What about the kids?

Sometimes, the desire for group life isn’t enough to make it happen. Actually, it’s never enough. Once you decide to join a group, you have to take the step to inquire about it, find a group you’re interested in, and maybe visit one or two before you jump in.
Having kids presents a whole different set of [...]

“Silence is Golden”

I don’t know if I believe this statement: “Silence is golden.” Despite my recent post on the discipline of silence, I have trouble putting it into action in my Small Group. I think that part of the reason is that I often feel like the expectations of Small Group members (including myself) is to get together to learn from one another [...]

Your Small Group Heritage

I come from a large family. My mom was one of nine kids; my dad was one of four. Now, we have 49 people in four generations living within 30 miles of one another (not to mention the seven families outside of this area). My husband is one of two kids. It is pretty much [...]

“How are you?”: The long and the short of it

“How are you?”
I can’t tell you how many times I ask and answer that question in a week. The same may be true for you. I ask it numerous times on Sundays on the church patio, during the week to my grocery clerk and barista, and a few times during my Small Group gatherings or with [...]

The Discipline of Silence

This week, I’ve been wrestling with words. Not that I have had a hard time choosing what words to use, but that I have been analyzing my intake and output of words in general.
It has been almost a week since I have posted something. That might not seem like a lot for some people, but for me [...]

Engaging Downtown through The Bridge

A few months ago, I visited “The Bridge: Los Angeles,” BAPC’s satellite campus in Little Tokyo, the heart of downtown. The worship service ended early to allow time for us to go on prayer walks around the city. We set out in groups of four or five. Passersby might have thought we were in a [...]

Getting lost

I have zero sense of direction. When people ask me about what Small Groups are available in their neighborhood, I usually have to jump onto Google Maps to double-check where their neighborhood is. When I drive somewhere I haven’t been before (and even many place I frequent), I have to write down the directions both [...]

Carpet Loops

In my Independence Day blog, I mentioned that we can imagine what the impact of one person is. The most vivid time that I was able to do so was a few years after I became a Christian.
I was in one of my first Small Group experiences–visiting a group that met at the church building. [...]

Independence Day

Today is the Fourth of July–Independence Day. My family spent the day visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. They had a bunch of activities going on–from face painting to trick roping, and even had visits from “Presidents” Lincoln and Washington. As I write this, I’m hearing the first of the fireworks being shot [...]

Daily Reflections on (not so) Hidden Glory

Good title, huh? Well, at least I thought it was. That’s why it’s been sitting on my “to write” list for well over a year. It stemmed from a period of time that I was journaling frequently. As I put my pen to paper each day, I realized that my vision changed. It was almost [...]