Thanksgiving with my small group - November 20, 2008
May this holiday not only remind you of our responsibility to be thankful, but make you more thankful than you already are. I’m thankful for:
My God.
My wife, Carie.
My church family.
My family (including my friends.).
To you, for being a part of my community.
Last night my small group leaders, Ben and Michelle, allowed me to lead the group discussion from the Nooma Video, “Dust”. I hadn’t led a small group for a while (at least in an official “life group” setting), and I had a great time doing it again.
So the end result of the discussion was about risk and how it connects with the idea of surrender to God.
i.e. we don’t risk anything because we want control of every situation.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be known as someone who would wisely risk it all because that’s what God wants me to do. So I started asking myself some questions that I thought I might share with you. See how good you have done in the area of risk.
When was the last time I have risked something big for God?
In the past,what have I struggled giving to God?
What am I not willing to risk because it is too important to me?
In what areas am I safe and comfortable that might be a hindrance to growth in the future?
What is God asking me to risk today?
Since our church is participating in that One Prayer thing, I’ve been thinking a lot more about unity in the body of Christ, and also about unity in my life. You see, I like people. I like a lot of people. I love a lot of people. But there are some that I just don’t like - Even Christians (or should I say, especially Christians).
So then I run into this verse yesterday with my small group: 1 John 2:9-11 – “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”
So here’s the thing – I like a lot of people, but even though I’m pretty friendly and like a lot of people, there are still some people in my life that I choose not to be around a lot for various reasons. I’m sure many of these people also choose not to be around me. One might even say that I don’t like them and they don’t like me. Simple question today for a simple Friday:
Is “don’t like” different than “hate”?
