Making Decisions

How do you make daily decisions? What would happen if you tried to make decisions based on more than what’s easy or what you want: for example, comfortable vs. uncomfortable, God’s will vs. my will, for myself vs. for others? What decisions would be better different?

Active Listening

During Lent I often give up something--chocolate, caffeine, desserts. Sometimes I add something into my life--reading more Scripture, journaling, fast days. This year I decided to not do anything specific, but just listen more. What is God calling ME to do. I can't feed the world, I cant' clothe the world, I can't visit everyone in prison or who is sick. I am actively listening. We often think of listening as a passive activity, but I'm listening in my reading, in my conversations, in my experiences. What is God saying to me about what I should do. I listen and I do. I am also listening for what God is calling Redeemer to do.

In what areas can we as a congregation begin to make a difference? Why does it matter that we do it together rather than individually (or perhaps in addition to individually)?

One thing you lack

What areas in your own life might God point to and say, “One thing you lack”? What areas of your life do you need to surrender to God?

Rich Young Ruler

Rich talks about the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-31 and Matt 19:16-30)and how he wanted to cut this passage out of his Bible. Which Scripture passages have you wished would be eliminated from the Bible? Why?

Hunger

Almost one in seven worldwide, 854 million people, do not have enough food to sustain them. This makes hunger/malnutrition the number one risk to health globally, greater than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. About 25,000 people die each day of hunger or related causes—9 million
people per year. (The Hole in Our Gospel, p.135)

In the 18 counties served by Second Harvest North Florida, more than 100,000 people are experiencing very low food security—or hunger. An estimated 31,400 people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by Second Harvest North Florida. (Second Harvest website)

How can we individually and corporately respond to this issue?

Today's sermon

Did Bill Driscoll's sermon today make you feel uncomfortable? What was it that made you feel that way? In what way might you respond to this?

Living in the bubble

Richard Stearns talks about his privileged life at home and how this “bubble” he lived in insulated him from “anything too raw or upsetting.” How do you relate to his desire to keep “the poor at a safe distance”? What fears perpetuate this desire?

Looking at life with different eyes

In 1988, I visited El Salvador which is a Central America nation in the midst of civil war. There was (and is) desperate poverty in that place. In the mountains near the ocean we spent a couple of nights in a remote village with no access to education, health care, or electricity. A Catholic priest came by a couple of times a year for weddings and baptisms. There was a woman there who bartered her only shoes for a chicken so she could cook us a meal. Of course, we didn't need the food, but she wanted us to be cared for even in her poverty. She said something I'll never forget when asked why, "I love Jesus and this is what I'm supposed to do." She had a true gift of generosity and hospitality. That day changed my life. I realized how amazingly blessed we are as well as how little I understood generosity or the Lord's hand on a life. I didn't become a Christian for another 6 years, but I was changed in that moment.

Have you ever had a time or place that completely overwhelmed you and forced you to think about life differently. Tell us about it.

Acting out our Faith

I was struck especially in reading in Stearns' prologue by his confession "'Forgive me, Lord, forgive me. I didn't know.' But I did know. I knew about poverty and suffering in the world. I was aware that children die daily from starvation and lack of clean water. I also knew about AIDS and the orphans it leaves behind, but I kept these things outside of my insulating bubble and looked the other way." I read this book originally last summer, but as I reread it this time I noticed I wrote in the margin "as do I."

As do I. Forgive me, Lord. Show me how to change my heart and see clearly your mission in the world.

How about you? Do you also turn a blind eye to the poor when there are literally thousands of verses in the Bible that tells us to do otherwise? Why do we do that? What can we reasonably do? Let's discuss what we are called to do as Christians, as a congregation, and as individuals.

Reading Schedule

All reading from The Hole in Our Gospel

Feb 18th - Feb 24, 2010:
Discussion on Prologue and Part 1
Key point: Every believer is called to act on his faith.

Feb 25 - March 3, 2010:
Discussion on Part 2
Key point: We are called to an awareness of the world’s suffering

March 4 - March 10, 2010
Discussion on Part 2 and 3
Key point: We are called to an awareness of and to address suffering wherever we see it

March 11 - March 17
Discussion on Part 3
Key point: We are called to address suffering wherever we see it

March 18 - March 24
Discussion on Part 4
Key point: We are called to lay down our lives for others

March 25 - April 1
Discussion on Part 5
Key point: We are called to account for how we treat the poor

Introduction to Blog

During Lent 2010, Redeemer will be reading Richard Stearns' book, The Hole in Our Gospel. Sunday sermons will be based on Scripture passages brought up in the various sections of the book. Each Monday and Thursday during Lent I will post several discussion questions based on the section of the book we’re reading. Many issues about our responsibilities and actions will be raised. I hope it will challenge you to do something about the issue of global poverty. Pray! God will lead you—and us.

All are welcome to read along and post. If you don’t attend Church of the Redeemer in Jacksonville, Florida, podcasts of the sermons can be downloaded from our website, www.redeemerlives.net, but you don’t need to hear the sermons to participate in the discussion. If you do though live in the Jacksonville area and don’t have a church home, we welcome you to join us! Go to our website for more information or email me at elvish999@yahoo.com.

Jeanne Higgins
Director of Adult Discipleship