SoMi / Online
I Have Enough
City
It's Time to Grow Up

Crew Leader

Introduction (2 minutes)

Use the Zoom chat feature to keep everyone connected. As people join in, ask for their first and last name, email address, and where they are tuning in from. Save the chat as an attendance record.

Reflect

Ask Crew members to share their favorite points from the talk. What phrase or moment did they relate to the most?

Icebreaker: Reflection or Conversation Starter or Virtual Icebreaker (5 minutes)

For your icebreaker, choose from the options below. Have Crew members unmute themselves to share.

Conversation Starters (Choose One)
  • What's something you did this week that you feel proud of?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • Name the best book you’ve ever read.
  • What’s your morning routine?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • If your life was a story, what would the title be?
Virtual Icebreakers (5 minutes)

Preaching Game - Choose random items and allow individuals to find ways to encourage others using that item. (Pick 2-3 volunteers)

Show-and-Tell - Pick an object in your home that has significance for you, something with a funny story behind it, anything unique, or something you've used to simply pass the time.

Crew Discussion

Living Together: The Path to Divorce

Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. & Pastor DawnCheré Wilkerson

Continuing the Conversation
VOUSCon 2023: Reflect

VOUSCon was nothing short of a miracle! We're still praising God for all He did. Reflection builds gratitude. Spend the first few minutes of Crew sharing a testimony or reflection from VOUSCon 2023.

Continuing the Conversation
Last Crew's Call to Action

God calls for us to forgive while maintaining boundaries necessary to steward and nurture our souls. This week, lean in to the wisdom of Solomon and study the book of Proverbs to help you develop tools for cultivating Godly relationships while asking God for the courage to forgive. Don’t forget to check out additional resources at https://www.vouschurch.com/care.

Scripture

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires

James 1:19-20 NIV


REFERENCES: Jeremiah 7:25, James 1:19-20, Proverbs 18:30, Proverbs 15:1, Matthew 7:1-5, Ephesians 5:21

Main Idea

They say the grass is greener on the other side but if we truly think about it, the grass is greener where you water it. If you don’t tend to your garden, allowing the spirit of God to water it, your relationship garden will decay. Are you watering your relationships daily or are you stuck on a destructive path?  When we don’t look and assess our unhealthy patterns of behavior, we end up destroying important relationships that lead down a road of  criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling. Instead of this, let’s lean into the Holy Spirit who can reverse unhealthy patterns and set us on the path of restoration and redemption.


We need more than good intentions, we need the Spirit of God.

1. The Path of Criticism & Contempt

Healthy relationships are built on a pathway of mutual respect and love. Critique and contempt on the other hand destroy the best of relationships. Criticism stems from a heart of judgment, and seeks to point out a person’s flaws instead of celebrating their wins. Contempt often views others as less than, instead of viewing everyone as worthy of God’s grace.


A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger - Proverbs  15:1 NIV

Criticizing someone will rarely ever change them
A complaint attacks an idea, criticism attacks an identity
Contempt breeds deep rooted resentment and bitterness, we are not called to see others as less than, but lift each other up

Celebration doesn’t boost egos, it boosts hearts

When was the last time you celebrated someone who is special to you? What did that celebration look like ?

2. The Path of Defensiveness & Stonewalling  

God wants us to see each other as teammates who thrive in environments where we can be vulnerable with each other.  Sometimes, we lean into relationships, time passes, and we tend to allow our defenses to go up as misunderstandings fester to the point of stonewalling. Yet, avoidance only leads to more destruction. What was once meant for two to become one, turns into two opposing teams working against each other. When walls go up, let God bring them down. We were brought into this life to do it together.


Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ-  Ephesians  5:21 NIV

You don’t win proving others wrong
Don’t focus on thinking alike, focus on thinking together
A repair attempt allows God to redeem your relationship

Honesty and transparency can break down walls

When you start to feel defensive in a relationship, how do you deal with it?

Summary

Even if you want to move forward if you’re geared in reverse you won’t be able to do so. When it comes to relationships, criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling drive us backwards. Regardless of the path you find yourself on, it’s never too late to make a u-turn and head in the right direction. Having God at the center of our relationships doesn’t exempt us from falling into the temptation of hitting reverse, but it does help us to react quickly when we have. God always reminds us of the path that leads to life. Today’s the day to embrace the grace God gives us to navigate our relationships. Let’s turn around and head in the right direction.

Call To Action

Which destructive pattern are you most prone to?

Identify which destructive path  you mostly go down when it comes to your relationships. Analyze why, and ask God to help you move away from these patterns and into adapting the correct ones.

Announcements

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM

VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM

Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español

Visit VOUS


Growth Track

After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack

Sign Up

Easter at VOUS

Good News: Hope is here! Celebrate Easter in community. With gatherings all weekend, there’s something for everyone.

Friday, March 29 – Good Friday

Saturday, March 30 – Easter Egg Drop

Sunday, March 31 – Easter Sunday

Learn More

Help host Easter Egg Drop, one of our largest outreaches of the year!

Sign Up To Serve

VOUSCon 2024

We live in the tension of present hard times and coming good times. In this gap, our faith is formed. The gathering of the saints produces perseverance for you to run your race of faith. VOUSCon is this moment.

June 20-22

Miami, FL

Get Your Ticket

Serve at VOUSCon

As we create an atmosphere that glorifies God, we create space for Him to move. As servant leaders, we carry the culture. Because we value Con, we invest in it.

Sign Up to Serve

Crew Leader

Introduction (2 minutes)

Use the Zoom chat feature to keep everyone connected. As people join in, ask for their first and last name, email address, and where they are tuning in from. Save the chat as an attendance record.

Reflect

Ask Crew members to share their favorite points from the talk. What phrase or moment did they relate to the most?

Icebreaker: Reflection or Conversation Starter or Virtual Icebreaker (5 minutes)

For your icebreaker, choose from the options below. Have Crew members unmute themselves to share.

Conversation Starters (Choose One)
  • What's something you did this week that you feel proud of?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • Name the best book you’ve ever read.
  • What’s your morning routine?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • If your life was a story, what would the title be?
Virtual Icebreakers (5 minutes)

Preaching Game - Choose random items and allow individuals to find ways to encourage others using that item. (Pick 2-3 volunteers)

Show-and-Tell - Pick an object in your home that has significance for you, something with a funny story behind it, anything unique, or something you've used to simply pass the time.

Crew Discussion

It’s Time to Grow Up

Pastor Manouchka Charles

Continuing the Conversation
VOUSCon 2023: Reflect

VOUSCon was nothing short of a miracle! We're still praising God for all He did. Reflection builds gratitude. Spend the first few minutes of Crew sharing a testimony or reflection from VOUSCon 2023.

Continuing the Conversation
Last Crew's Call to Action

God calls for us to forgive while maintaining boundaries necessary to steward and nurture our souls. This week, lean in to the wisdom of Solomon and study the book of Proverbs to help you develop tools for cultivating Godly relationships while asking God for the courage to forgive. Don’t forget to check out additional resources at https://www.vouschurch.com/care.

Scripture

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:12-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity….” ‭

Additional Scripture References: ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Samuel‬ ‭16:13‬ ‭NIV‬, 1 Samuel 16:18, 1 Samuel 17:15, ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:38-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Main Idea

Have you ever tried to run a long distance? If you have, you know that it requires real and consistent training to achieve your goal. No matter what your intention, without training, you may find it difficult to arrive at the finish line. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. In the same way, our journey of faith is one of endurance. Training at every stage of our development is important. Time does not dictate maturity, but our training will. You can be old and immature, and young and mature. It’s not about arriving, but simply starting. We can trust that God will give us everything we need at the time that we need it. We’re not delayed, we’re destined!

If you want to win the battles of life you need training.

1. You Are Set Apart

Our becoming comes from our believing. Do you believe that you’re called? That you’re chosen? That you’re cared for by God? Securing our identity in Christ allows us to develop and mature with him. If we don’t know who we are, we will never know who we can be. You’re not like the world, you’re not like everyone else, you’re not missing out.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [1 Peter 2:9]

What God has for you is for you
You can’t be like what you are called to lead
It’s not about being more gifted, it’s about being more disciplined

You are not delayed, you’re being developed.

In what area do you find it difficult to believe what God says about you?

2. You Are Growing

You are called and chosen by God. You are anointed but may not yet be appointed. Maturity prepares you to steward what God has called you to. An untrained David could never beat Goliath. He was able to fight appropriately because he had trained for years. Spiritual maturity is the process of becoming more Christ-like in character, attitude and behavior. You can’t go where God’s taking you without maturing along the way. 

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [1 Samuel 16:7]

Time will not dictate your maturity, your training will
The mark of maturity is not just hearing the word, but listening to what the Word says
Although you might have not walked in it yet, you are it

If you never train, you will never become

What are you doing today to mature for tomorrow?

Summary

Availability unlocks the door of maturity in our lives. King Saul was supposed to fight but David made himself available for growth. His willingness to embrace the season he found himself in and make himself available to be developed allowed him to step up when he was called upon. Are you open to maturity? Are you open to growth? Are you open to change? The world will try to put on fear, insecurity, and failure. Pick up courage, security, and peace. God’s strength is with you as you daily surrender to Him.

Call To Action

Reflect this week on how you are investing your time to mature. Commit to spend time in one of these 5 areas:

  1. Dedicated time to prayer 
  2. Time off of social media
  3. Sabbath/Rest 
  1. Reading the word
  2. Serving others 

Be prepared to share your experience at Crew next time!

Announcements

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM

VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM

Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español

Visit VOUS


Growth Track

After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack

Sign Up

Easter at VOUS

Good News: Hope is here! Celebrate Easter in community. With gatherings all weekend, there’s something for everyone.

Friday, March 29 – Good Friday

Saturday, March 30 – Easter Egg Drop

Sunday, March 31 – Easter Sunday

Learn More

Help host Easter Egg Drop, one of our largest outreaches of the year!

Sign Up To Serve

VOUSCon 2024

We live in the tension of present hard times and coming good times. In this gap, our faith is formed. The gathering of the saints produces perseverance for you to run your race of faith. VOUSCon is this moment.

June 20-22

Miami, FL

Get Your Ticket

Serve at VOUSCon

As we create an atmosphere that glorifies God, we create space for Him to move. As servant leaders, we carry the culture. Because we value Con, we invest in it.

Sign Up to Serve

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