Kettlebrook West Bend

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1. If you are a parent, what did you anticipate parenting to be like (before you became one)?  Did it turn out that way?  What was different in reality?

2. When you were a child, how much space and independence did your parents give you? How has this influenced the amount of space you give your own children (if applicable)?

3. In what ways are you leveraging a community of people beyond biological family to help support and raise your children (if applicable)?

4. In what ways are you integrating the gospel into the raising of your children?

5. Read Colossians 3:21.  What do you think the word ‘embitter’ means?  What might that look like in parenting?

6. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 of Paul’s description of what a godly father (parent) does.  Which one of those words most resonates with you and why? 

7. If you are a parent, which one of those do you need to display more frequently?  How do you hope to do that?

Wives of wisdom and grace are wives who...

1) _________________ with ___________________

2) _________________ with ___________________

3) _________________ with ___________________

4) _________________ with ___________________

5) _________________ with ___________________

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1) If you could write some "This is Us" statements for your family, what would they be?

2) Do you have a mentor or mentor couple in your life? If so, share what that relationship is like. If not, what is holding you back from seeking one out?

3) What is one way this week you can advocate for your spouse or maybe another friend in your life? Share something you appreciate about that person with the group or at your next family meal.

4) What is your prayer life like with your spouse? Are you praying for him/her? Are you praying together? What does that look like? How can you take steps to grow in this area of your marriage?

5) How have you and your spouse learned to communicate with sensitivity over the years? Are there areas where you struggle with figuring out the best time and the best way to talk with one another?

6) Share a way that your spouse or a good friend in your life has influenced you with grace for good. What did that look like?

7) To you personally, how has Jesus proven to be your perfect King and/or sufficient Husband? Are there still things you are trying to get from your spouse that only He can give you? What might it look like for you to grow in understanding His sufficiency in your life?

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1. Describe a time when you have learned from experience what not to do.

2. Describe a time when you have felt objectified. What was that like for you? In what ways might you be objectifying those in your life (this can be beyond sexual objectification)?

3. When you are struggling in your relationships, who are your “go to confidants”? How do they honor and support your marriage and family?

4. How do you respond when others come to you? Based on what we learn from Xerxes, how might you respond differently moving forward?

5. Have you ever asked any of the three questions below to those in your life? Which question would be the easiest for you to ask and why? The hardest and why?

3 questions to ask:

* How can I love Jesus better?

* How can I love and serve you better?

* How can I lead and serve our family better?

6. In what ways do you intentionally create proximity with those close to you in your life (wife, kids, etc.)? How might you be more intentional about this moving forward?

7. In what ways are you intentionally “present” when you are with your spouse/family/others? How might you be more intentional about this moving forward?

8. In what ways might you be living like Xerxes, as the ultimate king of your home? How would submitting to the true King, Jesus, change your family/life? What’s stopping you from doing that?

Questions for Reflection:

1. Growing up, what were your favorite television shows about family? What did that particular show reveal about family live in America? Was it accurate or not? Why or why not?

2. Do you agree or disagree with the idea that family in our culture is progressively disintegrating? What evidence do you see one way or the other?

3. Read together 2 Timothy 3:1-2 and note the list there. What aspects of that list do you see in our world today? Give examples if you have any. What items on that list do you struggle with?

4. Mike said: “one of the primary venues where we demonstrate our distinctiveness as God’s unique people in the world is in how we do family.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

5. Read Titus 2:11-14. What is God up to between his two “appearings?” Where do you see yourself included in those verses? How are you doing at partnering with God in what he is doing?

6. What are you influenced more by: the scriptures or the world? Why did you answer the way you did? What is one thing you can do to make God more a part of your family life this month?

Questions for Discussions:

1. Have you ever wondered what your purpose was in life? What was that like? Did you come to any conclusions?

2. Have you ever been part of a group that lacked purpose or a mission? What was that like? Have you been a part of a group with a clearly defined mission? What was that like?

3. Read Mark 2:13-17. List as many things as you can that you notice about Jesus? If Jesus is the exact representation of God, What does this tell us about God?

4. Read John 17:13-19. What does Jesus pray about us in relation to the world? Discuss what this might mean and look like in real life. Why is the Holy Spirit important for this?

5. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? “God’s intention for any expression of his body, is that we would be on mission with him and what he is doing in the world.” Why or why not?

6. What would it look like for your group to move from isolation to inclusion and from insulation from the world to immersion in the world? What might be one way you can do that?

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1. Who do you know that most humbly reflects the role of “servant”? What is it about this person that causes you to think of them?

2. Describe a time when you served someone who wasn’t grateful. How did you feel?

3. In what ways and who do you find yourself serving? Who do you find most often serving you?

4. Which of the above four “false motivations” reflect of your own motivations to serve? How does this false motivation impact you, the serving itself, and those being served?

5. How can the above “true motivations” replace the false ones? What would need to happen for this to take place?

6. Read John 13:1-17 together. What strikes you most as you read it and why?

7. If Jesus asked you the same question he asked his disciples in verse 12, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” How would you respond? How should this change us?

8. Who are 2-3 people you interact with regularly that God might be leading you to serve in a tangible way? How might you serve them? Who else from your spiritual family might be able to come alongside you and help in serving them together?