Encountering Christ

Today is the last day for the Fox Valley Women's Walk to Emmaus #16 in Wisconsin. We are so excited to hear of the success of this spiritual retreat there. After all, Daddy and I were on the ground floor of those walks and helped get the community started. I served as the Lay Director of Women's Walk #2 and Daddy was Lay Director of Men's Walk #3. My children know how much the Walk to Emmaus means to us. Brad will tell you his life changed there. He still today refers to his life as pre-Emmaus and post-Emmaus.

We are thrilled that both Ayla and Anton have been on Chrysalis, the youth version of the Walk to Emmaus. What we love about the weekend is the way it is completely covered in prayer, caters to the individual, showers participants with love and meets them right where they need to be met on their spiritual journey. No two people will experience the same weekend. We have seen miracle after miracle on those weekends. While you can only attend once, we've sponsored about 35 people for walks - two more in May - and worked a good many of them. Ayla and Anton will tell you they are not actual "walks" (like a 5K). It's named for the passage in Luke 24 where two men encounter the risen Christ on the road to the town of Emmaus. Their eyes are opened when they realized who they are with and see all that Christ fulfilled in the Scriptures. This encounter with Jesus on that walk, changed those men's lives and  inspired them to share the story of the Good News.

The weekend retreat goes from Thursday to Sunday (or sometimes Wednesday to Saturday). It includes 15 talks (five by clergy and 10 by lay people) on subjects such as priorities, study, service, discipleship and grace. You worship, have communion, sing, eat and fellowship every single day. There are surprises along the way and participants are constantly told "Don't anticipate." The weekend is designed to allow pilgrims on the journey to have a stress free weekend alone with God. It's a powerful ecumenical experience. And working them is just as fun.

If either Rob or Kayla are ever interested in going on a walk, we will move heaven and earth to make it happen. We love these weekends and love how they grow people and help them to remain accountable in their faith. And we feel everyone deserves to have this experience. It isn't the only way to have a powerful spiritual growth spurt, but it's a good way.

We bring the Walk up because we feel it is important to have spiritual retreats as often as you can. To get away to focus on the Lord is so powerful. So any time you have the opportunity (weekend retreats, conferences, concentrated Bible studies, day retreats, marriage retreats, church-wide retreats), do it. We are planning a summer church retreat for our church for this summer, and you know I help put on a Ladies Beach Retreat every fall. It's a powerful time of connecting with God and others and like the actual encounter with the risen Christ on that road to Emmaus, inspires you to want to share the Good News.

Never stop seeking ways to grow. It will be so uplifting, challenging and encouraging for you, your faith and your relationships.

Discussion: Share about a retreat experience you have had. How did it change or inspire you?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the many opportunities there are for spiritual growth. Father, when you want us to learn something new or participate, open the doors for us to see those experiences. We love you, Lord, and delight in every encounter with You. In Jesus, Amen.

Faith Fit Bit

Ayla loves her new Fit Bit. This technological device - worn like a watch - tracks physical activity, food and water consumption and sleep. When I asked what she thought of it, she said, "I love it because it holds me accountable for my health." In this day and age of many sedentary activities (in front of various video screens) it is good to have something to remind us to keep moving, eat correctly, get enough water and plenty of rest. Physical fitness is important, especially if you want to be the best temple for the Lord (1 Cor. 6:19).

This is also why Brad and I love our weekly accountability (called Reunion) groups so much. They hold us accountable for our faith. We shared  a photo of the card we follow on Nov. 24 of last year in this blog. It takes a person about 10-15 minutes to go completely through the card depending on what is happening in your life. A group meeting typically lasts about an hour (unless you are the Digressing Divas - my reunion group likes to visit, too, so we take a bit longer).

The card provides prompts to help you remember various areas of accountability in your spiritual life. You are not expected to do all the items asked about, but it's rather to get you thinking about what you could be doing. The accountability group holds you accountable for the following:

Worship:

• Are you having a devotion time?
• Praying?
• Worshiping at church?
• Taking communion?
• Journaling?
• Going on a spiritual retreat?

Study:

• Are you reading Scripture?
• Reading devotion/study guides?
• Reading religious publications, devotional newspapers or religious magazines?
• Are you taking a Bible study?
  Do you go to Sunday School?
• Have you attended a religious seminar?

Action - What have you done to show the love of Christ in your...

• Family?
• Vocation?
• Community?
• Small Group?
• Church?

After completing that part of the card, we then discuss:

• At what moment we felt Closest to Christ during the week
• Call to Discipleship, when we discipled someone sharing Christ with them
• When our faith was tested through failure, called Discipleship Denied 
• What our Plan is for the next week to improve our faith
• What Special Needs we want prayer for.
• Then we close in prayer.

You become very close to your Reunion Group members because of this accountability. It is a precious, welcome time of sharing.

Just as physical fitness is important, so likewise is spiritual fitness. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 "Train yourself toward godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” How wonderful it would be to have a technological device that tracked that as well. But since we don't have those, and it is important for Christians to hold one another accountable, the Reunion Group - or Faith Fit Bit Group if you will - is the best tracker out there. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." There is value in the accountability group. 

All it takes is just one person to have a accountability partner. Your fiance could be that person. Once a week you could ask each other the questions above. If you'd like have additional people in the group, ask others if they would be willing to meet with you specifically for that purpose. Do not use this time for Bible study - that is a different kind of group. This is strictly your weekly Faith Fit Bit tracker.

You will find it to be quite fulfilling and inspiring, cause you certainly don't want to show up to your FFB group with nothing accomplished faith-wise each week. Hold each other accountable. It is so important, like your physical health, to remember to keep your faith in check also. 1 Timothy 4:15 says, "Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress." So get healthy - physically, yes; spiritually, most definitely.

Discussion: Would you be interested in trying to do an accountability group? Who would be persons who you would trust to hold you accountable to your faith?

Prayer: Lord God, we thank you for Christian brothers and sisters we can trust to hold us accountable for our faith action. Lord, help us to make the time to spur one another on towards love and good deeds. May we take care of both our physical body and spiritual soul in Jesus name, Amen.

Where Two or Three Are Gathered

 Every single week, Brad and I meet with our accountability groups. Called Reunion Groups, we meet to share the highs and lows of our week, when we've discipled, our closest moment to Christ, what we've studied, if we've worshiped, when we failed in our faith and what our plans are for the next week. We do this so that our friends who love us in the name of Christ hold us accountable for our faith. Are we being the Christians God called us to be?

Our small groups have truly evolved over the years. We were in small groups in TN and WI and then in Emmaus Reunion Groups in GA, WI and now AL, some couples and some by gender. We even had names from Koinonia, to Peacemakers, to Branches, to His Nails & Emails, to Fairway to Heaven, to Frozen Feathers among others. As one got too big, we split into smaller groups. As we moved, we had to join completely different groups. In some we fellowshipped. In others, we did Bible study. And in others, we did an accountability card we got on our Walk to Emmaus. All basically followed what the early disciples did in Acts 2:42 which says, "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

But the point is, we've always needed it. While worship is necessary corporately, small groups are necessary for edification, correction and teaching. Our dearest friendships were born in these groups.

I know you both have been part of a small group and realize the value in it. And I know you've experienced change in that group. When they evolve, it can certainly leave one feeling a bit discombobulated. But every time we've had a small group change, it has opened doors to new relationships that were necessary to our spiritual growth. And we have been blessed beyond measure for it.

We recommend you are always involved in small groups, whether by gender or couples, as they are so beneficial to your faith. When you aren't in one, seek one out. If you can't find one, create one. When you are in one, participate regularly. Since you live away from family, this will become your church family, your brothers and sisters in Christ, and they will love you as such.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Praying you'll not only do this for one another, but that you'll always have a small group that can also do this for you.Christ told us in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” That's pretty good company to keep.

Discussion: What does a small group mean to you? What does it do for your spiritual journey? Share a special memory of your small groups.

Prayer: You have told us, Father, in Proverbs 27:17, as "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Father, I pray we do not neglect in meeting with others in small groups so that we man benefit from sharpening one another to live as Christ shows us. It's in His name we pray, Amen.