Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Four Seasons in a Small Group

This weekend I've been leading a retreat in Minneapolis for The Table. This is a picture from my walk this morning. We don't get colors like this in Houston. My walk this morning reminded me of the beauty of autumn.

It also speaks to transitions. As a family, we've been in a time of transition. It's been exciting. It's been tearful. It's been a lot of work. On my walk beneath these autumn colors I realized how we've had to let go of many good things about life and ministry in Minnesota in order to take next the steps in our calling. We would like for the goodness of Spring and Summer to continue perpetually but life does not happen that way. There are seasons to natural life. There are seasons to our personal life.

And there are seasons to life in a small group. There are ups and downs. There are growth spurts followed by times of transition. No small group experiences perpetual summer growth, although we wish we could. If we are seeking God's life in our group, we will be aware of how the life of the Spirit in the community follows the order of the seasons.

In what season of life is your group?

Spring-a time of new life, new vision, new hope
Summer-a time of growth, excitement, and impact
Autumn-a time of harvest, transition and the reality that something new is ahead
Winter-a time of dormancy, quiet life and waiting on God's new birth

1 comment:

di said...

Love this. Miss you and Shawna. So much.