Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group Leader Podcast. This weekly conversation is designed to equip and resource youth to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practices spiritual rhythms, and changes the world together. Hello and welcome to the Life Group Leader Podcast. My name is Kirby Wedd, and I am your host here as well as the group's pastor at Mariners Irvine, and I am so glad to be here with Tim Leukai today.
Hey Tim. Hey, how's it going everybody? Good to be here. Yeah, we're so glad to have Tim with us.
He is our men's pastor here at Mariners Irvine, and you're back for a second time here on the podcast, and we'd love to hear about your summer. How was summer Tim? That's great to be back. I had an amazing summer, a little bit of an extended break this year.
Just realized how I needed some time. Needed some extended time with my family, specifically my wife and children, and we had an incredible summer. We did a road trip all the way to Washington State. Oh, cool.
We stopped in Tahoe, Ben, Oregon, Astoria, and then we spent two weeks on the lake in Sanohomish, Washington. So it was a beautiful summer. Wow. Jesus met me incredibly.
I feel restored, refreshed, and excited for the year ahead. I love that Tim. I so admire the way that you have put your family first, your wife first, and you really are such a great example of the men of our church. For all of our adventure junkies out there as life group leaders, you have a friend and Tim Luke that he knows you, but also know that I've seen it so often to him in your life that you hear and experience God through nature.
And that is so cool. I love that God speaks to you that way. I do. I think one of the things I realized is how we are all wired to be in God's creation, all the way back from how it was created, where Adam and Eve just chill in incredible garden and how our souls are restored, renewed, and refreshed when we are outdoors in God's creation.
It is his. And so when we're out and we're near the beauty of the ocean, the trees, lakes, rivers, rivers, we meet Jesus in a unique way. And it was beautiful. Yeah.
Well, that really is creation is a beautiful gift that God's given us. So I'm going to kind of tie that back to our discussion this week is on how the Holy Spirit, he gifts us. And I'm so glad to be able to sit with him today and talk through how you as a life group leader can prep for this week's discussion. So Eric is sharing an incredible message on how the way the Holy Spirit gifts us, with spiritual gifts as well.
And we already use those gifts, not for ourselves and not for our glory, but for God's glory. So just to kind of recap, and Elizabeth and I touched on this last week in the podcast, you know, for the first half of the series, we really talked through who the spirit, who the Holy Spirit is, like the character that attributes that make the Holy Spirit unique. And now we're talking about what the Holy Spirit does in us. And we talked a lot about some of the other things last week.
And then also this week, now we're talking about how he last week was bearing fruit in us. And then this week is the gifts that we receive as we walk with the Holy Spirit. So first we talked through, this little overview is super helpful. If you missed the message or if you wanted a little summary of the message, just to kind of set your intention as a leader, this little overview is super helpful.
It talks a lot about the intention of our gifts, why we are given these gifts and for whose glory they are. And it is not ours, but it is for the glory of God. And I'm so grateful for that. Super good.
So as we look to lean in this first discussion, it's a very easy question and almost pretty obvious, but it's what's a memorable or significant gift you've received. Tim, what would you expect from some of the people that made your own group or your own community? How would they answer this question? I would imagine that some significant or meaningful gifts was probably from their significance.
So true. A very touching piece of jewelry, something that means more than jewelry isn't even necessarily a good example. Start again. Jewelry isn't a good example.
I go from there. It may be a great example, but it's not always necessarily a monetary or expensive item. For example, I'll not to toot my own horn, but I gave my wife a necklace and it had the coordinates of where I proposed to her. So it was more than an expensive piece of jewelry, which it was not, by the way.
But it had the coordinates of a very significant special place for us. So that coordinate led right to a beach on Caddalini and which is special to us. So there's kind of a memorable gift. Absolutely.
Yeah. So maybe as you're kind of helping people pull this question out, thinking about, well, how can something be memorable? Or what makes something significant, right? That's going to be when it's given to you, probably by someone that you feel known by, someone that knows you intimately, like a spouse, significant other, close relative, dear friend.
That's what's going to make something really memorable. Or maybe the time or place. And it'll be interesting, hopefully, to hear what the different people in your group will say and what really sticks out to them. So even with this question, I would give people a minute to think before anybody answers.
Because as soon as somebody starts answering, oh, well, it's about my husband. Well, my husband gave me. Then anybody feels bad if they think about what their brother gave them. It's allowed people an opportunity to come up with their own answer before they start hearing other people's answers.
So that way, you can really hear the uniqueness of each person as they think about a memorable gift they received. The intention of asking this question is to start thinking about what the hope or what the, I just use the word intention, but I'll do it again, what the real intention is behind gift giving. Is it to celebrate something how flashy and shanitas? I love your example, Tim, about the jewelry.
It's like, no, actually, when things are really significant and memorable, it goes a lot deeper beyond the materialistic part. So hopefully, as I start to answer this question, people will start to think and notice that kind of trend with gifts. Would you agree, Tim? Absolutely.
I think a gift is also, like you said, location, proximity, and the ability to be known. And so it's so much more than just some shiny things. Sure. And something that may be a nice gesture, but not significant.
So that's what's always hard about gift giving. It's like, oh, I really want to give something meaningful, something they'll really love, and something special. But sometimes it's actually more the time and place. For example, my son turned 10 this summer, and we went to a Bass Pro shop, and I bought him his first knife.
And I made it a rite of assage moment. Yes. And it wasn't necessarily that he got a knife, although he felt pretty cool. It was that dad said, you are now 10.
Double digits is a big deal. Here's your first knife, which may or may not have been a wise decision. No, I love it. I think making that bit, making a moment, marking a moment, which as you see in this conversation progress, marking a moment is actually one of the ways that we practice the spiritual rhythm of worship and celebration in our group.
So you'll see even at the very end, there might be an opportunity to affirm one another and take that time. So it might feel like a different group time where we're ending with affirmations of mine, kind of like week 10 of root it. So just kind of keep that thought in your back pocket. But as we look at look down and we're thinking about reading scripture together and what's going to come out, you'll see this scripture, 1 Corinthians 12 through 13.
So it's 12, the chapter 12 and through chapter 13, 3, is a description of the spiritual gifts, why we're giving them the purpose of these gifts and what the intention is and how we as believers might live out our lives while stewarding the gifts that the spirit gives us. And so I'm excited that the question actually is really simple while the text is really long. You might want to break that up, as I mentioned before, or mentioned in the leader note here, actually. Breaking that up into those sections will be super helpful, maybe having different people read once again is really helpful.
And then you'll be able to kind of digest this. And the question is super simple. It's what do you learn about spiritual gifts? You have a conversation about what are your spiritual gifts, but really to set the stage of why the spirit gifts as these gifts and also what the text says.
So there's a lot here about the different kinds of gifts and the manifestation of these gifts. And so hopefully people will be able to pull out the different things that they're seeing and observing about spiritual gifts that the scripture says. And I actually love that the scripture we're talking about today isn't just a list of all these gifts, but the why of why we have these gifts and why the body of Christ embodies these gifts as believers and how we work it out. And it does kind of get to it at the end of verse 12.
Or at the end of verse 12, you'll see some of these questions that they're pointing out some great spiritual gifts and so forth. So definitely spend some time, really spend some time in the scripture today to ensure that we're actually digesting some of the truths about gifts and hoping that people will be able to pull those truths from the word of God here. Anything else you'd want to add to them about spiritual gifts or maybe what might come up in discussion as we ask the people what they learned about spiritual gifts? I think it opens up a great conversation, which is also in the lookout of where you see people use their gifts to serve others.
And as you look at that question, I think it'll prompt people to see probably influential impactful people in their lives that are using their God-given gifts to serve others, whether that's an incredible pastor that's great at teaching God's word and it's transformed their life in the way that they walk and serve Jesus, whether that's maybe someone with kind of a prophetic gift and have spoken some life and inspiration and hope into people. So I think they're just a great conversation that comes, sometimes we don't recognize people's gifts or even our own gifts. So when you highlight it and people highlight in you, it's an incredible, incredible thing to experience and be a part of. And then why not if we see gifts in people to share it with them?
Yeah, that's so true. I love that the scripture points that out. And then as we look at lookout, you're right. These are the perfect off questions to move us into that next section of where do you see people use their gifts and serve others?
And that hopefully will naturally flow right out of the scripture conversation. And that's also so much just why the scripture emphasizes the purpose of serving others and not serving ourselves is because we see and we oftentimes most remember these amazing talents that people have when they're really serving others and where they really have some great significance and lies pulling back to the lean in. It's not just when I don't know, you just think about the talent of a great baseball player. We were talking about that really cool video that you shared with me about the sweet bass player.
What is it, the baseball player? He throws the pitch and it hits the guy in the head. And that could be cool. It could be like, wow, look at his pitch.
It's so fast and so amazing. But what sticks out is when kindness is given and when they actually go to serve one another and care for each other. So I just think that's those moments that I got, or even I think about different sports guys, maybe Kobe Bryant. But we remember him for amazing dunks and all those kinds of things.
But when he shows up to a charity event or when a specific sports member like a Tim Tebow, he says, all glory to God, those moments really stick out to us. And that's because they're choosing to serve others with their time and other ways. And that makes them almost more talented or more gifted or more holistic in our minds. Any other things I can think of?
As you talk about sports, I'm realizing you have a spiritual gift of talking about sports. I have none. Zero, that was really honestly not my best. I don't sport.
Literally one of our sports. I'm trying to. Maybe I should talk about sports. I shouldn't.
It was really fun to hear you try. It helped me. As you talked about Kobe Bryant and his dunking. Does he dunk?
He's a dunker, right? Yeah. Yeah, he's incredible. You did it OK.
OK. I just the way you said it sounded just really off. But back to that video, because that was hard to understand what the heck you were talking about, as we all love you. But what happened in a little league game, a pitcher hit the batter in the head and looked painful.
And then he ends up being OK. He gets to first base. And he realizes that the pitcher feels distraught and totally bummed out that he hurt his opponent. And the kid who got hit walks off the first base and goes and gives the pitcher a hug, which was just this unbelievable picture of Grace, this unbelievable picture of recognizing the need of another, even though this is an opponent, the other team.
And he gives them a big hug. And it's like, oh my goodness. So does this kid have some spiritual gift of empathy, and love, and mercy, and grace? Yeah.
Probably. Yeah. Probably has some incredible parents that he recognized and was immediately able to forgive and go get back to the hug. What an unbelievable picture of Grace, Mercy, and good sports manship back to sports, because that's your thing.
Yeah, now that I'm like the sports person here. So good. But I think that that's what really can stick out. Significant, memorable experiences, people who might have great talents or things, but when they really are serving others, that's where things can really shine and make an eternal, significant impact in our lives.
So moving on to look in. So I love this part. I mentioned it at the top that it might be helpful to really kind of press into a time of affirmation and where you're seeing other people work out there good. So maybe you just talked about a great preacher or you talked about an incredible sports guy who also loves the Lord or what have you, or different people in different arenas of influence and so forth.
But now is the time to turn your attention to the people in your group. And I would encourage you to take a moment, maybe pause, and allow everybody. I know myself. I'm pretty quick to talk and think and come up with some ideas.
But there's different personalities, introverts, more internal processors who might want a moment to think of something meaningful to share about those in their group. So definitely take the time first. Well, it says take time to call out, but take time first to pause and reflect. And then go ahead and take time to call out the gifts that you see work in each other.
Also, the second question here is what, if anything surprises you about the gifts others have seen in you? That's something I think is really helpful to deepen the conversation, especially if you've affirmed in one another before, like you've spent some time and everybody knows, well, Karen, she obviously has the gift to call hospitality. But let's take a moment and reflect on what about these things will surprise you. And that can help create another level to the conversation, as well as where is God calling you to step further into using your gifts to serve others?
So there might be ways, OK, you're really great at being hospitable. I think about myself. It's really easy for me to be hospitable to my friends. But where can I step further into using my gift by being hospitable to people, just strangers?
We met my boyfriend and I were at a restaurant recently, and we've met this one waiter a couple of different times at a restaurant we love. And I've never wanted to go here. But I'm like, what if we invited him over for dinner? What would that look like?
And that would be a way that I feel be calling you to take a step further than just being hospitable to my near and dear friends, but being hospitable to a stranger and someone who that we would more likely be able to do. Tim, anything sticking out to you as you think about the look in part of this discussion? Yeah, I think this is where we get to really live it out. And we get to give people the gift of inspiration of their something.
And then they may or may not understand see or believe in themselves. So it's interesting the last one of where can you continue to step further into the gift. You may know, yeah, I have the gift of leadership. But you have no real leadership responsibilities.
And all of a sudden someone says, you're an incredible leader. I've watched you and you're doing this. And all of a sudden you're like, wow, I guess I see that. Hopefully you believe.
And then you start living it out. And so it is a gift for us to call out the gifts in each other. And it's inspiring and it's hopeful. And that we get to that's part of the way that we get to lead in group settings.
But we don't have the only doing. So I'm so glad you brought up leadership, Tim, because we right now are in a very prime season of recruiting rooted facilitators, as well as maybe potential new life group leaders. But specifically for rooted, what makes a really great rooted facilitator is someone who's already in community. So we would love to know if there is someone from this discussion that has strong gifts of leadership, and maybe they aren't in a leadership role.
You are the life group leader. And there are other places in our church where people can step in to lead, to facilitate, to shepherd people, also being a part of your group. And we'd love to encourage you to invite them, or maybe challenge them yourself and say, have you ever considered leading a rooted group? Have you ever considered leading in a different capacity?
I know that Mariners has a great place for you. So as we come to the end of this discussion, we just want to continue to affirm that you as a leader are so incredible. And we love you so much. And we also know that you are part of God's disciple making journey that you can call out.
These gifts and others, and encourage them to step out and step into faith. So we're praying for you. We love you, and we hope that you have a great week.