Although we suggest the group avoids having a 'leader' it may be useful, the first few times the group meets, for someone to act as the facilitator.
What's lyfe like?
People are already benefiting from, indeed getting excited about lyfe; here are a few of their comments.
The lyfe material is excellent, easy to use and discussions open up the thinking of our group.
The discussions were excellent and the method got past the usual barriers of predictable responses ... We were able to discuss as equals.
The liveliness of the site is a great encouragement to me. May you be given many more such innovative visions.
The lyfe web site www.lyfe.org.uk provides sets of six Bible passages collected around themes such as justice, environment, work-life balance, the Gospel or encountering God. For each printer-friendly passage we provide three bullet points of really useful things to know about the passage to make best sense of it, and then, for light relief, something we don't need to know! We are trying to remove the 'expert' or the 'interpreter' from the mix. We would love for Christians to discover again how powerful reading scripture expectantly and humbly can be. When we read it together it can also become deeply transformative as we allow the Bible to read us.
We desire too, that lyfe groups should be places of grace and mercy not demand and control. We will need grace to help each other if a passage seems difficult as well as grace to see how it might apply to us in the here and now. There may be times when we're faced with a challenge from the Bible that knocks us over. Something personal we've never seen before; or a call to reach out to the lost and broken in our world that seems beyond us. As we surrender to the voice of God through the Bible, we'll find the accountability of the group is just what we need to help us to respond to God and to encourage us with his mercy when we struggle.
So what then, in a nutshell, is special about lyfe?
Meet and explore the Bible in a public place
Experience and discuss Scripture as a group of equals
Listen with the heart, meditate on the text
Use the online toolkit as an accompanying resource
Although we might only commit to a lyfe group for ten sessions, or six months, the experience of surrender and growth can last a lifetime. As we fold more and more of our lives into God, we discover the deepest riches of what it is to live a life given over to him.
Of course there's much more to lyfe than this - so why not find out more about this visionary new service that Bible Society is offering free of charge. The website, www.lyfe.org.uk., is a vital part of the lyfe experience. It's an online community that links the lyfe groups together. There is also a free introductory brochure available from contactus@biblesociety.org.uk. So why not get yourself a lyfe!
David Spriggs
David Spriggs has been a Local Baptist Minister for 20 years; Previously headed up the Evangelism Department of the Evangelical Alliance; Now working for Bible Society in various roles relating to the place of the Bible in the mission of the church in England and Wales, currently Bible and Church Consultant; Author of several books, and many articles mainly on church leadership and growth, prayer and spirituality, the Bible; Writes regularly for a number of daily Bible reading notes publishers, including, BRF, CWR, IBRA, SU and Living Light.For more information about the Bible Society please click www.biblesociety.org.uk
