Thousands now “checking in” with SASHET
Thousands of people around the world are now regularly “checking in” with each other using SASHET. This acronym is a handy way to remember the six main categories of emotions: Sad, Angry, Scared, Happy, Excited, Tender. “Checking in” is being practiced on a regular basis in house churches and small groups, in CO2s (churches of two), by husbands and wives, by families around the dinner table, by teachers in classrooms, by nurses with patients to name some of the most important venues.
Distinguishing between the value and the practice
It’s important to distinguish between the value and the practice (or tool). In the LK10 Community, we value the heart. (John Eldredge suggests that churches should really function as “fellowships of the heart”.) And, we believe that our emotions are a “window into our heart”. However, many of us grew up in families (and churches) where our emotions were ignored or even discounted. So, our goal is to learn to pay close attention to our own emotions (hearts) and to the emotions (hearts) of those around us. The result we see over and over is an amazing depth of community. (It’s important to clarify that while we think our emotions give us important information about our hearts, we don’t put our emotions in the driver’s seat of our lives.) So, our value is paying attention to our heart and one excellent way to do this is “checking in” with SASHET (our practice).
What’s better than SASHET?
When people go through Church 101, they learn a sort of “first grade version” of SASHET. This is a great starting place but there is so much more. For instance, recently Barb Lidfors (Barb and her husband, Bob, are LK10 Coordinators in Germany) has developed what I would call SASHET 2.0. (For more on Barb and Bob, see https://www.lk10.dev.cc/lk10-spreads-to-germany-and-uganda/ ) What she has done is to “unpack” each of our six foundational words. By giving us many synonyms, Barb’s work allows us to more accurately describe the condition of our heart. For instance, I might “check in” as “Sad to such a degree that I feel despondent. Or, “I’m checking in as excited, And, the word “thrilled” would help you understand more exactly what I’m feeling.” And, now you can get a copy of SASHET 2.0.
Download SASHET 2.0
Click on this link to download SASHET 2.0 (Supplementary Feeling Words). You may want to make copies for family members and people in your house church. I have a copy that I’m keeping in my journal.
Supplementary Feeling Words
Leader 101 and SASHET
If you are a small group (house church, etc) leader, the best way to grow in your ability to help your group truly become a “fellowship of the heart” is by joining our Leader 101 Course: Key Habits of Highly Effective Group Leaders. In this context, you will learn new insights on key practices like “checking in” with SASHET. And, you will get help from other leaders (“other eyes”) in how to grow your group. To find out more about Leader 101 and to apply go here… https://www.lk10.dev.cc/lk10-school/leader-101/