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Breathing Room: Being Fully Present

By September 18, 2016Conversation Starters

NOTE: If you missed Sunday’s message, click here to listen and/or watch.

Conversation Starters:

  • Jeff shared a personal story about a time when he was overcome by stress & worry causing him to be unable to be “fully present” with his family. Can you think of a time from your own life where this happened to you? What happened?
  • Jeff gave two reasons why the inability to be fully present is a problem:
    1. We can’t experience deep & meaningful relationships in life.
    2. We can’t experience true & genuine joy on life.
      • Have you noticed these things in other peoples lives? How?
      • How have you personally experienced the reality of these two problems in your life, as a result of not ‘being present’?
  • Jeff talked about how ‘presence (the incarnation of Christ) is the essence of the Gospel’ and how Jesus practiced presence in his daily life. Can you think of some other examples from the life of Christ where he was ‘full present’ and in the moment? What can we learn about Jesus and about being ‘fully present’ from these stories?
  • Jeff talked about how we must eliminate worry from our lives if we are to learn to be fully present.
    • Read Matthew 6:31-34 together and Philippians 4:6-7.
    • What do these verses teach us about worry and about trusting in God? Why is this so difficult to do? How do we actually do it?
  • Jeff also gave some practical tips on how to deal with our ‘distractions’ so that we can be fully present:
    1. Put the cell phone (or screen) down.
    2. Ask Questions of people (show an interest in people and make an effort to get to know them).
    3. Be Grateful
      • Which if these three tips most resonate with you? Why?
      • Can you think of some other practical things you can do to be ‘more present’?
  • What is the one thing you will do this week as a result of this teaching?
    • Spend some time praying for each other as a group.
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