Opening Thought

Some things are worth thinking deeply about. Maybe that would be better said this way: Many things worth thinking about are worth thinking deeply about.

Thinking in Community is about exactly that. Thinking deeply about things worth thinking about.
But it's more than that. It's thinking together about things worth thinking about.

I have a thought:
Generally speaking, people don't think enough. I mean people don't take the time and spend the energy necessary to really think about things that matter. Personally, I don't want to repeat what others say about important topics for lack of my own thoughts on the subject. I don't want to rely on the opinions of others simply because I haven't formed my own. I don't want to listen to those who are trying to please the maximum number of people, tax payers, voters, party members, church members, club members, etc. with lots of words and little content.

Thought #2:
The reason people don't think, is that they have not been taught to think. I believe thinking carefully is a skill. It can be learned. It can be improved upon. But thinking is hard work. It takes time. It takes effort. It is often not easy. It can even be painful. However, coming to one's own well thought-out conclusion on a given subject is foundational in the pursuit of truth. It's not the only step, but it is an important step.

Let us think together.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
(2Corinthians 10:5)

God's Pie Video

How big is God's slice of your pie?

Baptism

Before I perform a baptism, I always bring the "baptizees" together to explain to them what they can expect when they come into the water.
The best part of our short visit together is when I ask them two questions:

1. What has brought you to this point in your life?
2. What does being baptized today mean to you?

God is doing powerful things in the lives of His people. Hearing these people talk about the ways God is moving in their lives and drawing them closer to Him is inspiring, to say the least.

Their stories are God's stories.

God loves a generous giver

How's your vocabulary?

Here's a unique way to give. This site will test your vocabulary and teach you new words. As you go through each question, it tracks your progress and takes you to higher or lower levels of English vocabulary depending on how well you know the words.
For each correct answer you give, the site donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.
Instead of your children playing Webkins, SpongeBob or Dora games online, how about helping them increase their vocabulary and help some needy people in the process!

Check out freerice.com

Ps. See if you can beat me. At the 700 grain donation mark, my level was 38 and my best level was 40.

Click To Give?

One click, no cost giving.
Giving that costs you nothing.

Is this for real?

I don’t know if giving away someone else’s money makes you generous but giving priority to those in need is certainly a virtue.

There are a few websites out there that use your “clicks” to donate money to charity. It costs you nothing because the donation comes from the sponsor of the website.

Cool huh?

20 Tips / Tip 20

Tip 20: Summarize Key Points.

Many people will find it instructive if you can recap some of the more important points from the discussion. The end of the session is a natural time to do this, but it's also helpful to do it at the beginning of a group meeting. (Recapping what the group has learned so far) Summarizing is particularly helpful after discussing an especially important or complicated point. Brief, spoken summaries from the leader enhance learning and retention, so take notes during the discussion and bless the group by emphasizing the essential take-aways.

20 Tips / Tip 19

Tip 19: Use a Board or Easel, if Appropriate.

Tracking on a board, the relevant points that people make is a great way of affirming, echoing, and clarifying what's being said. It will also help you to "connect the dots" more easily. Beyond that, many people will retain more of what's said if they've both heard it and seen it in writing.

20 Tips / Tip 18

Tip 18: Stay With Fruitful Conversation, Even If It's Taking Too Much Time.

For group leaders who are especially time-conscious, it's natural to march through a set of questions and make sure everything gets covered in the time allotted. The best group leaders remain mindful, though, that the real goal of the meeting is transformation, not completion.
Sometimes, a question will stimulate lots of discussion. It will go deep; it will touch a chord; it will create excitement; it will surface pains or misunderstandings that need to be addressed; it will plant the seeds of lasting change for people. Avoid cutting off God's work in these situations. Don't be a slave to a script, insisting on covering all the questions in your time together. Some questions may require twenty minutes, others three minutes. So be flexible and learn to discern when to deviate from your original plan.

20 Tips / Tip 17

Tip 17: Allow Silence After You Ask a Question.

Eventually, it'll happen. You'll ask a question and no one will say anything. Avoid the temptation to fill that void with your own voice. Give people time to think. Let them muster the courage to answer a tough question. Give them a moment to hear from God, if that's the prompting they're seeking.
Get comfortable with silence after posing a question. Often, your patience will be rewarded with some of the richest and most poignant answers of the week.

20 Tips / Tip 16

Tip 16: Frame Questions Using "Why" and "How."

Usually, when you ask a question that begins with "why" or "how," people tend to answer with more thoughtful, more extensive responses than if you ask a question that begins with "who," "where," or "when."
Think about it. Questions that begin with these latter words can lend themselves to one or two word answers, right? But try answering a "why" or "how" question with one word. Not likely. If your goal is to get people talking, think about reframing the questions you ask.
Another great question is "Why do you say that?" or "How did you come to that conclusion?" These are great questions to use that will get your group members to think through their responses and the reasons for the beliefs they hold.

20 Tips / Tip 15

Tip 15: Ask for People's Opinions.

"How about someone who hasn't spoken yet?" "Anyone else want to comment on this issue?" "Does anyone have a different perspective on this?"
These and similar questions are non-threatening ways of inviting people into the conversation. Write out some phrases with which you're comfortable and use them at strategic points in your group meetings to draw in quiet group members. Sometimes just this little nudge can be a turning point for people.

20 Tips / Tip 14

Tip 14: Cut Off Dominators.

Let's face it, they're out there. Many groups are blessed with that spirited person who contributes a little too much. And that can diminish the experience for everyone else. Usually, if the leader doesn't take control of this situation, no one will.
One solution is to talk to the person away from the group. It doesn't take much. Start by affirming the positive and then candidly make your request. "Fred, you really have a lot of good stuff to contribute in this study, but I want to make sure that others have an adequate opportunity to share, too. Would you be willing to scale back - at least a little - the number of times you contribute?"
A second way to balance contribution is to simply cut in when the dominator takes a breath, echo what he or she has said to that point (so they know they've been heard), and invite someone to respond to that.
As a last resort, you might say to the group something like: "I don't want you to feel like you're in school, but in the interest of managing this discussion, it would help me if you all would raise your hand when you want to comment." Then regulate the dominator's contributions in a way that's more helpful to the group.

Don't get your chainsaw out unless it's a last, last resort!!