Because Relationships Matter

Ready for Change

Nagging wife. Distant husband. It is a sadly too common picture.

Wife: He doesn't want to spend time with me. He doesn't care about me. It hurts. I'm mad.

Husband: It doesn't hurt her. Nothing I do is ever good enough for her. I don't like conflict.

Does it hurt her? Does she ever cry? Does he think he's not good enough? Does he ever let her know?

Wife: He doesn't like it when I cry in front of him. It's not ok for me to cry. I move away.

Husband: I never said that. She moves away from me. I figure she doesn't want me to come near her when she crys, and I'm not gonna be able to do anything that's good enough anyway.

Our most significant relationships can certainly get confusing! How do we know where to start? It begins with our own behavior.  

It's just one reason that people might come to Turning Point. Many who attend are in great marriages. People come for a variety of reasons but having one thing in common. They desire personal change; they'll gain some insight into the thought processes that influence their behavior and meet some other people in the same life stage.

We had 7 tables of women and 3 tables of men at the Turning Point launch last Monday. The room was full with lots of energy! The final registration night for this session is Monday night. Hope to see you there!

Reminder of Reality

This is an email I received yesterday from a volunteer leader upon hearing about the job losses on our staff.

I'm really sorry to hear what you all must be going through. Really, it is what we as a Church are going through and GCC will not be the same without the talents and dedication of those who are facing this layoff.  What a great loss you are experiencing and I think the blog posting from Tim was right on.  There's nothing else to describe this right now than "pain." I had heard some about this possiblity last week and have been praying for those who will be moving on and for those left to grieve. 

Mark Beeson told us last week, "Denying reality is not faith." As I look at the positive in this, please know that I'm not trying to find the silver lining in the darkness, see the glass half full, etc.  Looking at reality includes recognizing the good stuff that often runs parallel with bad stuff.

The words above come from one of hundreds of great volunteers who don't see themselves as separate; they understand they are the Body of Christ - the Church. They have influence and they use it. 

Really, if it were left to paid staff, there would be literally thousands of people who would not know how much they matter to God! I'm grateful for them.

Money & Purpose

Does God have a purpose for my life? What is it? Fairly common questions that get asked lots more frequently as we are confronted with the fear or reality of losing our jobs.

Why did God let this happen? He must have some other purpose for my life - now, I just have to figure out what that is? When we have belief systems that point this direction, it causes all sorts of problems. 

God's pretty clear that his purpose is to have everyone follow Jesus, and his method is us. Our purpose is to love God and love others.

God wants us to pursue vocations where we can develop into the people that we were created to be - it's through loving God and loving others that we find the peace and freedom to get there!

We heard an amazing message from our senior pastor's wife, Sheila, on the tension of between faith and financial responsibility. In speaking about her and Mark's early days, "We saved, tithed, and lived within our means. When God opened doors, we were ready to walk through. We kept taking our next step. God expects us to be responsible with our money. We honor God with personal responsibility." 

It was really helpful! I'm grateful for Mark and Sheila's faithful commitment over all these years. More next week on Money & Priorities, and more wisdom from Sheila!

Understanding View Point

"How does View Point differ from Journey Bible Classes? Why would someone attend View Point if they’re already attending Journey?”  Good question.

Journey Bible Classes are, well, classes. People come for the purpose of learning. Someone at the front of the room talks, and everyone faces them to listen, take notes, etc. Participants may or may not (depending on the style of the speaker) be asked to introduce themselves to someone or to talk about a topic with a couple people around them. While you may meet a few people, it's not the purpose. Attending a Journey Bible Classes is the place to learn real-life, practical applications from the Bible. 

View Point is a group. People come for the purpose of meeting some people for Bible study over 6 weeks. Someone at the front of the room still talks, but not as much, and everyone sits at tables; we'll do our best to group people by their marital status or life stage. While you may become a Bible scholar, it's not the purpose. Attending a View Point launch is the place to meet some people while learning some great stuff about the Bible through conversation and a variety of perspectives.

Neither is superior, more advanced, or holier. For 22 years, we've been committed to this: life change happens best in relationship. We want people to take their next step toward Christ. Period.  Because people are different and people matter to God, we provide different pathways for people to move closer to God and one another.

Looking forward to the first View Point launch on Monday night, and to the next Journey class on Wednesday. It's all good!

Giving her all

Food Drop 2009 was this past weekend. Along with many stories of grateful recipients, we received a couple voicemail message where peole expressed their appreciation for the box of food and personal care items.

We also got this card. In her own handwriting... 

  

...enclosed with the note of thanks were 2 items: a prayer request for a neighbor and a check. 

As I prepare for tonight's Journey Class: Financial Fights, Fear, and Faith, I'm humbled. She reminds me of this woman that Jesus described. 

Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."  Mark 12:41-44

Monday is Group Night

Check out to see the great graphic that Dustin Maust developed to tell our people about Groups. If you want to get into a group at GCC, it's Monday night!

Previously, we used separate images/screens to talk about each Monday and Tuesday night group ministry option. 

This shift gives clarity to the "when" and "where" questions. If someone decides this is their next step they will have one decision left: which launch they'll attend.

Starting Point (friendship), 6 week sessions, January 12

View Point (Bible study), 6 week sessions, January 19

Turning Point (life change) and Turning Point All Stars (understanding emotions for k - 5th grade kids), 10 week sessions, January 26

Financial Peace University (money management), 13 week sessions, February 23

Monday is Group Night provides: 1) more effective communication through the web and from the platform, 2) a "night off" for those who want to participate in both a group and 1st Wednesday and Journey Classes, and 3) a volume of participants to justify opening the bookstore and cafe for even more people to come early and stay late to meet with friends.

We're ready to go and excited to see what God will do on Mondays in 2009!

Whoops...

Self-correction: in this previous post, I said that our former method of offering people a variety of ways for people to get into groups was not effective. Wrong!

We changed because it was no longer as effective as GCC grew larger. Big difference. 

No one complained, but poor use of words on my part. I'm so sorry!

Doing More

I wrote this post in March, 2007, about offering less choices to our people. There was a time when we offered a huge variety of ways for people to get into groups, and it wasn't effective. We decided to do less. People are not happy when they're confused.

We ended ministries, some great ones, and reduced it to just one option, Starting Point. It was the only option for nearly 12 months. It provided clarity and was effective for those people looking to meet some people. People are happier when they are not confused.

We then started Turning Point . It provided a path for people wanting support to make personal changes in their life, 

We then started Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey's) to help people get a handle on how to manage their money.

This year, we're adding View Point! We don't birth new ministries often, so when we do, it's a big deal! This is a place for those people who want to study the Bible and talk about it. 

Doing more has come slowly and strategically in GCC Groups. We have more choices. People are really happy when they can find what they're looking for.

However, making people happy isn't the goal - it's about helping them connect to the church so they can find their way to Jesus. 

Lasting Impressions

I spent the first day of 2009 reading my boss's book! How fun it is to read a book where you know the author well, you live the content, and there's still stuff to learn! 

As I read it, I was thinking about our 2009 launch meeting on Monday night for GCC Groups. We'll have all our teams of facilitators/leaders from Starting Point, Turning Point, View Point, and Financial Peace in one room for one time for 12 months!

There are hundreds of people who will take their next step toward Christ in a GCC group in 2009. We'll have the privilege of meeting them where they're at. How will we respond?

Mark had some thoughts in his book - you should read it if you haven't yet:

• Acceptance that conveys, "I will accept you when..." isn't acceptance. We extend grace when our acceptance comes without requirements.
• Rather than merely expecting people to "get it," we must think in terms of journey, one step at a time.
• Most people need time to meet others, connect, and develop trust before they join us or share our agenda.

I ended the book with tears at the story of people who have discovered they matter to God, Bob and Janet, and their humility to let God work through their lives to let others know they matter. I don't understand why God allows me the honor to serve at GCC, with this boss, with these people, to love the people Jesus loves. I'm just grateful for the privilege.