Group Discussion & Life Challenge
Use these notes as discussion prompts for your group, or in your personal time with God.
Connect:
Get to know each other. Connect, warm up to each other, fellowship.
Care:
Carry each other’s burdens. Share life’s challenges and practice Soul Care. Pray together.
Challenge:
1) Aaron opened with the idea of looking but not really seeing (the “husband eyes” in the fridge). Where in your own life do you tend to look right past what’s in front of you, whether in people, in situations, or in what God is doing?
2) Samuel assumed Eliab was the one, and Jesse didn’t think to include David at all. Who in your life (children, family, coworkers, people in our church) might you be overlooking? What would it look like to ask God to help you see them the way He does?
3) David’s confidence wasn’t in his sling or his past victories, but in God’s character (17:37, 45-47). What do you know to be true about God that you can hold onto when circumstances feel overwhelming? Share a time when remembering who God is changed how you faced something difficult.
4) David’s heart was formed long before the battlefield, in the quiet, unseen work of tending sheep. What “unseen” places in your life (routines, solitude, ordinary responsibilities) might God be using to shape your character right now?
5) This series asks “Who are you listening to?” and this sermon adds “What are you looking at?” Think about your typical week. What are the main things shaping your attention (screens, news, social media, work, worries)? How do those inputs shape your heart?
Clarify:
Does anyone need clarity on something? Are there any big God questions you are wrestling with?
Celebrate:
Celebrate life’s successes and God’s provision. Worship God’s presence. Time to brag about God.
BibleApp
Through the Bible in one Year
Join us in reading through the entire Bible in one year. Each day of this plan guides you through passages from both the Old and New Testaments, allowing you to see connections between the history of our faith, and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Readings average four chapters in length, so it is posible to do. When you use the YouVersion Bible App, you can even have the app read the Bible text to you – very useful when you are in the car or otherwise occupied with your hand.
All you need to do is click the link to the Bible Plan, which should lead you straight to the Bible app. Your two options are now (1) to read the plan on your own, one day at the time. Or (2) you can make it more fun and rewarding, by sharing the plan with one or more friends, and then even “Talk about it”.