Why I love my micro-small group :)

We are so blessed to have been in small groups since October of 2005.  We didn't have any idea what a small group was, but we walked in the doors of a church in Illinois, trying it for the first time, and these two, very nice, very exuberant young ladies walked up to us asking us to come be a part of their Sunday school class.  We had just arrived for service, so we declined, but attended the next week.  That week, those same two ladies tracked us down and took us to their class.  And then invited us to their small group bowling party that evening.  A summarazied background leading up to that Sunday: We had been looking for a church for over a year.  A year of moving 6-8 hours away from everyone we knew, new house, major life changes, etc.  Mr. P and I were literally screaming like little girls when we got into the car after church. Amidst the screams were, "We found friends!!!!!  These are such nice people!!!!  They invited us!!!!"  (and yes, we did use all those exclamation points!!!!!)
Long story short, we joined that small group.  We met Joe and Melissa, Will and Amanda, Bryan and Kristin, and eventually Paul and Amy, and Dave and Pam.  We were in group with these people for only a year and a half.  But still, these are some friends that I would still call some of my closest friends that I've ever had.  We had babies together, navigated newlywed and parenthood together, practiced hostessing together.  While we lived so far from family, they became our family.  God gave us just who we needed at that time.
Fast forward to a bittersweet move back home.  We were closer to family and where we grew up, but we'd been gone long enough to not really have couple friends around.  Starting at square one.  Our church did the first ever GroupLink, a program that let people who were interested in being in a group and group leaders together and we went, excited to find a new group.  But one did not exist.  There was no group that fit what we wanted or needed.  And after such amazing fellowship in our former group, we needed a group.  We found 2 other couples there that also needed a small group to call home, so we created one.  And we led it.  It's stinkin' hard to start a small group from scratch with virtual strangers, in case you were wondering.  But we did.  And within 10 months, the group was so big we couldn't fit into anyone's home anymore.  So we split.  Do you want to know what that process is like?  Hmm... Put a nice, fresh piece of duct tape on your arm.  Get it nice and warm so the glue gets good and stuck.  Let it cool and rip it off.  That approximates the feelings of splitting a group.  Not good or bad, just painful in some ways.  It was beneficial though, and our new, smaller group eventually began to grow and thrive.
Fast forward 18 months and our group is again too big.  But Mr. P and I are worn slick.  Running a farm and a school and a small group are hard.  Especially since we were still running our small group as when we started, with an 8 month old R, city living.  Our life was drastically different!  So we decided to step down.  But God had other plans for us.  We had good friends ask us to keep leading.  Asking us to start another group.  What do we do?  We prayed, and we reanalyzed what we could do.  Kinda like examining our farm routines and making them more efficient, we examined our life and figured out what we could do and what we needed.
With all those parameters (Mr. P's engineering term), we created a structure that works for us.  Unfortunately, we are a rare breed :)  Thankfully, our structure also lends itself to our dear farming friends (who joined our group after the first split).  So right now, our group consists of the 4 of us.  Enjoying our Sundays together, usually eating lunch and dinner together, and doing our study way-too-late into the evening.  We are blessed.  And since the title of this post is about the "Why," here's some specifics of why I love my group (and any small group for that matter):
1.  These people should know about you, intimately.  They should know that when you cock an attitude about something or someone, why you are that way.  And not be offended or put out at your seemingly out-of-character moment.
2.  But, they are totally willing to put you back in your place if need be.  And you are not offended because you know they are Godly people who seek Godly wisdom and counsel.  And because we all need to be put in our place sometimes.  And it's ok.
3.  Mr. P has a chess partner.  Oh, my goodness.  I can't tell you how thankful I am for this simple thing. In every small group but our first initial group back home, Mr. P has had a chess partner.  This makes him happy, and therefore makes me happy.  (don't trivialize common interests!)
4.  Free labor.  (don't trivialize work ethic either!) If we need a project done that I dont' have the muscle for, Mr. P waits for a Sunday that we are hosting.  I feed them, he works them.  And we reciprocate at their house.  We don't live super close to our current group members, but we did in IL, and we would help each other with projects pretty regularly.  Gutting a house, mowing the lawn, borrowing vehicles, etc.
5.  FOOD.  A good meal with good friends makes any evening worth remembering.  And it gives you a break every now and again from cooking.  Not that Mr. P does much cooking, but he appreciates someone else's recipes :)
6.  Friendships.  Not only have I made some amazing friends, but R's best friend is our group members' daughter.  They were only born a day apart and are pretty much two peas in a pod.  And those are friendships that last lifetimes.
7.  Role models.  Being a positive role model for my kids is a big deal to me.  In theory.  It's always easier said than done, though.  But, since our kids see us meeting together, having good (clean!) fun together, serving together, and studying together, it makes it easy to show them what we value.  They might not realize it now as they play dress up for hours upon end, but I'm sure it's making some sort of impression.
8.  Spiritual growth.  Of course, the 'main' purpose of a small group is for Bible study.  And I love my little group for that.  We have done a very simple study the last 2 months and I have grown and learned more than I thought I would with just 1 other couple.  But we really challenge each other and bring ideas to the table.  I like that we take it seriously, but not so seriously that we can't dive into other spiritual issues we feel the need to study on impulse.

So, for those few that actually read this little blog.  I have had almost 5 years in a small group, and it has been some of the richest times in my life.  My small group members were the first ones to visit me at the birth of my first child, and comforted us when we had no where to go for Thanksgiving (and happily invited us to their celebration), helped us with farm projects, and gave Godly counsel, even when we didn't ask.  They listen, talk, feed, help, understand, serve, forgive, and become some of my dearest friends.
You need this.  And you won't regret it.  Not one single moment.