Out of the Stratosphere with Rebecca Stratis

 

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:14-15

 

Hey it’s Stratosphere! The word I have for you this week is all about preparation. This is vital for all connect groups, both on and off high school campuses. In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul talks about putting on the whole armor of God. In these scriptures not only does he talk about truth, righteousness, and faith, but he also talks about preparation.

Having a plan for your connect group weekly is very important. If people feel like there is no purpose for being there they will not continue to come. A connect group meeting isn’t something that can just be thrown together and you cannot just wing it. There must be a balance between building relationship and building them up spiritually. Decide what you want to do at your connect group ahead of time. Do you want to pray for everyone that day? Do you have a certain topic you want to discuss? Whatever it is, you want to do make sure you have it all planned out. Obviously, things do not always go exactly as you planned and that’s totally ok; but it is very important to at least have an outline.

Another thing that is key in being prepared for your connect group is reading your bible on a regular basis. If you feel like you can’t think of anything to talk about you are probably not reading your bible. If you are following a bible reading plan for this year you will never run out of things to talk about. Encourage your group to be reading their bibles too, maybe have them share a scripture that stood out to them. By doing so, you’re helping them to be prepared also!        

Come back next week for my first post!