I've had a lot going on for the past year, and the last six months especially. This is more or less a "what God's been doing in my life" thread. (At least I recognize when I sound corny.)
I recently joined an accountability group, which now makes two.
The first one is on Tuesday mornings before work: this group has four 60+ guys in it who've been meeting like this for over 15 years, a guy in his 40's, and then me (I'm 28). It's a pretty laid-back group; we talk about whatever we want to talk about, and if one of us has a heavy topic to bring up in confidence, he does. We've talked about some pretty heavy things.
The other group is early on Saturday mornings, with myself and three other guys around my own age. This group is more structured, so that we actually have a list of questions we ask each other about our actions the previous week. (e.g., have you handled your finances right, have you withheld forgiveness from anyone, have you exposed yourself to anything sexually alluring, etc.) Each guy takes a turn going through the list, and then one of the others prays for him.
The first group is an encouragement to me, because I get to talk to older guys who have "walked the walk" for a long time. There's one piece of advice that keeps popping up, and it's this: persevere. Or, "do the next right thing." That advice has been something of an anchor for the last year.
The second group is beneficial because I know that at the end of the week I'm going to be asked pointed questions, by guys who will take a turn answering the same questions, about my actions during that week. It helps keep me honest.
I'm blessed beyond measure. That's corny, but I mean it. I have a lot on my plate, and a lot that stresses me out, but I'm increasingly optimistic.
I've started praying recently something along the lines of, "make me humble." There's a recurring joke in Christian circles about not asking for that, (because you might just get it), but I ask it knowing full well what I'm asking. If being humble means that God has to humble me one way or another, then that's what I'm asking for.
I might post more later, as I think of it.
I recently joined an accountability group, which now makes two.
The first one is on Tuesday mornings before work: this group has four 60+ guys in it who've been meeting like this for over 15 years, a guy in his 40's, and then me (I'm 28). It's a pretty laid-back group; we talk about whatever we want to talk about, and if one of us has a heavy topic to bring up in confidence, he does. We've talked about some pretty heavy things.
The other group is early on Saturday mornings, with myself and three other guys around my own age. This group is more structured, so that we actually have a list of questions we ask each other about our actions the previous week. (e.g., have you handled your finances right, have you withheld forgiveness from anyone, have you exposed yourself to anything sexually alluring, etc.) Each guy takes a turn going through the list, and then one of the others prays for him.
The first group is an encouragement to me, because I get to talk to older guys who have "walked the walk" for a long time. There's one piece of advice that keeps popping up, and it's this: persevere. Or, "do the next right thing." That advice has been something of an anchor for the last year.
The second group is beneficial because I know that at the end of the week I'm going to be asked pointed questions, by guys who will take a turn answering the same questions, about my actions during that week. It helps keep me honest.
I'm blessed beyond measure. That's corny, but I mean it. I have a lot on my plate, and a lot that stresses me out, but I'm increasingly optimistic.
I've started praying recently something along the lines of, "make me humble." There's a recurring joke in Christian circles about not asking for that, (because you might just get it), but I ask it knowing full well what I'm asking. If being humble means that God has to humble me one way or another, then that's what I'm asking for.
I might post more later, as I think of it.
Comment