Written in Heaven

ADVANCE 2009:
PROCESS

***Before you begin! Reaffirm the ‘Vegas’ rule with your group – what happens in small groups stays in small groups. This is very important to talk about every week. Encourage everyone that the environment is safe, and that there is no judgment.

***The reason we do small groups is to ‘belong and become’ – Have a safe group of friends to belong to and become more like Jesus every day. This is the vision of small groups – remind your group of this each week.

***Be sure to point your group to the website every week of this series: www.advance2009.com.

1. What are the big dreams or ideal goals we all have for our lives? What will it take for us to achieve those dreams or goals?

2. Read Nehemiah 6:8 and Nehemiah 4:10. What opposition was Nehemiah facing in rebuilding the wall? Has anyone gone through any kind of construction project? What were you feeling as the process went on?

3. A line Dale used Sunday was, “between the promise and the payoff is a painful process.” What examples can you think of from the lives of others that makes this point? What painful process have you gone through in your life before seeing a payoff?
In those situations what does it look like to feel overwhelmed, feel tired, or face opposition?

4. Dale talked about how often times we want the payoff, but aren’t willing to go through the process. What are some examples that he gave or ones that we have of how this statement is true in life? What process is God calling us to that we are too scared to go through with?

5. When we go through painful situations, we often think the payoff is the point. However, the point is the process, not the payoff. What do we need to dive into the process God is calling us to?

For prayer time tonight, specifically pray for the processes that God is calling people to and that they are too afraid or unwilling to confront. If no one opens up that deeply, proceed with normal prayer time.