Reviewing some past Redemption Group participant surveys and feedback emails today, I’m really struck by how much grace God has shown through Redemption Groups—timely at Thanksgiving. All of the pastors and leaders who teach and lead these groups work hard, to be sure. But the kind of life change many people experience in the process can only be credited to the Holy Spirit—it is so far beyond what any teacher, group leader, or curriculum can do.

Here are few comments from past participants:

“This has seriously been the single most life-changing event in my spiritual life beyond my conversion. I praise God for my Redemption Group, for loving me enough to help squash my idols and strip me of my false identity. For the first time in my life, I can truly say I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, that the living God is my refuge (Psalm 34:8).”

“This has been a life-altering experience. My heart has definitely been shaken and I am ready to allow God’s healing hands to fully touch my life. I have never been so open about my life before.”

(more…)

Here’s the story of another Redemption Group participant, Tami, who has since become an apprentice pursuing group leadership.

In January of this year [2009], my husband and I decided to be a part of a Redemption Group. Had you asked us at the time, we would have told you it was because of my struggles with obesity and he was coming to support me. I thought my problem was simple enough—issues with idolizing comfort and escape. Teach me how to stop, give me some good verses to memorize. Done. Fixed. Move on.

That wasn’t quite how it went…

Read the rest of Tami’s story on Mars Hill Church’s Ballard campus blog.

Kory went through a Redemption Group. Here’s his story:

I grew up in a great Christian household, going to church every Sunday, but the last five years of my life, up until about eight months ago, have been all over the charts. I sinned in ways most teenagers have. I was the party guy.

Read the rest of Kory’s story on The Mars Hill Blog.