LG LEADER GUIDE
Welcome
Briefly welcome the group & pray before eating.
Welcome to life group! Life group is a safe, committed community to walk out our journey with Jesus together. Let’s pray and then eat!
Dinner Discussion (30-40 mins)
Here are some questions to get you started based on last week’s message. Encourage people to share, not report.
Welcome to life group! Life group is a safe, committed community to walk out our journey with Jesus together. Let’s pray and then eat!
Dinner Discussion (30-40 mins)
Here are some questions to get you started based on last week’s message. Encourage people to share, not report.
- Last week, we talked about simplifying our pleasures. Were you able to name a few areas of excess of pleasure in your life this week? What was one step you took towards the simplicity of pleasure?
- Are there areas in your life where Jesus has highlighted disordered desires? Or are there areas where you feel the world encouraging a disordering of desires in your life?
- How can you, personally, help keep right alignment of your desires?
Announcements
(5 mins)
Encounter Night | this Friday from 7-8:30pm in the auditorium
As a people who are passionate about Jesus, encounter nights are a way to come into his presence and worship Him!
Worship Team Kick-Off | Sunday, January 29 from noon-1:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall
If you are interested in being a part of the worship and tech team or are already on board, join us for food, community, and some vision for what it looks like to be a part of worship and tech this semester!
Want to Serve?
The new year is a great time to jump in and serve! There are lots of opportunities and times to serve depending on your schedule. Simply fill out the form under the connect tab on the website or app and one of our leaders will contact you!
Encounter Night | this Friday from 7-8:30pm in the auditorium
As a people who are passionate about Jesus, encounter nights are a way to come into his presence and worship Him!
Worship Team Kick-Off | Sunday, January 29 from noon-1:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall
If you are interested in being a part of the worship and tech team or are already on board, join us for food, community, and some vision for what it looks like to be a part of worship and tech this semester!
Want to Serve?
The new year is a great time to jump in and serve! There are lots of opportunities and times to serve depending on your schedule. Simply fill out the form under the connect tab on the website or app and one of our leaders will contact you!
Practice: Confession
Overview (5 mins.)
Life in apprenticeship to Jesus involves an internal tug-of-war, a battle between our good desires and our broken desires (or what Paul calls our “flesh”). To follow Jesus is to resist the disordered desires of our flesh and to live into the new, redeemed desires of the Spirit.
If we’re going to win this fight, we’ll need to be honest with ourselves, God, and one another. There is no healing in hiding. For thousands of years, followers of Jesus have fought their disordered desires not by hiding them, but by confessing them. By confessing these desires and behaviors before God and others, followers of Jesus are able to find freedom from them; it is the truth that sets us free.
Bible Reading (10-20 mins)
Have somebody read 1 John 1:8-9 and James 5:16.
Talk about the following questions:
Note: This conversation could take up the whole night. If it does, that is okay. The simple act of talking about confession contributes to an environment in which confession can take place. Feel free to revisit the rest of the Practice on a different night if that happens.
Practice (15-30 mins)
Exercise 1: The Examen
Let’s begin with a prayer exercise known as the Examen. Each person can spread out and find a comfy space to sit in, perhaps with a notebook and pen in their hand. Then, have the Leader pray to invite the Holy Spirit. After a few moments of quiet, spend time quietly with God doing the following:
Exercise 2: Share the moment(s) with another person
After completing the Examen, split into groups of two to share the moments that came to mind during the Examen. If multiple moments come to mind, share one moment that either felt most significant or that you feel comfortable sharing.
For the sharer, this looks like saying something like, “I realized that this week I failed to love God by _________" or “I failed to love (this person) by ________".
For the listener, this looks like quietly listening without judgment. Once the person has finished sharing, thank them for sharing and share your moment in return.
After both parties have shared, spend a few minutes praying for one another and speaking the forgiveness of God over one another in prayer.
Life in apprenticeship to Jesus involves an internal tug-of-war, a battle between our good desires and our broken desires (or what Paul calls our “flesh”). To follow Jesus is to resist the disordered desires of our flesh and to live into the new, redeemed desires of the Spirit.
If we’re going to win this fight, we’ll need to be honest with ourselves, God, and one another. There is no healing in hiding. For thousands of years, followers of Jesus have fought their disordered desires not by hiding them, but by confessing them. By confessing these desires and behaviors before God and others, followers of Jesus are able to find freedom from them; it is the truth that sets us free.
Bible Reading (10-20 mins)
Have somebody read 1 John 1:8-9 and James 5:16.
Talk about the following questions:
- What do these passages teach us about confession?
- What has been your experience with confession?
- What is scary about confession? What could be healthy or freeing about confession?
- How could we form an environment that is safe for people to confess sin to one another?
Note: This conversation could take up the whole night. If it does, that is okay. The simple act of talking about confession contributes to an environment in which confession can take place. Feel free to revisit the rest of the Practice on a different night if that happens.
Practice (15-30 mins)
Exercise 1: The Examen
Let’s begin with a prayer exercise known as the Examen. Each person can spread out and find a comfy space to sit in, perhaps with a notebook and pen in their hand. Then, have the Leader pray to invite the Holy Spirit. After a few moments of quiet, spend time quietly with God doing the following:
- Step One: Replay the week in your mind
Take a few minutes to practice active reflection of the last week, allowing it to play like a movie in your mind. Call to mind the highs and the lows of the week and all of the emotions tied to those moments. - Step Two: Invite the Holy Spirit into your reflection
Having the week before your mind, ask the Holy Spirit this simple question: “When did I fail to love God or love someone else this week?” Take a few moments to quietly replay the week in your mind, allowing the Holy Spirit to show you moments where you did not love God or others. (Remember: While the Holy Spirit convicts us in order to lead us into life, shame is not ever the voice of God. So while the Holy Spirit will correct you, the Holy Spirit will never degrade or dishonor you.) - Step Three: Acknowledge those moments before God
Once those moments have come to mind, confess them to God by acknowledging the wrongdoing towards him or towards someone else. After you’ve acknowledged them to God, call to mind God’s readiness to forgive you and thank him for his forgiveness.
Exercise 2: Share the moment(s) with another person
After completing the Examen, split into groups of two to share the moments that came to mind during the Examen. If multiple moments come to mind, share one moment that either felt most significant or that you feel comfortable sharing.
For the sharer, this looks like saying something like, “I realized that this week I failed to love God by _________" or “I failed to love (this person) by ________".
For the listener, this looks like quietly listening without judgment. Once the person has finished sharing, thank them for sharing and share your moment in return.
After both parties have shared, spend a few minutes praying for one another and speaking the forgiveness of God over one another in prayer.
Closing in Prayer
End in a time of prayer together as a large group, sharing short prayer requests if time permits.