Move Toward the Mess

Discussion Questions 1. Do you sense that boredom is prevalent in your church? Why or why not? 2. Has spiritual boredom been a struggle for you? If not, how have you avoided it? If so, why do you think that’s the case? 3. Why do you think boredom was not a problem for the Christians we read about in the New Testament? 4. The author suggests that bo

“Should” places you in the driver’s seat and makes your sense of obligation the ultimate source of authority. Once you’ve met the requirement of what you feel you should do, you are released from any further commitment. “Ought” turns your attention inward to what you feel about things. Once you’ve satisfied your sense of what you ought to do, you’r

Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever found a serving opportunity that you were really excited about? What was it? Did you create a sustainable pace for your work? 2. As you reflect on the seven signs of burnout, how do you measure up? Are you in trouble or are you doing pretty well? Explain your answer. 3. Have you been through burnout before? Wha

Discussion Questions 1. What role has guilt played in your life? 2. Have you encountered legalistic teaching before? What effect did it have on you? 3. Do you agree with the author’s comparison between guilt and physical pain? Why or why not? 4. Have you ever “inoculated” yourself by allowing a diluted experience to discourage you from the real thi

Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever thought about quitting your job and going into church or nonprofit work? What did you decide? Why did you make that decision? 2. Why do people often think full-time ministry is a more godly vocation than most other jobs? Are they right? Why or why not? 3. What sorts of messes exist where you work? Is it easy or

He was following Jesus in a new way. That new way led Josh out of the church and into the city—out of the comfort zone and into the chaos zone where things are messy.

For those of you who might prefer something other than the dice method, we can talk about the age-old principle called “follow the energy.” This is based on the idea that God sometimes directs us through our desires. It suggests that if he wants you to get involved with special-needs kids, he will get you excited about special-needs kids.

While Young Life has a proven methodology for reaching unchurched kids with the gospel and helping them grow in their faith, it’s important to note that its foundation is built on contact work. One of Young Life’s websites describes contact work this way: Because kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, Young Life leader

We Christians are in the mess. This is vitally important. Not much good will happen when we move toward the mess if we don’t get this right. We don’t need to drive across town to find it. We don’t need to visit our unchurched neighbors across the street to encounter it. We need only look at our own hearts, our own families, our own lives. If we dec

Watch for these signs: Bad attitude. This is self-explanatory. Unfulfilled. Serving ceases to be satisfying. Reactionary rather than proactive. You sit around waiting to be told what to do. Noncommunicative. You stop returning people’s emails. Overly stressed. It’s the feeling that you’re carrying the world on your shoulders. Unmotivated. It’s not