Mind/Body/Soul
Better Together Ideas:
Sign up with a friend to do our couch to 5k and/or 5k Race (details on social media)
Invite a friend for coffee
Mail a letter to a friend
Bake cookies with your family and give to someone who is lonely. Stay and visit with them.
Invite a friend to workout with you or do a challenge together.
Go for a hike, walk, or bike with a friend.
Have a cookout and invite friends over.
Start an IF Table (ifgathering.com)
Encourage someone who is going through a difficult time.
Serve the local community: Lunch Buddies, Soup Kitchen, Greer Relief, Sunday Dinner with a Twist, Miracle Hill Ministries, ELEOS ministries, Girl Up, etc.
Verses: Psalms 133:1-3 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Romans 12:4-5 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 15:5-7 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. A PRAYER FOR TRUE COMMUNITY God, We need You. There is no other hope but You. We are trusting You afresh or maybe for the first time. Jesus, You were enough for our sins. Thank You that You made a way for us to first be right with God and second to be right with each other. Thank You that You dwell with us. Thank You for giving us a purpose beyond ourselves. Thank You that You have not forgotten us. Thank You that You are preparing a place in heaven for us to be with You forever. But in the meantime, we want heaven to come to earth. We want Your kingdom to come to earth! And, God, You say that we are the ones to bring it! The Church carries the hope of Your kingdom to the world. So, God, would You heal our broken relationships? Would You help us to live this? God, will You help me personally find deep community? Help me make friends and keep them as I live out my commitment to You: I will build my village and Your Church. I will play my part. I will be honest. I will restore. I will pull people close. I will stay. Your Word promises we can heal, we can forgive, we can overcome the divisions that threaten to destroy us. So may we be faithful to believe that and to fight for it. God, give us a vision and a hope that is bigger than our human limitations. May Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.Our theme for the month: “Better Together” Why Better Together? We are big on community. One of the main reasons we began Whole Fitness was for the community. Our favorite quote in class is, “it’s always better together!” The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And if you have a specific accountability appointment with a person you've committed, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%.” So, grab a friend or family member and invite them into this 7-day challenge. “God calls us to fellowship with one another on earth because it reflects the fellowship we will have with one another in heaven. The mission of the gospel is too big a task for us to do on our own; that is why he collectively calls us to a sharpening standard of unity. How we serve God is how we serve those around us—the hurt, the broken, the weeping, the neglected, the voiceless, and frankly, that defines all of us. The more we open our eyes to see each other as children of the Most High, the clearer we will be able to see the common cord that binds us together: the hope and glory of Christ.” - Caring Ministries Week 1: Why community? “You’re born into the world looking for somebody looking for us.” - Curt Thompson “God is three in one. He has community: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He birthed us out of his own communing with himself - the trinity. I know that’s a really mind-blowing concept if you’ve never heard it before. It’s important to realize that even God himself exists in community. If God himself exists in a community, then how much more are we going to need it in our lives? When God built Adam and Eve, he said it’s not good for man to be alone. The animals weren’t cutting it. So God created a woman, Eve. Community doesn’t just exist in marriage either - the church of God, this family of God that he’s created us to function as.” Jennie Allen Week 2: We are to live in communion with God “The number one thing we need more than any other thing is to be cleansed of sin. The number one thing we need more than anything is fellowship with God.” - Jennie Allen God says in 1 John 1:6, “if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin.” “He says the way that all comes about is living in the light. How do we live in the light? We confess our sin. We are fully known and transparent.” Jennie Allen Week 3: We are to live in communion with others. Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. The Bible says a lot about the importance of community (see verses on the left). To live isolated is not God’s plan, because He is a communal God. Everything about Him screams relationship. Think about it. How is He towards you? He is after you, pursuing you, delighting in you, and He wants to be WITH you. He gives us the gift of community. Sure it’s messy, hard and risky to live life with others but it’s also a wonderful gift from the Father. To have people you can go deep with you and not just talk about the latest fashion or weather is rare these days. True friendships will ask questions such as: “How are you doing? Really, how are you today?” “How’s your relationship with God?” “How’s your marriage?” Community is going deep and doing life together. It’s not a one-sided friendship, it's a connection. It’s living alongside each other in the ups and downs. I heard someone share about walking through a difficult time with a friend… “My friend was in a deep pit mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I could tell she didn’t want me to be around her because it was too difficult. I looked at her and said, ‘I am climbing down in the pit with you, you are not in this pit alone. I will help you climb out.’” This is a beautiful picture of Jesus. He’s with us in the valley and on the mountain top. We are to mimic His love for us to those around us.
Better Together 7 Day Challenge - please help us promote.
Share your better together stories on social media and tag us.
PLEASE help us spread the word about our Couch to 5k training and 5k Race.
Teaching
Our theme for the month: “Better Together”
Why Better Together?
We are big on community. One of the main reasons we began Whole Fitness was for the community. Our favorite quote in class is, “it’s always better together!” The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And if you have a specific accountability appointment with a person you've committed, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%.” So, grab a friend or family member and invite them into this 7-day challenge.
“God calls us to fellowship with one another on earth because it reflects the fellowship we will have with one another in heaven. The mission of the gospel is too big a task for us to do on our own; that is why he collectively calls us to a sharpening standard of unity.
How we serve God is how we serve those around us—the hurt, the broken, the weeping, the neglected, the voiceless, and frankly, that defines all of us. The more we open our eyes to see each other as children of the Most High, the clearer we will be able to see the common cord that binds us together: the hope and glory of Christ.” - Caring Ministries
Week 1: Why community?
“You’re born into the world looking for somebody looking for us.” - Curt Thompson
“God is three in one. He has community: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He birthed us out of his own communing with himself - the trinity. I know that’s a really mind-blowing concept if you’ve never heard it before. It’s important to realize that even God himself exists in community. If God himself exists in a community, then how much more are we going to need it in our lives? When God built Adam and Eve, he said it’s not good for man to be alone. The animals weren’t cutting it. So God created a woman, Eve. Community doesn’t just exist in marriage either - the church of God, this family of God that he’s created us to function as.” Jennie Allen
Week 2: We are to live in communion with God
“The number one thing we need more than any other thing is to be cleansed of sin. The number one thing we need more than anything is fellowship with God.” - Jennie Allen
God says in 1 John 1:6, “if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin.” “He says the way that all comes about is living in the light. How do we live in the light? We confess our sin. We are fully known and transparent.” Jennie Allen
Week 3: We are to live in communion with others.
Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
The Bible says a lot about the importance of community (see verses on the left). To live isolated is not God’s plan, because He is a communal God. Everything about Him screams relationship. Think about it. How is He towards you? He is after you, pursuing you, delighting in you, and He wants to be WITH you. He gives us the gift of community. Sure it’s messy, hard and risky to live life with others but it’s also a wonderful gift from the Father. To have people you can go deep with you and not just talk about the latest fashion or weather is rare these days. True friendships will ask questions such as:
“How are you doing? Really, how are you today?”
“How’s your relationship with God?”
“How’s your marriage?”
Community is going deep and doing life together. It’s not a one-sided friendship, it's a connection.
It’s living alongside each other in the ups and downs.
I heard someone share about walking through a difficult time with a friend…
“My friend was in a deep pit mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I could tell she didn’t want me to be around her because it was too difficult. I looked at her and said, ‘I am climbing down in the pit with you, you are not in this pit alone. I will help you climb out.’”
This is a beautiful picture of Jesus. He’s with us in the valley and on the mountain top. We are to mimic His love for us to those around us.
Resources
Better Together 7 Day Challenge - please help us promote.
Share your better together stories on social media and tag us.
PLEASE help us spread the word about our Couch to 5k training and 5k Race.
PRINTABLE VERSION HERE: