Beach Party - The Surf

We talk about the difference between love as a “feeling,” and love as a “decision.” What does this difference mean to you?

Have you ever made the “decision” to love someone? Has that presented challenges to you? How did you deal with those challenges?

When we talk about “staying in love with God” through worship, thanksgiving, and praise, through prayer and fasting, through reading Scripture, and through serving God and others, it seems fairly doable. What is the major stumbling block for you when it comes to putting these disciplines into practice on a regular basis? What would it take to remove that stumbling block?

We talked about feeling far from God. Has that ever happened to you? What caused it? How did feel? What did you do to try to feel closer? Did it work? If not, what did you do then? How close to God do you feel right now?

I John 4:19 (NIV) tells us:

We love because he first loved us.

When are you most aware of God’s love in your life? Least aware? Do you find yourself to be more loving when you are more aware of God’s love in your life?

Three Simple Rules - Stay In Love With God

We talk about the difference between love as a “feeling,” and love as a “decision.” What does this difference mean to you?

Have you ever made the “decision” to love someone? Has that presented challenges to you? How did you deal with those challenges?

When we talk about “staying in love with God” through worship, thanksgiving, and praise, through prayer and fasting, through reading Scripture, and through serving God and others, it seems fairly doable. What is the major stumbling block for you when it comes to putting these disciplines into practice on a regular basis? What would it take to remove that stumbling block?

We talked about feeling far from God. Has that ever happened to you? What caused it? How did feel? What did you do to try to feel closer? Did it work? If not, what did you do then? How close to God do you feel right now?

I John 4:19 (NIV) tells us:

We love because he first loved us.

When are you most aware of God’s love in your life? Least aware? Do you find yourself to be more loving when you are more aware of God’s love in your life?

Three Simple Rules - Do Good

Do you believe that people are basically bad or basically good? Why do you believe that? What effect does this have on this idea of “doing good?”

What does “do good” mean for you? Would that mean a radical change in your life, a moderate change, or not much change at all?

If it means change, what would it take for that change to occur?

Doing good is not always an easy thing to do. For example, have you ever thought you were doing someone good, when in fact, you were doing just the opposite? What went wrong? How could you have changed that?

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said:

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

Are you living this out? If not, what would it take for that to happen?

In Romans 12: 21 (NIV), the Apostle Paul writes:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

What does that mean to you and how can you live that out?

Three Simple Rules - Do No Harm