The Life Group
After nearly three months off, our small group met again yesterday after church. It's thrilling, really, to see old friends again, friends who share a certain perspective on life and faith, family and culture, everyone curious to know what God in store for them next. We caught each other up on summer adventures, which took various members to Europe, to the East Coast, to LA, to Florida in the height of the hurricane assaults, and for one of us, into that bright country called new relationship. The kids have grown some, our church recently merged with another church creating a new spiritual hybrid culture in the old building, and as with all Septembers (start of school and football), there is an excitement about a new cycle beginning.
In typical fashion, we debated what to gather the discussion around: one of the gospels, maybe, or maybe a topical study (Love, maybe) or perhaps we just want to take whatever Pastor Milt has to say that morning and take it a little deeper over the lunch meal. Maybe we want to watch pieces of film and television, and break the stories down theologically, and in doing so, proudly call ourselves hip, postmodern disciples.
But it's Jesus that we're interested in: his character, his insight, his sacrifice, his call. Scripture is the starting place, and we reiterated one of our primary desires: authentic conversation. Keep the conversation real--no party lines here--trying to discover what the living Word of God has to say to us in the midst of our no-kidding, here we stand humanity. The Christ (as one of our number would say) has changed us all, and the transformations are on-going. Lots to debate, it looks like--the ongoing nature of choice and free will and love and intimacy and what is the Holy Spirit doing inside of us right now? It is truly a group that brings life to our little house each Sunday, and maybe that's what a Life Group is for.
I'm so thankful for these people...
8:02:23 AM 
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