Labor Day has passed, the school year has begun and fall is just around the corner.  This coming week we will begin our new “Church Year” centered on the theme Witness.  I am looking forward to new Bible classes, a new sermon series and LIFE Groups!  It has been a busy summer, full of many good things, but I have been missing LIFE group.  I really enjoy the time each week that is set aside to eat a meal together, visit about all kind of things and reflect together on the Word and pray for each other.

LIFE Groups are one of the Core Ministries of our congregation and with good reason.  If they are done well LIFE groups create on opportunity to think more carefully about the portions of scripture we have been reading together.  Time gets set aside to share our faith and our lives together, to encourage one another, to comfort and push each other and to pray for one another.  LIFE groups help us practice faith in God and discipleship to Jesus in relationship with one another, the way we are supposed to.  It is in this regular time together that we get to know one another well and really experience the ties that God has created between us.  This interdependency is where the life of Jesus actually shapes our lives together.

So, some practicals…this coming Sunday is the first week of the new LIFE Group season.  So, may I suggest for starters, attend a LIFE Group!  We have a four week open window to shop around and seven groups to choose from.  It is a good idea to visit other groups, especially if you have been in the same group for a couple of years.  Hey, you already know those folks anyway, so why not reach out and try something new.  A different group puts you into friendships with people you may not get to know any other way.  Then at the end of the four week window, Commit!  You got settle down and be consistent and reliable.  And last, fully engage and enjoy.  Be there, participate in discussion, pursue friendship with one another, ask questions, say what you think, reflect on the Word, on our Bible classes and preaching.  Give God some room to work with and you will see the good he works.

The links below are for your viewing pleasure.  These videos characterize the opposite of what LIFE groups are intended to be, and therefore are hilarious.  Check them out, you can talk about them at LIFE Group,  They are a riot, but don’t do that!  See you Sunday,  Hoj