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How to Create a Greenhouse for Spiritual Growth

1/28/2013

9 Comments

 
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The curling brown edges of the very last plant in my apartment were hardly encouraging.  Plants grow best when they get the right combination of light, water, temperature and nutrients. And I had been somewhat negligent on the water side!  

People grow best when they experience the right combination of ingredients as well.  In the book, How People Grow, authors Henry Cloud and John Townsend discuss how grace, truth, and time are critical ingredients for personal growth. Grace means acceptance and peace with God-no condemnation. Hebrews 4:12-13 describes our situation…”Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.  Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.[1]”  That is a scary, vulnerable and dangerous thought apart from the grace of God! The reality is that He knows everything about us and still is for us.

With God, we are free to pour out our real life needs, struggles, celebrations and failures and still be accepted. That is the reality we have with Him. He instructs us to create that same environment with each other.  “Instead, we will speak the truth with love, growing in every way more and more like Christ…[2]”

That means we step back from judging each other and move toward being compassionate and building each other up. Truth-telling is done in the context of what is best for the person, not what is best for the teller. Incidents of ugly behavior are forgiven; patterns are addressed. There is encouragement and inspiration toward Christ-likeness, rather than satisfaction with the status quo.

Growth is not instantaneous; it takes time. Time is an important factor, but not sufficient by itself to create change. A good growth environment requires all three ingredients to be present and working. People need to know that they are loved and accepted, that they will hear the truth in a loving way, and that they will be given time to develop.

Group or team leaders and team members can cultivate the environment.
Here are some things anyone can do: 
* Greet people warmly; give time for building relationships. 
* Be willing to be vulnerable. 
* Empathize with others as they share hurts, needs and struggles.
* Honor confidentiality.
* Support each other in achieving goals.
* Foster a safe environment by helping the team define and live out guidelines for team behavior. 
* Address patterns of behavior that are problematic and holding the team up in a gentle, non-judgmental way.

If you’re seeing your team with “curling brown edges on the leaves,” think about what ingredients might be missing and how to supply them.  Hopefully, these three ingredients will give you a way to enhance the growth environment on your team!
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About Andrea

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On any given day you might find Andrea in a meeting, on a plane, or in some part of the world where she meets amazing people and sees just a few of the awesome ways that God is working.  She serves as the Global VP for Leadership Development and HR with Campus Crusade for Christ.  When she’s home, she enjoy books, time with friends and occasionally gets to the beach.

Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs.

[1] Hebrews 4:12-13 New Living Translation
[2] Ephesians 4:25 New Living Translation.
9 Comments
Benjamin Lotter link
1/28/2013 06:58:20 am

Great!
In relationships, there is a skill in applying the right amounts of mercy and truth. I have compared parenting a child to cooking rice. Too much water (mercy) and you'll get a soggy mess. Too much heat (truth) and you'll get a scorched batch.

You can read my post here:
http://benjaminlotter.com/parent/pointers/soggy-scorched-or-superb

Reply
Andrea link
2/2/2013 11:54:49 am

Thanks, Benjamin. great analogy on the rice - that combo of love and truth challenging to get right.

Reply
Marina Bromley link
1/29/2013 12:33:26 am

What a jewel this site is!!

We are starting a new online presence for missional women, women formerly on field, and women that are providing care for missional women. The whole ministry is a community group through http://incourage.me - an online DaySpring ministry for women. Our community group will launch on 2/12 through the website, and we will be a private group on FB - so we can communicate and encourage each other.

I am going to be referring women to your site, and believe it will be a GREAT resource for encouragement!!

Reply
Andrea link
2/2/2013 11:59:50 am

Marina, that's wonderful. what a great opportunity to minister to those who are out there. May the Lord bless your group and refresh each person's heart as you're together.

Reply
Jamie Rohrbaugh link
1/29/2013 12:37:06 am

Your point about time really hit home with me. It's hard to see great things in someone and feel like those things could/should come out right now... but then have to wait years until they actually do. I know God makes all things beautiful in His time, but in my humanness I get impatient now and again.

I heard someone say once, "We're a microwave generation, but we serve a crock-pot God." Reminding myself of that helps me sit back and trust God to move, instead of staying all anxious about it. :)

Reply
Andrea link
2/2/2013 12:04:35 pm

Someone once said something like "a squash takes six months to grow; an oak tree takes 20 years." Real change does take time along with that combo of grace and truth. love the microwave/crockpot comparison. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jamie.

Reply
Jenifer link
1/30/2013 11:50:21 pm

Beautiful post!

Reply
Andrea
2/2/2013 12:05:25 pm

muchas gracias!

Reply
Katie link
9/18/2013 10:28:40 am

I love this! I'm going to be starting a group meet about Francis Chans book, Multiply, and these tips are awesome for helping with the group dynamics. Thank you!

Reply



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  • Home
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