Feb

7

Small Group Check Up

February 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment

How do you check the pulse of your group? When I’m leading a group, I like to do a periodic check up to see how we’re doing. Below are some of the questions I’ll distribute to members and ask for their honest feedback. We may or may not discuss them, depending on the group. People […]

Oct

9

Reference for Small Group Leaders

October 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a group member ask a question you couldn’t answer? (If not, give it a week). Have you ever needed a Scriptural reference for a situation in your group? (If not, pay attention). I just found an interesting site through StumbleUpon. It’s called God’s Yellow Pages and is just a list of […]

Oct

4

Rules for Respect

October 4, 2007 | 4 Comments

Mary Schaller at SeekerMinistries.com lists ten Rules for Respect, taken from the book Secrets of Effective Communication and summarized by Kathy Hellman. These are amazing guidelines for maintaining appropriate boundaries with anyone—especially with members of your small group.
Especially if you have challenging people in your group, consider discussing these rules at your next meeting. And […]

Sep

11

Book Signing at The Door

September 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I just returned from a wonderful event at The Door Christian Bookstore in San Carlos, our local Christian bookstore. Kathy Dunn (below), the new owner, has wanted to do more than sell books. She wants to build community within the local Body of Christ. So she invited me to do a book signing […]

Aug

24

Review on Wineskins for Discipleship

August 24, 2007 | 1 Comment

Heather Zempel, the Pastor of Discipleship at National Community Church in Washington, DC., just posted a wonderful review of Why Didn’t You Warn Me? How to Deal with Challenging Group Members on her blog, Wineskins for Discipleship, and on Amazon.com. Thanks, Heather.

Aug

14

Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture

August 14, 2007 | 3 Comments

I’ve been reading Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture by Mary DeMuth as part of her blog tour. This book would make a great discussion guide for a parenting group, especially for parents of school age children. Mary offers lots of practical parenting hints, illustrated with stories of her family. I especially like the many […]

Aug

1

A New Small Group Opportunity

August 1, 2007 | 1 Comment

I’m excited to announce that I’ve been invited to serve as an Editorial Advisor for BuildingSmallGroups.com and other small-group resources at Christianity Today International. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the small group community. Be sure to visit their website.
In addition, CT and SmallGroups.com have announced their intention to combine their efforts to […]

Jun

25

Live Radio Interview

June 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I’m doing a live radio interview with Lorri Allen Tuesday morning at 6:30 am (4:30 my time!) on “Mornings with Lorri & Friends” on Family Net Radio. You can find it on Sirius Satellite Channel 161, a listener-supported ministry designed to engage, inform and care about those traveling the high road! Join us if you […]

May

29

Queen of the Castle

May 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Are you ready for a break? Here’s a change of pace for our female leaders who need a bit of encouragement or who lead women’s groups. I just received a fun book called Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker by Lynn Bowen Walker. […]

May

21

Barna Shows Americans Are Spiritually Active, But Biblical Views Wane

May 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment

The Barna Annual Tracking Survey indicates that while Americans remain spiritually active, but are becoming less orthodox in their beliefs. The Barna study, which began exploring the nation’s religious behavior and beliefs in 1984, shows that commitment to orthodox biblical perspectives is slipping in a number of areas.

For example, the study indicated that “most Americans […]

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