16. Option for crazily busy people:  Buddy system

If group members are missing a lot of meetings because of schedule problems, a simpler option is the "Buddy System," which works like a book club. Each person reads the material at home, using the Solo Guide. Then in a short meeting face to face or virtually you share these four things: 

• What you are thankful for

• A challenge you are facing

• How your Just-Do-It went last week

• What your Just-Do-It is for this week

 

The buddy system can work over a meal easier that the normal Just-Do-It group, and it can work even if you didn't read the same Scripture. Of course, it does miss out on some of the value of a regular Just-Do-It group, but it is much better than dropping the whole idea and losing connection with group members.​

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FAQs for leaders

 

What is Mercy Season?

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The fifth of the seven seasons in the SYNC annual cycle.

 

You don't need to know the season or the cycle in order to use the Just-Do-It method, but if you use it for more than one SYNC season, you may notice that the solo instructions change slightly with the seasonal emphasis.

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If you want more details about Mercy Season, see "Mercy Tool Kit" in the menu under "Resources", but don't get bogged down there. The main thing is listening to the Bible and the Spirit, not figuring out the SYNC structure from top to bottom.

 

What is God's People of the Future movement?

​The movement, a.k.a. the Community of the Willing, is the unofficial network that gradually brings God's perfect future into this world not by force but by turning willing people into "People of the Future." Just-Do-It groups are part of the movement, but you can be in a group before you sign up for the movement. 

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For more details see "God's POTF movement" in the menu. But don't try to explain the movement during a group meeting or the meeting may get bogged down. Tell people they can look it up for themselves on this site.

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Does God really have a personal assignment for me this week?

​Ask him. It's his POTF movement. He is the one who leads the recruiting. What if he does have an assignment for you each week but you have been missing it up till now?

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Isn't it more authentic to pray in our own words than to read a prayer?

​Usually it is. In this case, please at least read through the prayers ahead of time in order to see how they reinforce the core ideas and purposes of Just-Do-It groups. If you use your own words, be sure to get these ideas and purposes in there.

 

Why can't we mention any Bible verses besides the ones we are reading?

Because it interferes with both listening and cheering. When we start comparing verses, our brains take over and our ears get blocked. We start figuring things out, explaining things, studying things, and before we realize it, we are lost in a pile of timeless truths, no longer listening to what God is saying specifically to us in the moment.

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The other effect may be even worse. Our extra Bible verses easily make others feel second-class or even excluded. Whether they think we are showing off or just trying to be helpful, the effect is still that they see us way above them and they see themselves as very deficient in biblical knowledge. That never cheers anybody on!

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There is a time and a place for comparing various Scriptures to develop our theological knowledge, but a Just-Do-It group is not it.

 

Where do we get another Bible translation?

​One source (leaving this site) is biblegateway.com. It offers a long pick list of translations. Two of the easiest ones to hear read aloud are “The Message” and the “Good News Translation”.

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What if someone doesn't hear or sense any Just-Do-It while we are listening to the Spirit?

​The people who do get some guidance from the Spirit should go ahead and describe it. Sometimes that helps others to realize what the Spirit is saying to them.

 

If that does not happen, then anyone who didn't get a Just-Do-It should stay alert through the week until they get the guidance they didn't get during the meeting. Sometimes the Spirit may create a particular situation during the week when the person realizes, "Oh, this is God prompting me to do such-and-such." Besides watching for something like that, people may want to reread the same Scripture and spend some more time praying and listening.

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No one should fret or be embarrassed as they wait. It is God's job to communicate our Just-Do-Its, not our job to figure them out. He's very good at communicating to each and every one of us because he knows how we are wired. He customizes his communication, and his timing is impeccable.

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Does anyone take notes about our Just-Do-Its or other things we share during the meeting?

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First things first: Set a reminder for yourself so you don't forget your own Just-Do-It after the meeting. That's the basic problem for most participants.

 

Taking and circulating a few notes can be a nice extra if anyone in your group is good at that. It helps you pray for each other during the week and cheer each other when you next meet. The object is to promote cheering. If you find the note-taking is a distraction, then don't do it.

 

Here is a template for simple note-taking to print (or a better formatted one to download) if you decide to do note-taking.