WT 92: How Do I Start a Birds on a Wire Group?
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WT 92: How Do I Start a Birds on a Wire Group?
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We hope you took our advice last week and found a day or even just an hour last week to put your feet up and take some time off from your mom duties! We’ve recently had a lot of questions from moms who are starting their own Birds on a Wire groups and we thought this would be a great time to talk about what a BOAW group is and answer some of those questions here on the podcast.
Question 1: For starters Karen, what IS a BOAW group? How is it different from a Bible study or similar to a small group? Can you paint a picture for a mom out there who doesn’t know anything about Birds on a Wire groups?
Karen's Answer: A BOAW group is just a group of moms that want to go through a curriculum together to learn and grow in their motherhood experience. These groups can be in your home with 4 other moms, at a neighborhood clubhouse, at your church, or in your office during your lunch break. We have some moms who have a small group of 4-5 and some churches that have large groups of 100 moms. It’s up to you! Pick one of our 5 curriculums or a three week version using the Soar conference sessions. The main thing is to start having community with other moms. It’s as simple as inviting a few friends, plugging in a DVD and hit play.
Question 2: I’m ready to start a group! I would like to prepare now for January. Any tips/suggestions for getting my BOAW group going? I’m not sure if I should invite only Christians, or all the moms in my neighborhood - what do you think?
Karen's Answer: I would invite everyone and whoever signs up to come and then actually comes, that is who needs to be in your group. I would not limit yourself to just Christians. We have a lot of non-Christian moms that attend BOAW, and I think that is the beauty of Birds. Sure, they will hear some scripture, but even if they don't believe in Jesus, it’s good practical truth that will help them in mothering. How to get ready? Have a pitcher of water and a full coffee pot, and open your door. Be transparent as the leader, the deeper you go as a mom, that gives other moms permission to be transparent as well. Don’t be afraid. What have you got to lose?
Question 3: I started a BOAW group several months ago (we just finished up the Says Who study) and we have been getting so much out of it! The moms all get along really well, but I’m finding that during our discussion we’re only scratching the surface with each other. A few of the girls are close friends of mine and I know they have some hard things going on at home, but they aren’t opening up in group - any suggestions for going deeper together?
Karen's Answer: You have to wait for them to be comfortable to share. I have always found that the more transparent I am as a leader, that gives the moms freedom to be open and honest. People don’t want to be rejected, and they are afraid. Continually share with your group that what goes on in your four walls of group time, stays in those four walls. Try not to force it, be patient. Maybe talk to them outside of the group and encourage them to open up in the group. Pray for those ladies that they would be bold and open up to get help.
Question 4: We have been through 5 of your studies and just ordered the latest one, Six Truths of Motherhood. What should we do in a few months when we finish that study? Any recommendations of other studies we can do together?
Karen's Answer: You can do each of the Soar conference main sessions from past years: Guilt, Being a Confident Mom and Grace. Or I have a group that meets and listens to my podcast and then the moms talk about it afterward. Do a book someone else has written like Boundaries, Personality Plus for Parents, Parenting by the Book, etc. Get creative. I think it is so great you are all still together. Ask the moms what they want to learn about and then find a good book/study that is on that topic. And send me your ideas so I can add them to my next curriculum!
Moms, we know your time is precious. Thank you for spending it with us. We hope you feel encouraged, equipped and most importantly—the peace of God. If you want to have weekly encouragement emailed to you, enter your email in the Subscribe bar over to the right to sign up for Karen’s free weekly newsletter.
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Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Boundaries with Kids by Henry Cloud