Small Groups

My oldest brother graduated from high school the year I graduated from first grade. My parents knew that the family vacation we’d take that summer would likely be the last time we had all six members of the family on a vacation together. As a result, they asked my brother, Matt, to choose the destination for the family vacation that summer, with only one stipulation. It had to be somewhere in the U.S.

 Matt chose Alaska.

We were on the road in our home-built custom camper about a week after school let out, and we didn’t return until about a week before school started up again in the fall. That’s right, for better than two months that summer we – my parents, 2 brothers, my sister, and our beagle mutt – camped our way to Alaska and back. To some this may not sound like their ideal form of a family vacation. But for us it was life changing.

I saw Grizzly bears, whales, mountain goats, and moose all in the wild. Sometimes they were even in our campsite (not the whale, or course). I saw mountains that soared into the clouds, the destructive aftermath of spent volcanoes, mountain lakes bluer than I thought imaginable, and an ocean that stretched forever. I have so many great memories from that trip. But beyond all the sights, I was able to spend some infinitely valuable time with my family. I remember laughing with them until I cried. I remember silly jokes and hikes through the forests. From that time with the family I learned that it’s not so much what you have, but who you have with you that’s important.

For my parents, that vacation wasn’t just about arriving in Alaska at some point during the summer. It was about the journey there and back. Every moment of that trip mattered. They did their best to make every mile count. And my siblings and I have an awesome shared experienced as a result.

I think that’s an important lesson for us to always remind ourselves of for our small groups. It’s not just about where we’re going and where we’re leading people. It’s about the journey we’re sharing with them as we go there. It’s vital for us to be intentional about the journey with our small groups and for us as leaders to do everything we can to make every mile count. So go forward and make memories with your group that will impact their lives forever, even into eternity.