Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

Author:Adele Ahlberg Calhoun [Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2015-12-18T23:00:00+00:00

God-Given Fruit keeping company with God and others

being known in a safe and supportive community

being part of something larger than your own independent journey

growing in personal transformation

caring for others beyond your personal family and immediate friends

increasing openness to people who are different from you

Small Group

Jesus was never a lone ranger. He has always been part of a divine community with the Father and the Holy Spirit. And when he came to earth, he continued to live his life in small groups. He began his ministry by choosing twelve disciples to be with him (Luke 6:13). Then he spent three years pouring himself into this small group. He taught them truth about God and about themselves. He modeled spiritual practices for and with them. He introduced them to experiences of service, witness and healing prayer. And day after relentless day, in the messy, hard-to-control center of community, he gave them the gift of his full presence.

Spiritual transformation is not a solo event. God works in us through others. Dan Meyer suggests that babies should have a tag attached to their toe that reads, “Life is hard. Do it in groups.” We all need a circle of friends to encourage, support and speak the truth to us. Without their authentic voices, we may never see who we are. It is the unconditional love of a small group that can give us the courage to name the good, the bad and the ugly about ourselves. Small groups can help us press into God’s love when it seems beyond us.

Many of us recognize that small groups are a good idea. We can even identify places of loneliness and times when we feel invisible or unknown. But the pace and activity in life overwhelms us. And a longing for meaningful relationships does not necessarily translate into intentionally making room for them in our busy schedules. Still, the discipline of doing the spiritual journey in the company of others remains Jesus’ model for discipleship. As seasons of activity shift, reexamine your priorities. How might life in a small group replace a night in front of the TV or computer?

Small groups are a simple means of connecting people and offering them a place for self-disclosure and meaningful interaction. Within this context each group decides their purpose, duration, number and so on. Purposes range from therapeutic to recreational and from social to instructional. Small groups exist for Bible study, prayer, social action, support, games, meals, hobbies, tasks and projects. Small groups come in a variety of shapes and sizes: study groups, support groups, ministry groups, training groups, covenant groups (included in this book) and triads.

There is no one right way to do small groups. Small groups take on their own particular personalities based on the participants and their goals. Some groups are highly structured and have a designated leader. Other groups share the leadership and have a more laid-back approach. Still, the best small groups tend to include (1) an intentional purpose and agreement to make the group

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