Six Ways to Improve Your Balance as a Group Leader Leading a successful small group is like walking a tightrope. You traverse a taut, exciting line, balancing the dynamic tensions characteristic of every group. Drawing from the concept of "polarity management," Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson help you understand and deal with six dynamic areas every group leader must manage in order to create genuine, transforming small group community. Your group is in for unprecedented connection and growth when you harness the interplay between * Truth and Life * Care and Discipleship * Friendship and Accountability * Kindness and Confrontation * Task and People * Openness and Intimacy Effective, life-giving small groups learn how to embrace both ends of each continuum. Walking the Small Group Tightrope will strengthen your sense of balance, help you gain confidence as a leader, and show you how to release the untapped creative and relational energy in your group.

Stands Alone by Bill Donahue; Russ Robinson "Building a Church of Small Groups A Place Where Nobody Stands Alone": Our hearts were made for community. We hunger for the deep, authentic relationships Jesus had in mind when he prayed that his followers would be one. Yet in many churches, the connection we crave is lacking. How can church become a place where nobody stands alone? "Building a Church of Small Groups" unpacts the vision, values, and strategies required to integrate small groups into your entire ministry. Part one presents the theological, sociological, and organizational underpinnings of small groups. You'll discover why small groups, as reflections of God's communal nature, are so vital to church health. Written by two of today's top authorities on small group ministry, "Building a Church of Small Groups" is a proven blueprint for health and spiritual vitality in your church. Here is thorough, seasoned guidance for helping people grow together in faith, hope, and love through closely knit small group communities.

Are you in control of your life? Do people take advantage of you? Do you have trouble saying no? Christians often focus so much on being loving and giving that they forget their own limitations. Have you ever found yourself wondering: Can I set limits and still be a loving person? What are my legitimate boundaries? How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? Why do I feel guilty when I consider setting boundaries? Doctors Henry Cloud and John Townsend give you biblically based answers to these and other tough questions, showing you how to set healthy boundaries with parents, spouses, children, friends, coworkers, and even with yourself. You'll see vital principles of boundaries at work as Drs. Cloud and Townsend take you through a day in the life of "Sherrie"-first as she lives with almost no boundaries, then as she begins to apply proper boundaries with others in her life. Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend are popular speakers, psychologists, cohosts of the nationally broadcast "New Life Live!" radio program, and cofounders of Cloud-Townsend Clinic and Cloud-Townsend Resources.;Both graduated with doctorates in clinical psychology from Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology, and both maintain private practices in Newport Beach, California. They are best-selling coauthors of several books, including "Boundaries in Dating", "Boundaries with Kids", and the Gold Medallion Award-winning "Boundaries" and "Boundaries in Marriage".