Real life is all about waiting. We wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. We wait some more … We wait all the time. We wait for mail, job promotions, loves, marriages, kids, families, houses, and vacations. We wait in lines, transit stations, stop lights, and doctor’s offices. We do a lot of waiting! We do not like it either, for the most part! But … God must be there, somewhere, in all of that waiting, right? Right! How can we become aware of God’s active and tangible presence and purpose within all of our time spent waiting? Doesn’t the fact that God is right there, somewhere, within all of the time spent, change the whole concept of waiting? Perhaps. Does God make us wait sometimes? Yes! So, the question then is, “What do you do with your wait?” Threads (by Lifeway) and Mike Harder tackle this very question in a fantastic small group curriculum titled InTransit: What Do You Do With Your Wait?
A Fantastic Small Group Curriculum for People who Like Fantastic Small Groups
I love small group experiences. I especially enjoy small group experiences that are dynamic, hip (read: contemporary), and media rich. Media is so important today. So, it must be done well. I’m pretty picky, as far as media quality is concerned. I will actually refuse to use a curriculum if it is attached to really poor – or cheesy – media. I’m not, for example, a fan of 8 Life Shaking Moments with Jesus. Sure, it incorporates a lot of media (DVD video), but it is all so poorly done, in my opinion. So, yes, media is a must have, but it must also be high quality. Too, more media doesn’t always lead to a richer small group experience. I have experienced curriculum that was loaded and overflowing with media, but was not as good as other curriculum with far less. So, more doesn’t always equal better.
Threads has it all covered in InTransit. InTransit is a dynamic, hip and media rich (balanced) curriculum. I really like this one. It is solid. It is an edifying group trip into the lives of three people who had to wait … for God. Joseph, David and Jesus spent years waiting. Most of us can obviously relate.
A Few Personal Highlights of Threads’ InTransit: What Do You Do With Your Wait?
First of all, the InTransit: Multi-media Leader Kit is as aesthetically pleasing as the Threads website itself. I love the art direction. I love the aesthetic packaging. Yes, packaging tells us a lot about contents. This packaging speaks to young, active, and life-driven postmodern adults who are very, very interested in looking for and finding God in those less then fulfilled and seemingly dormant aspects of their lives (i.e., the waiting). The curriculum’s focus is young adults, though it could work for any age group, if facilitated by a savvy group leader.
Secondly, I love the Member Book. It too is put together in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. It is also chock full of seriously edifying content that will undoubtedly be the catalyst for more small group discussion than you will be able to squeeze into your allotted time on Sunday morning (don’t worry about time though, aspects of this course are e-mail based! So, be creative!). The Member Book content comes in the form of Six Sessions that conceptually and methodologically flow into the next naturally: Session One: In the Waiting Room; Session Two: Destination Unknown; Session Three: Short Circuits are Dangerous; Session Four: Under Construction; Session Five: Choice is Optional; Session Six: Cleared for Landing. Also included: “In the Meantime …” sections, at the end of each session (“In the Meantime …” sections include a few cool ideas that will help you connect and process what you are reading); A large section in the back of the Member Book is dedicated to personal journaling.
Finally, a few words should be spent on the DVD and other media aspects of the curriculum. The DVD clips are top-shelf, first rate productions. The actors are actually really talented and totally believable. I really like the clip for Session Five: Choice is Optional (Dude! Are You Listening?). Too, the audio clips included are awesome. Songs from Spur58, Go Deep, Phil Joel, and The Longing are included in the study. It’s a playlist filled with great Christian contemporary songs. Audio insights and interviews from author Mike Harder are included too. These files are for group e-mailing. So, in summary, let’s just say a great bunch of media is bundled with this curriculum.
This is really, really great small group curriculum. I’m going to be using it very, very soon. I honestly can’t wait! I would not hesitate to recommend it for use in any small group setting. It’s Biblical, Media Rich, and very, very exciting. InTransit is a great small group resource, to say the least.
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