The Power of Homemade Ice Cream
Like many other churches, we have “home groups” during the summertime and the one we have at our house is always a tough act to follow. Why? Because we make homemade ice cream!
Now, for anyone who’s ever had ice cream made in a wooden churn machine (and not one of those table-top contraptions), it’s pretty darn tasty! Not necessarily healthy, but hey… this is ice cream we’re talking about! It’s the perfect remedy for this hot weather we’ve been having (103 degrees!).
We shamefully promote this as a way to draw people in to our home groups. The ice cream itself doesn’t necessarily bring the people in… but the fellowship surrounding it is hard to miss!
Why is this nice Christianese term “fellowship” so important? Because it emphasizes conversation, support, and maybe even a little bit of fun for good measure. Christians don’t often “get out” as much as the rest of the world, because the world tends to socialize in unhealthy ways. This is why it’s such a need for the church to come together, whenever possible, and “hang out”.
God created man to be in community. That means we weren’t meant to be alone! Psychologically and spiritually speaking, we crave the company of others. Think of the prisoner in “solitary confinement”… they almost always go crazy and start talking to themselves!
It is also no surprise that most of the “big sins” people struggle with involve other people! Adultery, alcohol/drug abuse, crimes of all sorts, typically involve more than one person! So on the other side of the aisle, it’s a safe assumption that finding good company meets this need in a much more productive way.
In Genesis 2:18, God said,
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
The Lord recognized that Adam needed a helper. Notice it uses that word for a reason… that despite having paradise all to himself, Adam needed some help! (duh!) That’s what we as human beings should always remember that despite how “independent” we think we can be, sometime, somewhere down the road in life we will need a shoulder to cry on, a lending hand, thoughtful advice, and many other things that we simply can’t provide for ourselves!
Instead of being an island floating around alone in a vast ocean, we as a church body should be together and united in supporting one another! This needs to take place not only during “tough times”, but in times of personal peace/prosperity as well (in order to help prevent struggles!). So what are some ways we can grow as a group?
- Pray hard! Sounds simple enough, huh? Well, more than likely we don’t engage in prayer as much or as deep as we should! We should be lifting each other up and helping them fend off attacks from the enemy! Also, when we engage into an active lifestyle of prayer (not just sticking to a regimented schedule), we’ll be pleased at how well it works in our lives and for those we’re praying for! Praying = results!
- Study hard! If we don’t have the “answers”, we’re of little help to those with questions! (including the ones we have!) One of the best ways to grow stronger in your faith is to grow in your knowledge of God through His Word!
- Be transparent! No, not everyone has to know your “business”, but be open with those you know you can trust (not just in keeping secrets, but with providing good, experienced support). How can our brothers and sisters in Christ know what to pray for if you don’t tell them?
- Communication! This follows transparency, in that you need to let those you know what’s going on in your life when it happens. Don’t wait for days or weeks to pass by without telling someone what you’re dealing with! Firefighters don’t wait for a building to burn down before they try putting out the blaze! Neither should we stall in trying to answer life’s problems that come our way.
- Find a home group or Bible study! Our church offers several options for fellowship and discipleship, so find something that fits your schedule! If your workplace or school offers a Bible study, that works too!
- Invite someone out for lunch/dinner/bowling/golf/whatever! Take the time and get to know someone that’s new in town, or maybe someone that’s new to you! (Eating/playing by yourself stinks!)
- GO TO CHURCH! This would seem pretty obvious coming from a pastor, but a lot of times when we’re “down” we just don’t feel like “being social” and going to a place where other people are at! We also don’t want to “praise the Lord” and sit through a sermon. But you know what? The majority of the time when we go ahead anyways, we end up enjoying it! (imagine that, right?) So make it a point to attend services as much as you can, because it’s never a waste of time!
- Availability! Why attend a home group, Bible study, or worship service? Because someone there may very well need to see YOU for something… and that means you need to be available to them! Keep an open heart, mind, and schedule for those that want you in their daily lives! Lying to yourself by saying you’re “too busy” may make you miss a golden opportunity to bless or be blessed!
So while homemade ice cream has it’s share of fans, on it’s own it doesn’t have any real “power”. But what we do with it certainly does! (and I’m not talking about what it does to our body!) The ice cream is a lot like us… by ourselves we’re pretty insignificant, but when surrounded by a group of people, you really have something special!
Make it a point to spend time with your church family… believe it or not, they need you just as much as you need them!
