Creative Community

When you hear the word "rival" what do you think of? What sports teams do you consider to be rivals? What politicians do you consider to be rivals? What celebrities do you consider to be rivals? What kind of person would be your rival (if you had one)? Read Philippians 2:1-4. How do you think Paul felt about rivalries? In these verses, Paul lists __ things he wants for the Christians in Philippi. encouragement comfort fellowship tenderness compassion love oneness If you could have someone give you one of these today, which one do you most need? Why? Which of these are you most capable of giving to others? Give an example of how you would give one of these to someone else. Paul also lists a few "problems" he wants the Christians to avoid: selfish ambition (rivalry) vain conceit looking to own interests How might these things tear a relationship apart? How are you sometimes tempted to think of yourself first, or act on your own behalf instead of for the

Tonight is kick-off night for my group. Last week we just got reaquainted and caught up after the summer. Tonight we'll talk about our direction for the year. Below is the handout we'll use to guide our discussion. While it's custom made for our group, you could use similar questions to guide your "down the road" discussion with your group. *image in handout by Kendra Page

How do you feel about exercise? Why? What kinds of activities would you consider to be "spiritual exercise"? According to Galatians 5, when we are effectively exercising spiritually, our lives will show fruit. Some of these fruits are listed in Galatians 5:22-25. Read this passage together. Discuss the following fruits. For each fruit have at least one person answer the three following questions: 1. In your own words, define what this fruit means. 2. Who is someone you know that exhibits this fruits in your life? 3. What could you do to help you better exhibit this fruit in your life? Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-Control As a group determine which three fruits are the most challenging for the group as a whole. What are some things everyone in the group could commit to doing to help develop these fruits in everyone's life? What is ONE THING everyone in the group will commit to doing this week? Spend time prayi

If you had to describe the character of a "really good guy", what character traits would you use? If you had to describe the character of a "really bad guy", what character traits would you use? Read Paul's recommended character traits for elders in Titus 1:6-9. Using these verses as a guide, as a group make a list of positive character virtues we should all be pursuing in our lives. (the items in the list may be loosely tied to the character traits in the verses.) Have a few people each choose one of the traits and give an example of how they've seen someone live out that virtue. Read Paul's description of the "bad guys" in Titust 1:10-12. Have a few people each choose one of the traits and give an example of how they've seen someone behave in that manner. How can we avoid being like this group of people? Have each person in the group choose one of the "good traits" they would like to develop more thoroughly in their

Tell the group about a time you were extremely angry with someone? How did the situation get resolved? Read Ephesians 4:25-32. What is your favorite part of this paragraph? Which part raises questions? Do any parts make you uncomfortable? Why is it sometimes hard to "speak the truth" to your neighbor? How do we sometimes avoid the truth in our conversations with people? Have you ever had anyone speak a difficult truth to you? What was the result? Why do you think Paul tells the people to not let the sun go down on their anger? How do we give opportunity to the devil when we hold on to our anger? What are some unhealthy methods for handling anger? What are some healthy methods for handling anger? How might speaking the truth to one another, and handling anger toward one another be related? Read verse 32. Which of these three comes easiest for you: kindness, compassion, forgiveness? Which is most difficult? Why? Does remembering God's forgiveness to you make it ea