Group Life Conference Follow-Up Post #3

As promised, here’s the second take-away from the conference take from session one:

Christ must be my centerline! And community helps bring me back to THE centerline!

What do I mean? Well, it’s somewhat easy to go about life doing “good” things – raising our kids, working hard, working out, leading small group ministry, helping those in the community, etc. These things mean nothing if Christ is not the priority and focus (center) of my life. So why is this a big deal? I know for myself, I can get trapped into the “doing” part of being a follower (kind of like Martha) and I forget about the “being” – being totally immersed in God’s grace, love, power – part of being a follower (kind of like Mary). The appropriate “community” environment can provide a reminder and encouragement and support to either keep me on THE centerline or to remind me to return to THE centerline.

(I guess I especially appreciated this analogy because of my involvement in the construction industry. Most buildings are build off a centerline – a reference line physically drawn in a building which workers use to construct their electrical, plumbing, duct work, and walls. When everyone follows the centerline, the construction process goes well and everything goes in its correct place. On the other hand, when someone fails to follow the centerline, things get out of control on the construction site, and the building effort does not go smoothly.)

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more…