Hiking

Have you ever climbed a mountain? I don't necessarily mean ascending Everest. I just mean hiking along a trail that ascends a mountain through a series of switchbacks. Maybe you have simply blazed your own trail through the forest chasing wild game. I sure have. I have also hiked many trails throughout the Appalachians and even a few out West. Sometimes these trails involved 3000 or more foot ascents that led to incredible vistas of the great outdoors. On other occasions, the trails that I was hiking were not clearly marked and I lost my way. Even worse, on a few occasions I have found myself deep in the forest long after sunset with stormy weather brewing. The main thing about all of my hiking experiences, good or bad, is that they were shared. Camping, hiking and hunting with my family and friends comprise some of the most memorable experiences of my life. Yet these experiences would not have been quite the same, had they not been shared.

When close friends embark on the same journey, they are able to spur one another on to greater heights. Depth of relationship matters. In other words, as we hike along a trail with a peer towards the same destination our lives begin to overlap. We are able to celebrate wins with one another and we are able encourage one another through the struggles that the journey will inevitably bring. God made us in his image and our Heavenly Father is intensely relational. We are all relational beings who need Authentic Community. At Longleaf Church, we leverage the principle of Authentic Community through Small Groups. Adult Small Groups (Community Groups) are where people discover accountability, belonging and care on a journey of simply doing life together.

Small Group Leaders at Longleaf will always be encouraged to consider how they are creating a culture wherein people spur their peers on towards love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). Addtionally, we have a system to better equip men called SYSTEM 163. Man I love Small Group! Are you in one?