John Ortberg- The Life you have always wanted

Over the past 27 years I have been in loads of small groups.It would not be true to say I have enjoyed all of them ,(though I am sure I have learned something in all of them) but it is true that I have enjoyed most of them
There is something about being together to study and to pray and to learn.

Our current group has been together two years or so now and I think we have built a really good community, united by our common faith in Christ and our desire to be disciples.

At the moment we are working our way through John Ortberg's The life you have always wanted which has provoked some good ,honest discussion
Last night we thought about the need for solitude and talked about how hard( but how necessary) it is for busy people who rush from one thing to another, to make the time to pray and to read, reflect and learn from Gods word. Though this is essential if we are to grow spiritually

I cant speak for anyone else because (ironically!)I had to rush to another meeting at the end but despite that, I at least got a lot from the evening, though the challenge remains to live it out!

I do think there is another step we need to make as church (and as a small group) however and that is for our small groups to become more missional.

Discipleship is more than Christian relationships and knowing our bibles better, though ,of course, those 2 things are essential . A third ingredient is also needed action. We need to learn to live on mission.

This is the first shift that Reggie McNeal talks about in his book Missional Renaissance .We have to learn to shift from an internal to an external focus and small groups must be part of that shift,if The Kingdom is to grow and people are to come to faith.

I am not yet completely sure how to get there from here but its a journey I believe we must make.