Three weeks and all is well

It sounds cliche but it's been really fun and exciting to see the small group take off. It's not growing astronomically, numbers-wise, but I'm having fun each time I talk with Sheila and we ponder the shape of things.

We wanted to frame the small group around two things specifically: the Boston Faith and Justice Network's curriculum, Lazarus at the Gate, which takes a 12-week look at wealth being a blessing, and how we can order our lives to free up resources to bless others. It's not meant to make anyone feel guilty about how much they have, but it provides a vehicle through which we can see what else we can do in order to be a blessing to others and seek economic justice.

The other pole was a trip to Haiti. Helping our church establish a meaningful connection to Haiti is something I've been working on for a few years now. As a church, we also want to partner with friends in Liberia and the Middle East. What we've noticed is we have high-faith opportunities for trips, but nothing for people just getting their feet wet. The trip we'll take is with Beyond Borders, which focuses on community-development issues (not just poverty-reduction, but overarching social issues). They sponsor Transformational Travel, which is an invitation to live among the community for an extended time and "sit and see" what poverty looks like, encouraging relationships, and seeing before acting.

Overall, we're setting this in the context of Heroic Leadership, a book by Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit priest who wrote about the leadership principles of the Jesuits and how they can translate into successful ventures today.

An odd mix of things, but it's been pretty fun and eye-opening. We spent time this week asking God about each of our heroic identities. So far, we've got a Freedom Fighter, Dragon Slayer, and a Captain. Three more are up to bat this coming Tuesday, and I'm excited to see what else God puts in our midst.