Two weeks in.
Everyone came back.
That feels significant.
Let There Be Light
Jackie brought a lamp.
Last week, our meeting slowly descended into darkness because several bulbs had burned out and our group leader had apparently decided electricity was somebody else’s spiritual gift.
So, we moved into the dining room.
Plenty of light. Problem solved.
Jackie brought a lamp anyway.
There is probably something biblical here about a lamp unto our feet.
Mostly, though, Jackie saw a need and arrived the following week carrying electrical equipment.
Personal Ministry. ✔️
Zack and Kristine Arrive
They made it.
That alone was their testimony.
After a move two years in the making, their day began with what can only be described as an F5 diarrhea tornado, courtesy of microscopic parasites wreaking havoc on an innocent puppy.
The puppy, its crate, toys, and surrounding area required immediate attention.
Their children surveyed the crisis and demanded cinnamon rolls.
I respect the focus.
We spent the evening talking about Pivotal Circumstances, those moments in life that push us to seek God.
Moving day gone awry. Microscopic parasites. Puppy diarrhea. Cinnamon rolls.
Sometimes the curriculum writes itself.
JJ Talks to Strangers
A lot of strangers.
Airports. Grocery stores. Wherever they can be found.
The conversations are organic, but always with the possibility that God put this stranger, perhaps the 41st of the day, in front of him for a reason.
His children keep count and calculate his performance against the standing record.
This is both Personal Ministry and homeschooling.
Frankly, those kids don’t need Kings Ridge or Hopewell Middle School.
They have Dad.
And strangers.
Jackie Is Taking Your Children
Another important revelation:
Never say, “Jackie, can you watch my kids for a minute?”
You may not return to the same legal arrangement you left.
Jackie will adopt them. Robb will approve.
Eventually, you’ll be on Maury explaining that this all started when you asked Jackie to watch them for a minute.
On the other hand, free childcare.
Run the numbers.
A Winning Go-To-Market Strategy
Tom and Sarah have teenage daughters who babysit.
Best in the business, we’re told.
Frequently.
Other couples have children old enough to compete for this work. What they’ve apparently failed to appreciate is the importance of early market positioning.
Tom runs a real estate private equity firm and teaches real estate.
This may not be a coincidence.
The great Ricky Bobby said it best, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
The Five Things
- Private Disciplines: reading the Bible, praying, worship, and other practices that help grow our faith.
- Practical Teaching: sermons, books, and other teaching that helps us understand and apply God’s truth.
- Providential Relationships: relationships with people who impact and grow our faith.
- Personal Ministry: serving others in ways that grow their faith and ours.
- Pivotal Circumstances: the highs and lows of life that influence our faith in God.
Thursday night, they were all over the room.
Including the lamp.
Several people talked about how their own children, and those of family and friends, have challenged them in their faith. They listen to worship music, read and quote Scripture, and develop spiritual habits that encourage us, as adults, to grow stronger in ours.
At Tom’s office, the verse of the day goes on his whiteboard, giving him and anyone passing through something to reflect on.
Will shared his morning routine: no phone until he’s ready to open the Bible App. Same room. Same chair. Same time. About 20 minutes to read, reflect, and pray.
The routine matters because motivation is unreliable.
Zack shared how a coach taught him discipline when he was young and later became his group leader, reinforcing the same lesson in his faith.
Without discipline, you fall out of shape. Physically or spiritually.
JJ talked about life’s constant ups and downs and choosing to approach them with prayer, trust, and even a sense of adventure. What looks like a roadblock in our plan may be God directing us toward His.
Then Jackie shared something heavier.
During a frightening medical season with their child, she reached the point where she and Robb had done everything they could do.
So, she surrendered the rest to God.
She described the relief she felt when she accepted that the outcome wasn’t hers to control.
That may have been the clearest picture of growing faith we heard all night:
Faith wasn’t believing she could control the outcome. It was trusting God enough to surrender it.
Next Week: Six Essentials for Married Life
Next week, we start Six Essentials for Married Life with Part 1: Cultivate Communication and Celebrate Differences.
Ted and Nancie share practical ways to listen well, communicate with grace, and see your differences as strengths rather than obstacles.
Before Thursday, watch the 15-minute video, think about what stood out, and talk about it with your spouse.
Or don’t.
You could hold everything back and have that conversation for the first time in front of the group.
That would certainly give the rest of us more to work with.
We’ll talk about five stages couples often experience with their differences:
Fascination → Irritation → Toleration → Appreciation → Celebration
Something to think about:
What about your spouse started in Fascination, made it through Irritation, and is currently stalled somewhere around Toleration?
Watch the video. Talk about it together.
We’ll pick it up Thursday.