10.22 - 10.25 (Session 6) - Session 5 Below!!!

FINAL WEEK

Monday Night // 6:30 pm
West Group
Julie w/ the Kelly's
19612 Wyndham Lakes Dr
Odessa, FL 33556

Tuesday Night // 6:30 pm
East Group
The Friedman’s
20439 Lace Cascade Rd
Land O’ Lakes, FL 34637

Thursday Night // 6:30 pm
Central Group
Bob w/ the Michehl’s
3602 Fyfield Ct.
Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638

M.S. & H.S. Group // 6:30 pm
Wednesday Night
Brian & Cheryl
2938 Mingo Dr.
Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638

• Watch the teaching video BEFORE group. 
• Take notes from each video here on your study guide. 
• Look over the group discussion questions and answer them.
• Show up for group ready to discuss and learn :-)

VIDEO TEACHING

The following are a few key thoughts to note as you watch the teaching.

If we allow hurts and disappointments to affect our soul, we can find ourselves at the end of our lives alone and closed off. It’s a natural desire for self-preservation, but in the long run, it is not where we want to end up.

We need to ask ourselves how we want our lives to end up and where we are headed.

How we want to be at the end of our lives should shape how we live in the present.

Our soul is like a circle. We can either make that circle smaller or larger over the course of our lives.

Rather than closing in a little bit more each time we are hurt, we need to continually forgive people. God designed us to be big people; he created us to be proponents of forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Jesus is the best big circle drawer in history. He invites anyone and everyone to come to him and receive from him.

We need to adopt the same attitude as Jesus. We want to live, look, and love like Jesus.

GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever been deeply hurt in a relationship? How did that affect?

2. What is the end result of a life that constantly gets smaller with each hurt, disappointment, or tragedy?

3. How can you keep your soul from getting smaller and smaller?

4. Forgiveness necessary for your soul?

5. How did Jesus model a big, generous, accepting soul?

6. What do you want your life to look like at the end? How does that picture affect how you live now?

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

Find some time this week for a bit of deep soul searching. Look back over your life, starting with your childhood all the way up to the present. Make a note, in your head or on paper, whatever you prefer, of times your soul was deeply hurt. The goal here is not to relive the experiences or feel hurt all over again, but simply to recognize the reality of the pain.

Then take your list and give it to God. Spend a few moments in prayer asking God to take control of the emotions, the memories, and the consequences of those experiences. Allow him to heal your soul and lead you to a place where you can truly forgive.

On another day, take a few moments to write down what you want your loved ones to say about you at the end of your life. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want your values to be? In light of your goal, what changes do you need to make right now? Is the way you're using your time, energy, and resources going to take you where you want to go?