April 6th, 2024

Happy Humpish Day:) Welcome to June! Summer is upon us, a new podcast episode it out, and meeting tips are part of this Always Provide newsletter edition. Enjoy!

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1 big thing: Provide a warm welcome

How hosting can bond a family. I am halfway through my CL Thomas Fellowship men's group. We meet monthly at my house for a night of discussion around a specific provider theme, verse, book, and accountability request. The whole family rallied together to prepare for the event, but then my girls snuck away just as we were about to eat. Unbeknownst to me, they had a secret agenda to draw a "Welcome" message on the driveway!

• Why it matters: Our family has many different passions, priorities, and time management skills. You may resonate. So the times we come together in unison around a special moment like a fellowship meeting is a true blessing.
• Blessings usually come from "love does" moments. This picture reminds us that gifts usually happen when we live out a Bob Goff style of "Love Does." Hosting can be hard work, yet it also provides unexpected opportunities.
• Provider next step: Bring the family together by hosting a special event at your house. It can be something like a monthly fellowship group or a one-off event. The point is to have the whole family rally together. Cure results or sidewalk art not guaranteed...but your own special version might just happen.

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2. 🎙️ New Podcast!

John Worsham, episode #126 is live. What happens when you take a leap of faith into the unknown and just trust God? John’s story is a testament to the remarkable things that can happen when you believe that God has a bigger and better plan, even when it’s not always clear.

About John. From a nursing degree and career working in the hospital to missions work in India, and now training leaders; John provides plenty of God-sized provision moments in our conversation. Here is a little more on his bio:

• Executive Director of Triangle Fellows, providing faith and work integration training to professionals
• Married to Allison for 22+ years, who is also a nurse
• They have two teenage boys who are both taller than John

Listen or watch the video of this episode! Be sure to follow our podcast on your favorite app, and now you can also watch the interview on our CL Thomas Fellowship® YouTube channel.

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3. 🗒️ Accountability game

How to make meetings more fun. As a seasoned group facilitator, I know it can be hard to keep motivation strong in the third quarter of a group. The good part of this timing is that groups tend to form some norms, but we can also get too comfortable and lazy. I try to inject a little fun into the mundane.

The accountability match game. In our fellowship group, we share monthly accountability requests. We all tend to want accountability but then find it hard to actually remember, let alone follow-up with guys who ask us for accountability. So I printed off a 1 pager listing all accountability requests and gave a copy to each guy. One side had all the accountability request and the other side of page had the names from guys in the group. The challenge was to draw a line and try to match the request with the appropriate fellowship member. I thought it was fun at least:)

A verse to remind us to rest. Here was our last verse in my CL Thomas Fellowship men's group to encourage us all to rest in God:

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Thank you for the opportunity to serve you through this newsletter. My goal is to grow in my servant leadership for my family, work, and life. Always feel free to respond with feedback and updates on your own provider journey.

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Bless & Protect,

Justin Thomas

p.s.

Want to become a "Friend to the Fellowship" by donating to our non-profit? You can! Just donate to the non-profit here and we will put the money towards launching groups and building out our free resources. Thanks!