God in Five Minutes!

Small Group Questions

1)   When you were growing up, was there a time your family struggled financially? Were you aware of it at the time? Describe that time.

2)   Have you ever been broke and barely able to pay your bills? What do you think were the positives and negatives of that time in your life? What did you learn?

3)   Do you think it is true that when we have little we are more grateful than when we have enough? Why or why not?

4)   What does it mean to you to live a generous life?

5)   Is it just “pastor-talk” or do you think Pastor George is right: that the best antidote to greed is generosity?  What does that look like practically? And what is scary about that?

Small Group Questions

1)   When you were a kid, did your family ever have meals together? What was a Thanksgiving-type meal typically like in your family?

2)   What is the most lavish banquet you’ve ever attended? What as it like?

3)   Can you think of a time when you were invited to a meal and some of the other guests were quite different from you? Or, maybe you served in a soup kitchen for the homeless? Did the meal help bring people together?

4)   Do you think the Lord’s Supper is mostly about your personal meal and forgiveness; or mostly about breaking down walls between people by creating a large, common meal?

5)   “Eucharist” means Thanksgiving. The Lord’s Supper is supposed to be a celebration of thanksgiving for God’s grace and love. Is communion in your church more like that, or more like a somber funeral? Somewhere in-between?

Small Group Questions

1)   When do you feel the most free? The most enslaved?

2)   To what degree does the meeting of physical needs result in freedom? Have you ever been in a situation where your physical needs were pretty much fulfilled but you didn’t feel free?

3)   Are freedom and happiness the same thing? Explain how they are the same or different.

4)   How do you experience freedom in Christ?

5)   Have you ever had the experience of trying to love someone unlovable to you? What was that like?

Small Group Questions

1)   When you were a youth, who was your first love? Did you bring that person gifts?

2)   Do you think you tend to love God more with your mind, or with your deeds?

3)   If knowing God is about experiencing God, how do you experience God?

4)   What do you think it means to love God out of gratitude as opposed to loving God out of obligation? What makes this so hard to do?

5)   How are you generally loved “in the world” or at work, and how does this affect how you love?

Small Group Questions

1) Who was in charge of your household when you were growing up? What happened when that person was challenged to do things differently?

2) Have you been a part of an organization that was resistant to change? Why was it so stubborn? Have you been a part of an organization that welcomed change and new ideas? What made that happen?

3) We often think it is those people who are resistant to change by new ideas from new people around us. But do you see that resistance in you sometimes? What do you think that stems from?

4) Pastor Ryan's sermon is similar to many sermons preached at Highrock over the last year. What is the common theme? Why is this message important? If outsiders and newcomers who are "different" from current Highrockers became a part of our churches and participated in leading our teams, would that make us different? How so?

5) One could say if you draw the Christian circle too big we lose our identity, and if we draw it too tight we exclude those Jesus would have included. How would you draw it?

Small Group Questions

1) As a kid, who was your favorite superhero? How about now?

2) What would you do first if you had superhero powers?

3) What do you think the difference is between the way Jesus exercised power in the Bible and superhero power?

4) Pastor John in his sermon, and Pastor George in this podcast, talk about the power of the Spirit of God. Do you think that power is real? Have you had any experiences with it you can share?

5) Pastor George suggests there are very difficult times of life that only the power of God can get you through. Do you think that is true?

Small Group Notes

1) Do you feel like you “matured” early as a kid, about average, or as a late bloomer?

2) Do you think personal development ends at 21 or do you think there are other developmental steps as you get older?

3) In 1 Corinthians 3:21, the Apostle Paul said he was giving milk to spiritual babies; that they weren’t ready for “meat.” What do you think the difference is between spiritual milk and meat?

4) How is your spiritual diet going? Are you “eating” milk, meat, or somewhere in between?

5) What is the next step for your spiritual maturity?

Small Group Questions

1) Growing up, were you an insider -- popular kid -- or outsider, or somewhere in between? Were you an insider in one group (e.g. Debate Club) and an outsider in another (e.g. Sports)? What defined these kinds of groups and who was inside and who was outside?

2) When you look at your faith, did God make you an insider or outsider in God's family? How so?

3) How can we live out the answer to #2 (if we think that is worthwhile to do) in relationships with others?

4) What do you think happens if we define Christianity too broadly? Too narrowly? What happens if we have no boundaries of faith versus narrow boundaries of faith?

5) Ultimately, at the end of time, are there Insiders and Outsiders to heaven?

Small-Group Questions

1) When you were a kid, how were disagreements settled in your group of friends?

2) When you are around political disagreements, in person or online (e.g. social media), what is normally the tenor of the conversation and the ability of people to hear each other?

3) What communication skills have you practiced -- or would like to practice -- to create understanding with people you disagree with? Is this easy or hard for you?

4) Highrock church allows for the expression of opposing views by committed Christians and values the humility needed to listen to each other. Does this frustrate you?

5) Sex is such a charged issue. Why do you think it is so hard to talk about sexual issues in church?

Small Group Questions

1) Tell an experience when the airlines failed you (e.g. canceled flights), or, tell a story of the worst restaurant experience you ever had.

2) Have you ever been in a situation where another person's disorganization hurt your work?

3) What method, app, or device do you use to keep track of what you have to get done?

4) What is your "White Space" status now? a) I have too much of it; b) I am just right with it; c) help!!!

5) If you're pretty good at life-work balance, how did you get there? What works for you to keep white spaces clear?