Marc's Minute #11
The bi-weekly quick "K.I.T." equipping you with Knowledge for your Head, Inspiration for your Heart, and Tools for your Hands {12/9/23}
Feature Focus
How we define the commonly used word “church” affects so much about our approach to faith and God. It’s worth seeing if we are defining it in ways that help or hurt us.
In this issue, we feature a short article I posted in July 2022: “The Dictionary Got One Wrong”
If you do a quick online search for the definition of church, you will immediately find phrases like “a building for Christian worship” or “a religious organization or denomination.” This is so unfortunate because there is a much better way to understand church, especially from the original intention and meaning of this word.
This is no matter of mere semantics. What we believe influences how we act, and as long as our primary conception of church is as a place to bring people for services and events, we will have a misguided approach to Christian identity and practice.
Check out this quick read.
Keep It Simple Strategy
If you are meeting with friends, in small groups, or just working on your own faith journey, then check out this week’s simple and reproducible practice tip that you can try anytime. Remember, you can always find many more FREE materials at Grace In Motion.
How do YOU keep things simple?
I thought I would try turning the tables and asking readers and listeners if anyone had simple strategies of their own, especially for the holidays.
Just last weekend, our simple church group met in a home and took the passage in Matthew about Jesus’s birth and applied a simple and reproducible strategy. We identified 3-2-1.
3 interesting items
2 questions
1 main takeaway
We had tremendous conversation and it was as though we were realizing parts of the story for the first time. Each of us came up with different items and questions. There was some overlap, but each person’s unique perspective helped inform the group’s response and vice versa. It was biblical. It was communal. It was simple. It was reproducible. Anyone, anywhere, with any level of Bible knowledge could engage in the activity.
But what I am curious about today is what you have found that works well. What is a simple practice that you have done with family, children, friends, or on your own? Do you have any strategies or activities that help you during the holiday season, in particular?
Recommended Resource
If you have lost a loved one, then you know the holidays can be especially difficult. Now may be just the right time for you to take advantage of the available support.
“GriefShare is a network of thousands of grief recovery support groups meeting around the world. GriefShare is a program with direction and purpose. With GriefShare you will learn how to walk the journey of grief and be supported on the way. It is a place where grieving people find healing and hope.”
I have attended GriefShare sessions myself and I have written about that experience here. I also discovered that they have recently revamped their material with new research and insights. They feature experts in grief and recovery from all around. I just cannot say enough about the high quality of the GriefShare program.
Even if you don’t feel like you are ready to join a group, I want to highlight a specific event GriefShare offers called “Surviving the Holidays.” It is offered in person and online, and I have included a short 3-minute video with information about this program. For more information about events in your local area, go here.
What’s Up?
I have some big dreams for 2024 and I hope to share some of them soon. One thing I can share now is that I have created a customized coaching process that I plan to launch next year. It is a holistic approach that will help clients reflect on their lives from multiple angles, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social.
Through the coaching cycle, I work with the client to develop a profile, identify priority areas, set goals, and overcome barriers with tools and resources for their particular needs. While it could be helpful to anyone, my ideal client is someone involved in K-12 education, whether it is a student in high school, a parent/guardian, or an educator working at any level in the system.
Because of my experience for the past two decades in multiple roles and at all grade levels of public education, I can bring a unique element to this kind of coaching relationship. I will help the client distinguish between personal and systemic factors affecting someone’s journey in the education system so that the client can focus energy where they have the most control.
Before formally launching this service, I am looking for anyone interested in participating in one coaching cycle for FREE. Instead of paying for the coaching, I would ask for your honest feedback about the process so I can continue to refine my skills.
If interested in this customized coaching plan, leave a comment below or reach out to me through any of our social media platforms.
BOOK SPECIAL!!! Get You Don’t Have To Do That FREE!!!
I am giving away a limited number of copies of my book. The catch: You make a promise to write a review (as long or short as you want) on Amazon after reading the book. If you want to take me up on this offer, then please comment below or reach out to me through any method available. (Some conditions apply.)
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