Care Full Speed - On Letting Someone Help (Focus 2 of 4)

Consider this ice breaker as you gather for the Spotlight.
Who is your favorite person to work with?

Letting someone help adds intention and godly collaboration to life.

See what this Spotlight—and series—is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 2" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Let’s play a game - a matching game.
Click and drag each of the quotes (listed in the center, below) to their originator.

Once you're done, click the orange “See Answers” button below to see if you were right.

What do these quotes mean to you? Have you heard any of them before?

At the center of each of these is a desire to go fast, surrounded by the acknowledgment that when a person tries to rush, they often end up making mistakes that actually slow them down. This Spotlight is going to explore the ways that, by God’s design, people can work together to avoid those kinds of mistakes and, in doing so, become more “effective.”

(While terms like “effective” or “efficient” are often used in the business world to drive more profit or to become more dominant, they don’t have to be limited to that context. Effectiveness can help people show more love, care for those in need, delight one another, and generally serve in a godly way. These ideas don’t belong to that world—in fact, God said it first!)

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
Ecclesiastes 4:9

Find rest in the way God collaborates on your behalf.

Respond with this song that doubles as a prayer to the Triune God.

Talk about how long therapy lasts.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 15:22

Professional counseling (or therapy) is a way of getting advice on a problem you struggle with—it’s asking for help from someone who (hopefully) knows how to help. “Care-full speed” can easily apply to a therapy-oriented relationship. If you’ve ever considered receiving counseling, you may have wondered how long the relationship with the counselor would last.

(Many do—and some suggest that the “inefficiency” of counseling is the main factor that stops them from pursuing a counselor.)

Watch this video to get some perspective from a counselor on how long the relationship should last.

(This is, of course, one perspective and one voice in a larger conversation.)

React to the thoughts here using the following questions:

1. What did you think of his assessment that a depressed client can be helped in 5 sessions (and if they aren’t seeing improvement, they need a different counselor)? Were you surprised? Does that seem “just right” to you? 
2. If you were considering therapy, would you like a counselor to be clear about the time span for the counseling relationship? 
3. You may not be a professional counselor, but you may have relationships where you offer advice to a struggling person. How do you decide when it is time to encourage them to find a different “adviser”?

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Close and pray with a song.
Here's a version of the hymn, “Help Us to Help Each Other, Lord,” with a totally new melody and modernized lyrics. “Help Us to Help Each Other, Lord” is a hymn written by Charles Wesley, one of the most prolific hymn writers of all time. It is one of the few hymns, however, that focuses on God helping people by giving them one another. Many thanks to Rob nack for the arrangement.

Lyrics from Help Us To Help by Illume

Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other's cross to bear;
Let each his friendly aid afford,
And feel another's care.

Up into you, our living head,
Let us in all things grow,
And by thy sacrifice be led
The fruits of love to show.

Help us to build each other up,
Our little stock improve;
Increase our faith, confirm our hope,
And perfect us in love.

Up into you, our living head,
Let us in all things grow,
And by thy sacrifice be led
The fruits of love to show.

Touched by the cornerstone of love
Let all our hearts be moved;
And ever into each other run,
We’ll ever move towards you

Up into you, our living head,
Let us in all things grow,
And by thy sacrifice be led
The fruits of love to show.

Sing along with (or listen to) this song to close out this Spotlight.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.

Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.