Small groups are just for meeting together, having dessert, and sharing exactly one prayer request right? We pushed that definition today.
We bought a ceiling fan and a couple of wooden beams to put up in our bedroom. But, that was two years ago and the beams have been in the backyard and the fan has been in its original box in the hall just outside our door.
We have a heatwave coming and I have a strong desire to get that fan up and fanning us before we are choosing between sweating it out and a $1,000 electric bill. What to do? My husband is busy with his regular stuff. No time. Get a handyman? Sounds good to me - hubby vetoes. Wait a second, a man from our small group offered to help us with whatever we needed. It is time to take him up on that, if he is still willing.
So we call, set up the date, and without so much as a, "Gee, that day is not good for me," our guy is at our house, up in a high ladder, measuring, sawing, figuring how to get those beams up on the ceiling and - drum roll please - installing the fan. The project took about twelve hours.
Meanwhile, I invited our guy's wife over for dinner. Actually, she wanted to go out with us, but the timing wasn't right and I had a perfectly good London Broil in the fridge. So we got to spend the evening cooking, fellowshipping, talking about our businesses, and figuring out a couple of creative domain names for her and beginning a blog. We were having a ball, while our fellas were working away on the beams and the fan.
Everything almost had a perfect ending with me cozy in my bed, my husband reading until he dozes off, and all the while we are perfectly comfortable with the wonderful new ceiling fan. But, after all the effort that went into the long day - the fan didn't work. :(
Wouldn't you know, our small group guy is coming back tomorrow with a meter to check and see if electricity is getting to the fan. I don't want to think about what it means if its not - other than we would have no fan. Because, clearly - if all that effort went into hanging a ceiling fan it is going to work, no matter what.
So if you are just having dessert and sharing a single prayer request - think how you could be a living gospel and showing up and hanging a ceiling fan for another small group member. Actually, just showing up is more than half of it.
We bought a ceiling fan and a couple of wooden beams to put up in our bedroom. But, that was two years ago and the beams have been in the backyard and the fan has been in its original box in the hall just outside our door.
We have a heatwave coming and I have a strong desire to get that fan up and fanning us before we are choosing between sweating it out and a $1,000 electric bill. What to do? My husband is busy with his regular stuff. No time. Get a handyman? Sounds good to me - hubby vetoes. Wait a second, a man from our small group offered to help us with whatever we needed. It is time to take him up on that, if he is still willing.
So we call, set up the date, and without so much as a, "Gee, that day is not good for me," our guy is at our house, up in a high ladder, measuring, sawing, figuring how to get those beams up on the ceiling and - drum roll please - installing the fan. The project took about twelve hours.
Meanwhile, I invited our guy's wife over for dinner. Actually, she wanted to go out with us, but the timing wasn't right and I had a perfectly good London Broil in the fridge. So we got to spend the evening cooking, fellowshipping, talking about our businesses, and figuring out a couple of creative domain names for her and beginning a blog. We were having a ball, while our fellas were working away on the beams and the fan.
Everything almost had a perfect ending with me cozy in my bed, my husband reading until he dozes off, and all the while we are perfectly comfortable with the wonderful new ceiling fan. But, after all the effort that went into the long day - the fan didn't work. :(
Wouldn't you know, our small group guy is coming back tomorrow with a meter to check and see if electricity is getting to the fan. I don't want to think about what it means if its not - other than we would have no fan. Because, clearly - if all that effort went into hanging a ceiling fan it is going to work, no matter what.
So if you are just having dessert and sharing a single prayer request - think how you could be a living gospel and showing up and hanging a ceiling fan for another small group member. Actually, just showing up is more than half of it.
