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So question is, can you trust God?
The answer is, Always! God works through people. God works through circumstances. God works through gatherings. God works through silence. God works through brook leaping and dancing outside meeting room window.
How does this happen? When you give your people paper and markers and invite them in a spirit of openness and stillness, inspiration always comes. Most often it stampedes! Soon people are posting all sorts of topics: "What is beyond soup kitchens?;" "What do seniors need to tell their doctors?;" "Where could we raise funds for this?" People really are fingers of divine and are itching for a chance to expand and work!
If you would like step-by-step instructions on how to make this happen, ask me to send you a free article. Let's move on to next stage: inviting action. You have people excited by possibilities. They have even created some great ideas to make it happen.
How do you move from talk to action? The answer is simpler than you think: Ask and it will happen.
People are more anxious than you to get on with it. They want to jump out of their chairs and do something. Your job is to invite it--and get out of their way.
Why is this so? Because ideas came from inside them. They know validity and necessity of this calling. No one has dumped a project on them from a position of authority. Action sprouts from their core.
So you bring whole gathering back into their circle to hear from each other and look at flip charts and reports that show all work that has sprung up among them. Then you simply ask "What are immediate next steps we need to take?" Get out of way as people post categories of work that needs doing and run off to smaller groups to devise their practical next steps. In an hour you will have everyone back in circle, almost too excited to sit in their chairs.
Now that's how you make change... sacred!
Prayer? Of course. Remember, whole event is a prayer.
About the author: Doug Germann facilitates sacred group retreats to make change. Need more ideas? You may contact Doug for the free step-by-step article, and to ask your questions.: 574/291-0022; mailto:Doug@FootprintsintheWind.com; Fax: 574/291-0024; Mail: P.O. Box 2796, South Bend, IN 46680-2796; http://www.FootprintsintheWind.com.