Seeker Small Groups

Prayer and Community

As most of you know, one of our 150 seeker small group leaders, Denise Blocker, experience a tragedy this past week when her husband Brad Blocker was in a serious skiing accident at Lake Tahoe. He was in a drug-induced coma with severe head and chest injuries in a Reno hospital. I sent out an e-mail to all of you, asking you to pray.

I was astonished at the response! So many of you sent e-mails back saying that you were praying for Brad, Denise and her family. It showed me how much this group values prayer. We may all not be able to show up to some of the events that are being planned for seeker small group leaders, or even get that seeker small group going yet, but what I witnessed through this recent tragedy is a high value on prayer and reliance on God's power within our SSG contingent. This prayer response continued when the very sad news came in on Friday night (2/22) that Brad had passed away. Some of you have offered to put together a love of offering for the family. Someone had a friend in Reno that is a pastor who could go visit the Blocker family in the hospital. Others knew Brad personally through his love of basketball.

For those that may be interested, Brad's memorial service is 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 1st at the Woodside Priory, Portola Valley. There will also be a viewing at Spangler Mortuary, 399 South San Antonio Rd. in Los Altos on Friday night (2/29) from 5-8 p.m.

I must confess that there have been times over this past year that I was discouraged, because this is so new and I don't really know how this whole movement of seeker small groups is going to unfold. But this week's response has taught me that there is a community forming of like-minded people that know how to pray and come together when we need it most.

I hope I see many of you at the Conversational Evangelism Conference. Unfortunately I will miss most of the lunch, due to the funeral. However, Garry Poole and Fran Goodrich of NBS as well as Bruce Stryd another key SSG catalyst, will all be there to make that hour count for each one of you that attend. I continue to be so grateful for each one of you. Thank you for praying for the Blockers and also for the all the prayers you have been praying for me over this past year. I feel them. Love, Mary

Praying leaders

Here is the picture for the previous post. Somehow it didn't go through the first time.

Waiting and Wondering

All week as I was unpacking boxes and settling into our new home in Sandpoint, Idaho, I couldn't help but think, "God, what are you doing? I was obedient to your call to launch a seeker small group five years ago in my home. I trained other leaders to launch groups through two internships in the past few years. And in this last year, we have found 150 people who are ready, willing, and have started launching seeker small groups in the SF bay area. And two weeks ago, the seedlings of a leadership team for this effort are starting to emerge. What's next for me? I need to be down in the bay area full time helping this fledging new ministry unfold, but instead my main residence is now in Idaho!" I believe God is saying to me: "Wait, pray and wonder. See what I will do through my power. I will show you what's next, in my time, not yours. I've got it all covered." Isaiah 52:10 says "The Lord will deomnstrate his holy power before the eyes of all nations. The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."

Although at times the complication of a move to Idaho is frustrating to think about, I am so thankful that I can continue to support what God is doing in the bay area through e-mail, phone conversations and being down there for one week of every month. I have rented an apartment in Palo Alto for this next year in order to continue my ministry there. I believe there is a movement emerging that may have some of its early roots based in the SF bay area. How exciting is that???? We all get to be a part of it! And it begins with being obedient to our "calls" and following it to the next step.

But it also involves waiting. At the NEXT STEPS session two weeks ago, one of the key verses that day was from Isaiah 52:7 in which the prophet Isaiah exclaims: "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!" We talked about the mountains as potential obstacles that we all need to overcome in order to bring the good news to others. We also looked at Nahum 1:5, in which it says: "Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains (or possibly overcoming mountains?) with good news! He is bringing a message of peace."

We all have mountains to overcome in bringing the good news to those that God is drawing to himself. Our tendency is either to ignore the mountains and plow forward as if we were walking across flat land or see the mountains as too overwhelming and give up. If we ignore the mountains, eventually they trip us up, because they are there! If we see them as too intimidating, we are defeated. But there is a third way that enables us to move forward over the mountains: waiting, praying and wondering. God sees the mountains or obstacles ahead of us. He's going ahead of us and paving the way, removing the obstacles. Isaiah 52:12 tells us "You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you, and the God of Israel will protect you from behind." Isn't that comforting? We don't have to be in in a hurry. We can wait on God's time for each new step! He goes before us.

At the end of the session on 5/12, we each had a piece of paper with a big foot on it, symbolizing our beautiful foot that carries the good news. We wrote our prayer requests and next steps on our "foot" and gave it the person next to us to pray for us. Many people asked for prayers that involved God removing the obstacles (or mountains) in our path to launching or leading a seeker small group. Here is a picture of everyone praying for one another that day.

What are your obstacles to moving forward in launching or leading a group? Is it lack of time? Fear of rejection? Not knowing who to invite? As we wait and pray, we get to see God at work in our lives and in those around us. It is not wasted time. In our microwave, hurry-up society, we disdain waiting. When we do wait, we often see God demonstrate His holy power. I know that is what I need to be doing. And when I do, I have a ringside seat to the best show in the world: the Kingdom of God at work. - Mary