Tag: Tool Box

Posted in Tool Box

Small Group Tool Box: Overview

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared the idea of a tool box with you. How about I share one of my favorite personal tool boxes this week?

Many tool boxes are very personal. For instance, I have hobby tool boxes, but other people share the same hobby yet have very different tool boxes. So, I can share an example, but ultimately each person has to build their own hobby tool boxes.

Others, though, are rather universal, especially at the basic level. My tool box for building a small group is one of those more universal tool boxes because the same basic concepts work for almost any group you want to build, whether it’s a Bible study, book study, book club, hobby club, prayer group, support or mentoring group — anything. Obviously, there are specialized tools that you’ll add to the basics, but the foundational tool box is always going to be pretty much the same.

Now, let me stop you before you check out and say, “Oh, but I’ll never lead a small group!” That’s very true. You may not. But, there are many facets to putting together a solid small group, and leading or teaching it is only one small part! While a single individual can do it all, and often does, it’s even more amazing when several people put their talents, skills, gifts, and abilities together to make a small group happen well.

You may be one of those people whose participation is useful long before the small group ever actually meets for the first time! By getting to know the fullness of the small group tool box, you can more easily see how your expertise with one tool can help those who are more capable with the other tools.

Of course, you might, at some point, be stretched beyond your comfort zone and need to utilize all of the tools. So, getting to know them now will give you a head start!

So, what does a small group tool box include? Well, even though it’s a relatively simple tool box, explaining the components can get a bit, well, wordy. So, we’re going to break this down into multiple parts. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at three primary tools and what they do. The three tools are Parameters, Preparation, and Presentation. (I even managed to get alliteration in there! Go me!)

Meanwhile, I’m curious…what would one of your favorite tool boxes be, and what would be in it?

Posted in Tool Box

Storage

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I have so many thoughts today.

Some of them almost popped into my brain fully fleshed out, which is weird and uncommon. But, they’re there, and I want to type them up before they run away.

Others are not fleshed out — they’re just starters. But they are very promising starters that I feel like I can easily bring to fullness if I can just sit down and start writing.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time for all of them. I can’t write five things at once, and because I have jobs, my unpaid writing time each day is limited. (The mental battle there — convincing myself that it’s okay to devote time to it at all — is a whole other topic!) Does that mean I have to pick and choose? To let some just go?

Well, possibly, yes. But, not automatically. Because I have something in my writing tool box that helps tremendously in times like this. I have storage!

The program I use for writing, Scrivener, lets me organize and store to my heart’s content. I can tap out an idea using as many or as few words as needed, then color-code it and pop it into a folder to let me know everything from the general category of the thought to how well fleshed out it is. I can add notes and keywords to help me search for it later. And I can easily mark it when I’ve revisited it and fleshed it out more.

The same is true for other tool boxes I have built. I have music repositories with notes for use in my role as music minister. I have digital folders on my computer to help me organize various craft patterns. I have dozens of folders in Google Drive and on my computer to organize what I need for my other job. I have tabs in my internet browser. Color-coding, bookmarks, and special project pages in my planner. A journal with various project ideas.

Admittedly, my storage isn’t always the best organized. Sometimes I store things in the wrong tool box. Or I jam something into a generic storage spot that’s not attached to any specific tool box, requiring me to occasionally sift through and sort the ideas stored there. And many times I neglect to store a thought, idea, pattern, song, or whatever, assuring myself that I’ll remember.

This will probably come as a shock to you, but I rarely do remember.

Ultimately, though, the point is to just have a spot to store resources that aren’t regularly needed but still good to have on hand. They don’t have to be as easily accessible in the tool box as your regular tools, but they can be in that nifty compartment that’s a little harder to get to but always nice to have.

As I talk more about tool boxes, you might start to recognize some of your own. That’s kind of the point (and we’ll chat more in the future about how to recognize your existing tool boxes). So, your challenge for the next week is to contemplate your own tool box storage. What do you store for later? What storage method naturally works for you? And now that you’re recognizing your storage, what can you do to make it more effective?