left-wing, “what’s right for you isn’t necessarily right for me,” spiritual person, hear me out…

A step of faith for me looks different for a step of faith for you.  It looks different for the guy who’s just checking out Christianity.  It looks different for the guy who’s grown up in Church but is far from God.  It looks even different for the student who’s been saved for 6 months and is working through different issues at school.  It looks even different for the wife whose husband is deploying (to see what we’re doing to help these women out, check this out HERE).

I’m not sure we can boil “discipleship” down to 4 easy steps.  It’s never easy…and it’s not going to be the same 4 steps for everybody.

Taking a step of faith, similar to your perception of “hot” and “cold,” is a matter of where you find yourself in life.

Has your small group helped you take steps of faith?

Here’s a quote from their website, telling a little more about who they are:

Our story is similar to that of most Military wives. We are a group of women made up of mothers, professionals, students, exercise-aholics, scrap-bookers, and divorcees from all over the country and all faith backgrounds, who are married to the Military, er, men in the Military. We have learned, often through painful trial and error, that we cannot continue to burden the challenges that come with a Military lifestyle alone. We have learned that when we rely on our own strengths, experiences, and plans to get through deployment and reintegration periods (often many periods), we fall short and our marriages, children, careers, and mental sanity suffer. It is only when we give our lives back to the One who made them that we are able, through His strength, love, and incredible grace, to live full lives despite our current circumstances.

Here’s a video we put together to help promote this ministry that will start on Thursday, February 18th, and continue every 2nd Thursday of the month, but check the calendar for specifics.

I’m writing this post to thank the great volunteers that we have at Grace Community Church.

You see, each and every week, we have to set up and tear down our entire audio equipment.  And video equipment.  The entire stage.  And preschool areas.  And preschool stage.  And their computer check-in stations…which so often don’t work.  And children’s areas.  And their stage.  And their audio.  And their video.  And their computer check-in stations…which so often don’t work.  The hallway, with the banners and the tables and the countless handout cards.  The coffee.  The welcome areas.  Volunteer central.  Information central.

We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing volunteers.

Of course not.  Well…most would agree that He’s not.

But does God allow evil things to happen?

Take a peek into a conversation that Job had with his wife:

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity?  Curse God and die.”  But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.  Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”  In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:9-10)

Did God cause this evil to happen to Job?  No.  The verses prior say

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores… (Job 2:7-8)

We are quick to praise God for the good things that happen to us, and give Him credit for all of the blessings we receive.

But aren’t we also quick to shake our fists at God when things don’t go as we would like?  When we don’t get that promotion.  When we get sick.  When our children get sick.  When our marriage isn’t what we want it to be.  When all of our efforts fall flat.  When we strive with all of our might, yet get nowhere.

I don’t presume to know why God does what He does.

But this passage says that God allows evil things to happen.  And if you read through the first few chapters of the book of Job, you get some insight into how God worked, and how He allowed Satan to work on a short leash.  God didn’t cause evil.  But He allowed it with a purpose.

So if God allows evil to exist, does that make Him evil?  That’s a question you need to wrestle through yourself.  I’ve wrestled through it.  Last week, I was sick.  Not deathly sick.  But sick enough to stay home from work.  I felt rotten.  I had some sort of mild case of the flu, mixed with an ear infection, an eye infection, a sore throat, a sinuses that were trashed.  I also lost my voice.

And last week was one of the most important weeks for me in my job at Grace. I needed my voice.  And I needed to be at 100%.

So why would God allow me to be sick?  Here are a couple of reasons I came up with.  For purpose of generalization, I’ll call it “suffering.”  Some of you may laugh at this being called suffering, and honestly, I would, too, but suffering has varying ranges.  Bear with me.

A Non-exhaustive list of reasons God allows suffering

1. Suffering slows us down.  Our lives race on at such a fast pace that sometimes we just need to slow down.

2. Suffering causes us to think less of this life on earth and long for a better life.  When you’re going through suffering, life on earth isn’t as much fun.  We don’t value it as much as when everything is rosy.  We long for something better.

3. Suffering gives us time to reflect and evaluate.  What does your relationship with God look like when you’re falling apart physically?  Do you only praise God when everything is perfect?  Job was a great example of a man who praised God in the good times and in the bad. (Job 1:20-22)

4. Suffering puts the most important things in perspective.  When we are going through suffering, perishable things don’t matter as much.  We tend to devalue those things that are temporary.

5. Suffering allows us to be comforted by others.  If you never suffer, you can never receive the blessing of being encouraged and comforted by others.

6. Suffering reminds us we’re not in control.  When everything is going our way, we can slide into the thought process that we’re really controlling our future.  Suffering brings us back to the reality that we really have very little control.

7. Suffering allows us to be healed.  God is the ultimate healer, and we would never get to see that aspect of God, and receive that great blessing, if it weren’t for suffering.

8. Suffering, and recovering, helps us to comfort those whom we will come in contact with who suffer similarly.  Although suffering tends to make us quite self-centered, I believe one of it’s main purposes is so that, after God (and others) comforts us, we can extend that same love and care to others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

9. Suffering gives us the chance to see who our real friends are.  Job had some pretty rotten friends (Job 4-25, 32).  Those who truly love us will stick by in good times and in bad.  And ultimately they want what’s best for us.

10. …

What would you add?

We just had a small groups launch yesterday at Grace Community Church.  10 new small groups launched, with over 150 people committing to joining new groups.  Amazing, right?!?

There’s room for improvement.

There was room for improvement last time we had Connect.

There was room for improvement this time.

• We had more people indicate they wanted to attend the event than actually showed up.  That’s a problem.
• We had people attend the event, but not actually sign up for a group.  That’s a problem.
• We had people who needed to be in a small group, but neither showed interest nor showed up for the event.  That’s a problem.
• We had people who showed up to the event, signed up for a group, but have already sent me an email and have dropped out.  That’s a problem.

I’m not a prophet, but I’m going to make a statement that will inevitably come true: There will be room for improvement next time.

We don’t allow these problems to cripple us, but rather we learn and grow from them.  Some we can’t help.  But others we can.

I’m willing to change the system, if that’s what’s needed, in order to more effectively carry out our vision.

As the old saying goes, “Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.”  But what’s often not said:

“Go ahead and throw out that bathwater.”

Why is it that people feel the need to speak softly to me now? As if somehow their soft voice mimicking my hoarseness makes me feel better. Or makes the conversation go more smoothly. Maybe they’re doing it consciously, but honestly, I think it’s an unconscious reaction much of the time.

I see the same thing in other areas of life. We take on characteristics/attitudes/quirks of those we spend time with. We begin to laugh at the same jokes. Use the same illustrations. Care about the same things.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we are easily influenced by those closest to us. Which places an even higher priority on finding friends who will help us to grow in our faith, instead of taking steps further from God.

I’ve lost my voice. And if you spend much time around me, you may lose yours, too.

(HT: Ron Edmondson)

What have you experienced that “kills” community?

The most memorable time of spiritual growth for me was when I was in late high school.  Every Friday night, I met with a group of my friends (about 10-12 guys) to study the Bible and talk about life.  We chose various curriculums to guide us, but it was the relationships that were formed in that group that really helped me to grow in my walk with the Lord.  They helped me to see the possibilities God had for me, pointed out areas of my life that needed to change, prayed for me, and helped my walk with the Lord to expand and prepare me for what God had next.  Little did I know that those Friday nights would be a training ground for the call to full-time ministry that God would call me to 5 years later.

Andy Stanley says that there are 5 things God uses to grow our faith:

1. Practical Teaching

2. Providential Relationships

3. Private Disciplines

4. Personal Ministry

5. Pivotal Circumstances

I see small groups as the place where each of these is realized.  Fleshed out.  Nourished.  Given the chance to succeed.

Looking back over my life, I can see how God has used small groups to shape me and help define the calling God placed on my life.

Have you had a similar experience?  Leave a comment and brag on what God has done in your life through small groups.

God has used small groups to change my life.  Have groups changed yours?

Sam Bradford, quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, was the winner of the 2008 Heisman Trophy.

Colt McCoy was the quarterback at the University of Texas, 2008 Heisman Trophy runner-up, and led his team to the National Championship game in the 2009 season.

I won’t get into who your favorite college football team is…or your favorite conference.  Because I don’t care if you’re a Pac-10 guy, an Ohio State fan, or a Vol through and through…you have to respect the skill of Sam and Colt.  They’ve got some unbelievable talent.

But neither of these guys got caught up in the hype.  They have committed their lives, first and foremost, to following Jesus Christ…not to their respective college teams, not to their future NFL teams, and not to their continual improvement as athletes.

They have voluntarily placed themselves second.

To see more “I Am Second” videos, here’s the SITE.

I meet with people a lot.  A whole lot!

Invariably, lots of folks have to reschedule.  And I love it when they let me know beforehand.

I was supposed to meet with Rick Howerton today in Nashville (about a 45 minute drive from Clarksville, where I live).  It’s well worth the drive to meet with Rick…except if he’s sick, and can’t make the meeting.

So Rick cancelled on me…two hours before we were supposed to meet.

Rick, being the pro of all pros, went to extraordinary lengths to get me the message.

• At 6:25, I got a Twitter Direct Message from him.
• Just a few minutes later, I had a Facebook message from him.
• Followed by an email.
• Then I got an email from Karen, a staff member here at Grace, saying Rick had emailed the church office to let me know he couldn’t make it.
• Then I got a text from Karen, saying the same thing.
• The I get a call from my mom, saying that this guy, Rick, had called the house (not sure how he got my parent’s house number, but I guess ninjas have their secrets), and that he can’t make the meeting with me this morning.
• Then I notice that Rick’s put out a blast to everybody on Twitter asking if anybody knows how to get in touch with me.

So, to sum it all up…I got the message.  Thanks Rick.

You may not be a “professional,” but you can operate like one…and we, as followers of Christ, should be careful to do just that.  I firmly believe that not keeping our commitments, and being flippant with our responsibilities, is dishonoring to God and is a violation of the 9th commandment:

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)

If you’ve got to cancel a meeting, that’s fine.  Do it the professional way.

Do it the “Rick Howerton way.”