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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)