Reading for the Week of July 3 – 9
Day 1- John 3 (What do you learn about Nicodemus?)
Day 2- John 4 (What do you learn about the woman?)
Day 3- John 3 (What do you learn about Jesus?)
Day 4- John 4 (What do you learn about Jesus?)
Day 5- 1 John 3 (Notice this is 1 John, not the gospel)
Day 6- 1 John 4 (Notice this is 1 John, not the gospel)
Bonus- John 19-20
Memorize/Reflect - “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Personal Reflection- How are Nicodemus and the woman at the well similar? How are they different? How did Jesus show love to each of these people?
Discussion- Who are some people you know that are like Nicodemus? Who are some people that are like the woman? How does God want us to love and reach out to these people?
Prayer Direction- Thank God for loving you long before you loved Him. Ask for a deeper understanding of God’s love for you. Pray for power to love others (no matter who they are) the way Jesus loves them.
“Live It!” Challenge - Make time this week to reach out to a “Nicodemus,” and a “Woman at the well”. Seek to do one thing that will show them that God is real and loves them.
Monthly Prayer Focus:This July we will focus our prayers on traveling, every day, with Jesus. This week, pray about how you spend your free time. Ask God to show you how to use this time for His glory.
Resources for this week: As we begin our Road Trip with Jesus, you might want to join us in reading the gospels (They will be part of the weekly reading guide in your bulletin and on the web site). If you don’t have your own Bible, visit the Shoreline Bookstore, or talk with one of our pastors. If you don’t know the sweeping and epic story of the Bible, consider reading “The Story.” There are copies available in the Bookstore.
Small Groups Discussion Questions (Summer Road Trip with Jesus – Week 1)
Reading for the Week of June 26 – July 2
Day 1- Mark 1
Day 2- Mark 2
Day 3- Mark 3
Day 4- Mark 4
Day 5- Mark 5
Day 6- Mark 6
Bonus- Mark 7
Memorize/Reflect - ““Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’”? (Mark 2:9)
Personal Reflection- What are some of the things you spend the most time dreaming about, hoping for, and working for? What are the things that you claim are most important to you and that matter the most? How do these two lists of things conflict in your heart, life, and schedule?
Discussion- Make a list of the things that most people in American culture spend their time dreaming about and seeking to attain? Make a list of what other people you know say they value most in life? What consistencies do you see between these two lists? How are these two lists different?
Prayer Direction- Pray for a life and heart that focus on what really matters most to the heart of God. Thank God for the times He has given you what you needed and not what you wanted. You may even want to thank God for not giving you things you asked for that were self-serving and foolish.
“Live It!” Challenge - Look over your schedule from the last few weeks. How much time did you spend doing things that matter the most? How much time was invested in things that are not all that important? Think about how you can spend more time on important things and less on trivial things.
Monthly Prayer Focus: This July we will focus our prayers on traveling, every day, with Jesus. This week, pray about how you start your day. Ask God to speak to you first thing in the morning and give direction to your day. Try getting on your knees each morning before you get on your feet and thank God for a new day. Think through all you have coming up in the day and offer each encounter, meeting, class, and activity to God.
Resources for this week: As we begin our Summer Road Trip with Jesus, you might want to join us in reading the gospels, as they will be part of the weekly reading guide in your bulletin and on the website. If you don’t have your own Bible, visit the Shoreline Bookstore, or talk with one of our pastors. If you don’t know the sweeping and epic story of the Bible, consider reading The Story by Zondervan.
Small Groups Discussion Questions
Reading for the Week of June 19 – 25
Day 1- Genesis 1
Day 2- Genesis 2
Day 3- Exodus 20
Day 4- Psalm 23
Day 5- Mark 1 and Psalm 131
Day 6- Mark 2
Bonus- Isaiah 30:1-23
Memorize/Reflect - “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15)
Personal Reflection- What helps me slow down, be quiet, and make space for connecting with God and people? What gets in the way of this?
Discussion- Tell about a few times, in the last week, when you really felt at peace, relaxed, and had a sense you were really experiencing life? What are some of the things in the flow of culture and your life that keep you from really experiencing what God designed life to be about?
Prayer Direction- Thank God for the week that lies ahead. Ask God to help you slow down, notice His presence and goodness, and truly enjoy life. Confess where you get running too fast and miss what matters most in life…your relationship with God and with the people around you.
“Live It!” Challenge - Block out an hour this week to do absolutely nothing. Leave this space open (put it on your schedule) and use this time to be quiet, talk with God, take a walk with a friend or family member, and simply enjoy life.
Monthly Prayer Focus: This June we will focus our prayers on the women in our lives. Take time to thank God for women in your family, church, and community who have impacted your life in positive ways. You might even want to drop a note to one of these women and let them know how much God has shaped your life through them.
Resources for this week: If you want to dig deeper into the topic of making room for life, consider reading Randy Frazee’s book, Making Room for Life. You can pick it up or order it at the Shoreline bookstore.
Small Groups Discussion Questions (Father’s Day)
Reading for the Week of June 12 – 18
Day 1- John 3
Day 2- Matthew 25
Day 3- Isaiah 6
Day 4- Deuteronomy 4
Day 5- Deuteronomy 5
Day 6- Psalm 86 and 103
Bonus- Psalm 111 and 145
Memorize/Reflect - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“…whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ” (John 3:18)
Personal Reflection- How have I experienced God’s tender and compassionate love in my live? How has God shown his discipline and tough love in my life? How do God’s tough and tender love work together to show me that I am a valued child in His eyes? (Read Hebrews 12:6)
Discussion- What is the danger of focusing exclusively on God’s tender compassion, mercy, grace and love? What is the danger of focusing only on God’s holiness, judgment, wrath, discipline, and tough love? Why is it critical that Christians embrace both the tender and tough love of God?
Prayer Direction- Thank God for his tender patience and extravagant compassion toward you. Thank Him for loving you so much that he will actually discipline you as a heavenly Father who wants the best for you. Pray that you will always receive the fullness of His love…both tough and tender.
“Live It!” Challenge - Look at your life through the lens of extending God’s tender and tough love. Is there someone who needs you to be a bit more tender…take action and do it. Is there someone who needs you to be a bit tougher…take action!
Monthly Prayer Focus: This June we will focus our prayers on the women in our lives. Take time to pray for the women at Shoreline who are involved in mentoring and being mentored. Ask God to strengthen and grow our mentoring ministry. If you want to know more about being mentored or being a mentor, contact the church or email Karen Hughes.
Small Groups Discussion Questions (Week 4 – W: Great Women of the Bible)
Reading for the Week of June 5 – 11
Day 1- Hosea 1 (Gomer)
Day 2- Hosea 2-3 (Gomer)
Day 3- Hosea 11 & 14
Day 4- Genesis 38 (Tamar)
Day 5- Judges 4 (Jael)
Day 6- John 4 (Woman caught in adultery)
Bonus- Joshua 2 & 6 (Rahab)
Memorize/Reflect - “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.” (Hosea 2:19)
Personal Reflection- God uses broken and sinful people who are willing to follow Him; how has God worked through your life in spite of your weaknesses, past choices, and sins? How do the stories of these women give hope to those who think, “God could never work through me”?
Discussion- How does Hosea extend grace and love to an undeserving wife and why does his story bring hope to each of us? God can bring good out of the worst of situations…how do you see this happening in the stories of these women? What would you say to a person who thinks, “God could never use someone like me”?
Prayer Direction- Thank God for His amazing grace that cleanses your sin. Offer your life to Jesus and commit to serve and follow Him, even when you are aware of your sin and unworthiness. Pray for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to show you where there is sin in your life and ask for power to resist and repent.
“Live It!” Challenge - Identify a pattern, habit, or behavior in your life that you know God wants you to change. For the next week, surrender this to God and seek to walk in total obedience in this area…then, make it a lifestyle.
Monthly Prayer Focus: This June we will focus our prayers on the women in our lives. Take time to pray for young women you know who are growing up in a world that fails to celebrate the true value of women. Pray for them to see their value and worth in the eyes of God.
Resources for the “W…Great Women of the Bible” series:: If you want to dig deeper into the topic of women in the Bible, consider looking into the Real Women, Real Faith series and curriculum. The video teaching is taught by: Elisa Morgan (the founder of Mops), Lysa TerKeurst, and others. Discussion resources are written by Sherry Harney. You can order/purchase these at the Shoreline Bookstore today.
Small Groups Discussion Questions (Week 3 – W: Great Women of the Bible)
