More From John R. Robinson

The idea for my meditation “Fully Charged” was born out of a story that one of our small group friends told a few years ago during our socializing time before our weekly study began. I was particularly intrigued by a phrase new to me: parasitic draw. The metaphor and meditation matured over a few months of drafting and editing, becoming another submission to The Upper Room, an honor I’ve had several times since my first publication there 25 years ago. But this story would have never been heard if it were not for our small group gatherings.

Our small group of six couples began in January 2019, as a “random” grouping through our church’s matching program for creating small groups. Four of the six couples were new to the Atlanta area. We all were searching for new friendships. After about a year, one couple retired from the group because of family responsibilities. The other ten of us—now ages approximately 55 to 70—continue strong to this day, sharing a love for one another, a love of living life together in community, a love of the Lord, and a yearning for the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.

When forced into Zoom meetings in March 2020, it turned out that we thrived! The discussions were rich and deep, the intimacy maintained or even enriched, the prayer requests numerous, and our prayer time anointed. All of us ended up enjoying the format so much that we have continued it to this day and will into the future. Once we were post-pandemic, we met together in person at a restaurant once each month for our “social” time.

But things change. Originally we were all within a short drive from one another. But one couple moved to Oklahoma two years ago. One couple spends about half their time in a new home in Alabama near family. Last fall, another couple moved to a home on a lake in Georgia. Finally, another couple moved to South Carolina in January of this year! Only my wife and I are in the same place.

And yet, as only God can accomplish, we still thrive together as a group in spite of the geographical separation. (See the Zoom photo of the group). We are all thankful for God’s providence and care, for the community that is made possible when we surrender to God’s plans, and for God’s faithfulness in preparing us to study the word together throughout all of these life changes. Especially, we are all grateful for the gift of grace that brought us together with and for one another for stories, laughter, soaking in the word, prayer, and reveling in the work of the Holy Spirit. Now that is fully charged!