Tuesday Fun Times

Marathon day is fast approaching. I'll actually be posting updates to Ben's Running Blog during the race. Yup, DURING the race. Head over to that blog for details.

Some of you might be a bit curious about the photo currently appearing in the BenCam. It's Jenelle and two friends from our Tuesday night small group. That's Janet on the left, and Mary is on the right.

And while I'm on the subject, let me take this opportunity to explain what we do every Tuesday night when our small group gathers together. To make things more fun, I'll use a question-and-answer format.

Why did you join this group?
Since our marriage in March 2003, Jenelle and I have been looking for more opportunities to get connected with more people our age. Most of our friends from school don't live in the area, so we were often bored on weekends. While Jenelle and I really enjoy spending time with each other, there's still a need to socialize and hang out with other people.

How did you meet the people in the group?
Last year, we began attending Kenosha Bible Church regularly on Sunday mornings. The church, which is fairly large, has several small groups available. We expressed interest in small groups with one of the pastors at the church, and he gave our contact information to the people in the small group. A member of the group (Janet, specifically) contacted us and gave us the details of the group (meeting times, etc.). A week or so later, we were in! :)

So, what exactly do you do? Read the Bible and pray?
Yes, we do spend time studying the Bible and praying, but there's more to it than that. Here's a typical Tuesday evening:

• We arrive and talk informally for the first 20-30 minutes, sharing recent events, checking up on each other, and just having a good time. There's usually quite a bit of laughter. Sometimes our conversations get so involved that they spill over into the rest of the night's events.
  
• We all have copies of the "Celebration Hymnal", which contains both traditional and contemporary songs. We pick 4-5 songs from the hymnal and sing them together.
  
• Next, we share praises and prayer requests -- not just for ourselves, but for friends and family. This week, I'll share a prayer request -- that everything goes well for all 2300+ runners in this weekend's marathon.
  
• We'll spend about five minutes in prayer. Usually about 3 of us take turns and pray out loud for the various requests we just discussed.
  
• We read through the Bible passage that we've picked for the day (we're in the book of Luke right now) and discuss it. This is usually the most "serious" part of the evening. However, it is often preceded by a hilarious discussion of who will read what verses. Example:
  "Okay, we're reading verses 18-53, so that's five for everyone."
  "Wait, there's 36 verses."
  "18, 19, 20.... oh yeah, you're right."
  "So, uh, six of us could read six verses each."
  "Yeah, or we could all read five and someone reads one extra..."
  Well, it's not hilarious when typed into a blog post. But rest assured, the small group has a special ability to make even the simplest task an interesting endeavor. :)
  
• Once we finish going through the reading, we have more informal gathering. Sometimes we'll talk about upcoming non-Tuesday events that we'll be doing together. Examples: Concert at Ravinia Park, Brewer game, shopping trip.
  

I like to think of the small group simply as some friends getting together. It's like a party every Tuesday night. :)

Do you enjoy it?
Very much! It's always great to hang out with friends. Oh, and I forgot to mention -- there's food at every gathering. :)

I am blessed to have close ties with both my mom and my dad's side of the family, and I enjoy spending time with all of my relatives. However, the small group has taught me that there are great benefits from a close-knit group of people who can help each other out in both good times and bad. Our common faith brought us together and continues to keep us together.

Regardless of how you might feel about religion -- if there's someone who's been a good friend to you, whether it was last week or last year -- be sure to let that friend know that you appreciate him/her. It sounds cheesy, but I bet it'll make you feel better.