Have FUN
Relationship Goals, Pt. 3
Every time we gather as a group, these are some ways we ensure the best group discussion:
We make the circle safe by staying honest and transparent - leave the masks at the door.
We keep it inside the circle. Each person’s story is theirs alone to share.
We look to the Bible for wisdom and truth, and work together to let it shape how we see the world.
We don’t try to fix each other in front of each other or give unsolicited advice. We lovingly save hard conversations for private moments.
We respect each others’ time by starting and ending when we say we will.
We believe that in Jesus Christ, there is hope for everyone.
#HaveFun = living a life of joy
Two Questions to measure the condition of your soul:
Am I growing more or less easily irritated these days?
Am I growing more or less easily discouraged these days?” Dallas Willard
John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
F: Find FUN!
Find a Mission
Fill Up
Facts are Friends
John 15:11
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
U: Umbrellas of Grace
Grace: seeing and having a relationship with a person’s heart, not their behavior.
N: Neverending story
Philippians 1:6
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Start with M.U.D.
Memorable + Understandable + Doable
What was the most memorable part of the message or service this weekend for you personally? Why?
Did anything you heard challenge or influence how you think about God or your life?
How can what you learned influence or change how you live in everyday life? What tangible steps would it take to make that change a reality?
Additional Questions
Jen said that having fun in our relationships is way more about who we are on the inside than what personality we have, how much money we have, or what activities are planned.
Talk about which experience you may resonate with - a time when something that should have been joyful was ruined by what was going on the inside, OR a time when something seemingly dull or boring was made joyful because you had a joyful spirit.
Jen brought up two questions that Dallas Willard asks himself to monitor the condition of his soul.
1) Am I growing more or less easily irritated these days?
2) Am I growing more or less easily discouraged these days?
How would you respond to these questions today?
Why are these such a good barometer for the condition of our spiritual health?
Happiness and joy are not the same, and Paul knew that when he wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
How does Paul’s command to choose joy confront how we’re taught to view happiness and comfort in our culture?
What are some of the areas of your life that are the most challenging for you to choose joy in? Where are you most consistently sour or negative?
Choosing a life of joy starts with Finding Fun. Some ways Jen suggested we do that is to find a mission that is worth living for and to fill up and replenish our souls.
Which of these have helped you live joyfully no matter what your circumstances look like? Or what else has done that for you?
Which one would make the biggest impact in your life if you went after it this week?
Umbrellas of Grace are necessary to create safe and compassionate relationships that make it possible to live joyfully. Believing the best about someone means having a relationship with a person’s heart, not their behavior.
What people do this well for you? What impact does it have on your own joy?
Who is this hard for you to do with? Who do you tend to assume the worst about, and how does it affect your relationship?
How can you reset that relationship and start creating umbrellas of grace in your relationship?
