either/or type God??
I’m so excited!!
Since about May or maybe June this year I’ve been praying and asking God for direction about something. Tuesday I finally got my answer… and I love it!
A few years back, hubby and I had the opportunity to take an evening course called the Alpha Course. If you’ve haven’t heard about it…look it up on Google or something. It’s awesome. Take the course if you possibly can. It’s a ‘from the beginning’ type course on Christianity. “Alpha,” being the first letter of the alphabet, it stands for beginners. The only thing this course assumes is that a) you have a brain, and, b) you have questions about God and Jesus and Christianity.
Anyway, we were completely and totally impressed. We’ve been long time Christians but neither of us had ever heard such a wonderfully comprehensive, yet simple and all inclusive explanation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Of course, it only just breaks the surface of the amazing depths there are in knowing relationship with God, but it does it so well.
After taking the course once we both felt that we’d like to become facilitators (small discussion group leaders). We did this several times…six times, maybe. The thing about the Alpha course is, that you’re not meant to take it over and over and over, but the bonds, and the friendships formed in these small group discussions are surprisingly strong, and there is a sense of loss at the end of the course if you don’t continue to meet.
The vision of the people who spear head this thing is that once you’ve taken the course, you’ll ‘help’ lead the next time, ‘lead’ the third time, and then invite you’re group home or whatever to continue discovering ‘life in Christ’. If all goes well, there will be a continuous supply of new people to keep running the course.
Eventually, hubby and I realized that some of the people who were taking the course over and over, were not really doing so because they loved the course so much, but because they loved the people. They loved being able to talk about this new ‘relationship’ thing with someone who understands. They love not being made to feel stupid when they asked a question about something they didn’t understand. The down side to this comfort, and familiarity though, is that someone new coming in, would feel like they were the ‘new guy coming in’. We decided to invite this comfortable, familiar group of people to our home to start a ‘Care Group’.
This was a very good idea. Wonderful actually. Even though it has been both good and wonderful, however, in May I started to feel restless. I started to miss the ‘leading edge’ sort of feeling I had at the Alpha Course. I love meeting new people. I love watching people hear for the first time that God actually loves them. I love watching people ‘get’ that Jesus is about relationship, not rules; friendship, not religion. I love seeing people that I’ve prayed for for years come through the doors to the first meeting and trying to make them feel at ease.
So I started asking God about it. Lead the care group? Or start another Alpha Course? No answer. Just restless. More asking…more waiting. Our care group naturally took a break over the summer, so I asked the gang to pray for us, that we would make the right decision. I heard someone say once that “good” is the enemy of ‘best”. So even though the care group was a ‘good’ thing…it may not be the ‘best’ thing.
All summer long I was still hungry for the Alpha thing, but hubby was much more inclined to stay with the care group, and definitely not interested in doing both. So, I took my cue from him. I called up the group and told them we were ready to go again. Again I prayed. If we’re going to meet for a year, and I’m meant to ‘lead’ people to a deeper understanding of the grace of God, and His relationship with them, then I needed a plan, a vision, a book, …something. Again, no answer. Meanwhile, three of our people inform me they can no longer come. Hmm…room for more! More praying. A random conversation with a guy asking if I knew of any small groups that were meeting where he and his new wife could learn about God. Well, actually, yes I do know of a group…why don’t you come to ours? I don’t really know this guy or his wife except to smile at them in the coffee line at church. They agree to come, oh, and by the way…can they bring a friend? Absolutely. Also, long time groupie has a girl friend who has always worked nights, who now does not work nights and also wants to come to our care group. Wonderful!
More praying…still no idea what to study, what to plan. Tuesday night comes, the house fills with people, hugs all around like a long lost reunion of very close friends. Newbies are greeted and made to feel welcome. Still no plan. I know! I’ll just ask a few ‘non-threatening’ questions around the group to get to know each other. Good plan… Turns out that one of my questions was not so ‘safe’. One of the newbies was brave enough to share something really vulnerable. It always surprises me how willing people are to bare their souls when they feel it’s safe to do so. After about an hour of wonderful conversation, including both laughter and tears, one of the girls said she was so relieved that we had chosen to stick with the care group. She’d been afraid we’d go off to do Alpha again, cause we’re both so wired that way. The word Alpha came up and the whole room was a-buzz. One couple said that if we’d done Alpha again, they would have come again. They had already talked about it. The girlfriend of the long-time guy said she’d always wanted to do Alpha, but her former late shift work made it not possible. The newbies asked “what’s Alpha?” to which, all of the long-timers responded with glowing endorsements. Eventually the girlfriend of the long-time guy couldn’t take it anymore. She asked if we couldn’t please take the Alpha Course here in the care group?
My heart soared. Isn’t that just like God? I think I have to choose between two really good things, and He says “Here you go, you can have both! It’ll be all good!” I always feel like He’s an ‘either/or’ type God, but He’s not. He’s a ‘you can have it all’ kind of God. How fun!
Since about May or maybe June this year I’ve been praying and asking God for direction about something. Tuesday I finally got my answer… and I love it!
A few years back, hubby and I had the opportunity to take an evening course called the Alpha Course. If you’ve haven’t heard about it…look it up on Google or something. It’s awesome. Take the course if you possibly can. It’s a ‘from the beginning’ type course on Christianity. “Alpha,” being the first letter of the alphabet, it stands for beginners. The only thing this course assumes is that a) you have a brain, and, b) you have questions about God and Jesus and Christianity.
Anyway, we were completely and totally impressed. We’ve been long time Christians but neither of us had ever heard such a wonderfully comprehensive, yet simple and all inclusive explanation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Of course, it only just breaks the surface of the amazing depths there are in knowing relationship with God, but it does it so well.
After taking the course once we both felt that we’d like to become facilitators (small discussion group leaders). We did this several times…six times, maybe. The thing about the Alpha course is, that you’re not meant to take it over and over and over, but the bonds, and the friendships formed in these small group discussions are surprisingly strong, and there is a sense of loss at the end of the course if you don’t continue to meet.
The vision of the people who spear head this thing is that once you’ve taken the course, you’ll ‘help’ lead the next time, ‘lead’ the third time, and then invite you’re group home or whatever to continue discovering ‘life in Christ’. If all goes well, there will be a continuous supply of new people to keep running the course.
Eventually, hubby and I realized that some of the people who were taking the course over and over, were not really doing so because they loved the course so much, but because they loved the people. They loved being able to talk about this new ‘relationship’ thing with someone who understands. They love not being made to feel stupid when they asked a question about something they didn’t understand. The down side to this comfort, and familiarity though, is that someone new coming in, would feel like they were the ‘new guy coming in’. We decided to invite this comfortable, familiar group of people to our home to start a ‘Care Group’.
This was a very good idea. Wonderful actually. Even though it has been both good and wonderful, however, in May I started to feel restless. I started to miss the ‘leading edge’ sort of feeling I had at the Alpha Course. I love meeting new people. I love watching people hear for the first time that God actually loves them. I love watching people ‘get’ that Jesus is about relationship, not rules; friendship, not religion. I love seeing people that I’ve prayed for for years come through the doors to the first meeting and trying to make them feel at ease.
So I started asking God about it. Lead the care group? Or start another Alpha Course? No answer. Just restless. More asking…more waiting. Our care group naturally took a break over the summer, so I asked the gang to pray for us, that we would make the right decision. I heard someone say once that “good” is the enemy of ‘best”. So even though the care group was a ‘good’ thing…it may not be the ‘best’ thing.
All summer long I was still hungry for the Alpha thing, but hubby was much more inclined to stay with the care group, and definitely not interested in doing both. So, I took my cue from him. I called up the group and told them we were ready to go again. Again I prayed. If we’re going to meet for a year, and I’m meant to ‘lead’ people to a deeper understanding of the grace of God, and His relationship with them, then I needed a plan, a vision, a book, …something. Again, no answer. Meanwhile, three of our people inform me they can no longer come. Hmm…room for more! More praying. A random conversation with a guy asking if I knew of any small groups that were meeting where he and his new wife could learn about God. Well, actually, yes I do know of a group…why don’t you come to ours? I don’t really know this guy or his wife except to smile at them in the coffee line at church. They agree to come, oh, and by the way…can they bring a friend? Absolutely. Also, long time groupie has a girl friend who has always worked nights, who now does not work nights and also wants to come to our care group. Wonderful!
More praying…still no idea what to study, what to plan. Tuesday night comes, the house fills with people, hugs all around like a long lost reunion of very close friends. Newbies are greeted and made to feel welcome. Still no plan. I know! I’ll just ask a few ‘non-threatening’ questions around the group to get to know each other. Good plan… Turns out that one of my questions was not so ‘safe’. One of the newbies was brave enough to share something really vulnerable. It always surprises me how willing people are to bare their souls when they feel it’s safe to do so. After about an hour of wonderful conversation, including both laughter and tears, one of the girls said she was so relieved that we had chosen to stick with the care group. She’d been afraid we’d go off to do Alpha again, cause we’re both so wired that way. The word Alpha came up and the whole room was a-buzz. One couple said that if we’d done Alpha again, they would have come again. They had already talked about it. The girlfriend of the long-time guy said she’d always wanted to do Alpha, but her former late shift work made it not possible. The newbies asked “what’s Alpha?” to which, all of the long-timers responded with glowing endorsements. Eventually the girlfriend of the long-time guy couldn’t take it anymore. She asked if we couldn’t please take the Alpha Course here in the care group?
My heart soared. Isn’t that just like God? I think I have to choose between two really good things, and He says “Here you go, you can have both! It’ll be all good!” I always feel like He’s an ‘either/or’ type God, but He’s not. He’s a ‘you can have it all’ kind of God. How fun!
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