The Shape of a Circle | Everyday Discipleship

Prayers without polish that really hash out with God where you're at - Brian talks it out with Matt Timmons.

Lakepoint Students Pastor Jason Eeten Shares his thoughts on how our heart is shaped by the act of prayer.

There's a lot of ways you could choose to organize your typical gathering.  Here's mine. 

Serving (normally thought to be an outreach) has more to do with shaping our discipleship.

Same old or something new, it's about keeping it fresh.

2's & 3's or 3's and 5's might be the best way around Covid-19, but might also be the best way to make discipleship more personal in your circle.

Casting a vision that everyone wants to come back for.

In group settings, here's how to summarize and move on when someone is talking too long.

Theology gives the RX to your discipleship diagnosis.  

It's hard to shape discipleship in your relationships without identifying where they're at.  This simple diagram and exercise will get you started.

If you're hungry for change and tired for talking about the same old issues, this is the question you need to pull desire from the heart.

Whether new to Jesus or walking with him for decades, people need to know that everyday discipleship is shaped by a cross on their back.

The 2nd and 3rd century church's response to pandemics is a lesson in loving like you've lost it.  And by such a love, the kingdom of Jesus went across the known world.

Brother Lawrence contributed a lot to understanding what it means to "practice the presence of God."  Here's one of his more memorable quotes, and a three-part framework for understanding union with God.

If someone in your circle said, "Tell me everything I need to know about Jesus," what would you say?  Your response can be shaped as simple as ABC.

We'd love to shape our circles with real conversations all the time.  We'll experience moments like that all along the way, but to live there it takes trust, and to shape your circle with trust you need conversational consistency.  

Conversations that get real get below the surface.  But how do you get there?  The doorways of Hopes and Hurts are what opens the way.

The best way to listen like you mean it, is to mean it.

"I don't have time!"  That might be the biggest reason people shy away from trying outreach - the can't imagine fitting one more thing into their already busy lives.  Shaping your circle doesn't have to take more time , but you just have to be more intentional where you're already spending your time .   

Reaching out to people in your Everyday Circle doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating.  It simply starts with swapping names.

Let's talk about just how important it is to be real.

Turning your listening ear into words for your mouth... with prayers holding everything together in-between.

Someone's going saying something real from their place of pain, and create a pin drop moment in the group.  How are you going to respond as a leader? 

Relationship.  Discipleship.  Outreach. Multiplication.  Your circle isn't experiencing full discipleship without aiming at all four.

Does our preparation in gathering people for discipleship, reflect an appreciation that some sacred space is about to be entered?