G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr once noted;
The absolute of uncertainty keeps uncertainty from being an absolute, which certainly is absoluting.
Week:
3
Community and Witness
Relationships, testimony, hospitality, and mission. This week explores how faith is formed and expressed in community—through honest relationships, shared stories, and intentional hospitality. It equips participants to give and receive testimony, to practice welcome, and to join God’s mission in ordinary contexts. Emphasis is placed on mutual formation: we grow as we serve and witness together.
Objectives
Encourage everyday witness without a platform.
Learn to evaluate criticism and respond with grace.
Practice listening, hospitality, and testimony.
Reflections
What hospitality step can I take this week?
How do I respond to criticism—defend or discern?
Who needs the witness of my life?
NowTo the HowTo
Accountability/Tracking
Each person invites one non church friend to a low pressure event and reports back.
Community Action
Host a “Pull Up a Chair” gathering—invite three people for a 30 minute conversation about life and faith.
Creative Project
Create a simple invitation card (digital or print) to invite someone to a future group meeting.
Leader Prompt
Teach a 3 step testimony framework (problem, turning point, God’s work) and run a practice round.
Personal Practice
Write a one minute testimony and practice delivering it aloud twice this week.
Devotionals
Let Them Suffer
We have had occasion to discuss today's devotional a couple times in recent months, so this title may sound familiar... or, it may actually confuse you, too. Letting others suffer seems SO contrary to the message of Jesus, the compassion He has instilled in our hearts, and the reward of hope we have realized... but this is actually one of the underlying messages God conveys to us. Letting others suffer gives God an opportunity to commune directly with them. As an example, Jacob loved his son...
One Good Deep Deserves Another
I know, it's a funky title for a devotional and normally I would agree, but our devotional today is admonition for the deeper life in the Lord. I know, that too is an old story and something of a cliché saying buzzing around these days. But, I read through Psalms 42:7, which states; " Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. " I like reading the King James language because it makes me 'read' the words and untangle the message the...
Hand in Hand
Call me silly, a romantic, or maybe just plain loopy, but I thoroughly enjoy walking along hand-in-hand, don't you? First, the touch is an amazing feeling, then the feeling of a deeper connection is there, and then there's the sense of security and companionship combined, which all culminate into a wonderful completeness. Our devotional today helps us reflect on this regarding our relationship with the Lord. Just as we don't walk hand-in-hand with just anyone, so it is with the Lord; we are...