Outdoor Truths – February 9, 2022
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By Gary Miller
Small gatherings can make a big impact
For about two weeks now I’ve been in a close-down, clean-up phase of hunting. The mornings have been spent behind a desk without any thoughts about the next time I’ll get to go back to the woods. There are still some tree stands and cameras I need to remove, but other than that, deer season is over. Next up is getting on the road to meet some other men and share our stories about our outdoor experiences, and life. I have never found a more natural introduction to the real issues of life than beginning from a conversation about a certain time on the water or in the woods. Sometimes it comes after a meal at a lodge or ranch. And sometimes in a boat. Sometimes the conversations involve several people and other times only two. But there’s one thing for sure. Drilling down into each other’s lives never happens in crowds. Or as my friend, Pastor Andy Stanley says, circles are better than rows. (Actually, we’re not friends, but it sounded good, and I wish we were) Anyway, what Andy is referring to is how the most effective influence and care that Christians do is not when we are in rows, like we are on Sunday, but when we gather with a small group of people. It’s when we’re just hanging out, eating, getting to know one another’s struggles, learning, praying, laughing, and building each other’s faith. I have often said if I had to do it over again, I would spend more time with fewer men. Growth is not an event. It’s a process. And processes take time. Back to Andy… In context, here is what he said.
“Let’s say that something happens to me, all the staff, and all the buildings simultaneously explode. Let’s make it worst case scenario. There’s no staff. There’s no buildings. And there’s no me. Here’s what would happen. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of the following week, thousands and thousands of adults would gather in homes all over the city and pray together and do Bible study together and take care of whatever family members are left over and the church is going to go on. Because at the end of the day, circles are better than rows. And from day one, we’ve been committed to creating a culture that’s all about circles and not rows. We are famous for our rows. But the strength of our churches is what happens in circles.”
I’m not sure if it’s the strength of YOUR church, but it is the strength of THE church. And if I could recommend one spiritual activity for you, it would be to find a small group and dig in. What you will find will not be perfect people, but people just like yourself who have the same needs and struggles and who need a place to look in someone else’s eyes and not at the back of someone else’s head. Yell at me if you are interested doing a small event in your area.
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• Gary has three books that are compilations of the articles he has written for nearly 15 years. He also speaks at game dinners and men’s groups for churches and associations. You can contact him at [email protected].
