May 2, 2021
Change: Getting Unstuck
Stories that change the World and your heart.
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Luke 8:4-15
Message Questions:
- Do you have any experience with gardening/farming? If so, what is most rewarding for you and what is most frustrating about gardening?
- Describe a long-term goal you set for yourself (exercising, reading a long book series, earning a degree). How did you fare in the working and waiting of reaching that goal?
- Jesus takes time to unpack the failure of growth in three of the soils: “Satan snatches,” “have no root,” and “choked out by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures… they don’t mature.” Can you relate to these situations? Where have you seen these in your own life?
- The purpose of gardening is to grow things! That’s the point of Jesus’ message: (1) Hear the word, (2) retain it, and (3) by persevering produce a crop. What do those three steps look like in your life right now?
- Where does our LORD have you “throwing seed” these days? Have you grown discouraged or unconvinced in that assignment? Share with the group your discouragement OR your plan to stay on task with the job of sowing seeds.
Extend your small group discussion with the expanded guide for today’s message. It includes more questions and soul training practices for you and your small group.
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Jn. 15:5-17 - Discover how staying connected to Jesus—the true vine—produces lasting spiritual fruit. Learn how a simple Rule of Life, shaped by practices like prayer, Scripture, sabbath, solitude, community, and service, helps us remain rooted in Him.
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Matthew 26:36-39 - Christian practices like prayer and Sabbath quiet the noise so we can hear God’s voice and face the deeper emotions He invites us to heal.
Mark 1:35 - Jesus modelled a life of restraint and rhythm, showing us how to live with peace and purpose even amid urgency through the practices he shared.
