Skip to main content

LIFEGroup Reflections

The Ultimate Walk of Shame

Have you ever had to take the walk of shame? Minigolfer.com gives this definition of the walk of shame: When a player retrieves a minigolf ball that they have hit out of bounds and replaces it on the run to retake their shot. And if the walk of shame isn't bad enough there is the ultimate walk of shame. The ultimate walk of shame is when a player hits a minigolf ball into a pond and is forced to walk back to the beginning and ask for a new ball.

Our LIFEGroup played minigolf and one of our members was forced to take the ultimate walk of shame. The ball was hit too hard. It took a bad bounce. It leaped off the course and into the murky water surrounding the Craig's Cruisers minigolf island. I watched the poor man's expression change from joy to sorrow as he realized the journey he must now take. Now as you know, minigolf is the sport of gentleman. And as a LIFEGroup it is our duty to care for our brother as he undertakes the ultimate walk of shame. Everyone knew what had to happen next. We had to point and laugh. And laugh we did.

“Take the walk,” we said “Take the walk of shame!” And we laughed and we laughed and we laughed. And when he returned with his new ball and that sheepish look on his face, we laughed some more. That's what you get for smacking a minigolf ball like you're teeing off on a par 5 at Augusta!

I'd like to say that we learned something important from that incident but we didn't. We just had fun. Sure it was fun at someone else's expense, but it was fun nonetheless and it was all in good fun. I think that the best part of the day was just that, having fun. It was so good to have a time of enjoying the company of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I think that Christians are fun to be around. We share a bond that make our friendships unique. Playing around in a LIFEGroup gives us a chance to really enjoy that bond, even if one has to take the ultimate walk of shame.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 Summer Activities To Keep Your Small Group Connected

I just sent an email to all our small group leaders (I do this 3-4 times each month). This week's focus was STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE SUMMER. Below is a list of 10 summer activities a small group can use to stay connected. These are specifically created for groups at The Gathering, but you can pretty easily modify the list to fit your church or your community. Go to a Dragon's Game together. You can buy tickets as a group from the church for the game on July 11. Design a Progressive Dinner. Have appetizers at one house, salad at another, the main course somewhere else and dessert at a final destination. Have a monthly barbecue party. Serve together. Pick a place (Good Neighbor House, St. Vincents, Victory Project, Pirate Packs, Caring Partners International, One Bistro) and sign up to serve as a group one afternoon or evening. Meet up at the Family Movie Night on June 15. Spend a day at King's Island. Work at the church for an afternoon. We have many proj...

20 Questions to Build Group Connections

Here is a great exercise for a new group. The instructions are pretty simple. Go around the group giving each person the opportunity to choose one question and answer it honestly. Anyone can follow-up with an opinion or clarifying question (no critiquing each other's answers, though). Once a question has been answered, no one else may answer that question. If your group is larger, you may want to alter the rule and allow each question to be answered 2 or 3 times. Ideally, each person should end up answering 3-5 questions. As the leader, pay attention to the conversation. Let the discussion run its course as this is how people in the group build their relationships with one another. You can use these questions, modify them or create your own.

5 Conversations Every Small Group Should Have

Small group gatherings are not business meetings. They need not have rigid agendas or strict time constraints. Although effective groups often follow set curriculum, there are times when they can take a break from their plans and have conversations about their group’s health. These five questions can be used together or one at a time. They are designed to help groups’ determine their identity, diagnoses their health and develop a plan for the future. How can we meet one another’s needs? Acts is full of stories about Christians finding creative means by which they can meet each other’s needs. Some even sold their properties and possessions. The small group is the ideal lab in which we can work out what it truly means to love one another as Jesus loved us. If the greatest love of all is laying down our lives for each other (and it is), then meeting the needs of others in our group should be one of our first and highest priorities. How can we encourage one another? 1...