Hand Me Downs, Part II

Hello Leaders

In week two of this series, we will deal with our own parents. The simple message of the 5th commandment can seem complicated by our unique experiences, but sometimes we just need to come back to it's simplicity. Especially if we are living in such a way as to grow in faith and trust in the ways of God.

Below find some general questions about the message and people's take-away, as well as some key texts to read and discuss. As a leader, bear in mind that this may be a very confronting issue; some of your members may have many layers to their relationship ( or lack thereof) to their parents, and it may be the environment you create that puts them on a more God-honoring, more healthy path. You should prayerfully enter your group time prepared to ask your group if they have (wrongly) put their parents in God's place, and therefore set them up for failure; if they have considered what fallen people would like if suddenly given the role of parent- and if they have had fair expectations on their human moms and dads; if they are demanding an apology before they will forgive, etc...You may also find some deep wounds received from parents- wounds that can't be healed by group discussion but can begin to heal when someone feels safe telling their real story.

Remember that the Spirit of Christ is redemptive, gracious, challenging and real. Nothing gets at the need for such things as our relationship to our folks does. No wonder honoring them made such a short list of commands.

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General Discussion Makers

• What were the key points of Sunday's message? 
  
• Did God cause any lights to go on during the music, prayer or the message?
  
• What surprised you in regard to the message?
  
• What is/was already part of my thinking on this subject?
  
• What did I learn that was new to me about God?
  
• What did I learn/realize about myself that I didn't know?
  
• What did I learn about people ( or my parents) that I didn't realize?
  
• What changes of thought are necessary?
  
• What changes of action are needed?

Further reading

• Romans 3:23
  
• James 3:2
  
• Exodus 20:1-17
• Ephesians 6:1-4

Actions

• As a group, discuss ways that you could honor your parents (even if they are no longer alive) this week. 
  
• How can you love them, make them feel loved? How can you work out an issue "as far as it is possible..."?
  

13 Days and Counting

ReGroup is just two weeks away! If you have not already RSVP’d and sent us your two most pressing issues as a group leader, then please do so asap. Looking forward to seeing you on June 22nd!

Jenny
jrogers@crosspointe.org

Hand Me Downs, Part I and 17 acres in Haiti

Hi Leaders

Over the next few weeks, we are going to be talking about parenting, and parents. We all have one or both!

Each week may or may not be appropriate for your group to tackle in terms of further study on the messages themselves. Use discernment and decide based on where and who your group is, collectively.

You may use the generic discussion guide this Sunday as we launch into the series. Jonathan will be helping us in regard to parenting with the simple concept of beginning with the end in mind. Simple, yet so often overlooked. We work this way very well in other areas, but when it comes to parenting- we can many times find ourselves at a loss as to how that would play itself out. You may or may not find your group set to discuss and wrestle with those ideas in your group next week.

You may also find that that your people want to talk about Haiti and the land we're going after.

Don't forget, this Sunday we will be taking part in a pretty significant moment in history. Our offering is always significant- what we do week to week, and what we give each Sunday, does great Kingdom things. But this week, as we come together to raise the $385,000, it's clear that the bag being passed will carry a little extra weight than normal (literally, and figuratively!) Please, please, please- for our community and for souls in Haiti we have yet to even meet- be especially prayerful that we make way for God to do what He does in and through His church. 

We know that Crosspointe is marked by the transformation Christ brings- and so this is exactly the kind of opportunity we should expect to be invited into as the reverberations of our faith stretch outward.

So- plenty to discuss, no matter what angle you take. Thanks for all you do.

Steve

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General Discussion Makers

What were the key points of Sunday's message? 

Did God cause any lights to go on during the music, prayer or the message?

What surprised you in regard to the message?

What is/was already part of my thinking on this subject?

What did I learn that was new to me about God?

What did I learn/realize about myself that I didn't know?

What did I learn about people ( or my parents) that I didn't realize?

What changes of thought are necessary?

What changes of action are needed?

 

Back to School at the DRM

Durham Rescue Mission is gearing up for their Back to School Event. This is an excellent opportunity to assist a partner ministry in meeting the practical needs of our neighbors while celebrating their pursuit of education. During this event, the Durham Rescue mission serves free food, gives away free clothing, groceries, back backs and school supplies for kids in the neighborhood. DRM needs about 400+ volunteers to make this a success.

What a great opportunity to grab your life group members and serve together!

Here are the details:
Who can help: ANYONE! Bring your kids along too!
When: Tuesday, August 19th
Where: 1201 East Main Street, Durham

To sign up to volunteer, go to the Durham Rescue mission Website. Go to the following event page and follow the link to register:
http://www.durhamrescuemission.org/events/school.html

If you want to serve as a family or life group, I recommend signing everyone up at the same time so you can get on the same project. They need help serving, sorting, setting up, and tearing down.

Also know that you or group do not have to volunteer for the entire day...but you can if you want. It is a work day for many, so if you want to take an extended lunch and serve or take the morning or afternoon off to serve, you can do that as well. Consider serving together as a group and then going to lunch together.

Thanks so much,
Pam McKerring
Pastor of Mobilization
Crosspointe Church
pmckerring@crosspointe.org
919-469-9111 x 245