Original Diving Deeper LifeGroup Co-Leaders! Hooray! =)
The three of us (Kristin, Bobbi, and I) founded the Diving Deeper LifeGroup for singles when the Changie group we had been in started coupling up (Chad & Angie, Mark & Natalie, Scott & Kim, etc.). Eventually, our Diving Deeper group grew and then divided, (or to use the church lingo, "multiplied") into a Midtown and a South location. At different points along the way, the group was led by me, Kristin, Bobbi, Carl, Amanda, Karli, Chet, Nathan, Steve, Caleb, and I'm sure several others I'm forgetting. In 2013, the South group began to couple up and dissolve, at which point I joined the Diving Deeper women's group, led by Bobbi then Talhia and then Kelly Marie, who has been our faithful leader for the past five years!
Tonight marked the final meeting of that women's group. The end of an era. (After being a part of over ten small groups like this, you learn to sense when the end is near and to accept it with grace.) People move on as life seasons change, which is both healthy and hard. I'm big on comfort and routine, so God has had to force change on me here and there... sometimes it's gentle and sometimes it is gut wrenching, but there is no stopping it when it's His will. This ending is a gentle change for me, one I could see coming and prepare to embrace, and one that will not destroy or critically alter any of my core relationships.
This is the end of my direct involvement with Diving Deeper groups, (although I believe the midtown group is actually still going, and I hope it's going well). But the friendships I have formed through these small groups will impact my life FOREVER... it overwhelms me to even think about it. Attending lifegroups is where I first met and got to know Kristin Foster, Chet Lee, Kyle Brandon, Kelly Marie, Karli Marie, Tiffany Joanne, Bobbi, Mindi, Cassie, Elizabeth, Angie, etc., etc.
And the relational impact tree seems to just branch off endlessly from there... a ripple effect that will continue to grow. Through Kristin, I met Laura and Tara and Jon and now the whole Woodlake Connect Group. Through Chet Lee, Jeffrey Edward and Sarah Elizabeth and the whole Wilson family (and approximately a thousand other people). lol Through Kyle, Emily and Jenna and Sarah. Through Bobbi, Dentist Neil and Chet and several others. Through Cassie, Natalie and Megan and the whole CLS crew, including my last best friend. Through Kelly, Tiffany and Angie and Elizabeth and all the girls I met through her women's group. Through Karli, her family and the whole FBC crew. And now baby Tate. ;-) It just keeps going and growing and changing!
Whilst chatting with Bobbi and Kristin at Starbucks over ten years ago about whether we should try to form and lead a singles group, I had NO IDEA what God had in store. No idea how much that decision would impact my life and so many others. I remember throwing out several group name ideas, and Bobbi and Kristin both liked "Diving Deeper" best, so we went with that and started the DDLG. A couple months later, Bobbi invited her host team friend, Chet, to join us. I distinctly remember feeling irritated when I got stuck driving the newbies around at the 2008 New Year's Eve party... and I would never have predicted back then that they would be two of my closest friends ten years down the road. lol God is funny like that!
A few of my favorite DDLG events and memories include the bonfire, the Eugene Field summer cookout, Bobbi's first Christmas Shenanigans party, my 2009 Thanksgiving Feast, hosting the 12-12-12 Christmas party with Mindi, fun times at Bobbi's house, Carl's going away party, the annual Operation Christmas Child party with the women's group, and our Galentine's party! ❤ Of course, nearly all my favorite events and memories with my friends over the past ten years have been with people I would not have known outside of this group. (That is particularly true in my case because my original Tulsa friend group had discarded me and the new lifegroup I had joined became the only friends I had left here.)
People are not perfect, and forming new relationships is messy and hard. Building trust and depth and a foundation of shared memories and beliefs takes time and effort, and sometimes it all falls apart anyway. #sadtruth #builditanyway But community matters so much, and it is worth fighting for in spite of all that can go wrong!
I really don't even know how to end this post. Looking back, I am awed and thankful for all God has done here, for His faithfulness and His protective hand over all of my relationships, the healthy and the broken ones. He is always at work bringing people in and out of my life as needed; remixing things when I am resistant to change; strengthening my connection to Him; and building me up through the encouragement, wisdom, prayers, and joy that comes from having wonderful friends who seek Him and "dive deep" together. So may the positive ripple effects of this group continue to impact and connect people, and may we be bold in forming new connections and trusting God's plan moving forward!!
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