Small Groups and Shirt Sleeves: A Novel

It is currently 6:10 . . . AM. And I’ve been up since 4:45. I am not sure if my body is just playing cruel tricks on me or what. I really think God wanted me up or is testing me to see if I would actually get up or all of the above. Every time we meet at our small group leadership on Wednesday nights I always have trouble falling asleep that night. Then it seems like I can never STAY asleep on those nights. Too many things on my mind to let my mind rest. I finally fell asleep last night though only to dream about spending time in the word, my small group, church people, etc. So I woke up around 4:45 crazy thirsty. So I got up and got a glass of water, then went and laid back down and couldn't fall back to sleep. So I put my iPod in and decided to listen for a while and still did not get sleepy. And I really felt something (ya know or God, it's stupid how human we are and can’t just chalk "coincidence" up to God) telling me to get in the word. It is almost as if God wanted me to wake up and start doing his work and reaching out to people right away, like 4 in the morning for instance. Probably a time that most of these college students haven’t seen in centuries, if ever (unless they went on the same FFA judging trips that I did in high school, which were absurd).

I have decided to try and be productive with this time I have been given. I have already spent some time in the word and plan to do some of that while I am eating breakfast. I have emailed a potential new small group member (she’s a freshman and I REALLY really want her – in the least creepy way possible). And I guess that is really about it but for 5 in the morning that is very productive for me.

Well the point of this post (or at least I think this is the point, let’s see what rabbits I can chase or where God leads me) was to share one or two pretty funny stories that I have heard recently that I just cannot get over.

Story #1. We have this great guy who we are in small group leadership with and he works at the YMCA with an afterschool program. Well he shares a bible story a day with the kids (how he can do this without parents throwing a fit? I'm not sure but good for him!) Anyhow, he was telling the kids the story of Jesus healing the blind man. And you know how little kids are, so one of the kids asked, "Well who are the bad guys in the story?" and another little girl said, "I know! I know! The ferris wheels, the ferris wheels are the bad guys!”. . . Well at least she almost got it right. Just goes to show us that those darned ferris wheels are still causing us problems! I think stories like these are the only thing I might miss about not teaching little ones. Granted high school students make similar mistakes but then you just wonder what’s going on in that brain of theirs – when in reality, I really do NOT want to know.

Story #2. In reality this story is probably not that funny. Or maybe you had to be there. Or maybe you have to know my best friend. All of this is beside the point because this totally cracked me up. This same guy who I was speaking of in story 1 came up to me one night at small group and said to me, “you look tired.” And I’m sitting there thinking. . . . uhhh duh! I’ve only been up since the crack of dawn and spent four hours in class and five hours at work and just got done reading three hours worth of a textbook are you kidding me . . . so I just said “yea work and school is a lot.” I am such a liar because it was obvious (to him AND me) that there was so much more. And he said “No, I meant spiritually tired. You been spending time in the word?” . . . BUSTED! And he wasn’t even asking to call me out. He was just asking because he was concerned. So we sat down and had an awesome conversation about how not being in the word can really affect every aspect of our lives.

This was months ago though. I was currently retelling the story to my roommates because one of them really felt she wasn’t getting enough time in the word and she really just felt drained from it. So I told the story written above and I was talking to them about how this guy was just so in tune with God that he could just see how spiritually weary I was. And my roommate, Hannah, was trying do an impression of what I was thinking at the time, in my voice – she really likes to do voices, I don’t know what her deal is, she also likes to make up words, totally irrelevant, I know – but she said (in my “voice”) “DAAAAAAAANG, I didn’t know I was wearing it on my shirt sleeve!!!” This totally cracked us all up because that is totally how I felt in that moment. And I’m not sure why I am surprised because this girl is trademark for knowing my thoughts before I even think them but it was just a fun time.

I have recently been thinking (and thanking God) for how ridiculously blessed I am. My family, my apartment, my house back in the hometown, my education, my car, my books (yes, self-proclaimed nerd), my bed, my food . . . Everything is a blessing. These are all constantly on my mind and I do my best to be thankful every day but the one that has been weighing most on my mind are my friends. I have a multitude of amazing friends that I could call at any time and I know they would stop what they are doing and come to h’vegas to be with me. But most recently it has been my two amazing roommates that I have been really thankful for. These two girls have been with me for almost 11 years now and have been there through thick and thin. And they still continue to do that day in and day out. Like everyone, we do have our rough days where we are all on edge and go to our own corners and need to be alone but these are few and far between.
Most recently our focus has been on this new “small group” challenge. We are all working on our small groups and diving into the word to invest in these girl’s lives that God will provide us with. What has never hit me until a few nights ago is that I have am blessed enough to have my own small group. I live with a small group. Girls that I can depend on. Girls that can hold me accountable. Girls that I can sit in my living room with and really tackle the tough parts of the bible with and really get answers. These are the girls that I have gotten in the floor with, on my knees, flat on my face praying to God. This to me is what a true small group is.

So in ways, that is a challenge to me to break boundaries with these new small group girls. To realize that I do not need to worry about how “awkward” situations might get. These girls need God just as much as I do and they may not have the type of friends and support that I do to get it anywhere else. On Monday nights at 7, I really pray that this type of relationship is what I can give them. If I can just give them an ounce of this I think it will be a successful semester.

I apologize profusely if I have bored you at all. This blog is a way for me to really get my thoughts straight and I think a way for God to speak to me about what is truly on my heart and mind. And that could very well be why I was awaked at 4:45. Now I’m going to go eat a bowl of Crispix and wait until I leave for my three literature classes today.