Tag: small group

Outlive your life – Laundry Love

Earlier this year I was asked by Bluefish.TV to tell the story of our Laundry Love Initiative in Red Oak.

A few of their guys came out to the laundromat and interviewed Todd and I about Laundry Love for a video project they were working on with Max Lucado — Outlive Your Life.

The filming actually took place on two separate dates. The first video was the interview with Todd and I — and then the rest of the filming took place on a special Friday Night Laundry Love. Since most of our group was unavailable that night, some friends brought their small group and joined us for the “b-roll footage.”

The book, Outlive Your Life, was released in October — and our story was included as part of the companion DVD small group package.

Not that I expected anything less — but I’m really pleased with the end result.

They did a great job telling the story from an “outsider perspective.”

I’m so thankful to be a part of Red Oak Laundry Love — and love telling the story to others.

When we started the initiative, I was totally unsure as to how it would play out.

Our group was excited in the beginning — but as time went on — fewer and fewer people showed up.

There was also uncertainty on my part about starting something like Laundry Love, knowing in the back of my mind that Laurie and I were seriously considering selling our house and moving.

There was even more uncertainty when the two laundromats we approached said they weren’t interested in helping us.

But I knew there was a need (both for the community and our community group) and so we moved forward with it.

Ultimately, we just picked one of the two laundromats, started showing up to do our laundry and just “happened to pay for other’s laundry along the way.”

And in the end, I believe the owners were excited about the results.

There was no fancy fanfare, no ads, no flyers announcing we’d be there. We just showed up at the same time, every month and cared on whoever we could.

And each and every week — no matter how I felt walking into the Laundromat — I walked out blessed and excited.

We kept the Laundry Love Initiative going for a full year in Red Oak before Laurie and I moved to Forney.

And now I’m dying to get another Laundry Love going in our new community.

I truly believe we’ve been blessed so that we can be a blessing to others.

Here’s to hoping it gets many others interested in starting their own Laundry Love Initiatives or something similar. And here’s to getting another Laundry Love group started in the Forney area ASAP.

Also, I’d be amiss if I didn’t say a huge thank you to Greg Russinger and Charles Lee for their willingness to befriend the under-resourced in their community and to cast the vision that’s led to the creation of 65+ Laundry Love initiatives around the country.

Thanks for all you do guys!

Find out more here or at just4one.org.

Hug a pastor

Day 125: HUGS!
HUGS! | Photo by Crimsong19

For an upcoming episode of the podcast, Travis interviewed author Anne Jackson about her story and her two books Mad Church Disease (a great read) and Permission to Speak Freely.

As Johnny Laird and I did the show wrap this weekend, we focused a lot of the discussion on the issue of burnout in ministry — a major focus in Mad Church Disease.

As we talked I was reminded of some of these stats from Pagan Christianity…

At the time of this writing there are reportedly more than 500,000 paid pastors serving churches in the United States.

  • 94 percent feel pressured to have an ideal family
  • 90 percent work more than forty-six hours a week
  • 81 percent say they have insufficient time with their spouses
  • 80 percent believe that pastoral ministry affects their family negatively
  • 70 percent do not have someone they consider a close friend
  • 70 percent have lower self-esteem than when they entered the ministry
  • 50 percent feel unable to meet the demands of the job
  • 80 percent are discouraged or deal with depression
  • More than 40 percent report they are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules and unrealistic expectations
  • 33 percent consider pastoral ministry an outright hazard to the family
  • 33 percent have seriously considered leaving their position in the past year
  • 40 percent of pastoral resignations are due to burnout

It’s shameful that the church has come to a place where so much pressure is put on our leaders (intentionally or not) and there are so few support mechanisms in place for them.

I would personally love to see people really step up and see themselves as the priesthood believers and realize that they too can care for the people in their faith communities as well — and avoid “passing the buck” off to the “paid professionals.”

I dream of a day when groups come together on a regular basis for the sharing of life and community and these same people rally around one another, viewing their role as pastors to their small community and share in the pastoral ministry of one another — giving the “paid professionals” an opportunity to find some relief in their jobs.

But until that day happens — how about calling your pastor (and perhaps his wife) and inviting them over for dinner? Invite them to coffee. Invite them to come with no strings attached and simply give them an opportunity to unwind, feel free to be themselves and offer your encouragement and support for all that they do.

When our Church leaders can find the time and opportunity to care for themselves, the entire Church benefits.

5 reasons I love being in a small group

Jonathan and Aaron

Abraham Piper (who has a great blog that you should be reading) shared 5 reasons he doesn’t like being in a small group this week.

I don’t disagree with his reasons, but thought I’d share the flip side – 5 reasons I love being in a small group.

  • I love watching people grow in their faith
  • I love seeing people build sanctuary (spaces of grace) for others
  • I realize I’m not the only one struggling and wrestling
  • I learn many things from the stories of others
  • The food is great

What about you? What do you love about small groups/community groups? What do you dislike about them?

Engaging your audience

As part of our community 2.0 ministry at encounter, we recently purchased copies of Andy Stanley’s book, “Communicating for a Change.” Loved the book. It really challenged me and the ways I’ve always been taught to communicate with folks (hense my Mass Communications major).

Rather then outlining a message or lesson with 3 points, each having 3 or 4 sub-points, Stanley suggests outlining your message with only one central point. And building the message around Me-We-God-You-We. I’ll let you start reading it to find out more ;-). Like I said – it’s challenged me for sure.

I’ve tried to share some of the e-mails I send to our leaders from time to time (where appropriate) and thought this was one of those times…
Continue reading Engaging your audience