Last week of discussion questions.
What are some typical fears and stereotypes that people have when they hear the word "evangelism"? What keeps you from sharing the Good News with others? People think of those preachers on TV, and the scandals they have heard about. I'm a little shy opening up to people I've just met.
What do you feel might be a part of the Life Message that God has given you to share with the world?
That just because I come from a broken home and I've been in trouble in past, that God will still use me.
Share the name of an unbelieving friend that everyone in your group can begin praying for. I won't do that here.
What can our group do together to help fulfill the Great Commission? I don't have group yet, just starting a group will help.
How has reading through this book together re-focused or redirected your life purpose? What have been some of the most helpful insights to you? The most insightful and the hardest still to get through is that it's God's purpose for me, God's mission, not my own.
Who does God bring to mind that you could share the life changing message of this book with? I've shared it with a few people already.
What are we going to study next? I'm going to re-read the book to prepare for my group.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 40: Living With Purpose
Today is a bitter sweet day. I've reached the end of my book. I've thought about what that means for a while now. Once I'm done reading, then what? Well, something I once heard was that We're not meant to be, we are meant to do. We should be called "Human Doings" instead of "Human Beings". Officially, class is over, and it's time to get off the couch and do all the things I've just studied and reflected on.
I'm not going to cover this chapter as in depth as I have covered all the rest. The reason for that is I would like to take some of the mystery of Day 40 into my small group with me. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who was anxiously awaiting today's blog for reflection, or connection.
You've also made it 40 days with me, go celebrate that accomplishment. And then think about how that kind of dedication can be used by God. If you were willing to give me 40 days of your time, who will you give the next 40 days to?; Who gets the next 40 years?
Living out God's purpose takes more than 6 short weeks. It will take a lifetime to develop Christlike character. (And no one knows exactly how long they have!) I will give you this from the book, it really stuck with me. Keep God at the center of your life. When God's at the center you worship. When He is not, you worry. Worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline. This chapter is full of good ways to keep yourself centered.
The Bible verse is from the Book of Acts:
Remember: Living with purpose is the only way to really live.
And don't fret that you've reached then end of my blog; there is one more set of discussion questions which I am going to save till tomorrow.
I'm not going to cover this chapter as in depth as I have covered all the rest. The reason for that is I would like to take some of the mystery of Day 40 into my small group with me. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who was anxiously awaiting today's blog for reflection, or connection.
You've also made it 40 days with me, go celebrate that accomplishment. And then think about how that kind of dedication can be used by God. If you were willing to give me 40 days of your time, who will you give the next 40 days to?; Who gets the next 40 years?
Living out God's purpose takes more than 6 short weeks. It will take a lifetime to develop Christlike character. (And no one knows exactly how long they have!) I will give you this from the book, it really stuck with me. Keep God at the center of your life. When God's at the center you worship. When He is not, you worry. Worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline. This chapter is full of good ways to keep yourself centered.
The Bible verse is from the Book of Acts:
For David . . . served the purpose of God in his generation.When will I take the time to write down my answers to life's five great questions? When will I put my purpose on paper? I'm going to work on this as soon as possible. I'll start thinking about it tonight, and writing it out over the weekend.
Acts 13:36 (NASB)
Remember: Living with purpose is the only way to really live.
And don't fret that you've reached then end of my blog; there is one more set of discussion questions which I am going to save till tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Day 39: Balancing Your Life
I'll just come right out and say it; I stink at balancing things. Juggling is really what I do most often. How many different things can I keep in motion? Even that is not as many as I would like to admit. I can't balance, and I don't even juggle well; this is not looking good. What I tend to do is order things. At work, I am usually given a list of things to do. My bosses expect them all done, or at least all started. I prefer to start the ones I know I can finish and then move on to the others. Three things finished and one started, makes for an easier pass-down than four things "in work".
Unfortunately, God wants me to work on all five purposes all together. I can't make a list of which ones I can finish before I die for two reasons. First, because I will never know when I am going to die, and second because they are all open ended tasks. It's like God is telling me "Go West young man." I can head west and never be done going west. Sure I'll encounter some road blocks along the way, but there's always more 'west' in front of me.
What I'm trying to do is to order them in the ones I am working on and the ONE I am working towards. But even the one I am working towards can be worked on locally. Obviously the one I am talking about is going on a mission. Over the last thirty nine days, I've been on a mission though. I've worked on loving God(Worship), loving you guys (Fellowship), growing in faith (Discipleship), serving (Ministry), and taking the Word to others (Mission).
Do you see now how those five things can never be complete? Could you ever say "I worshiped God yesterday, I don't need to do it today." How about "I've already told everyone about the Good News." Maybe you'll tell everyone you know, but that's not EVERYONE. So I've got a list of things to do now, and some help from the author on how to get them done. I'm leading a growth group on this book in about a month. (Around October) It's for men only, simply because I want to encourage men to go deep and it's against most mens nature to be open and honest in the presence of women. If you're a man and you live in or near Palm Coast,Fl, contact me for more information. If you're a lady, I would love to help you possibly lead a group of women through this book as well. In a group setting there is worship, fellowship, discipleship, and serving others. And those four things will set up the foundation for reaching out to others through ministry.
The Bible verse is from Ephesians:
1) Talk it through with a small group or spiritual partner.
2) Give yourself a regular spiritual check-up
3) Write down your progress in a journal (or Blog)
4) Pass on what you know to others.
And if you're thinking you don't know anything. . . You've made it this far, you can bring someone up to your speed. I am no expert on anything, but I have an awesome support group that I can turn to for almost anything I need. It starts with God, I always pray first, then I ask others to pray with/for me and for advice. If you want to start building a support group, I'll pray for you. You've followed me for almost 40 days, you've seen that all these things can be done by a person who isn't perfect. Don't wait to be perfect before you'll take a chance leading others along the path you are on.
Remember: Blessed are the balanced
Unfortunately, God wants me to work on all five purposes all together. I can't make a list of which ones I can finish before I die for two reasons. First, because I will never know when I am going to die, and second because they are all open ended tasks. It's like God is telling me "Go West young man." I can head west and never be done going west. Sure I'll encounter some road blocks along the way, but there's always more 'west' in front of me.
What I'm trying to do is to order them in the ones I am working on and the ONE I am working towards. But even the one I am working towards can be worked on locally. Obviously the one I am talking about is going on a mission. Over the last thirty nine days, I've been on a mission though. I've worked on loving God(Worship), loving you guys (Fellowship), growing in faith (Discipleship), serving (Ministry), and taking the Word to others (Mission).
Do you see now how those five things can never be complete? Could you ever say "I worshiped God yesterday, I don't need to do it today." How about "I've already told everyone about the Good News." Maybe you'll tell everyone you know, but that's not EVERYONE. So I've got a list of things to do now, and some help from the author on how to get them done. I'm leading a growth group on this book in about a month. (Around October) It's for men only, simply because I want to encourage men to go deep and it's against most mens nature to be open and honest in the presence of women. If you're a man and you live in or near Palm Coast,Fl, contact me for more information. If you're a lady, I would love to help you possibly lead a group of women through this book as well. In a group setting there is worship, fellowship, discipleship, and serving others. And those four things will set up the foundation for reaching out to others through ministry.
The Bible verse is from Ephesians:
Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who don't know the meaning of life, but as those who do.But, I also like the bluntness of the Contemporary English Version; in case all those words are going over your head:
Eph 5:15 (The New Testament in Modern English)
Act like people with good sense and not like foolsWhich of the four activities will I begin in order to stay on track and balance God's five purposes for my life? I already mentioned starting a group to study this book. If you still don't have this book, here is a list of the activities. Pick one that you can do.
Eph 5:15 (CEV)
1) Talk it through with a small group or spiritual partner.
2) Give yourself a regular spiritual check-up
3) Write down your progress in a journal (or Blog)
4) Pass on what you know to others.
And if you're thinking you don't know anything. . . You've made it this far, you can bring someone up to your speed. I am no expert on anything, but I have an awesome support group that I can turn to for almost anything I need. It starts with God, I always pray first, then I ask others to pray with/for me and for advice. If you want to start building a support group, I'll pray for you. You've followed me for almost 40 days, you've seen that all these things can be done by a person who isn't perfect. Don't wait to be perfect before you'll take a chance leading others along the path you are on.
Remember: Blessed are the balanced
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Day 38: Becoming a World-Class Christian
This was a difficult chapter for me. This Blog is currently the closest I will get to being a missionary outside of my current town. I am working on becoming less self-centered. My prayers usually center around other people's needs. I'm not perfect, and sometimes I do pray selfish prayers even still. But for the most part, I pray for my friends and people from church who are going through difficult times. I do still find it difficult to bring up Jesus in conversations with total strangers, but I more readily speak about Him with friends who I know already have some faith.
I think I can work on praying for other countries, and for missionaries all over the world. I think that it will probably be years before I could actually go on a mission somewhere, my wife has been wanting to, but with three small kids it's been difficult to figure out all the details. I know that if we both prayed more about it, God would share His wisdom about it. God wants us to go on a mission, He wants all of us to go out into the world and all over the world spreading the Good News.
I am definitely thinking more about the future, but the enemy keeps throwing the here and now in my face. I guess I'm still making excuses though, I know the plans God has for me and that some of these things are tests. I know that when my finances are on track and my household is in order, God will be able to do even more wonderful things with me and my wife. So the time to start working on those things is now. I have my purposes; to worship, to fellowship, to grow like Christ, to serve, and to be on a mission. And to shirk one of them is not giving God absolute control of my life. Missions are big scary things, but with the resources in the book, and some prayerful planning, I know they are possible, even for my single income family of five.
The Bible verse comes from the book of Psalms.
Remember: The Great Commission is my Commission
I think I can work on praying for other countries, and for missionaries all over the world. I think that it will probably be years before I could actually go on a mission somewhere, my wife has been wanting to, but with three small kids it's been difficult to figure out all the details. I know that if we both prayed more about it, God would share His wisdom about it. God wants us to go on a mission, He wants all of us to go out into the world and all over the world spreading the Good News.
I am definitely thinking more about the future, but the enemy keeps throwing the here and now in my face. I guess I'm still making excuses though, I know the plans God has for me and that some of these things are tests. I know that when my finances are on track and my household is in order, God will be able to do even more wonderful things with me and my wife. So the time to start working on those things is now. I have my purposes; to worship, to fellowship, to grow like Christ, to serve, and to be on a mission. And to shirk one of them is not giving God absolute control of my life. Missions are big scary things, but with the resources in the book, and some prayerful planning, I know they are possible, even for my single income family of five.
The Bible verse comes from the book of Psalms.
Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind.What steps can I take to prepare to go on a short term mission experience in the next year? I've got to get all the information, set up a savings fund, and pray daily that God keeps that goal foremost in my mind. And also get a new passport.
Ps 67:2 (LB)
Remember: The Great Commission is my Commission
Monday, August 30, 2010
Day 37: Sharing Your Life Message
Everyone has a story to tell. Just Friday evening I heard someone suggest that getting someone to share their story was a great way to get them invested in what you're doing. If you honestly care about someone's story, you can find out how to best reach them with the Good News. I'm looking to do a study one this book in a small men's group. Guys are normally reserved about deep personal stuff, but will readily tell you where they are from, what teams they root for etc. It's in those non personal details that I will be looking for clues on how to best reach them and get them to all open up.
I'll have to share my message with them, that's for sure. I don't want to give it all away, but I've covered a good deal of it here. My story about how I came to know Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, is a big deal to me. And I'm hoping that it helps others relate and be willing to share. I'm a 'satisfied customer' of the Gospel, not a salesman as the author would say. Through my message, others can maybe see in their own life where Jesus has come in and shown up in big, and not so big ways.
I've given my testimony, I've also share small life lessons here. These are things that each of us learn through trial and error. But like the author says, there are too many things to learn and we're slow learners to try every one. If you can trust me to be honest with you about my failures, then you can take something away from my failures and my successes. These things worked for me, these things hurt. I want you to not make the same mistakes I did. But also, I want to know what worked and didn't work for you, so that I can benefit from your life lessons.
I've got a few passions. Unfortunately, not all of them are Godly. I am pretty sure that God doesn't want me to reach other people by staying on the PS3 playing Modern Warfare all day. But even that did help bring me into a stronger relationship with my half-brother. So again, God will use a vice for His victory. But I think my real Godly passion for writing and for drama will help me reach more people for Him.
The more people I can reach, the more I can tell the Good News to. The Good News that I've been talking about is that Christ died for all mankind God wants all His children returned to Him. If what Jesus suffered was enough for all men, than it wasn't enough for any man. So I'm not special, God didn't come down to earth to die for me and pay the price for my sins. The Good News is that He died for US to pay for OUR SINS!!! In Christ we all can find redemption and salvation!
Our Bible verse comes from the Book of First Peter.
Remember: God wants to say something to the world through me.
I'll have to share my message with them, that's for sure. I don't want to give it all away, but I've covered a good deal of it here. My story about how I came to know Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, is a big deal to me. And I'm hoping that it helps others relate and be willing to share. I'm a 'satisfied customer' of the Gospel, not a salesman as the author would say. Through my message, others can maybe see in their own life where Jesus has come in and shown up in big, and not so big ways.
I've given my testimony, I've also share small life lessons here. These are things that each of us learn through trial and error. But like the author says, there are too many things to learn and we're slow learners to try every one. If you can trust me to be honest with you about my failures, then you can take something away from my failures and my successes. These things worked for me, these things hurt. I want you to not make the same mistakes I did. But also, I want to know what worked and didn't work for you, so that I can benefit from your life lessons.
I've got a few passions. Unfortunately, not all of them are Godly. I am pretty sure that God doesn't want me to reach other people by staying on the PS3 playing Modern Warfare all day. But even that did help bring me into a stronger relationship with my half-brother. So again, God will use a vice for His victory. But I think my real Godly passion for writing and for drama will help me reach more people for Him.
The more people I can reach, the more I can tell the Good News to. The Good News that I've been talking about is that Christ died for all mankind God wants all His children returned to Him. If what Jesus suffered was enough for all men, than it wasn't enough for any man. So I'm not special, God didn't come down to earth to die for me and pay the price for my sins. The Good News is that He died for US to pay for OUR SINS!!! In Christ we all can find redemption and salvation!
Our Bible verse comes from the Book of First Peter.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respectAs I reflect on my personal story, who does God want me to share it with? I've talked before about sharing it with youth who come from broken homes, I've also been reaching out to a believer going through a difficult custody battle and hopefully making a difference there too.
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Remember: God wants to say something to the world through me.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Day 36: Made for a Mission
This chapter makes me think of "The Blues Brothers" movie. "We're on a mission from God." The truth is we are. We're on a few different, but interconnected missions from God.
Our missions are critical to God's plan for the salvation of mankind. The first part of our mission is finding our purpose, our SHAPE, and our ministry in the Body of Christ. (the Church family) The other part, is our mission in the world. This doesn't mean that we drop everything we're doing and hop on the next flight to South America, (unless of course, you're discovered purpose is missionary work) God needs you right where he has you!
Our mission in the world is to introduce others to Jesus Christ. It's our job to reach and teach the non believers. And, if you've made it 36 days following along with my writing, you can't say that God can't use you. You know He will use anyone who believes in Him; we've covered all that already. No excuses!
I've had a rough few days. I've even needed to get my own personal 'prayer warriors' out fighting for me. And even though I was ready to walk away from this blog, this book, and everything related to it, their prayers came through for me; they helped me stay focused on my mission. That mission is reaching you. As the author says, and I'm going to adopt it too "One more for Jesus" is why I am here.
Our Bible verse comes from the Gospel of Matthew. It is Jesus' Great Commission for His followers.
Remember:I was made for a mission
Our missions are critical to God's plan for the salvation of mankind. The first part of our mission is finding our purpose, our SHAPE, and our ministry in the Body of Christ. (the Church family) The other part, is our mission in the world. This doesn't mean that we drop everything we're doing and hop on the next flight to South America, (unless of course, you're discovered purpose is missionary work) God needs you right where he has you!
Our mission in the world is to introduce others to Jesus Christ. It's our job to reach and teach the non believers. And, if you've made it 36 days following along with my writing, you can't say that God can't use you. You know He will use anyone who believes in Him; we've covered all that already. No excuses!
I've had a rough few days. I've even needed to get my own personal 'prayer warriors' out fighting for me. And even though I was ready to walk away from this blog, this book, and everything related to it, their prayers came through for me; they helped me stay focused on my mission. That mission is reaching you. As the author says, and I'm going to adopt it too "One more for Jesus" is why I am here.
Our Bible verse comes from the Gospel of Matthew. It is Jesus' Great Commission for His followers.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."What fears have kept me from fulfilling the mission God made me to accomplish? What keeps me from telling others the Good News? I sometimes am afraid of people just telling me off, but I am trying to better read people and approach ones that I think are more open to receiving the Good News.
Matt 28:19-20 (NIV)
Remember:I was made for a mission
Week 5: You Were Shaped for Serving God
Another week is over, another purpose revealed. And, another chance to discuss, review, and share.
How is 'using your shape to serve others' different from how most people understand 'ministry'? I think most people hear the word 'ministry' and think of Priests, Pastors, or Missionaries. Using your shape is about ministering in your own unique using your own life story.
What do you 'love' to do that you could use to serve others in the family of God? I love to write and move others. I could try writing songs, or just continue blogging. (except, not daily)
Think of a painful situation that you have gone through that God could use to help others who are going through the same kind of situation. I think my story about almost losing my house can be used to help others in financial trouble.
How does comparing ourselves with others keep us from fully developing our unique shape? We can't be who we were meant to be, if we are trying to be who someone else IS. That defeats the "each of us are unique" statement of purpose.
Have you ever seen God's power demonstrated through when you felt weak? Yes, when I gave my testimony on being "Broken", several people were moved closer to God because they could relate.
How can we help every member of our small group or class find a place of ministry? What can our group do to serve our church family? We help each them by helping identify their unique SHAPE. Not having a group (yet) makes it hard to answer the second part.
How is 'using your shape to serve others' different from how most people understand 'ministry'? I think most people hear the word 'ministry' and think of Priests, Pastors, or Missionaries. Using your shape is about ministering in your own unique using your own life story.
What do you 'love' to do that you could use to serve others in the family of God? I love to write and move others. I could try writing songs, or just continue blogging. (except, not daily)
Think of a painful situation that you have gone through that God could use to help others who are going through the same kind of situation. I think my story about almost losing my house can be used to help others in financial trouble.
How does comparing ourselves with others keep us from fully developing our unique shape? We can't be who we were meant to be, if we are trying to be who someone else IS. That defeats the "each of us are unique" statement of purpose.
Have you ever seen God's power demonstrated through when you felt weak? Yes, when I gave my testimony on being "Broken", several people were moved closer to God because they could relate.
How can we help every member of our small group or class find a place of ministry? What can our group do to serve our church family? We help each them by helping identify their unique SHAPE. Not having a group (yet) makes it hard to answer the second part.
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