Highs, lows and prayer requests

Another important part of our covenant groups has been fellowship and time with our faith community.  We begin in prayer and each take turns sharing "highs" and "lows" of the week.  At the end of the Look, Book, Took there is time to share prayer requests as well as share updates relating to prior requests.

What was your high for the week?

Your low?

Prayers?

Took - Making time to listen

TOOK
Being able to choose the better part...why isn’t that easy for us??!

1. What are the hardest things for you to shut down (ie your devices, tv, voice in your head, spouse, kids....)
   
2. How hard would it be for you to shut down for an hour a week to spend in time with God –giving him your burdens, your prayers, and listening/feeling for a response?
   
3. Are you willing to try? If you fail, are you willing to try again? And again until you can get that hour each week? If not, why not? Once you have the hour a week, think you could extend it to an hour a day? 
   

Book - Making time to listen

BOOK – Luke 10:38-42
Jesus provides another surprising answer, what do we learn from his answer . . .

1. What assumptions do you hold in this story?
   
2. Do you relate most to Mary or Martha? Why?
   
3. What is the better part that Mary has chosen? 
   
   
   
   Luke 10:38-42
   

   As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." 
   

Look - Making time to listen

“Busy” – a common answer when you ask how someone has been, let’s look at what keeps you busy and distracted.

1. Are you easily distracted?
   
2. Share a time when you missed out on something because you were
   busy and distracted with something else.
   
3. When life gets hectic, what are you most likely to put on hold? 
   

BOOK - love your neighbor as yourself

BOOK Luke 10: 25-37
Jesus explains what it takes to inherit eternal life, it seems so simple, until you really think about it . . .

1. Christ is tested by a religious legal expert. Did he really want to learn, or was this simply a test of the young rabbi?
   
2. Heart, soul, strength and mind. Which one do you use the most and the least?
   
3. Loving your neighbor. What does this mean to you? 
   
   
   
   Luke 10:25-37
   

   Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
   But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." 
   

LOOK - love your neighbor as yourself

We can love our family, our spouses, our girl/boyfriends, but they can drive us crazy too!

1.      Who is the easiest person in your family (either current family or biological family) to love?  Why?

2.      Who is the hardest person in your family (either current or biological family) to love?  Why?

3.      Have you ever shown love to a neighbor, who wasn't necessarily a good neighbor?

TOOK - Talkin bout God

We were challenged to “practice” on each other in talking about God, to gain practice, and confidence so that it’s easier to talk to others during the rest of the week about Christ.

1. What stumbling blocks do Christians face today in our journey to spread the word of God?
   
2. What can you do to help yourself to talk about your faith with other people?
   
3. Have you felt the joy with which the disciples return? 
   

Book - Talkin' bout God

BOOK – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Jesus sends 70 out into the neighboring towns, telling them to take nothing with them.

1. What are your thoughts of Jesus telling his disciples to carry nothing with them?
   
2. How hard would it have been for you to “carry no purse, no bag, no sandals”?
   
3. Can you sense the joy that they came back with? Do you think you could feel that joy in talking about God with others? 
   
   
   
   
   Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
   After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'
   "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
   The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 
   

Look - talkin' bout God

LOOK

“Always be prepared” implies having a certain amount of equipment with you.  Sometimes our knowledge or ability to adapt help us to compensate for items we may not have.

1. If you were going tent camping on the beach, what would be the one thing you would make sure you brought?  Thinking on that one thing, why do you think you MUST have that? 
2. How much stuff do you carry around in general (daily)?
3. When did you travel the lightest in a trip?

Took

from last week's sermon/service . . . this weeks will begin by Wednesday

TOOK
Jesus gives some extremely difficult guidelines on what it takes to follow Him.

1. How on earth do we make this sort of commitment? Is it impossible?
   
2. What things are distracting you from giving your full attention to
   Christ?
   
3. How can we put some of these distractions aside to be able to more
   closely follow God? 
   

Book

A bit late this week, church camp had me distracted (in a good way), but more questions here:

BOOK – Luke 9:51-62
Jesus tells the people what they need to do to be one of His followers.

1. What does it mean to you that Jesus’ “face was set toward Jerusalem”?
   
2. Do you think any of the three people that approached Jesus still followed him, or do you think they were put off by his answers?
   
3. Why is following God's call is more important to other concerns? 
   
   
   
   Luke 9:51-62
   When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
   As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." 
   

Look - walking the line

For those who may joining us in progress . . . the LBT is truly a reflection on the Gospel, along with the sermon that was preached in our church.  If you weren't in church (or want a refresher) the sermon is available online, see the column to the right, or search "Fr. Paul" on iTunes

Certain tasks take complete and undivided attention to accomplish. Like driving on unfamiliar roads during a heavy thunderstorm with passengers in the car. Carrying a tray of boiling hot water across the kitchen when the cat is underfoot, or walking across the Grand Canyon on a 2-inch cable.

1. What takes your full and constant attention to accomplish?
   
   
2. What would you not want to be distracted by while doing?
   
   
3. Are there any things you can do well simultaneously?