Use this discussion time to really get at the snap judgments and the simplistic ways we size up our world, and in doing so miss out on a great life full of great people. We will appreciate our lives to the very degree we can actually see!
Thaw
- What is a highlight from this previous week?
- What is a highlight of today?
- What kinds of things usually try and drown out your noticing of good moments on any given day?
- What stuck with you most from Sunday? Why?
Read
- Matthew 6:25-7:5
- Thoughts?
- Why do you think anxiety and a judgmental attitude are related.
Leader note: Some people don;t tun of themselves as judgmental, so you may need to explore other ways of discussing this. Some are judgmental of themselves to a fault. This too, is anxiety.
Discuss
- Are you generally an appreciative or unappreciative person? Why?
Read
- Colossians 1:16-17
- Thoughts?
- What does it mean to be a person who looks for the Christ in all things and people? What changes if you live this way?
- What hinders us from living this way?
Discuss
- Who do you know that most seems plugged into a given moment, listening and noticing and appreciating nuances that others miss?
- How can you learn from this person?
Apply
- Spend a few moments in silence, being still and noticing where you are now. Notice the room, the food, the people. Notice your thoughts and how they try and wriggle out of the moment and over to work, kids, money, even whether or not you are comfortable sitting still with a group of others. Don't condemn your distractions, but notice how difficult it is to be fully tuned into this moment as a student. Ask God to train your mind to be present here, with people, appreciative of what is already true.
- Discuss as a group what it would like to put his five minute discipline into your daily life and how you can help each other to do it.
"Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." -Luke 5:16
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