The Long View
The Power of
a FUEL Quad
June 2011
You’ve probably heard Nicole Eastwood talk about them, or me reference them. At present, 1 in 10 of you are involved in one and many of you are beginning to ask questions about them. I’m talking, of course, about FUEL Quads, small discipleship communities that commit to intentional faith development with each other over the space of a year or two.
Remember for a second that FUEL is an acronym that stands for Faith Unleashed in Everyday Life. Our identities as baptized children of God formed as a community that follows the voice of Jesus in the world may begin in worship…but its goal is living the Grace of Jesus in our everyday lives. Faith is MEANT to be unleashed in everyday life. This is God’s intent for the power of the gospel that flows through each of us.
We know however, as a matter of pragmatism, that faith in our lives is nurtured and grown. We give it water, fertilizer, sunlight and good soil, and God takes care of the rest. What FUEL Quads recognize is that Jesus’ best discipleship didn’t occur with 70 or 12. Jesus was most effective with just three…Peter, James, and John. Discipleship can and does occur in larger groups of 8 to 12 in intentional faith conversation, accountability, community and study. But the power to develop real spiritual intimacy, accountability, trust, and growth comes from very small community.
I met with my Quad recently. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to spending that time with those three men twice a month. One of those encounters occurs face to face. One of us brings dinner in and we break bread together. Then we share our faith journeys together, have conversation about faith materials we are reading and interacting with, and then pray for each other. It’s awesome. My particular Quad then meets one other time each month via a SKYPE video call. It’s been hard to get used to this part of our monthly gatherings…mostly working out of the technological bugs, but it’s again a face-to-face encounter with one another, deep faith conversation, and again prayer. Each of us would say we’re stronger for it.
Last month I talked about what it means to be the Church in a Netflix, on demand, world. Not surprisingly as our lives become increasingly digital and privatized, the community of faith formation becomes ever more important. This faith community can and does occur through digital media. The conversations we have on the St. Stephen Facebook page for instance, or at the Spirit Porch blog are rich and deep. But human contact isn’t going to go by the wayside anytime soon. If anything, in our world, it’s going to become increasingly precious and valuable…and we’ll engage these times with more intentionality and appreciation.
Please consider how faith in Jesus is growing in your life right now. If you’re in a faith stall and God seems far away, then it’s time to do your faith life differently. And personally, I think it will begin with an intentional small Christian community.
If you are interested in joining a FUEL Quad (they are always gender specific), please let me or Nicole Eastwood know. We’ll get you equipped and coached and empowered to embarq on this journey.
Don’t be surprised if you discover a whole new depth and richness to life.
Here’s to hearing the voice of Jesus in our lives more clearly! More importantly, here’s to hearing that voice with others!
God loves you and I do too!
Pastor Nathan
The Power of
a FUEL Quad
June 2011
You’ve probably heard Nicole Eastwood talk about them, or me reference them. At present, 1 in 10 of you are involved in one and many of you are beginning to ask questions about them. I’m talking, of course, about FUEL Quads, small discipleship communities that commit to intentional faith development with each other over the space of a year or two.
Remember for a second that FUEL is an acronym that stands for Faith Unleashed in Everyday Life. Our identities as baptized children of God formed as a community that follows the voice of Jesus in the world may begin in worship…but its goal is living the Grace of Jesus in our everyday lives. Faith is MEANT to be unleashed in everyday life. This is God’s intent for the power of the gospel that flows through each of us.
We know however, as a matter of pragmatism, that faith in our lives is nurtured and grown. We give it water, fertilizer, sunlight and good soil, and God takes care of the rest. What FUEL Quads recognize is that Jesus’ best discipleship didn’t occur with 70 or 12. Jesus was most effective with just three…Peter, James, and John. Discipleship can and does occur in larger groups of 8 to 12 in intentional faith conversation, accountability, community and study. But the power to develop real spiritual intimacy, accountability, trust, and growth comes from very small community.
I met with my Quad recently. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to spending that time with those three men twice a month. One of those encounters occurs face to face. One of us brings dinner in and we break bread together. Then we share our faith journeys together, have conversation about faith materials we are reading and interacting with, and then pray for each other. It’s awesome. My particular Quad then meets one other time each month via a SKYPE video call. It’s been hard to get used to this part of our monthly gatherings…mostly working out of the technological bugs, but it’s again a face-to-face encounter with one another, deep faith conversation, and again prayer. Each of us would say we’re stronger for it.
Last month I talked about what it means to be the Church in a Netflix, on demand, world. Not surprisingly as our lives become increasingly digital and privatized, the community of faith formation becomes ever more important. This faith community can and does occur through digital media. The conversations we have on the St. Stephen Facebook page for instance, or at the Spirit Porch blog are rich and deep. But human contact isn’t going to go by the wayside anytime soon. If anything, in our world, it’s going to become increasingly precious and valuable…and we’ll engage these times with more intentionality and appreciation.
Please consider how faith in Jesus is growing in your life right now. If you’re in a faith stall and God seems far away, then it’s time to do your faith life differently. And personally, I think it will begin with an intentional small Christian community.
If you are interested in joining a FUEL Quad (they are always gender specific), please let me or Nicole Eastwood know. We’ll get you equipped and coached and empowered to embarq on this journey.
Don’t be surprised if you discover a whole new depth and richness to life.
Here’s to hearing the voice of Jesus in our lives more clearly! More importantly, here’s to hearing that voice with others!
God loves you and I do too!
Pastor Nathan
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