Small Groups. It's how we do life here at New Covenant. The following blog post is from an email sent to the Small Group leaders at NCBC. While it contains suggestions for specific actions for leaders to encourage small group participants to deepen their faith, it also provides valuable steps to take when life throws you a curve.

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I was watching an episode of the original MacGyver this week. In this episode, MacGyver reconnects with Earl Dent, an ex-convict trying to live a life on the straight and narrow by returning to his roots as a boxer. Earl Dent (played by former football great Dick Butkus) is trying to earn enough money to show child services that he can support his daughter. Knowing Earl is in a pinch for some quick cash, a gaming bookie approaches Dent about throwing the match and falling in the 8th round to earn more money than if he were to win the fight outright. Dent initially accepts the offer but later makes the better decision to play it straight. The bookies don't like his change of heart. In order to convince Earl to throw the match, they kidnap his daughter and hold her as a ransom until the fight is over.

You would think that Earl would have gone immediately to MacGyver (and the police) to ask for help. Earl has had previous interactions with MacGyver. He knows of his resourcefulness. He is aware of his success. He knows how he can use a paperclip and duct tape to do just about anything!  Earl knows all these things, but what he knows has not transformed his behavior.

This episode showed me a picture of humanity and God. We know of God's greatness. We know His track record. We have experienced His goodness in our own life. Yet, when we are in a difficult situation. When life is hard. We do not always turn to God. What we know about God is not making it out of our minds and into our hearts where it can flow into our practices.

One way we can Contribute (one of our NCBC Small Group Practices) to helping people make this transfer is to create spaces where people feel safe to share their struggles. Then as a group, pray with and for one another for those needs. But don't stop at a one-time prayer. Follow up with that person and have them share the answer to that prayer request. Remind them of God's role in that story. Then move the prayer from the "request" column to the "praise" column and proclaim God's work.

When we pray, we recognize that God is the One in control. God is the Creator, we are the created. He gets to make the rules, we get to play by them. He is God, we are not. By regularly bringing our lives to the Lord in prayer, we can move the needle on the mindset of "I can do it myself" to one that first recognizes God and the impact He has on our lives.

This is the beauty of small groups. We work together to become more like Christ. Do you need a group of folks coming alongside you, to help you become more like Christ? If so, reach out to Ryan Eckhoff,  NCBC's Groups Pastor. He would love to help you connect with a small group. If you are interested in experiencing an environment where people gather together to pursue God, build healthy relationships, and learn to practice His ways, contact Ryan at 319-297-2377.