How To Waste Your Life (or not)

In the words of the great Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

That’s right—here we are again. I can’t believe it. Summer break is coming to an end. A new school year is right around the corner. Our kids have met their teachers. Summer sleep patterns are starting to be rearranged. Monday is the first day of school. And if you listen closely you can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the distance.

But beyond the wailing, you can also pick up the excitement and anticipation that is building just below the surface. Thanksgiving is here (that’s what some of us parents call the first day of school)! And as much as we love summer, we know it cannot be our constant state. Sooner or later we all start longing to get back to life as normal. There is just something inside us that believes it’s time to learn and grow. It’s time to get off the couch and into the classroom. It’s time get out of the pool and start being productive again.

That’s why you might be surprised to find out that this Sunday I can’t wait to talk to you about “How to Waste Your Life.” That’s right. What you just read wasn’t a misprint! Join us this Sunday as we learn together a fool-proof plan to keep our lives from mattering at all. We will see up close and personal just how all of us can waste the opportunity that stands in front of us at the beginning of this new school year. It’s going to be amazing—or NOT!

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SEE IT // BE IT

(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)

Date: August 7, 2016 // Title: How to Waste Your Life (or not)

Scripture: Luke 16:1–13

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
In Luke 16:1–13 we have the parable of the dishonest manager. The manager was wasting his own life and his master’s possessions. Before the master let him go, the manager had a chance to take stock of his desires and actions and make some changes. Let’s use this story to inspire us to move from apathy to urgency for sake of the Kingdom!

THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Most people don’t plan to waste their life—they just don’t have a plan not to.

SEE IT – Questions 10–15 minutes
Picture (What is the story saying?): What were the decisions that the dishonest servant made before he lost his position? What do his actions show us about his heart?

Mirror (Where am I in the story?): What resonates with me about this story? Where have I stopped growing, giving or going?

Window (How does the story change how I see the world around me?): Living with a sense of calling, generosity and moving forward will help you be intentional in your interactions with others. Motivated by grace and mercy, think of ways you can see intentionality happening in each area (growing, giving, going).

BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
Take two minutes to be silent. Ask God to show you areas of your life where you are choosing to live in crisis, scarcity or just maintaining where you are. Jesus invites us to come and learn about His character and competence and then to go out and take that to others. Listen for words He has for you, for pictures He shows you, or for scriptures that He brings to your mind during the silence.

Change IN // Group Activity 15 minutes
Following Jesus’ example of growing, giving and going, talk through the Extraordinary Norms of Grace (which are listed on page four in the Fall Grace Groups catalog and at http://bit.ly/2aSfF0A). Speak into each other’s lives about an area in which you want to grow this school year. Choose a class or core intensive to attend together and register at http://bit.ly/2aRQSbs.

Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
Go back to the Window section of this SIBI sheet. Pick one way you can be intentional with someone this week—being salt and light to them (instead of a bad, spoiled odor).

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.