We read this statement together before every group discussion. It helps transition the group to discussion time, it reaffirms our highest values, and sets a tone of trust, consistency, and safety for everyone in the group.
We are a group of imperfect people pursuing a perfect God. We exist to help each other find and follow Christ. These are some things we want to be true of our group:
- We create a safe and honest environment, staying transparent and authentic.
- We keep it inside the circle. Confidentiality is necessary for a healthy group.
- We look together to the Bible for help and guidance, and keep out our own politics, sales, or agendas.
- We do not try to fix each other, preach sermons, or give unsolicited advice. We instead encourage, listen to, and celebrate each other.
- We handle conflict between us quickly and honestly by going to the person, owning our part, and practicing forgiveness.
- We respect each others’ time by starting and ending when we say we will.
- We trust that it is God’s role to change people, not ours.
- We believe that in Jesus Christ, there is hope for everyone.
- What was the best and worst part of your week?
QUESTIONS
Please note, groups do not have to answer all of the questions. This is a guide to help your group go at its own pace.
- What would you say “Part 3: Legacy” is about? Can someone please summarize it for us?
- Chapter “Agency” starts out with Shauna noting, “This is who I am, this is who I’m not, this is what I want, this is what I’m leaving behind. When a seemingly great opportunity is in front to you, how do you decide whether to seize it or politely decline?
- Have your yeses ever left you “soul-tired?” What have your current yeses benefited you? What have they cost you?
- Later on in the chapter, "Agency," Shauna notes, “You were made by hand with great love by the God of the universe, and he planted deep inside of you a set of loves and dreams and idiosyncrasies. You can ignore them as long as you want, but they will at some point start yelling. Worse than that, if you ignore them long enough, they will go silent, and that’s the real tragedy.” Do you have any loves or dreams that are starting to yell at you? Any you fear have been ignored and gone silent?
- In Chapter “It’s All Right There” Shauna notes, “We dive into information or work or bicycling or whatever, because it feels good to be good at something, to master something, to control something when marriage and intimacy often feel proudly out of our control.” Which things do you find yourself diving into most often when things in your life feel hard to control?
- Can someone summarize the story of the man in the tuxedo in the chapter with that title? How did this story affect you? What did it make you feel about your own life?
- In the chapter “When Brave Looks Boring” Shauna notes, “Sometimes brave looks more like staying when you want to leave, telling the truth when all you want to is change the subject…We’re addicted to big and sweeping and photo-ready… sometimes the most beautiful things we do are invisible, unsexy.” With this new definition of brave, what are a few things that you used to consider boring that you know can count as brave?