“Wonderin, Blunderin and Thunderin”
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears let him hear. Matthew 13:1-9
Going through cherry harvest this last week has brought a whole new perspective for me on the above verse. Reflecting back over the years and remembering my friend Chris Quinn’s advice that cherry farming is a wonderin, blunderin, thunderin proposition. The first phase is the “wonderin” phase. Do I have the right site? Do I have the right variety of cherry? A thousand questions to wonder about. The next phase is the “blunderin” phase----here is where you pay for the wrong decisions from the “wonderin” phase and you wonder if you will ever have an orchard that will be productive much less financially viable. Then with corrections of mistakes learned during the “blunderin” phase you began to see results. And one day you are amazed at what a relatively small plot of ground can produce. You see the converging of all the variables both within your control and outside of your control. You have a sense of Gods “thunderin” presence and provision.
So what does this have the do with leading a small group? So often in small groups the “wonderin” phase looks like a step of faith; a response in obedience to lead and make oneself available for the work of the Kingdom. It’s about your intentional decision to step out and begin the planting, facilitating and leading process. The “blunderin” phase is what we all go through….mistakes made in working out the process of ministry. Making mistakes and being transparent before our groups while modeling our imperfections and our successes. As we open our lives they began to open theirs and “life” begins to invade our life groups.
The “thunderin” phase often comes in ways that we would never anticipate. Perhaps in seeing a leader rise among your group and then a new group is planted. It may come as fruit is evident in the changed lives of your group members and life decisions become more Christ-like and less self centered. It may come in a moment of tears when you begin to see a wound opened so healing can at last begin. In the economy of heaven the one is as important as the ninety-nine and fruitfulness is not measured in numbers. If the fruitfulness of your ministry impacts one life, if you see life changes happening around you in those God has placed near you, congratulations I celebrate your “thunderin” phase with you.

Share with us how your attendance is going and what fun things your group is doing this summer.
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Stephen Bishop Interim Leader of Life Groups

The message of the Gospel (good news) will find a way!!!
Ephesians 4:11-13 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Reflecting on Pastor Les’s message this Sunday and the calling of all believers to step up and make their time, talents and treasures available to the Body of Christ reminded me of the chronicles of the Japanese church of history.
We of the west often know our own church history well but have forgotten that the gospel truly went to many peoples before the advent of the modern missionary movements. Christianity first reached the shores of Japan in the year 1549 in the form of Jesuit priest named Francis Xavier. Father Xavier spent 2 years in Japan establishing a church and within a generation there were over 300,000 believers. Persecution soon followed as the shoguns became suspicious of the outsiders influence and the changes in their society Christianity was bringing about. The shoguns expelled the missionaries and required that all Christians renounce their faith and register as Buddhists. Twenty six crucifixions soon followed and a national campaign took place to exterminate all believing Christians and many stories are told of the extreme cruelty performed on Christians who would not renounce their faith. Terror and torture were the weapons of choice and a special emphasis was reserved for evangelists and leaders among the congregations. To avoid extermination and annihilation the church went underground and to the eyes of the governing shoganate disappeared.
Flash forward to the late nineteenth century when a church was again allowed to be built in the city of Nagasaki, Japan. When the doors opened priests were astonished to see thousands of Japanese Christians streaming down from the hills. They had been worshipping in secret for over 240 years without any formal clerical leadership. The members of the house churches that had sprung up during the persecution had assumed the roles of priest, pastor and evangelist. The leadership had no formal training and no discipleship program to administer, they simply did what they felt the Holy Spirit was calling them to do and what they knew of the example of Christ.
What is exciting to me is that this is the legacy we as life group leaders have to look to. It is not only the story of the Japanese church, it is the story of the church universal, the Body of Christ…our family.
Let’s remember this rich heritage as we too minister for the “cause of Christ”.

To submit your weekly attendance simply hit reply and type in the number then hit send.
For the summer months we will include these notes and updates on an every other week basis.

Steve Bishop
Interim Director of Life Groups