Scripture: Psalm 23

1. What is your favorite labor-saving device (such as email, a snow blower etc.)?
2. While in the past people predicted technology would make it so we all spent much less time working, in many ways the opposite has happened. Technology has actually enabled work and activity to invade every single corner and minute of our lives. We can work on the weekends. We can work at home. We can send emails in the middle of the night. What are the things that invade/consume your time, even when you should be resting?
3. Dallas Willard says, "Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day". What do you think of this? In what ways is that true in your life?
4. Will says that since we are so used to hurry, we try to apply it to our spiritual lives, thinking, "This restless, irritable drive that contentment, satisfaction, peace, the fullness of God’s presence, is just around the corner, if I just do a little more, if I just have a little more time, if I just push through, then maybe I’ll be okay with myself, with life, then I’ll know peace with God! But what happens? I work, I push, I engage, and I still feel that way. Unsatisfied. Restless. Feeling like I’m lacking something." Is that feeling familiar to you? In what areas of your spiritual life?
5. Take a deep breath, and slowly read Psalm 23. We will be spending a lot of time with this Psalm, so don't rush. What stands out to you in this reading? What line do you especially need to pray right now? 
6. Now look at the first line again. What do you think happens when we are disconnected from our shepherd?
7. Sheep without a shepherd get weighed down with the burden of excessive wool. Part of confessing that the Lord is my shepherd is inviting God to come and shave off the excessive stuff that is filling up your calendar, weighing down your life, and threatening your soul’s health and survival. What comes to mind for you? How does God need to bring the divine shears to your calendar? To your to-do list? To your commitments?
8. Saying yes to Jesus and his care for you always also means saying no to other things that demand your time and attention. What are the things you need to say NO to in order to make space to receive God’s care for you?
9. The point of doing so, isn't so we can just work harder to be spiritually fufilled. Take a minute to look at the Psalm...who is doing all the "doing"? It is actually about openning ourselves up to rest so we can be more receptive to what God is doing. Why is that so hard for us? To just receive and not do?
10. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and imagine holding your soul before God right now. What’s it like? Is it numb? Unsatisfied? In distress? Anxious? Despairing? Tired and weary? Overwhelmed? What invitation is God giving you to better help you reveive God's restoration? 

Scripture: Psalm 23

1. What is your relationship with sleep and rest like? Do you often feel tired?
2. Do you ever feel like your soul is tired too, and going through the motions? Do you ever feel like you're living your life but not really living it? Have you ever felt more like  machine than a person?
3. Read Psalm 23. Does anything different resonate with you than last time? Read the phrase, "He makes me lie down in green pastures" a couple of times. What does this line mean to you? What does it make you feel?
4. Why do you think Christians have such a hard time truly taking Sabbath? 
5. Have you ever run yourself in the ground to the point where you were forced to rest? What did that teach you?
6. Becky says, "sleep is an act of surrender". We surrender our bodies and conciousness to rest. Our sould need to surrender themselves to rest and to God as well though. "When we surrender to this reality bigger than ourselves, when we allow ourselves time and space to soak in the reality of divine love, of God’s presence, and goodness. When we wonder at the fact that we are alive, at the miracle of birth, at the magnificence of creation. When we live in gratitude for life’s gifts, our souls wake up, more and more! Because they have had space to REST, they also know what it is to be awake and alive!" What do you think of this? What stands out to you? How does it apply to your own experience?
7. We don’t sleep just so we can do more, have more. We rest so that we can delight in what’s ALREADY been given. When’s the last time you slowed down long enough to not only get enough sleep (which is a very important place to start!), but also to let your soul delight in the gifts of life?
8. One way to practice this rest in God is prayer. Take a minute and look up a "centering prayer". Try it out! 
9. What was that like? How else might God be inviting you into rest for both your body and soul? 

Scripture: Psalm 23

1. Take a minute to be still and read the passage again (maybe in a different version this time). What stands out to or resonates with you this time?
2. Do you feel like you come to church because you are spiritually thirsty?  There’s some spiritual dissatisfaction, some hurt, some struggle that you’re longing for God to console, to hold, speak into, to heal? If so, talk about that feeling!
3. Will says sheeps sometimes know where water is but don't drink it because there is commotion in running water...We can be that way with living water too. Will describes it as such, "you know where the water is. You came to church. You have scriptures in your home or on your phone. You know that you can sign-up for a Soul Care meeting. You have pastors and friends who are ready and willing to listen to you…yet… you’re still at the water’s edge, NOT actually drinking, NOT experiencing restoration. Does that describe your spiritual life at all?
   You know where the water is, but somehow, for some reason, you’re not drinking the water, not experiencing regular restoration.
4. Our lives aren't just busy...they're often filled with constant noise. What are the noisy parts of your life? How can that make it hard to connect with God? Why do you think we fill so many silent moments with noise?
5. Jesus leads us to still waters, away from the noise. One of the ways he does this is through giving us space for solitude. Do you have a solitary place? Do you regularly remove yourself from social and digital interaction to be by yourself with God? If not...how could you make that space?
6. "After solitude, next comes Silence. Silence is slightly different from solitude. Silence is abstaining from speaking. It’s the choice to be quiet and just listen. It’s amazing what you can hear when you get alone, and also stop talking. You suddenly start hearing so many other things." Take a moment of silence now. What do you hear that you usually aren't attune to? 
7. Finally, we need stillness. What makes stillness hard? What do you find happens internally when being still that can make it even more difficult? 
8. "Stillness is hard; it’s counter-cultural; it feels unproductive; it can seem strange to us… but it’s WHERE God loves to meet us! It’s sacred space.When we allow ourselves to be led besides still waters, when we let God’s Spirit lead us into solitude, silence, and stillness, I can’t promise or guarantee you any exact thing will happen. That you will hear or experience God’s voice in some particular way. What I can tell you is that when you turn down the external and internal noise, when you step out of the commotion and into still quiet places, the VOLUME on God’s voice gets turned up. Or maybe we just finally have ears to hear." What invitation is there for you in this? How can you practice it mroe this week? 

Scripture: Luke 9:51-62

1. Soon, we will be entering into the season of Lent, which is usually a season of repentance in the church. But repentance means “turn around.” So we’re entering a season where our spiritual reflection is meant to be about direction. Along these lines, take a minute to reflect on and ask yourself the following questions. What road are you on, spiritually speaking? Are you standing still or are you moving? Where are you coming from? What are you headed toward? Where is God on this road?

2. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus takes 10 chapters to walk the road to Jerusalem which should be a short journey...Will suggests this is why, "on the Road to Jerusalem, Luke wants us to discover that so many of the things that give definition to our sense of the world aren’t what finally matter. What matters is WHO. What matters is the world we share with God and others while we walk down the road. What matters is HOW we walk the road, which is a road to God's kingdom" There is a lot to unpack in this! What do you think of it though? How do you think we are called to "walk the road"?

3. In exploration of these questions, read the passage for today. It is a tricky one so perhaps read it a couple times. What stands out to you? What do you think it means?

4. This passage is quite confusing because Jesus seems pretty intense and uncompassionate in it...Will says, "But here’s the thing. NOT only is Jesus setting a seriously high - and kind of unattractive, seemingly inhuman - standard of what it means to follow him, what Jesus demands of these followers doesn’t even seem consistent with his own behavior and tradition." What could be the reason for this? Knowing as we do that Jesus is compassionate, what else might Jesus be trying to demonstrate?

5. The three concerns outlined by each man symbolize some of the most relatable everyday concerns--home, death, and family. What do these concerns look like in your life today?

6. If you look closely Jesus is not actually saying the concerns don't matter but challenging the order of importance given to them. As Will says, "What Jesus is pointing his finger on is the fact that, on the one hand, they call him “Lord” – number one; the defining principle of life - but then, on the other hand, they treat his calling as second; secondary to the calls of normal life." This is relatable to how we live! If Jesus called you to something, what would be your, "Lord but first..." comments?

7. The questions asked to those journeying on the road throughout scripture is the following, "Are your pre-existing normal allegiances the first and governing principle in your life or is your allegiance and trust in God’s voice, God’s calling, God’s provision the first and governing principle in your life?" What is your answer?

8. The thing is, when we look to Jesus first, Jesus gives us the provision to care for all those other needs. It is not a matter of prioritizing Jesus and forgetting those concerns, but prioritizing Jesus and then being given what we need to better meet those other concerns. Have you ever experienced this? What would it look like for you to put God first, before addressing the other situations in your life?

Scripture: Luke 10:21,25-37 

1. Life is full of so many highs and lows, what have been some of your's in the past week? How about the past year?

2. Take a minute to read the scripture...what key topics does it explore? Are there other instances of scripture that this passage reminds you of/potentially connects to? Try Luke 18 as well, what similarities are there between these two passages?

3. Sometimes instead of zooming in on stories it is helpful to zoom out and look at this BIG pattern, and what JESUS is teaching us about the up and down movement required for God’s kingdom!" From doing that with these passages, the leading question is ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’

4. Another way to put that question is, ‘How do I become a participant in God’s kingdom? What does it look like to walk this ROAD, this way of salvation?’ Have you ever had this question? What answers did you find?

5. Jesus indicates that from high positions and standings we cannot see things like "the little children do"...How many of us aspire to be looked up to? To be considered wise or learned in some way? Or to be in a position of power and influence? Or simply to be wealthy and secure? In what ways do you aspire to this? In what ways do you have a high position?

6. Will says that when you are up high it changes how you see the world, "When you’re UP here, you’re at a greater distance from the things DOWN here. The greater the distance, the less relatable; and the less relatable, the less responsible." In what ways do you see this in society...in your life?

7. Where have we got our heads so high up in the clouds of wealth, knowledge, influence, and being good religious people that we’ve become distant or unable to see those who can’t pay their bills, feel powerless in their circumstances, who feel like religious outsiders? In what ways do you avoid even seeing these people?

8. How might you be called to solidarity like Jesus practices?

Scripture: Luke 

1. When thinking of the word “peace” what do you envision? What associations come to mind?

2. In Luke 19:42 Jesus says that the people would have known peace but it has been hidden from their eyes. What do you think are some of the things which prevent peace in your life?  

3. Becky says that the enemy to peace in this context was the propensity towards judgmentalism. Have you ever felt judged? Over what things or in what situations? How did you react to that feeling/those judging you?

4. Sometimes it is only natural that when we feel judged, we judge those people right back! As Becky says, “Judgment locks us into an endless cycle of “othering.” We assume we know the truth about each other - that you’re incompetent, that person is thoughtless, you’re out to get me, and this person, they’re dangerous.” What do you think of this? Can you think of an example where you have done or seen this? 

5. One of the number one words associated with Christians is unfortunately, “judgmental”. Why do you think that is? 

6.  Take a minute to read the scripture for today. What do you notice? What stands out to you? What is Jesus’ invitation in response to judgment? What invitation is in the passage for you?

7.  “Jesus doesn’t say run. He doesn’t say react. He says if your peace is spurned, if who you are and what you bring is not welcome, no problem, let your peace, let my peace, gently return to you, continuing to fill your heart and mind, steadying you when others misunderstand and reject you. Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples to stay continually in that town if they are not welcome. He says, “wipe the dust of the town off your feet” as an invitation to the town to do things differently, to be about peace rather than judgment. And then, they were to be on their way, leaving open the possibility of surprise, that even the seeming worst of enemies could become their friends.” What would it look like to listen to Jesus’ invitation here in the situations you find yourself in? 

8. Remember this reminder, “knowing who we are and whose we are, when we are judged, when we feel like judging, we can breathe deep remembering that judgment is not our job, and that we have nothing to prove, nothing to defend. Instead, we have what the world actually needs. We have the peace of Christ to share.” With this in mind, is there someone in your life right now who you feel like judging? Is there someone who is judging you? What does that feel like in your body? What do you want to say to that person, to that group who misunderstands and maligns you? To that person who you’re tempted to paint as a caricature, presuming to know their every thought and motivation? Finally, what might it look like to choose peace over judgment?

Scripture: Luke 16:1-13

1. Will says to picture you have a backpack, then fill it with all of your "stuff" you own. The longer you live, the more and more things you accumulate. What is in your backpack? What stuff do you carry with you through life?
2. The Gospel of Luke espeically has a lot to say about wealth, possessions, and finances. You can’t walk the road of salvation, can’t walk the way of Jesus, without asking the question – what does this have to do with my wealth, my possessions, my stuff? What is Jesus saying about my backpack? What are some messages from the Bible about what we are called to do with our "stuff" that you have heard before?
3. Jesus says, "Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." What are some messages in our world/society that run counter to this? 
4. In Luke 12:33 Jesus says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." What are your honest reactions to this? ​
5. There is perhaps more interpreting we need to do for why Jesus says this. Take some time and read the scripture for today. Spend a logner time on it. What are your reactions to it? WHat do you think it means? What invitation in it? What does it have to say about how we interact with finances and possessions?
6. Will says the passage leaves us with a choice, "We can make money, wealth and possessions our master, and so life is about getting more of it for ourselves.OR we can recognize that what’s in our backpacks won’t last forever. It’s just stuff. It’s just money. So instead of treating it as our master, we are to use it in service to God, our true master! Use it generously to reflect God’s generosity; use it in ways that invest and create the kind of relationships that God’s everlasting kingdom is all about." What do you think of this?
7. The goal of our lives is not complete detachment from everything but rather attaching ourselves to the right things. But what that looks like in our lives requires ongoing spiritual discernment and wisdom. So ask yourselves the following questions: ‘What wealth and possessions have I been entrusted with?’ ‘Who am I ultimately serving with all this? God OR money?’ ‘How am I reflecting the generosity of God and paying it forward?’

Scripture: Luke 11:37-46

1. Why do you think Christians have such a reputation of being hypocritical? 
2. One scholar says we often, "live for an approval rating or recompense, rather than acting out of love for God and neighbor". Or as Becky puts is, "there’s a disconnect between what our heads say is needed for survival, what will gain us security and praise, and what our hearts say is right. The result is a fragmentation, a disintegration of our very being." Can you relate to this? Have you ever cared more about the appearance of things than how you actually live/act? In what areas of your life? 
3. Take a minute to read the scripture for today. What do you notice? What real life connections come to mind?
4. "Jesus doesn’t care how clean and pretty the outside of our cups are - he cares about our hearts and what flows from them! So how do we get there? How do we live with integrity when we’re so used to hiding, saying or believing one thing and doing another?" According to Becky, the first step to integrity starts from looking within. Can you think of a situation in your life where your motives aren't actually been what you act like or say they are?
5. Becky says in our faiths one of the most important questions we can ask about our motives is, "Is it about love of God and neighbor, or is it more about my own anxiety and fear? I’m more and more convinced that if we want others to know God, the best thing we can do is stop trying to convince people, and just start enjoying Jesus! Being filled with God’s Spirit and motivated to right action in this world simply by an overflow of the light of Christ which fills and feeds us." What do you think of this? What would it look like for you to live as an example simply by genuinley enjoying Jesus? 
6. That’s why the second step to integrity is choosing the will to act rightly, even when it costs us something. Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to make such a choice--choosing to speak up about something even at personal risk?
7. The final step to integrity, receiving the deep healing that it brings! Have you ever experienced the blessings and healing that come with having integrity?
8. I invite you to take a minute to reflect and think...is there a place in your life where you are living misaligned right now? Is there some dissonance between who you actually are, between who in your deepest God self made you to be, and the person you’re showing up as in this world? If so, name it, and I invite you to think through what living out the steps to integrity might look like over that area of your life.

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

1. Take a minute to read the passage for today. What stands out to you? Maybe you've heard this story many tiems before--does anything new or different stand out this time?
2. In what ways is the older brother someone who has been entrusted with great priviledge?
3. Will says about the older brother, "He doesn’t realize what he already has. He doesn’t realize his privilege and the gift it is - the incredible gift that his father is already always with him, and that his entire life he has received blessing and opportunity beyond imagination for most people. In a weird way, blessing can spiritually blind us! And this is the thing. It is so easy to not realize our privilege, so easy to not see what we’ve been given." Why do you think this is the case? Have you ever experienced this? 
4.  “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” What do you think of this? What are you associations with the word priviledge? In what ways do you have priviledges?
5. Will says, "God doesn’t guilt people about their privilege. God invites a different kind of spiritual transformation around privilege. First, God invites any of us privileged folks, any of us older brother folks, to change from grumbling about what you don’t have to gratitude for your many graces." Take a minute and do just that--name with gratitude what God has given you.
6. "The second movement, the second act of repentance for the privileged person is a shift from looking for opportunities to receive blessing to creating opportunities to share blessing." How is God inviting you to be responsible with the privileges God has entrusted to you? What’s an opportunity for blessing you can create? What privilege have you been given that you can use to lift others up? How does living this way ultimately end up being a blessing for all?
7. How does Jesus model all of this?

Scripture: Luke 13:22-30

1. Take a minute to read the scripture for today. What stands out. How does it honestly make you feel? Do any parts feel uncomfortable?
2. For many the idea of being shut out like in this passage can feel uncomfortable. It recalls painful social situations, maybe a time in your life when you suddenly felt shut out, left out of the circle, wondering what happened. Can you think of a time like that?
3. This passage, both in the question and Jesus' response, can seem to confirm a scarcity mentality. In what ways do you resort to a scarcity mentality? In what ways do others and societies as a whole do this? 
4. Becky says, "when we take a closer look at what Jesus is actually saying, we realize that while Jesus is calling us to action of some kind - many translations translate that “make every effort” to “strive” - “strive to enter the narrow door,” but it’s not the kind of action we at first assume. We, like the crowds, like the Pharisees, even like the disciples, we want a list of rules to follow, items on a to-do list to tick off so that we can know that we’ve pleased the boss, that we’ve made the cut. We so fear the potential of narrow doors that will squeeze us out, keep us out, that we erect our own narrow doors. We push ourselves to push others out so that there will be space for me." In what ways do you think this is true? What kind of things encourage this mode of thinking among Christians?
5. "In the gospel of Luke, it seems like Jesus doesn’t care so much about rules as he does about alignment with God’s heart. You see, the ones who thought they’d be saved, that they’d make it into God’s kingdom, they were shut out not so much for what they did or didn’t do, as for WHO they failed to get to KNOW. Jesus says that if they truly knew him, then they would do what he says, they would do as he does! It’s right in the passage. When the people plead for the door to be opened, they argue saying, “it’s us! Don’t you remember? We ate and drank together! We gawked while you taught!” But Jesus says, “I don’t know you or where you come from.” I don’t know you. I never did. And you never knew me." How does this change things/turn them on their head? What does it ask of Christians, of you?
6.  The narrow door isn’t a list of rules and expectations. The narrow door is love. Full and complete love for God and others. The narrow door is Jesus himself, who offered his life so that we might walk through that door to sit at the banquet table, to feast on the fullness of life with him. How can you align yourself with God's heart? What needs to be realigned in your heart?
7. In aligning our hearts with Jesus we cannot discount the importance of time spent listening to him, with all of ourself, not just learning about him, but listening to him with our whole selves. This is what it means to be formed by Jesus. So, have you listened to Jesus lately? What does that mean or look like in your life today, in this season? What is the more of Jesus that he might be inviting you to?
8. In what ways does your life, do the choices you make, reflect the beat of God’s heart today? What needs to be REaligned in your heart and your life in order to walk in step with Jesus?