Working to Live Differently

I'll Go First ... and We'll Get People Talking About Things That Matter

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Collection of Blog Posts - Small Groups, Bible Study, Community, and Transformation

Welcome to the Working to Live Differently blog on finding, becoming, and living in Christian community. My goal is to show how to encourage personal and community growth through a process that looks like this:

  • share honestly with yourself, God, and other people
  • connect with God and people
  • build and become part of a group with a sense of belonging
  • learn and grow through Bible study and Bible doing
  • inspire others and be inspired
  • share your experiences (successes and failures) to continue the process of connecting, belonging, and growing

Blog posts include how-to articles and reflections on leading small groups, developing friendships, building community, studying the Bible, and achieving personal and group goals. I also write on developing physical endurance, which I believe offers insights into spiritual endurance and perseverance while giving us a way to connect with people, God, and ourselves.

8 Things You Should Never Say in Your Small Group

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There are certain phrases and stances that make people reluctant or even scared to keep talking. Learn what you should never say if you want people to share their thoughts, experiences, fears, and hopes.
But there are certain statements that shut down conversation. I’ve known that terse responses and pat answers weren’t conducive to getting people talking and continuing to share their stories. But until recently, I didn’t understand why this happened or how to recognize phrases and stances that ended discussions abruptly.

Learn common phrases that shut people down so you can avoid them and keep people talking.

Lessons from “Making Small Groups Work” (Book)

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Making Small Groups Work: What Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know offers the theological vision and practical guidance for nurturing small groups within a Christian faith community.

In this book, psychologists Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend show how healthy relationships within a small group offer the ideal environment for personal growth. They dispel common, unspoken sentiment that maturity and wisdom happen largely as the result of communing with God alone, striving for growth in a vacuum, divorced from daily life and fellow Christians.