Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group leader podcast. This weekly conversation is designed to equip and resource you to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practices spiritual rhythms, and changes the world together. Hey leaders, welcome to today's episode of the podcast where we tackle questions and topics to better resource you, our leaders. This is Sam Smith, discipleship director at Mariners Irvine for Life Groups and men's and co-hosts of the podcast.
Today we are interviewing Michael Kelly, who is a pastor at Mariners Church, but also the executive director of the Rooted Network. For those that don't know, the Rooted Network is the publisher behind the 10 week Rooted course that we've taken at Mariners Irvine that is taken across the globe. And our discussion today is how to incorporate the rhythms of Rooted into your life group. If you've taken Rooted, you know how impactful these rhythms are for your journey with Jesus.
We discuss practical tips and how to's for continuing those rhythms in your life group. And we also discuss a new curriculum series just released by the Rooted Network and it's on prayer. How to pray like Jesus and other figures of the Bible. We talk about supplication.
We talk about the Lord's prayer. We talk about intercession and so many incredible just thoughts and ideas on prayer. So if you'd like to learn more about the prayer series or the Rooted Network, go to their website at experiencerooted.org. Hey, thanks again for tuning in.
Let's head on into the episode. Here we go. Here together and like I was sharing with you, Michael that we just wanted to kind of have a organic conversation. And so yeah, that's our hope just to be able to have you share a little bit about incorporating the rhythms of Rooted for our life groups and sharing about the new rhythms that we have.
How's that sound? That's great. I'm glad to do that. It'll be awesome and always glad to talk about this with you guys for sure, for sure, for sure.
Yeah, so we know the impact that Rooted has made nationally, globally, but right here at Mayors, all in all of our locations and our congregations. We've seen so much fruit, so much life change and transformation happen through those 10 weeks together. But as we see Rooted groups transition to becoming life groups, we've experienced a prayer experience and sharing strongholds serving together. But what we really wanted to talk about today, Michael, and we'll not hear your thought is how we can continue those rhythms, how we can incorporate those rhythms that we learned about in Rooted into our life groups.
And that's the challenge, obviously the challenge that many of our life groups are going through. And so we'll love for you just to kind of talk through, like how can we incorporate these spiritual rhythms in our life groups, kind of the more of a big picture level first. Yeah, thanks for asking the question. It is a challenge.
I mean, I think the first thing that I would say is the importance of doing so. There's a reason why in Rooted, we talk about these things as rhythms. There's a regularity that is meant to be practiced with things like serving the community, repentance, sharing your story, prayer. These are meant to be integrated as an ongoing and regular part of your life.
And the reason why that's important is because these rhythms, they work a lot more like a crock pot than a microwave. So if a microwave is built for speed, a crock pot is a slow cookout that changes the texture of things over time, the longer it is left in there. Well, the same thing happens in our hearts and our souls with these rhythms. A lot of times when people come to Rooted, it might be the first time that they've ever, for example, prayed for an hour or even served in the community.
And while that's great, when you do those things rhythmically over and over again, it changes the texture of your heart. That's where real transformation happens is over the course of time. So it's important that that happens. How does it happen?
I mean, there's a couple of ways that a life group leader can help that happen for their group. The first one is really, really simple. It's just to practice them, to model it. So it's going to be really hard for a life group leader with integrity to be able to talk about the importance of the rhythm of daily devotion, if they're not living in the rhythm of daily devotion themselves.
So they model it themselves. And then when you're modeling it yourself, it becomes a little bit easier to just naturally integrate a sense of accountability in your life group. For example, it's as easy as something like this. You're starting the conversation, you have a life group guide, and you're talking through some of the questions.
And as a leader, you say something like, this week as part of my rhythm of daily devotion, this is what I've read. Can somebody else share in your rhythm of daily devotion something that came out to you this week? So that is a graceful, non-gilt, inducing way to model, but also to set the expectation for your group, that as your leader, I expect that you are practicing these things and that message starts to come through over the course of time. So it's repetitive, you talk about it, you talk about personally what you're learning and experiencing in those rhythms, you allow other people to do the same.
That's one of the simplest and gracelaced ways to do it. And then there's one other, which is just about the content that you study. One of the ways that you can integrate those into your life group is through digging deeper into those individual rhythms. So in route it, we obviously talk a lot about these seven rhythms of discipleship.
And we do, I think we do a great job of describing and experiencing what they are. One of the things that we wanted to do with the route of network was to provide a series of resources that allows groups to further cement those rhythms into the lives of people. And so those are some of the resources that we're creating now. So if you have the rooted experience, we're now creating a series of resources that are called rhythms.
And each one of those bio studies is about one particular rhythm that's introduced in rooted. So that's another way is that you can choose one of those studies and that will just further cement it down in people's lives. Man, that's such a great segue to talking about these new prayer rhythm studies. But I love the analogy you gave about the microwave versus the crock pot.
Because it's so true. We live in the microwave culture, but so much of these rhythms just needs to be marinated into our souls and our hearts. And so even with the rooted, I mean, our rooted group, which we had about a year ago, which turned into a light group, those 10 weeks was just packed with so much content and experiences. And after that, we did some other great studies like the sermon discussion guides.
But these other rooted rhythm studies are another option for our light groups to go deeper into those different practices and rhythms. So the ones that were just released, we're super excited about it, are prayer and sacrificial generosity. And my understanding really is going to be releasing more and more over the next several months. But I wanted to really just focus in on the prayer rhythm study and wanted to just hear a little bit more about the big picture of this study from you and how we can best help our life groups.
So let me just talk about the logistics of it first, because I know people always wonder about that. So each one of the volumes in the rhythm series is five weeks long. So it's five weeks, it's not 10 weeks. So it's totally manageable from a life group leader standpoint.
And in each one of those five weeks, they are designed to look and feel almost exactly like the rooted experience. So each one of the weeks is going to have an opening article. There's five days of content of reading so that that can function as your rhythm of daily devotion. So you're reading and then there's reflection questions.
And then there's a discussion guide for each week. So just like there is with rooted, when you facilitate rooted, you would come to your life group and people will have done the work during the week and then they'll have a discussion about what it is that the Lord taught them through that week. And then you're equipped as a leader to be able to carry forward with that discussion and challenge people, encourage people to keep on praying. The prayer resource, just like all the others again, is five weeks long and it does all of those things.
One of the things that we wanted to do in the prayer resource in those five weeks is we wanted to just come at prayer in a realistic kind of way. Because I think, it's my opinion. I'll see if you guys agree with this. I think prayer for a lot of Christians that people carry around a lot of guilt about prayer, it's one of those things in their lives that everybody feels like I should be better at this than I currently am.
Do you guys get that? Like I think that that's true. I don't know, do you guys get that sense? I know that all the time.
Yes, resounding yes. So we wanted to, like we wanted to study to not feel condemning or make people feel guilty. Like you ought to be a better prayer than you are right now but take people where they are and help them understand a couple of things, help them understand some of the reasons why prayer is difficult sometimes. What are the things that the Lord has given to us to help us as we pray?
And then to encourage people with a sense of grace that wherever you are in your prayer life, ultimately you are praying to a father who delights in hearing from his children. Whether you're praying for three hours a day or five minutes a day, there's room to grow. And the reason that you grow is because prayer is one of the means by which you are furthering and developing a relationship that you have with a father who has already received you by his grace in Christ. So when people crack open the prayer resource, some of the big ideas that they're gonna find is they're gonna find ideas like, how do I pray?
So it's a walkthrough, the different aspects of the Lord's prayer. So this is the tool that Jesus gave us to kind of train us how to pray. They're gonna talk about different elements that prayer should include things like confession and supplication, Thanksgiving, praise. We'll talk about again why prayer is hard.
What are some of the practical difficulties we have in praying and what the Lord has given to us to overcome those? And then one of the things we wanna talk about is what really happens when we pray? What changes, what changes in the world? What changes in us?
How does that happen? So all of those things are meant to be examined in those five weeks. And then as they're being examined, the group is actually praying together and seeing those things come to pass in their own hearts. So those are some of the high points about what people will find in the prayer resource, which is just it doesn't have a super creative title.
It's literally called prayer. So it should be easy to find. Yeah, that's great. I don't know if I told you, Michael, but Stan had actually organized our discipleship team to start going through the prayer study together.
And so that we are aware of it, but also we didn't sub-west through this study already and just reading through it. And for me, it's just so practical as well too. Because I think in our life group, what I hear sometimes from our people, from our members is like, I don't know how to pray or I'm intimidated by prayer. Or I wish I could pray like some of these pastors or people up on the stage pray.
But I think it's such an encouragement through this book that anybody can pray and have that conversation and that dialogue with God. And also, like we just said, prayer does make a difference. It changes lives. And I once heard this quote, I don't even know who said it, but prayer is a fuel that moves the heart of God.
And so that's an encouragement for us that as a life group, we make time, that it's not something that is what we do if we have time, but it's an essential part of our life group. At the end of every life group, we need to share prayer requests with one another and we pray for each other. And I really feel like as we go through this study together in our life groups, it'll really strengthen as and encourage us about not only the power of prayer, but that all of us can participate in this prayer rhythm and communication and connection with God. So yeah, what a gift that we have to say.
Any words from you? Yeah, it's been a joy to look at the material alongside this team. And I agree with Scott, it's very practical. It's biblically based.
It's looking at the spiritual giants throughout scripture and modeling how they pray. And it focuses on the different elements of prayer, like you mentioned, intercession, supplication. It's so helpful just for me, just for our team. And I can't even imagine for a life group, no matter if the different members are at different spots in their prayer life, ultimately it's meant to help us enhance our connection with our father.
And we should all be wanting that. And yeah, I will find it very encouraging for our life group leaders looking for steady material in the fall. So yeah, just good news to the team. It's been really cool to walk through it.
Just among us. Man, thank you guys. Like I love that you found it to be practical and helpful. That's really how we designed it.
That's what we wanted it to be. And maybe just one word of encouragement that Scott, you said a minute ago that often you hear people say, I don't know how to pray. I wish I knew how to pray. I've always found it super encouraging that the disciples of Jesus actually had the same question.
So if anybody, like if anybody says, I don't know how to pray, be so encouraged that the people who physically walked with Jesus went to him one day and said, we don't know how to pray, teach us how to pray. And Jesus taught them. So that means, here's the really encouraging part about it. It means that we don't have to live in the paralysis of not knowing how to pray.
Jesus actually wants to teach us how to pray. He wants to teach us how to pray. And so we're coming to a father, asking a question, open handed, teach us. And we find a father that wants to do that.
He wants to do it. So I hope that's an encouraging. If anybody else happens to have that same question that's listening or watching this, I hope that's encouraging to them too. And you know what?
I think that's how the prayer book actually opens, right? Well, yes, that's right. It's just meant to be an open invitation. You've come to the right place.
You're asking the right question and you're asking it to the right person. Jesus wants to teach you. That's great. Well, Michael, this has been such a gift.
The study, rooted prayer, rhythm study, along with other rhythm studies, Dr. Patricia Generalosci and other ones that are coming is gonna be such a gift and a blessing, a wonderful resource for our life groups. I also want to tell you, Michael, that you are a gift. You are a blessing.
Thank you. You are a blessing to us. People, maybe you don't want people to know, but Michael is really the one writing these studies. And you don't get credit for it.
Your name is not on this study. I don't know why it isn't, but I think of Jesus. He never wrote a book, right? He never published a book.
And maybe that's how you want it, Michael. But every time I know we don't get a chance to connect all the time, but every time I get to, you really demonstrate to me the humility of Christ, and you're so gifted in so many ways. And yet you're so approachable and vulnerable, asking about my family and how I'm doing personally. So that really means a lot to us, not just you serving at Rooted Network and as a pastor at Manners, but really caring for each soul.
And that reflects, even in your writings, as your writings studies, that it's going to be a blessing and resource to all of our life groups. So thank you. Thank you for your honor. All that's been doing, Michael.
It is my joy in that you're very kind to say those things. It is my joy. I'm glad it's being helpful to the team. I hope it's helpful to a bunch of people to they have a great experience with it.
Thank you. Awesome. That's it, Michael. That's it, Sam.
I don't know how anything else. I think it would be awesome, actually. You wouldn't mind praying for a life group leader's Michael. Just praying for that they would continue the rhythms that they learned in Rooted.
Ultimately, these are biblical rhythms from us too. And God knew exactly what it would take and what was needed to help all of us grow deeper with Jesus. And so he gave us these rhythms. And science is also backing up and statistics and data that, hey, these are extremely helpful reading scripture four times a week helps all these other areas.
So would you mind just praying for them that they would continue these rhythms and that God would be with them in their groups? I would love to do that. I would love to do that. We're just cognizant here together.
We're cognizant aware that not everybody who will listen to this is on this call with us right now, but we are collectively together representing a lot of people. And so we want to bring these people before you, particularly these leaders who sacrificed day and day out. They study, they prepare, and they pray for the people that are in their groups. And I pray Lord, as Sam has asked us, that you would help these leaders in particular to endure and to persevere.
We know that things get busy. It does for all of us. And yet we pray for strength and joy in the work that you have called in to do. And we pray by your grace, Lord, that you would help them see the fruit of what it is that they are doing in the lives of people.
Help them to have the gift to be able to see, even in small ways, the way that your Holy Spirit is transforming people. As it comes to these rhythms, Lord, you've given us your word. Sam has said you've given us your word. You've told us what it looks like to follow you in regular rhythmic patterns.
And we want these to be further pressed in. I feel like that's the right phrase. Press them in, press these rhythms in to our lives, to the leaders' lives, and to the people who are in life groups. Press these rhythms in that we might collectively become more mature, complete, passionate followers of Jesus.
We pray that you would do it through the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.