Sunday, April 3rd

Our friend Leo Heinsaar who has been a part of TIF, will be sharing some thoughts and ideas that God has impressed upon him this coming Sunday at 16:00. The theme for the evening will center on using our skills that we have acquired over the years through education and training to serve in Jesus Christ’s Kingdom of truth, love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, and sacrifice in a broken world. In essence, this has implications for each one of us. I know you will be blessed by Leo’s passion and reflective insights.

March 27th - Are you in tune with God?

Often you will hear people from church talking about having a relationship with God. But what does it mean to have a relationship with God? What does it look like? How can we possibly relate to something that has no form, but is spirit? What about Jesus? For a lot of us, it can be a hard thing to understand, even if we claim to have a relationship with God. But for any relationship to be successful, one must be in tune with another. As always, the life of Jesus shows us much about what it means to have a relationship with God. He said that he came to give us life to the fullest (John 10:10). Some people think that a full life means an abundance of material things, but perhaps Jesus meant that fullness of life comes when we are in tune, or in relationship with God. Join us this Sunday afternoon at 16:00 (remember this is our new time) as we unfold these things in greater detail. It might just have an impact on the way you live life! This would be a great discussion to bring a friend. It’s always our desire to create a comfortable environment where these things can be discussed and it come in a way that fits our world today.


Discussion Questions:
- What do you believe about God’s involvement in our daily lives? Is God among us, or is he elsewhere?

- What images do you have of God? What or who has helped shape the images you have?

- What does it mean to be in relationship with God? Does it require that we must be in tune with him? Can we believe in God and be out of tune with him?

- Do you believe that if you live the life that Jesus taught us how to live – a life of truth, love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, and sacrifice - that you will have life to the fullest? Is this living in relationship with God?

For Personal Reflection During Your Week:
- Are you in tune, or in a relationship with God? It’s good to read large chunks of scripture at times to get a better picture of what is happening. But we must be intentional and take the time to do so. Challenge yourself this week to read the entire Gospel of John in the Bible. Reflect on how Jesus lived and consider the following:

- How can I live a more truthful life? Am I honest in my relationships with my spouse, friends, co-workers, students, etc.?

- How can I love others around me? Am I judgmental? Do I build people up or tear them down with my words and actions?

- How can I be compassionate to those around me that are hurting? Do I care enough about other people’s problems to do what I can to help them?

- What is unfair or unjust that is causing unnecessary suffering around me? What can I do about it to make this neighborhood, town, country, or world a better place to live in?

- Am I a forgiving person? Do I hold on to grudges that affect the various relationships in my life? Do I hold people’s wrongs against them?

- What can I sacrifice for the good of people around me and this world? Do I need to give my time and/or resources to make this world more like God intends it to be?

Imagine the kind of world we would live in if we all took the time to take a personal inventory of the way that Jesus taught us how to live. Not only would we personally be more in tune with God, but the world would be too. All these things you reflected on sound like the kind of world that many people seek to live in, but they simply don’t understand how, why, or for what purpose. Don’t think for a second that you don’t have the ability to make a difference in the world. When you live in tune with God, you are making a difference because good things will begin to happen in us and around us. Could this be what fullness of life is all about?

March 20th - Prayer

Does prayer really help? It seems really easy, yet it’s really hard for us to do. Maybe you have experienced a situation where you prayed and continued to pray and you felt like God was not listening. Maybe you see other people around you getting what they want when they pray and yet you do not. Maybe you are even angry with God because he told you no. What if there is more to prayer than just God listening and answering? As we unfold this topic, we are going to consider how Jesus prayed. Below are some discussion and reflection questions, but we are going to do something different. Prayer is not something we should merely talk about, it’s something we should do! So think about what’s bothering you right now. Be honest. Maybe you feel like God is not listening. Maybe you are unsure about how to know God is speaking or leading you. Maybe you are angry with God for not answering a prayer you have prayed for years. Whatever you are dealing with, whatever is burdening you, bring that request with you on Sunday evening. You can share your request(s) with others or you can silently speak before God, either way just bring it! As we consider Jesus and his honest prayer before God in Matthew 26:36-39, we are going to pray the same way over whatever is burdening us. I’m trusting that God will speak to each of us in very fresh and profound ways through our time together on Sunday evening.


Discussion Questions:

1) Do you think God always answers prayer?
Do you think sometimes he says no? Explain.

2) If someone close to you asked you to describe prayer, what would you say?
What if they then asked you, “does prayer work”, what would your response be and why?

3) Do you believe God has invited you to take part in the ongoing creation of the world?
If so, what does this mean in your day-to-day life?

4) Is prayer about changing you or about changing what’s happening?
How could prayer change your perspective right now?


Personal Reflection During your week:

- Read Matt 26:36-39 – Notice the honesty in Jesus’ prayer. Are you honest with God when you pray? Are there things in your life right now you wish were different? Stuff you’re dealing with? Situations you’ve gone through? Are you up for whatever God has in mind? Be honest with Him and open to His will.

- Prayer is not only us presenting our requests to God, it is God presenting His will to our hearts. God promises us that our prayers are not empty, even if we don't receive specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-28)

- He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15)

Coming on March 13th

It’s not unusual in English speaking cultures to hear people use the word “love” rather loosely. Someone might say, “I love this shirt” and then a moment later say, “I love my wife.” Maybe in your native language there are similar occurrences, but can I really love a shirt and my wife the same way? Over time, love begins to lose meaning. Do we really understand what real love is? What does it take to really love somebody? What does it mean to give yourself to someone else? God created us a certain way to experience all that love was really meant to be. We are going to explore these topics this week as we watch the NOOMA film Flame. Below you will find some discussion questions and personal reflection questions along with scripture. Take some time to think about these questions and be ready to share.

Discussion:

1. Why do you think that love is so complex?

2. Do you think the word “love” loses its meaning when we use it for so many things? Does it affect our understanding of what real love is?

3. What does it mean to give all of yourself to another person?

4. After watching the video, we see that there are three variations of the Hebrew word “love.” Does it take all three of these working together for a relationship to be successful? Why or why not?

5. How has your understanding of love changed when we consider God’s way?

Personal Reflection:

Read these selected passages to see examples of the various uses of the Hebrew word love (raya, ahava, & dod). Raya – Song of Songs 4:7; ahava – Song of Songs 8:7; dod – Song of Songs 1:2

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul gives some practical examples of love. Read 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

It’s important to be at the discussion this week to gain a better understanding behind the biblical concept of love as we unfold these ancient Hebrew words. After doing that consider:

- If you are married: What areas do I need to be working on to make my marriage look more like the way God intends it to be? Discuss these with your spouse. How can you be praying for your spouse? In what ways can God be working in him/her?

- If you are currently in a relationship, but not yet married: When it comes to love and the way God created relationships to work, how does your current relationship align? Is there potential for all three areas of love to burn together as one at some point?

- If you are not currently in a relationship: Think about the video and the discussion, are you attracted to someone who is willing to demonstrate the qualities of love? What do you need to change about your understanding of love?

Discussion for Sunday, March 6th

Our focus this week will center on listening for God’s voice in our lives as we watch and discuss the NOOMA video “Noise.” We are constantly being surrounded by voices around us that are telling us how to think, feel, and behave. Think of all the noise we have in our lives with – overwhelming work schedules, assignments, deadlines, T.V. shows, movies, cell phones, music, internet, facebook, and never-ending advertising all around us! There is always something going on. All of this constant noise in our lives! Why is the silence so hard to deal with? Why is it so much easier to surround ourselves with lots of things going on rather than being in silence? However, we see time and time again in scripture that we are to be still, silent, and listen for God’s voice. Is there a connection between the amount of noise in our lives and our inability to hear God? Let’s think about these things and come together and share with one another. Take a look at the discussion questions below and also the section for your own personal reflection.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does all the noise in our lives make it hard to hear God?
2. Why is silence so hard to deal with?
3. Do you ever intentionally surround yourself with noise? If so, why do we do this?
4. Do you sometimes avoid silence because you are afraid of what God has to say?
5. What are some situations in which God has spoken to you?

For Personal Reflection During Your Week:

Notice how the following scriptures tell us to be silent and listen: Deuteronomy 27:9; Psalm 4:4; Habakkuk 2:20
Reflect on Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28
Notice how Jesus took time to be in silence – Luke 5:16

- What kind of noise do you have in your life?
- Do you wish God’s voice would be louder in your life?
- If I am not still and I do not listen, how is Jesus going to give me rest?
- When was the last time you spent some time in silence?
- Have you spent the same amount of time worrying and talking about your difficult confusing situations as you have spent in silence, listening to what God might have to say?
- Does my schedule, my time, my life look like that of a person who wants to hear God’s voice?
- What are some things in your daily life you could change to eliminate some noise?
- Is it possible that you have been searching for God’s voice in the noise around you and He is waiting to speak to you in the silence?