New Sharing Group
A few months ago we started, for lack of a better term, a “sharing group.” But in reality it is a prayer group, discussion group, book club, and bible study, all rolled into one. At the moment we are basing this “fellowship/study” gathering on Dallas Willard’s 1997 publication The Divine Conspiracy. We have been moving through the book at a snail’s pace,simply because there are so many great lines in it that provide a springboard for further discussion. We have had some engaging dialogue, from what it basically means to be a Christian to the current state of spiritual affairs for the church—the Body of Christ—in these present times.
I myself am in no hurry to get through the book. I am just having fun being in the fellowship hall and shooting the breeze (spiritual breeze, hopefully) with the good folks of Cherry Grove and Donovan. I actually believe that when Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you,” he truly means it. And those who are dropping by, I believe, want to do what Jesus says to do.
I don’t have any requirements or qualms about people having to “support” dutifully—or not support—this endeavor with their presence (but thanks to all who have “supported” this up to now) every single solitary Sunday evening. If it meets a need in your life, come right on. If not, well....I plan to be here regardless.
For the people who might think they’ve missed too much to start coming now, we would like to dispel this misconception. You don’t have to worry about needing to read the book, because the sharing group is an ongoing gathering rather than the type of short-term study we’ve had in the past, and it is very informal. I am encouraging any and all who want to get together and talk about spiritual realities to show up on Sunday evenings at 6:00.
As I shared with someone recently, I am not all that into talking about the Kingdom of God in the abstract. For me, we have to get as “close to home” as we can, personally and corporately (meaning, for individuals and for our respective churches). Like the Psalmist who writes, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”
I want to inquire into the nature of things related to the kingdom, and I am hoping that you do, too.
Jim
