Our Small Group

I have a smile on my face as I think about last night. We came home from our weekend ministry opportunity happy but tired as usual knowing that in 2 hours we were to be at our friends home for supper. This was more than “just” supper though it was the re-establishing of our small group after a summer of crazy schedules. There are just 3 other couples. From the start we said we would “keep it simple.” Generally we don’t have a meal we just come together. We rotate through one another’s homes so no one has a “burden” of having us in their home at all times. We read a book together one chapter at a time. The host husband leads the discussion and we finish in prayer. We’re keeping a prayer journal.

Last night we celebrated the miracle of life that the Lord has given one of our group’s brother. He was diagnosed with cancer about 1 1/2 years ago and given 1 month to live. We prayed. He’s still here, quite healthy and fully living life. We rejoiced together. We also added some tough family situations to our list. That’s the great thing about small groups. You get to know each other and support each other through the good as well as the tough stuff. There is much laughter and there are tears.

Our small group is focused on our marriage relationships and accountability. We are learning to be honest and transparent with one another. We are learning to challenge one another to deepen  and appreciate our relationship with our spouse. We only meet twice monthly as everyone is busy. Those two times a month remind us to take time to invest in our relationships with our spouses. We take a couple of hours out to focus. The older I get the more I value living my life with focus. It simplifies my life. I have a focus of first of all getting to know God (Phil. 3:10) and secondly valuing my marriage and family. That focus helps me make choices of what to do today. With so many possibilities vying for our time each and every day it’s good to have focus. Thanks to our small group for helping me keep my focus.

Are you in a small group?