Blessings of a Small Group

In the past week, I have had the pleasure of participating in three small groups. The people that make up each of these small groups is very different...and I am blessed by each of them.
One group has been together for some time. We have history together...we know each other pretty well...and we have been journeying together in the last year to some pretty intimate places. Sometimes I want to push for more, but then I look back on our history and realize that we have come so far. What a blessing to know that I can meet with friends who are experiencing similar struggles in life. To have a place to share my story, my dreams, my shape and my struggles. I sometimes want to shrink back from sharing these things. I am afraid of how these intimate things will be received, how they will be responded to...but what I have found is that this community is the best place to receive feedback, discernment, wisdom, encouragement and love. What a great gift!
My second group is a group of men that have been (periodically) meeting for lunch. It started as an accountability group. It continues to be that, but even more than that, we are a group of friends...encouraging each other and (sometimes) asking the hard questions....and other times, just being there...
The third group is the newest group and I am very excited about it. Each week, I strive to meet with a group of young men in high school. These guys are somewhat random in their thoughts....sometimes hard to keep focused....but they are guys that I feel so blessed to invest time and energy into. I feel like it sometimes takes us a while to get going down the tracks, but when we get rolling...watch out! This past week we had a great discussion on Christ within us and how people see something different about Christians. The response can sometimes be positive, but also can be negative....and most times it is. What blessed me during this time was the opportunity to get to share some of my story with these guys...to come alongside them and let them know that I understand what they may be going through...to encourage them in their walk and continue to point them to the Father...the author and perfecter of their faith.
I tell you what, there is a lot of talk about small groups and how enriching they are. I think it has everything to do with community...looking beyond your normal walls and building relationships. Life is about relationships and I look forward to joining hands with more people and expanding my community beyond my brick walls...