What I'm Reading
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Sharing Great Small Group Leader Blogs
I want to share with you two great posts from LifeWay to help you as a small group leader. Next week I will share a “beach lesson” from our vacation. 1 Leading Well/Questions Good Leaders Ask from LifeWay Women. If you lead a small group of any kind, you will find this article helpful. 2 4 Ways to Arrange Your Small Group Bible Study Room from LifeWay Research. Sounds easy to figure out, but read this with your purpose in mind and see if your normal set up supports that purpose. Banner photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
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LifeWay Research Articles
I often read and share information and posts from LifeWay Research and that is the case today while I am on vacation. 1 Having stayed a baby Christian for a number of years after my salvation, my heart is all over topic of spiritual growth, and anything to do with discipleship. Here is an article that will encourage you to invest in young believers: Spiritual Development: Helping Believers Grow Beyond Newborns. 2 This second article helps you understand why it is so important to encourage women to study the Bible. If they do not understand who God is and why it matters to their daily walk, they will not know…
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My Soul’s Longing
Something occurred to me recently regarding why I want others to know Jesus and why my heart for discipleship has been a calling now for about 40 years or so. Because it was quite a few years between my salvation and the first time someone personally discipled me and showed me how to grow in Christ, I do not want that to be the story for other new believers. Some days, even during difficult seasons, my time with the Lord just causes my soul to soar and all I can think is, “I so want others to experience this satisfying joy.” A joy that transcends earthly concerns and pain. The…
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Read These!
Read this post from LifeWay Research regarding recruiting volunteers. I’ve used this method for 30 years, so much better than picking people for positions, which I’ve also done! A New Approach to Volunteers: 5 Tips for Getting a “Yes” in a Culture of “No” How’s your leadership heart doing? Find out here from one of my fav podcaster/bloggers Carey Neiuwhof. 7 Early Warning Signs Your Heart Is Growing Hard in Leadership Although leadership is not always fun and easy, when God calls us to do it, we want to do it to the best of our God-given ability even when it’s hard! The amazing blessings of serving are worth any…
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Treasures
I started this train of thought last week in When It Makes No Sense. Today, I want to share 7 follow up treasures He has given me, and how I am getting those insights. I do not like waiting for answers…just ask my former co-workers! I’m just not good at waiting. And right now…waiting is where I am. But in the waiting, the Lord ALWAYS shows up. These things occurred (and this time I was listening!) in a weeks time. And even though resolution has not yet appeared, He has shown up, every single day! 1 I read the phrase “don’t hurry through the heartache” alongside Romans 8:28, “We know…
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When It Makes No Sense
It was one of those days. I’d been dealing with something heavy on my heart. Something that just isn’t how things should be. This led me to look at others and wonder why my situation couldn’t be fixed like their situations seem to be. This day, as He does often, God spoke in various ways as I spent time with Him on my deck. I started with the song, Sovereign Over Us, one I listen to especially when I just need the reminder of His sovereignty over EVERYTHING. Take a listen. My Bible reading then took me to John 21 and the conversation Jesus had with Peter, after He told…
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Helpful Blogs for Current Times
The church, and people of faith, are seeking to share the hope of Christ in a world that seems to be falling apart. People leaving their faith, sometimes in later years of life, violence occurring every day, hopelessness on every corner. It’s tough to lead when we feel overwhelmed. I pray these blogs will encourage and challenge you to endure in the place the Lord has called you to serve. 1 You have heard much about what women in the church need today. Here are some key issues that must be in place to reach and disciple women effectively. Check out What the Church Must Provide Women in Today’s Culture…
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Workplace Mission Field
When you think of a mission field, what picture do you have in mind? For many, this means a country overseas somewhere. Maybe you think of traveling across the US to a location away from home. But what about where you spend most of your time now? Many of you would say your workplace, whether it’s an office, school, factory, retail store, restaurant, home, or zoom meetings (especially if you work from home). Is workplace what you think of when you hear “mission field?” Maybe you need to consider workplace first since it’s where you spend the majority of the time. I’d like to recommend an article by Courtney Moore,…
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Who Do You Imitate?
How would you answer the question in the title of this post? A celebrity? Best friend? Sports hero? What about the “cloud of witnesses” we see in the book of Hebrews in chapter 12? When I was in elementary school, I played “teacher” after my all time fav teacher. Mrs. Evans was so kind to the students. My fondest memory was when she gave me a peppermint candy in class because I was coughing. I felt loved and cared for, and quite special since I was the only one who got one that day! She was always smiling. In my teen years sometimes I would imitate friends I thought were…
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Two Book Recommendations
I recently finished reading two amazing books I want to recommend to my readers. The first is When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons. My D-group did a slow walk through this book. I wrote one post on it in Perfect? For Who? since I am a recovering perfectionist! Ruth takes us from a “self help” mentality to a grace mentality as she reminds us of who Christ is and what He has done for us. Because of His grace we can walk in confidence in His image and stop striving to work our way through self-help methods. Yes, there are things we do to become disciplined disciples, but even those things…
