Coaches Corner - Small Group Tips & Tricks

"My name is graven on his hands" a popular song and coming right out of the Biblical texts, it has a powerful meaning. It speaks to being known, known by name in an unforgettable way. 


Being known is powerful. 


And one of the best ways to start this off with your small groups is by knowing names. Some of you will have no problem with this. You have good facial recognition, quick recall, and groups that are manageable in size, but others of you, for a lack of any of the reasons above or other reasons, struggle with putting a name to the faces sitting in your circle. 


As a fellow struggler - let me share some "hacks" to learning names. 

1. When at Sunday AM force yourself to use their given names, don't slide by with "You're turn now" or by using a generic "Hey kid! how's your week been!" (I know this one well - use it myself when I can't find that name tag hiding under the edge of a jacket.) These slides will allow you to skip the use of their names. So don't slide. If you cannot remember their name - it's early enough in the year - admit that you are struggling and ASK and then use that name like 5 times before the morning is over.


2. Make a photo journal - there are so many ways to do this - especially if you have a smart phone. I've used photos and captions, flash card programs like Study Blue - yes I have put entire classes of kids into flash cards - but that allows me to go through them several times a week until I get them down. The really cool thing is that Middle School students will jump at the chance to give you funny faces and you will have an instant prayer list.


3. Help everyone in your group learn the names of the group members. This can be as easy as having them introduce themselves by name every week and give an interesting fact, random detail, pit & peak of the last week, etc. Or it can involve fun stuff like the "Name Game" which involves rolled up newspapers and is sometimes more effective with the guy groups that have an astounding amount of energy (trust me this is a totally different game with the girls).


OK - 'nouf tips & tricks for the week. Praying for you all as you start these journeys of getting to know the young people in your groups!

~Mysie

The Sokovia Accords

I was sick when my family went to see Captain America: Civil War in the theater. So I have eagerly been awaiting the Red Box release. It was not a disappointment, though I had to threaten banishment if those in my family who had seen it dropped any spoilers during the viewing.

It was a remarkable film in that I could easily see and put myself in the shoes of most of the principal characters. To be able to look at a controversy and see and understand both sides is not something that most comic book style action adventure movies tackle - there is usually a very clear good guy and a very clear bad guy. The grey murky middle ground of reality does not often make an appearance.

The truth is that every war ever fought has had good men and women on both sides. People of integrity and compassion, people with strength in their moral beliefs and actions.

But we like black and white so much. Because it's easy, like a popcorn flick and a large soda, it's enjoyable and doesn't tax our thinking. And if something doesn't impact our thinking it's probably not going to have an impact on our actions. 

I am becoming more and more convinced that we need to be able to wade out into the grey. To not only acknowledge that this exists along with the black and white stuff, but to get a grip on the idea that there may be more grey than any of the other colors.  

It has been stated so many times that fence sitters are the first to get shot down by both sides, but I wonder what we can do to provide our fence sitters extra armor? To develop a new breed that can plant an anchor in that black and white, realize both it's necessity and it's limitations so that they can navigate a very grey world.

Kudos Marvel. You made me think.