February 3, 2025 • 14 mins
Hello HOPE Podcast Listeners, we are EXCITED about what we have coming your way throughout 2025. That being said, ALOT of the feedback some of you gave us in the last year was that it's hard to keep up sometimes! We recognize that we live in a fast paced world where new material and new ideas are thrown at you 24/7. We desire to be a place that is grateful for your time and respectful and useful for your time. And so in an effort to serve you best, we will from time to being resharing past episodes that we'll be calling second listen - where we'll be encouraging you to take a second to listen to an old episode we think is still relevant today. Even if you are a every week listener, we think having a second listen to these episodes will make an impact in your week and life. This second listen is called "Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable."
NOTES:
- Original show notes for this episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2065910/episodes/12170556
- Find a group at HOPE! meethope.org/groups
Thanks for being a part of the HOPE community as we continue conversations about faith and hope! You can learn more at meethope.org or find us on socials @meethopechurch. Join in for worship on Sundays at meethope.online.church! Have a question? Contact us at podcast@meethope.org.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello Hope Podcast listeners.
We are excited about what wehave coming your way throughout
2025.
That being said, a lot of thefeedback some of you gave us in
the last year was that it's hardto keep up sometimes.
We recognize that we live in afast-paced world where new
material and new ideas arethrown at you 24-7.
(00:23):
We desire to be a place that isgrateful for your time and
respectful and useful for yourtime, and so, in an effort to
serve you best, we will, fromtime to time, be resharing past
episodes.
That we'll be calling SecondListen, where we'll be
encouraging you to take a secondto listen to an old episode we
think is still relevant today,even if you are an every week
listener.
We think having a second tolisten to an old episode we
(00:44):
think is still relevant today.
Even if you are an every weeklistener.
We think having a second listento these episodes will make an
impact in your week and life.
This second listen is calledGetting Uncomfortable with being
Uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Welcome to the Meet Hope podcast, where we have
conversations about faith andhope.
Hope is one church made ofpeople living out their faith
through two expressions inperson and online.
We believe a hybrid faithexperience can lead to a growing
influence in our community andour world for the sake of others
.
Welcome to Hope.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Welcome.
My name is Heather Mandela.
I am one of the pastors here atHope and I am excited to be
talking to you today about smallgroups.
We have been talking about ourWorship Plus Two, and last
episode, pastor Rick spoke toKelly and Bill Walenda about
volunteering, and this episode Iam excited to be talking to
(01:46):
Jeff Macarella and Lauren GraceBond about small groups.
So welcome guys, we're gladyou're here, thank you.
So I want to start just byletting everybody get to meet
you a little bit.
So tell me a little bit aboutyourselves.
Who are you and how did you endup here at Hope?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Hi, I'm Lauren Grace Bond, and my husband Ken and I
have nine children.
The oldest is 37 and theyoungest is almost 15.
And when he was in preschool heattended Hope.
That's how we got to know Hope.
We were at another church atthe time, but this was my church
, away from church.
I did all the extras here, andthen my two granddaughters also
(02:29):
attended kindergarten here.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
It was a family affair, oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Very nice.
Jeff Macarella, married toCourtney.
We have two daughters, tess andSloan, six and three.
Our older one, tess, came topreschool here as well and
that's kind of how we were firstintroduced, I guess, officially
here.
But Kelly and Bill Olenda alsowere another connection that we
had here to Hope and we justabsolutely love it here.
And, yeah, our daughter was thefirst one to kind of tip us off
(02:55):
to come here and born andraised in the area.
So, yeah, excited to do thispodcast.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
That's great and we love that both of you are here
with us, and I want to pause forjust one second and say that I
think it's really cool.
You guys really don't have anyconnection outside of the fact
that I asked you to come hereand do this with me and you
don't know each otherparticularly well, but both of
you came to Hope throughTomorrow's Hope Preschool, which
I just think is a really reallycool thing, and I just wanted
to make note of that.
(03:22):
So welcome, we're glad that youare both here with us today.
We here at Hope believe thatsmall groups is kind of like
where the rubber meets the road,so to speak.
Right, it's where we start towrestle with and apply the
things that we are learning andhearing at worship, the things
that we're hearing in the Bible,and figuring out what it looks
like to walk with Jesus in oureveryday lives.
(03:44):
And so, just like Jesus spenthis time with the 12 disciples
and he sent the disciples out tomeet others in groups of two,
and all of that tells us andspeaks to the importance of
doing life together, and wereally believe that that's how
God designed us, and smallgroups is one of the ways that
we get to do life together hereat Hope.
(04:06):
So I want you guys to share,though, why small groups are
important to you.
What is it that you like aboutsmall groups?
Why do you do them?
So what appeals to you aboutsmall groups, lauren?
Speaker 4 (04:22):
I love small groups because they connect me with the
people in the church.
It's hard when people are inand out, and here at Hope
there's multiple services.
It's just a great opportunityto get to know people.
I enjoy serving as a smallgroup leader and I enjoy the
ministry that goes on.
You know, the chit chat beforeand after praying for people in
(04:43):
the group, the chit chat beforeand after praying for people in
the group.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
It's just very powerful.
Agreed Jeff, tell me how didyou get connected into small
groups?
Speaker 5 (04:52):
So Courtney sort of gave me the nudge.
Now I don't know if she wantedme to get out of the house on
Thursdays but, okay, soregardless it was the right
decision and Bill Valendo alsokind of pulled me along a little
bit too.
So a little tongue in cheekthere with with Courtney and
Bill, but you kind of have thatnudge.
So I went and I started doingit.
Figured, what do I have to lose?
I very much so recall whatPastor Rick said a handful of
(05:13):
months ago Now it's like liveyour Mondays like Sundays, and
that's that's easy to do in themoment when you're sitting there
Sunday listening to the message, and then you can apply that on
Monday.
But it tends to get a littlebit harder on Tuesday, wednesday
, thursday.
So I just figured okay, jeff,go buy a Bible.
I bought one, had a little bitof a commitment with God and
said okay, I bought your book,so I'm going to come on
Thursdays and show up, so you'recommitted.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Now I got to figure it out.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
I got to figure it out, right people?
It's just, it's fantastic,really is.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I'm glad to hear it.
And that does lead us rightinto what my next question is,
which you know what do you getout of it?
You know you spoke a little bitabout fulfillment relationship.
Tell me, jeff, what is it thatyou get out of small group?
Why is it worth putting it intoyour busy schedule?
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Yeah, Because it's worth it.
It gives you opportunity tolisten to what others are
thinking, what they've beenthrough, gives you perspectives
and, like Pastor Jeff said,we're all disciples of Christ
and we can all go spread theword.
So in order to spread the word,you got to be pretty savvy with
what that word is, though, aswell.
So really commit yourselves toyour faith, not just show up on
(06:25):
Sunday and take that in theMonday and then think you're
doing pretty okay.
So I get a lot of fulfillmentout of it listening to folks.
Hopefully, if I do share what Ishare, folks are taken at the
heart and I think everybody canlearn from one another.
So the fulfillment I getleaving there Thursday nights
just sets the tone for theweekend.
You can go into Friday,Saturday, Sunday with that
reaffirmed.
(06:45):
You know what it means to be aChrist follower, so it's
phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
That's great.
So now I love that you talkabout it giving you that boost
to get you through the restright, like so that midweek, or
that partly through the week,when you start to feel the
demands of life catching up onyou, becomes the spot that you
can kind of get refilled to makeit through.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Absolutely, because there's a lot of stuff out there
with work or personalrelationships that can strain
that.
It's hard For sure, and so Ithink small group helps you be
that vision and that beacon ofokay, get back to center, don't
lose sight of what you were justlearned or listened to on
Sunday.
So it kind of gives you okay,what port am I going to?
(07:28):
And I'm still heading to theright port.
So that's what it gives me.
And hopefully you know helpothers along the way with
listening to them and what theyshare in the small group as well
.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Yeah, well, thanks for that, lauren.
Tell us, tell me, what is itthat you like about small groups
?
Why is it so important to you?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I like the accountability.
If you just attend church onSunday, you can come and go and
nobody knows what's going on inyour life, what things you're
working on to be more like Jesus.
So that's an important aspectand I think, also being the
hands and feet and heart ofJesus to each other, showing
each other love, compassion,empathy when people are
(08:06):
struggling, being in listeningear for each other.
I just think that's soimportant and for me personally
that happens a lot more in smallgroup.
It happens on Sunday andespecially if you see people you
know I try to introduce myselfto people I don't know, but
small group is really the bestplace to be sharing this on that
kind of a level.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, to be able to wrestle with some of those
questions that are hard or thatyou're not sure what that looks
like in your own life, right?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
So now, for those who may not have been in a small
group before, tell me they mightbe a little nervous.
Maybe they feel like, well, Idon't know anything, how can I
go to a small group, do you?
Do you have to know something?
Is this something that theyneed to be doing before they can
go to small group for the firsttime?
I know I'm throwing thisquestion at you cold, sorry.
(08:55):
I can see the panicked look onboth of your faces.
In your experiences.
Are there prerequisites tosmall groups, lauren?
How about you?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
I think it depends on the small group.
My group I'm having now Bibleand Prayer 101, that's the whole
point.
People in my last small groupsaid, oh, I don't want a Bible
study because I don't read theBible and I'm afraid to read the
Bible and I don't pray out loud, I'm afraid to pray out loud.
And I said well, would you likeus to have a group where you
(09:27):
learn about the Bible and learnhow to read it and you learn how
to pray out loud?
And they said yes.
That's awesome so they overcametheir fear.
We'll see how it goes as we goalong.
But yeah, and then other groupsmight be on a higher level.
But it's very easy by readingthe description or talking to
the leader, you can really findthe group that's right for you.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Excellent Jeff.
Talking to the leader, you canreally find the group that's
right for you.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Excellent Jeff how about you?
Was that one of your concerns?
Yeah, just, I think you have toget over that.
What is this all about?
Like?
What is small group?
You hear folks talk about itand Pastor Jeff gets up there
and he's like everybody shoulddo small group.
And you're like okay, but whatdoes that, what does that mean?
What does that entail?
You know homework, you know allthat stuff.
So I think, if you are somewhatinclined or intrigued, follow
the nudge that you're gettingand get ahead and sign up for
(10:13):
one.
And if you go for one session,it's what?
Two hours, an hour and a halfof your life?
And if you don't like it, youdon't like it.
Try another group, you know.
Just don't give up on the firstshot.
So it might be not now but notforever.
So follow the nudge that you'regetting, from whomever it is,
and go ahead and try it out.
And if you don't like it, okay,so be it.
(10:34):
But I strongly feel that you'lllike it and push yourself.
I like to say you got to becomfortable, being uncomfortable
on certain times, and I thinksmall group is that avenue, and
then the doors get open fromthere and then there's a lot of
good things that come out.
Think small group is thatavenue and then the doors get
open from there and then there'sthere's a lot of good things
that come out of small group orthe group and the relationships
(10:54):
for the church, the community,and icing on the cake is that
you benefit from it as well.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, when you're willing to take that chance,
right, yeah, no, I agree, and Ithink it's one of the things
that we try really hard at.
Hope to do is is have a varietyof entryways.
So if you're not sure, you'venever done it before, there are
lots of non-threatening, notscary, no major requirements.
You know that kind of a thing.
And then if you've been doingthis for a little while and
(11:21):
you're looking to dive evendeeper, there are studies that
will do that for you as well.
And so it is about finding thatright fit, and nothing is
forever.
We don't chain you into a groupand say that they're your best
friends for the rest of yourlife.
You find where you fit,excellent, very good.
So I want to talk a little bitabout hope, because that is one
(11:48):
of the themes of this podcast iswhere we find hope.
So I want to ask each of youright now in your lives, where
are you finding hope, jeff?
Where are you finding hope?
Speaker 5 (12:02):
I find it everywhere.
I think a lot of the times Isee it through my girls and
Courtney Just little things thatthey do because we come here
and we're very much so a part ofthe community and it's
important to us as well.
So we try to teach some of thestuff that we learn here and we
teach it at home and wereinforce it and it's just nice
to see how the hope comesthrough in your children.
(12:23):
But I also do travel quite abit for work and there are a lot
of bad behaviors out there.
But if you want to see the goodones and you focus on the good
ones I'm a huge fan of, if youwant to focus on it, you want to
see it, you'll see it Subtlethings, little things and then
you can carry that on as well.
I try to do that when I travelas much as I can so you see hope
(12:45):
where you want to see it andit's always there.
It's just are you looking andare you allowing yourself to see
the hope that's out there?
And if you do, it's there.
Focus on the positive.
Positivity is contagious, soyou can see hope all the time if
you're looking for it.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
I love that At Vacation Bible School we teach
the kids their God sightings.
So where did you see God today?
And it may be from someoneholding that door open to you,
know something really profound,where God speaks to your heart.
But you can find him if you'relooking.
So, lauren Grace, tell me,where are you finding hope today
?
Speaker 4 (13:20):
I'm finding hope today in the character of God.
I'm finding hope in hissovereignty, that anything that
comes into my life he isallowing in his goodness, that
he's working all things togetherfor good for me and in his love
.
And when I love and acceptmyself as he loves and accepts
me, it's easier for me to loveand accept others.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Yes, that brings me hope, thank you, for me to love
and accept others.
Yes, that brings me hope, thankyou.
We hope that this has broughtall of you out there hope as
well.
If you are not currently in asmall group and you are thinking
about it, I want to encourageyou.
You can check out our webpage,meethopeorg slash small groups.
Feel free to shoot me an email,give a yell at any point in
time.
I'd love to help you find thatperfect place to connect both
(14:02):
with God and with others as yougrow deeper in your
relationships.
We hope you have a fantasticweek.
Thank you both for joining ustoday.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Thanks for being a part of the Hope Community as we
continue our conversationsabout faith and hope.
If you don't already, pleasejoin us for worship on Sundays
or on demand.
If you don't already, pleasejoin us for worship on Sundays
or on demand.
You can learn more atmeethopeorg or find us on
socials at meethopechurch.
Hello Hope Podcast listeners.
We are excited about what wehave coming your way throughout
2025.
That being said, a lot of thefeedback some of you gave us in
the last year was that it's hardto keep up sometimes.
We recognize that we live in afast-paced world where new
material and new ideas arethrown at you 24-7.
(00:23):
We desire to be a place that isgrateful for your time and
respectful and useful for yourtime, and so, in an effort to
serve you best, we will, fromtime to time, be resharing past
episodes.
That we'll be calling SecondListen, where we'll be
encouraging you to take a secondto listen to an old episode we
think is still relevant today,even if you are an every week
listener.
We think having a second tolisten to an old episode we
(00:44):
think is still relevant today.
Even if you are an every weeklistener.
We think having a second listento these episodes will make an
impact in your week and life.
This second listen is calledGetting Uncomfortable with being
Uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Welcome to the Meet Hope podcast, where we have
conversations about faith andhope.
Hope is one church made ofpeople living out their faith
through two expressions inperson and online.
We believe a hybrid faithexperience can lead to a growing
influence in our community andour world for the sake of others
.
Welcome to Hope.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Welcome.
My name is Heather Mandela.
I am one of the pastors here atHope and I am excited to be
talking to you today about smallgroups.
We have been talking about ourWorship Plus Two, and last
episode, pastor Rick spoke toKelly and Bill Walenda about
volunteering, and this episode Iam excited to be talking to
(01:46):
Jeff Macarella and Lauren GraceBond about small groups.
So welcome guys, we're gladyou're here, thank you.
So I want to start just byletting everybody get to meet
you a little bit.
So tell me a little bit aboutyourselves.
Who are you and how did you endup here at Hope?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Hi, I'm Lauren Grace Bond, and my husband Ken and I
have nine children.
The oldest is 37 and theyoungest is almost 15.
And when he was in preschool heattended Hope.
That's how we got to know Hope.
We were at another church atthe time, but this was my church
, away from church.
I did all the extras here, andthen my two granddaughters also
(02:29):
attended kindergarten here.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
It was a family affair, oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Very nice.
Jeff Macarella, married toCourtney.
We have two daughters, tess andSloan, six and three.
Our older one, tess, came topreschool here as well and
that's kind of how we were firstintroduced, I guess, officially
here.
But Kelly and Bill Olenda alsowere another connection that we
had here to Hope and we justabsolutely love it here.
And, yeah, our daughter was thefirst one to kind of tip us off
(02:55):
to come here and born andraised in the area.
So, yeah, excited to do thispodcast.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
That's great and we love that both of you are here
with us, and I want to pause forjust one second and say that I
think it's really cool.
You guys really don't have anyconnection outside of the fact
that I asked you to come hereand do this with me and you
don't know each otherparticularly well, but both of
you came to Hope throughTomorrow's Hope Preschool, which
I just think is a really reallycool thing, and I just wanted
to make note of that.
(03:22):
So welcome, we're glad that youare both here with us today.
We here at Hope believe thatsmall groups is kind of like
where the rubber meets the road,so to speak.
Right, it's where we start towrestle with and apply the
things that we are learning andhearing at worship, the things
that we're hearing in the Bible,and figuring out what it looks
like to walk with Jesus in oureveryday lives.
(03:44):
And so, just like Jesus spenthis time with the 12 disciples
and he sent the disciples out tomeet others in groups of two,
and all of that tells us andspeaks to the importance of
doing life together, and wereally believe that that's how
God designed us, and smallgroups is one of the ways that
we get to do life together hereat Hope.
(04:06):
So I want you guys to share,though, why small groups are
important to you.
What is it that you like aboutsmall groups?
Why do you do them?
So what appeals to you aboutsmall groups, lauren?
Speaker 4 (04:22):
I love small groups because they connect me with the
people in the church.
It's hard when people are inand out, and here at Hope
there's multiple services.
It's just a great opportunityto get to know people.
I enjoy serving as a smallgroup leader and I enjoy the
ministry that goes on.
You know, the chit chat beforeand after praying for people in
(04:43):
the group, the chit chat beforeand after praying for people in
the group.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
It's just very powerful.
Agreed Jeff, tell me how didyou get connected into small
groups?
Speaker 5 (04:52):
So Courtney sort of gave me the nudge.
Now I don't know if she wantedme to get out of the house on
Thursdays but, okay, soregardless it was the right
decision and Bill Valendo alsokind of pulled me along a little
bit too.
So a little tongue in cheekthere with with Courtney and
Bill, but you kind of have thatnudge.
So I went and I started doingit.
Figured, what do I have to lose?
I very much so recall whatPastor Rick said a handful of
(05:13):
months ago Now it's like liveyour Mondays like Sundays, and
that's that's easy to do in themoment when you're sitting there
Sunday listening to the message, and then you can apply that on
Monday.
But it tends to get a littlebit harder on Tuesday, wednesday
, thursday.
So I just figured okay, jeff,go buy a Bible.
I bought one, had a little bitof a commitment with God and
said okay, I bought your book,so I'm going to come on
Thursdays and show up, so you'recommitted.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Now I got to figure it out.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
I got to figure it out, right people?
It's just, it's fantastic,really is.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I'm glad to hear it.
And that does lead us rightinto what my next question is,
which you know what do you getout of it?
You know you spoke a little bitabout fulfillment relationship.
Tell me, jeff, what is it thatyou get out of small group?
Why is it worth putting it intoyour busy schedule?
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Yeah, Because it's worth it.
It gives you opportunity tolisten to what others are
thinking, what they've beenthrough, gives you perspectives
and, like Pastor Jeff said,we're all disciples of Christ
and we can all go spread theword.
So in order to spread the word,you got to be pretty savvy with
what that word is, though, aswell.
So really commit yourselves toyour faith, not just show up on
(06:25):
Sunday and take that in theMonday and then think you're
doing pretty okay.
So I get a lot of fulfillmentout of it listening to folks.
Hopefully, if I do share what Ishare, folks are taken at the
heart and I think everybody canlearn from one another.
So the fulfillment I getleaving there Thursday nights
just sets the tone for theweekend.
You can go into Friday,Saturday, Sunday with that
reaffirmed.
(06:45):
You know what it means to be aChrist follower, so it's
phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
That's great.
So now I love that you talkabout it giving you that boost
to get you through the restright, like so that midweek, or
that partly through the week,when you start to feel the
demands of life catching up onyou, becomes the spot that you
can kind of get refilled to makeit through.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Absolutely, because there's a lot of stuff out there
with work or personalrelationships that can strain
that.
It's hard For sure, and so Ithink small group helps you be
that vision and that beacon ofokay, get back to center, don't
lose sight of what you were justlearned or listened to on
Sunday.
So it kind of gives you okay,what port am I going to?
(07:28):
And I'm still heading to theright port.
So that's what it gives me.
And hopefully you know helpothers along the way with
listening to them and what theyshare in the small group as well
.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Yeah, well, thanks for that, lauren.
Tell us, tell me, what is itthat you like about small groups
?
Why is it so important to you?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I like the accountability.
If you just attend church onSunday, you can come and go and
nobody knows what's going on inyour life, what things you're
working on to be more like Jesus.
So that's an important aspectand I think, also being the
hands and feet and heart ofJesus to each other, showing
each other love, compassion,empathy when people are
(08:06):
struggling, being in listeningear for each other.
I just think that's soimportant and for me personally
that happens a lot more in smallgroup.
It happens on Sunday andespecially if you see people you
know I try to introduce myselfto people I don't know, but
small group is really the bestplace to be sharing this on that
kind of a level.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, to be able to wrestle with some of those
questions that are hard or thatyou're not sure what that looks
like in your own life, right?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
So now, for those who may not have been in a small
group before, tell me they mightbe a little nervous.
Maybe they feel like, well, Idon't know anything, how can I
go to a small group, do you?
Do you have to know something?
Is this something that theyneed to be doing before they can
go to small group for the firsttime?
I know I'm throwing thisquestion at you cold, sorry.
(08:55):
I can see the panicked look onboth of your faces.
In your experiences.
Are there prerequisites tosmall groups, lauren?
How about you?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
I think it depends on the small group.
My group I'm having now Bibleand Prayer 101, that's the whole
point.
People in my last small groupsaid, oh, I don't want a Bible
study because I don't read theBible and I'm afraid to read the
Bible and I don't pray out loud, I'm afraid to pray out loud.
And I said well, would you likeus to have a group where you
(09:27):
learn about the Bible and learnhow to read it and you learn how
to pray out loud?
And they said yes.
That's awesome so they overcametheir fear.
We'll see how it goes as we goalong.
But yeah, and then other groupsmight be on a higher level.
But it's very easy by readingthe description or talking to
the leader, you can really findthe group that's right for you.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Excellent Jeff.
Talking to the leader, you canreally find the group that's
right for you.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Excellent Jeff how about you?
Was that one of your concerns?
Yeah, just, I think you have toget over that.
What is this all about?
Like?
What is small group?
You hear folks talk about itand Pastor Jeff gets up there
and he's like everybody shoulddo small group.
And you're like okay, but whatdoes that, what does that mean?
What does that entail?
You know homework, you know allthat stuff.
So I think, if you are somewhatinclined or intrigued, follow
the nudge that you're gettingand get ahead and sign up for
(10:13):
one.
And if you go for one session,it's what?
Two hours, an hour and a halfof your life?
And if you don't like it, youdon't like it.
Try another group, you know.
Just don't give up on the firstshot.
So it might be not now but notforever.
So follow the nudge that you'regetting, from whomever it is,
and go ahead and try it out.
And if you don't like it, okay,so be it.
(10:34):
But I strongly feel that you'lllike it and push yourself.
I like to say you got to becomfortable, being uncomfortable
on certain times, and I thinksmall group is that avenue, and
then the doors get open fromthere and then there's a lot of
good things that come out.
Think small group is thatavenue and then the doors get
open from there and then there'sthere's a lot of good things
that come out of small group orthe group and the relationships
(10:54):
for the church, the community,and icing on the cake is that
you benefit from it as well.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, when you're willing to take that chance,
right, yeah, no, I agree, and Ithink it's one of the things
that we try really hard at.
Hope to do is is have a varietyof entryways.
So if you're not sure, you'venever done it before, there are
lots of non-threatening, notscary, no major requirements.
You know that kind of a thing.
And then if you've been doingthis for a little while and
(11:21):
you're looking to dive evendeeper, there are studies that
will do that for you as well.
And so it is about finding thatright fit, and nothing is
forever.
We don't chain you into a groupand say that they're your best
friends for the rest of yourlife.
You find where you fit,excellent, very good.
So I want to talk a little bitabout hope, because that is one
(11:48):
of the themes of this podcast iswhere we find hope.
So I want to ask each of youright now in your lives, where
are you finding hope, jeff?
Where are you finding hope?
Speaker 5 (12:02):
I find it everywhere.
I think a lot of the times Isee it through my girls and
Courtney Just little things thatthey do because we come here
and we're very much so a part ofthe community and it's
important to us as well.
So we try to teach some of thestuff that we learn here and we
teach it at home and wereinforce it and it's just nice
to see how the hope comesthrough in your children.
(12:23):
But I also do travel quite abit for work and there are a lot
of bad behaviors out there.
But if you want to see the goodones and you focus on the good
ones I'm a huge fan of, if youwant to focus on it, you want to
see it, you'll see it Subtlethings, little things and then
you can carry that on as well.
I try to do that when I travelas much as I can so you see hope
(12:45):
where you want to see it andit's always there.
It's just are you looking andare you allowing yourself to see
the hope that's out there?
And if you do, it's there.
Focus on the positive.
Positivity is contagious, soyou can see hope all the time if
you're looking for it.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
I love that At Vacation Bible School we teach
the kids their God sightings.
So where did you see God today?
And it may be from someoneholding that door open to you,
know something really profound,where God speaks to your heart.
But you can find him if you'relooking.
So, lauren Grace, tell me,where are you finding hope today
?
Speaker 4 (13:20):
I'm finding hope today in the character of God.
I'm finding hope in hissovereignty, that anything that
comes into my life he isallowing in his goodness, that
he's working all things togetherfor good for me and in his love
.
And when I love and acceptmyself as he loves and accepts
me, it's easier for me to loveand accept others.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Yes, that brings me hope, thank you, for me to love
and accept others.
Yes, that brings me hope, thankyou.
We hope that this has broughtall of you out there hope as
well.
If you are not currently in asmall group and you are thinking
about it, I want to encourageyou.
You can check out our webpage,meethopeorg slash small groups.
Feel free to shoot me an email,give a yell at any point in
time.
I'd love to help you find thatperfect place to connect both
(14:02):
with God and with others as yougrow deeper in your
relationships.
We hope you have a fantasticweek.
Thank you both for joining ustoday.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Thanks for being a part of the Hope Community as we
continue our conversationsabout faith and hope.
If you don't already, pleasejoin us for worship on Sundays
or on demand.
If you don't already, pleasejoin us for worship on Sundays
or on demand.
You can learn more atmeethopeorg or find us on
socials at meethopechurch.
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