CHAPTER 1: YOU HAVE A SOUL

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin your group discussion with five minutes of silence. Why five minutes of silence? We live in a busy, fast-paced, noisy world where so much is clamoring for our attention. Silence is a gift to let our souls breathe. You rarely know what a person has been through in their day before they arrived at your group. They may be coming from a difficult conversation with their boss or from the stress of a traffic jam. Silence will give grace to transition their presence from where they’ve been into your group conversation. Silence is also the beginning of listening. This time is set aside to listen to God’s voice in the spiritual journey of others, as well as in your own journey as you share this adventure together. Follow your time of silence with an invitational prayer for God to be with you and to guide your group conversations. May the words of your mouths and the meditations of your hearts be acceptable in God’s sight.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four. Invite any of those who practiced holy leisure to share how their experience was. After all who want to share have done so, you might consider these questions together:

1. 1. What did you find most difficult in your practice of holy leisure?

2. 2. How did God meet you in holy leisure?

3. 3. What did you learn about yourself and God as you practiced holy leisure?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Each week be sure to read through all of the questions before you begin your discussion. You may not have time to get to all of the questions, depending on how many are in your group and how the conversation goes, so be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss, to make sure you get to those.]

The main idea of this chapter is that even though it is invisible, and often denied or neglected, the most real thing about us is our soul. Our soul longs, above all else, to be unconditionally loved by God. Our soul cares about all that is most important in life, all that is good and true and beautiful.

• 1. What has been your understanding of the soul? Do you think much about your soul? If so, in what ways? If not, why do you think you seldom think about it?

• 2. A central point made by the author is that we are embodied souls, or ensouled bodies, stressing the truth that the soul and the body are united and not separated (which is the mistaken teaching called dualism). Why is this important?

• 3. On here the author says that it is a false narrative that we are a self, and a true narrative that we are a soul. What are the differences between the self and the soul? Do these narratives help you make sense of life?

• 4. There are ten things listed that our souls cannot endure (here), and ten things that our souls need (here):

  Cannot Endure

  • Harm to our bodies

  • Feeling unwanted

  • Guilt

  • Shame

  • Disconnection from God

  • Boredom

  • Sin

  • Being victimized

  • Meaninglessness

  • Nonexistence

    Soul Needs

  • To see my body as sacred

  • To be wanted, desired

  • To be loved without condition

  • To be intimately connected to God

  • To be forgiven forever

  • To be alive and empowered to adventure

  • To be holy, virtuous

  • To own my story

  • To feel called to a life of purpose

  • To be glorified and live forever

Is it a good thing that God made our souls in such a way that they cannot endure those things in the top list? Why or why not? Which one in the “cannot endure” list do you struggle with most? What might be blocking you from receiving the corresponding gift from the “soul needs” list?

• 5. On here the author says that “the good news is that the God who created our needy souls has, by grace, provided all that our souls will ever need. We cannot achieve or attain these things our souls need. They have to be given to us by God, as a gift. And God has provided all of those things in Jesus.” How does that good news seem to you?

• 6. Are you aware of ways in which you personally try to achieve or attain what your soul needs? What happens as a result of that strain to get your God-given needs met? How would it look to change that dynamic, to live in sync with the good news described?

• 7. The purpose of this book is stated on here: “The rest of this book will examine how God, in Christ, has created the good and beautiful you and has provided for the deepest needs of your soul. Each chapter will examine these actions of God on your behalf and my behalf.” What thoughts and feelings does that stir up in you?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scriptures aloud slowly, and then use the questions below as a discussion guide: Genesis 1:26-27; Jeremiah 1:5; and Ephesians 1:4.

1. 1. Who is the source of your soul? What implications does that have?

2. 2. What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

3. 3. How could we be chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and consecrated before we were born? Close your eyes and prayerfully consider what this means about you.

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

Conclude by having everyone close their eyes while one person reads the words below. Other participants hold out cupped hands and imagine receiving the gifts one by one as they are read. The reader then asks, while each gift is still in their hands, “Do you receive this gift?” Participants respond, “Yes, Lord, by your grace I receive this gift.” Then they press the gift into their heart as a bodily sign of their intention to receive the gift from God. Participants then hold their cupped hands out again to receive the next gift. (You might want to practice the movements once before actually starting, so everyone knows what to do.)

1. 1. God gave you a soul. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

2. 2. God desires you. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

3. 3. God loves you. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

4. 4. God forgives you. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

5. 5. God gives you life. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

6. 6. God inhabits you with holiness. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

7. 7. God writes your story with you. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

8. 8. God gave you a sacred body. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

9. 9. God is intimately connected to you. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

10. 10. God calls you to a life of purpose. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

11. 11. God glorifies you and gives you life everlasting. (pause) Do you receive this gift?

May your soul go in peace, being filled to overflowing.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter two the theme is that you have a sacred body. The soul-training exercise of moving will train you to live incarnationally.

CHAPTER 2: YOU HAVE A SACRED BODY

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing answers to the following questions.

1. 1. What version of moving did you try?

2. 2. Did you find yourself more appreciative of your body? More aware of your body? More aware of the One who designed your body?

3. 3. Did you notice your body movement producing hope in you?

4. 4. Did you feel God’s pleasure in your movement?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. How did you feel as you read about how the author’s pastor, Jeff, performs the sacrament of chrismation (anointing and blessing hands, feet, lips, etc.)?

2. 2. How does your culture reflect the distortion that bodies are commodities? How does your own thinking reflect the distortion that bodies are commodities?

3. 3. The author says that “our body needs our soul in order to live and move—to animate it. And our soul needs our body in order to reveal itself, to be made known, and to act.” Can you describe your experience of daily life in this intertwinement?

4. 4. Why does it matter whether you form your view of human beings on Adam or on Christ?

5. 5. The section “Five Signs That Our Bodies Are Sacred” names the five parts of the Christian story (creation, incarnation, church, Eucharist, and glorification) that affirm the importance of the body. Which of those five give you the most encouragement about your body and appreciation of your body?

6. 6. What is the significance to you that Christ ascended in bodily form?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scripture aloud: Romans 6:13-14; Romans 7:17, 20-25; Romans 12:1; and 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.

1. 1. How did Paul describe the conflict within us? Would it make sense to train the body for this conflict? Why or why not?

2. 2. How does God rescue us from this conflict?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

Spend a few minutes in silence imagining God’s creation of you, sometimes called your conception. Imagine the creation of your body as God’s purposeful design. Imagine the connection of your body to all other parts of your soul (mind, will, emotions, etc.) in your creation.

May you go in peace, grateful that your body is exactly the one that God purposed and created to be the good and beautiful you.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter three the theme is that you are wanted by God. The soul-training exercise will be lectio divina on Psalm 139 and Ephesians 2:10, which highlight God’s desire for you.

CHAPTER 3: YOU ARE DESIRED

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by an invitational prayer for God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four. Here are some questions to help you share about your experiences with lectio divina.

1. 1. What words or phrases stood out to you from the readings? How did that connect with your life?

2. 2. Would anyone like to share what they wrote in their journal?

3. 3. How did it affect you to take time to rest in God’s interaction with you in this passage in the fourth step?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

You are not an accident, because your conception was an intentional, planned creation by God, no matter what was going on with your parents. God designed you in just the way he wanted you to be, and then he looked at you and said, “You are very good.” God continues to look at you and say, “You are very good.” He is so happy with his creation of you!

1. 1. Have you ever felt like you were an “accident”? Where are you in your journey of receiving the reality of being wanted and designed by the Creator of the universe?

2. 2. Adrian van Kaam uses the analogy of a seed to express how you are designed by God. The seed is your form, planned and created by the “Divine Forming Mystery.” What does that name for God (Divine Forming Mystery) that Van Kaam uses say about you? How do you think and feel about being designed?

3. 3. How is Christ’s incarnation the source of our validation?

4. 4. Did Dawn’s illumination about the blade of grass speak to you in any way?

5. 5. Poetry is meant to be read aloud. Ask someone to read the following poem, quoted in the chapter, while others just soak in the images painted with words. Then read it a second time, just listening to the words and not looking at them on the page.

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scriptures aloud, and then use the questions below as a discussion guide: Isaiah 43:6-7; Isaiah 49:16; and Revelation 2:17.

1. 1. What does God inscribing you on the palm of his hands mean?

2. 2. If you had to make a wild guess, what do you think is written on your white stone?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

You are invited to pray (if you dare) what Macrina Weiderkehr prayed so eloquently:

May you go in peace, knowing that a good and beautiful God made you good and beautiful as well.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter four the theme is that you are loved by God. The soul-training exercise will be breath prayers, which are short, meditative, repetitive prayers in which we affirm a truth about the love of God.

CHAPTER 4: YOU ARE LOVED

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by an invitational prayer for God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing about your experiences with breath prayer.

1. 1. What did you learn about God or yourself in this practice?

2. 2. What affirmations did you use in your breath prayer practice? Which did you find the most encouraging to you?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. What did you learn from the author’s story about how his dad responded to his amazing basketball score of fifty-one points? What chords did it strike with you in your own story? In what ways has the relationship between you and God been shaped by your parents or other caregivers?

2. 2. What are other common sources (besides parents) that teach us, often without words, that love is conditional? Would you like to share from the influences on your own journey?

3. 3. Ask someone to read the poem aloud by Teresa of Ávila on here. What speaks to you in her words?

4. 4. What do you think about the Peter van Breeman quote that says that God cannot divide his love as we do, because “God is perfectly one, the perfect unity. We have love, but God is love. His love is not an activity, it is his whole self”? What is the significance of Breeman’s thoughts?

5. 5. Is it hard for you to, as William Blake said, “bear the beams of love”? How does Jesus help us with our capacity?

6. 6. How important is it in your other love relationships to receive affirmation? Does the following make sense to you—God not only initiates love toward you in the beginning, but God is the continual initiator of affirmations of his love for you?

7. 7. How did Michael the counselor help the author look at his dad’s comments about his feet in a different way? Is there a story in your own life that might be retold?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scripture aloud: 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:6.

1. 1. How did Paul describe transformation in the first verse?

2. 2. If looking in the mirror at the glory of the Lord means gazing upon the face of Christ, what does this mean for you in your sanctification process? How does this connect to love?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

You are invited to gaze at the face of Christ for a few minutes of silence.

May you go in peace, knowing that you are not your own source, but God in Christ loves you with a love that is beyond width, beyond depth, beyond length, and beyond breadth, surpassing even knowledge, that you might be filled to overflowing with the love of Christ.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter five the theme is that you are made for God. The soul-training exercise of worship will let your soul experience the connection to God for which it longs.

CHAPTER 5: YOU ARE MADE FOR GOD

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four.

1. 1. Share about any personal worship experiences. What did you do? How were you ravished or transported into God’s holy presence?

2. 2. Were you able to prepare your heart, mind, and soul for corporate worship, as the author suggested? If so, how did that affect your experience of worship?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. You are invited to describe any memorable human encounters you have had with the transcendent God through the “aesthetic perception, that glimpse of radiance, mystery, and meaning we see in a work of art or in the natural world,” as Balthasar portrayed and the author described when he listened to Pachelbel’s Canon.

2. 2. What have you sought to satisfy your longing for God with in the past? Did something other than God satisfy that deep longing for the transcendent? What graces did you experience to move you more toward God?

3. 3. The author states several times that our longings for things like money, power, sex, and approval are longings for the transcendent, but ultimately do not satisfy because they are not truly transcendent. Have you felt this longing, or experienced this dissatisfaction? If so, explain.

4. 4. What role have summit experiences played in your connection with the transcendent dimension?

5. 5. How do you connect with the transcendent dimension in the web of everydayness?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read Romans 8:15-16 and John 4:24 aloud.

1. 1. How would you describe the experience of the Holy Spirit connecting with your spirit in your own life?

2. 2. What is worship?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

You are invited to spend a few moments in silence, as a child of God simply letting your spirit connect to the Holy Spirit.

May you go in peace, and may you dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of your life, beholding the beauty of the Lord and meditating in his temple (Psalm 27:4 NASB).

NEXT WEEK

In chapter six the theme is that we are forgiven, once for all, and that we do not have to live a frantic life of confession to make sure we are forgiven for each jot and tittle of our sins. The soul-training exercise of laying your burden down will train you to walk in newness of life.

CHAPTER 6: YOU ARE FORGIVEN

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by an invitational prayer for God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing your answers to the following questions.

1. 1. How did it feel to carry the weight of your sins around?

2. 2. How did it feel to lay your burdens down?

3. 3. How was it to walk with Jesus without your sins in the way?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. Do you live with unmanageable sin debt? Are you burdened by continual confession to keep your accounts clear with God? Does this keep you from living in the reality of the resurrection?

2. 2. On here the author says he had to pull his car over when he heard this on the radio: “Until you rest in the finality of the cross, you will never experience the reality of the resurrection.” What does that mean? Do we too often think of the cross as the final thing rather than the beginning of victorious life in Christ? How so?

3. 3. Have you ever entered into an intense battle to keep the law comprehensively? How did that go? What was the problem you ran up against?

4. 4. How is our sin problem dealt a final blow? After contrasting the sacrificial system with the cross, we read on here that “Jesus didn’t cover up sin; . . . he took away sin.” Is there still a need to confess our sins to be forgiven? Why or why not?

5. 5. On here we read that “confession is of great value.” What is the value of confession if not for forgiveness? Please explain.

6. 6. If it is true that we have forgiveness of sin once for all, doesn’t that give us license to sin?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scriptures aloud.

Now please read in unison the following paraphrases of these Scriptures while giving thanks in your heart:

Have another volunteer read Jeremiah 31:33 aloud, and then answer the questions below.

1. 1. What does it mean for God’s law to be written on your heart? Does that change your desires toward sin?

2. 2. What is the relational outcome of that law within you?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

Reflect silently for a few minutes on the look of God upon Jesus on the cross. Imagine the look of God’s love toward the sacrifice of his Son being so great that it eclipsed the sins that Christ was dying for, and thus erased them forever.

May you go in peace, knowing that you have a clean erasure of all your sins, even the ones you never confess.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter seven the theme is that you have been made alive in Christ. The soul-training exercise will help you enter the kingdom as a little child, full of life, joy, and curiosity. Please note that this exercise may take several hours, or even a whole day if you choose.

CHAPTER 7: YOU HAVE BEEN MADE ALIVE

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four.

You are invited to share how the exercise of being childlike went for you.

1. 1. Did you have resistance to this exercise? How were you able to overcome that resistance?

2. 2. The author says that “your embodied soul was not made for sin, but for happiness and fun and excitement.” Did this exercise put you in a place of experiencing happiness, fun, or excitement? Would you like to share specifics?

3. 3. Did your soul seem a little lighter or freer after your experiences of childlike responses or curiosity? Please elaborate.

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. After Stan finally realized that he was a butterfly, he said “Now the gospel makes sense. It is not about what we do for God. It is what God has done for us” (here). What about you? Are you, even some of the time, living as though it’s all about what you do for God? If so, what is that like for you? Or are you living in the gospel that it’s all about what God has done for you? If so, what’s that like for you?

2. 2. The author says on here that a gospel that focuses only on escaping death “is not wrong, it is just incomplete.” Think back to your conversion story or maybe the first time you were presented with the gospel. Was it an incomplete gospel? What was missing? How did that affect your journey?

3. 3. How does the resurrection apply to your everyday life?

4. 4. What’s your response to this statement on here: “You and I come premade to be conformed to the image of Christ”? What effect does it have on your day-to-day journey that you are already “shaped” for becoming like Jesus?

5. 5. What is the image of God in you? How would you support that from Scripture? How do you become conformed to that image?

6. 6. What are two aspects of the easy yoke? Have you experienced either of them? You are invited to share your experience with either.

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read Ephesians 2:4-6 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 aloud. Then use the questions below to discuss these passages.

1. 1. According to these Scriptures, why is it unnecessary to walk around as a “forgiven dead person”?

2. 2. What seems to bring about Christ living in you according to these Scriptures?

3. 3. What might life be like if you lived in the reality of Christ in you and you in Christ?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

You are invited to live the resurrection life because “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you” (Romans 8:11 NIV).

May you go in peace, knowing that the reality of resurrection life is given to you freely as a gift.

NEXT WEEK

The theme of chapter eight is that you are made holy because Christ dwells and delights in you. The soul-training exercise of “saying yes to God always” will flow out of the reality of the resurrected life of Christ living in you.

CHAPTER 8: YOU HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing about the following questions.

1. 1. Did you sense an area where God is calling you to say yes to him?

2. 2. How was it to just connect to God as tree roots draw nourishment from the earth and river?

3. 3. What specific graces did you receive from connecting to God?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. Why do you think the “I’m just a sinner, saved by grace” narrative is such a prevalent one? Has it had much power in your own life? What kind of fruit does it seem to produce?

2. 2. Is the narrative “By the grace of God, I have been made holy” new for you? Does it seem more in sync with your soul’s longing for purity? How would you explain this narrative?

3. 3. The author states that “this sanctification, this holiness we receive by grace, is not merely positional but is ‘accomplished’” (here). What difference do you see in these two ideas, and why does it matter?

4. 4. The author states that “what Christ has done compels us to what we can and now must do” (here). What has Christ done? How is that compelling?

5. 5. Since your identity in Christ is “a saint made holy by Jesus,” what brings consonance with that identity? What brings dissonance? Does your own experience validate this dynamic?

6. 6. The pride-form, the desire to be God (original sin), resists grace and puts our soul in a state of dissonance and war within. How can our pride give way to holiness?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scriptures aloud: 1 Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:7; Colossians 3:4; and Galatians 2:19-20.

1. 1. What do these verses on light and life have to do with relational holiness?

2. 2. What kind of hope do these verses give us for being conformed to the holy character of Jesus?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

For a few minutes of silence, you are invited to rest in Christ whose Spirit dwells in you, making you holy.

May you go in peace, empowered to be holy as he is holy, because he lives in you.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter nine the focus is on your sacred story. The soul-training exercise of letting God retell a part of your story will help you see yourself from God’s perspective.

CHAPTER 9: YOU HAVE A SACRED STORY

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing answers to the following questions.

1. 1. What did you learn about yourself as you looked more closely at your story?

2. 2. What did you learn about God as you looked more closely at your story?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. What is meant by the term “circle of origin”? What is your circle of origin?

2. 2. The author says on here that “Mom and Dad not only give us their DNA, they also give us our sense of worth.” In what ways did you get both DNA and a sense of worth from your parents or other primary caregiver?

3. 3. Is anyone’s circle of origin also a circle of sufficiency? Why or why not? What is the only circle of sufficiency? Can you share your personal experience with the only sufficient circle?

4. 4. What are the two ways others harm us? Did you experience either of those in a way that shaped your soul? Please share as much as you are comfortable.

5. 5. What does it mean to ultimize parts of your story? What does it mean to minimize your story? Do you see any examples in your own life? If you feel comfortable, you are invited to share your example.

6. 6. What does it mean to experience healing of your story? Why do we sometimes resist that? How did God begin the healing of Hope’s story? Have you received some healing of your story? What has that looked like?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scriptures aloud. Then discuss the question(s) that follow each selection.

Reader, please include this brief introduction in your reading aloud:

1. 1. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NASB).

   How might this truth apply to your sacred story?

2. 2. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NASB).

   How might this verse encourage you regarding the difficult elements of your story?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

The Trinity encircles you with all that you need, even if you didn’t get it from your family. The Trinity heals your soul of any inflicted harm. You are invited to spend a few minutes silently resting in the sufficiency of the circle of the Trinity.

May you go in peace, knowing that God looks upon you with eyes brighter than the sun, and that he has written your unique name on a white stone, a name that is not erased by your story, but showcased by your story—for God is the shepherd and guardian of your soul, preserving your identity as you live out your sacred story.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter ten the theme is that you are called. The soul-training exercise of listening to the verbs of your true self will give you insight into the nature of your calling.

CHAPTER 10: YOU ARE CALLED

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing answers to the following questions.

1. 1. How was it to listen to the verbs of your life?

2. 2. Would you like to share your list of fifteen verbs, seven verbs, or your final four verbs?

3. 3. What were the sentences or phrases you crafted?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. The author states that there are two callings, your “capital C calling” and your “small c callings.” What are your thoughts about these two callings and about how they are related?

2. 2. What are the two parts of Buechner’s famous formula for discerning your calling? Do they shed any light on your vocational calling? Have you found any other helpful principles or tools in your own discernment process that you’d like to share?

3. 3. The story of Ray Anderson concludes with the idea that our destiny can be found in discovering the thing we would like to do until our final day on earth. Have you been able to discover your own destiny?

4. 4. How has your story shaped your calling?

5. 5. What is the seasonal dimension to one’s calling? Please share if you have experienced seasonal shifts in your calling.

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read Exodus 31:1-11 aloud.

1. 1. What do you notice about vocational calling in this passage?

2. 2. How is Bezalel’s “filling” described? Is there any comfort or encouragement to you in this aspect of Bezalel’s calling? Please explain.

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

You are invited to take a few minutes of silence to notice how God has filled you and equipped you for your vocational calling.

May you go in peace, knowing that the Divine Forming Mystery has designed you uniquely and perfectly to flourish in whatever he calls you unto.

NEXT WEEK

In chapter eleven the theme is that you will be glorified. The soul-training exercise of celebration will sanctify some time and space and matter to help you rejoice with gladness over God and his goodness.

CHAPTER 11: YOU WILL BE GLORIFIED

OPENING TO GOD [5 MINUTES]

Begin with five minutes of silence followed by a prayer inviting God to be with you and to guide your group conversations.

SOUL TRAINING [15-20 MINUTES]

If your group is larger than seven people, divide into small groups of three or four before sharing about the following questions.

1. 1. How did you celebrate? What were the highlights?

2. 2. Did the future enter into your present through your celebration?

ENGAGING THE CHAPTER [25-45 MINUTES]

[Note: Be sure to think through which questions you especially want to discuss.]

1. 1. What does the author mean when he says, “Nonexistence is unconscionable”?

2. 2. How do miracles foreshadow the general resurrection?

3. 3. O’Donohue says that there must be “joy in bringing the bright essence of a life’s harvest into eternity.” Revelation 21:24 says that “the kings of the earth will bring their glory,” or splendor, into the new Jerusalem (heaven come down to earth). What harvest from your life, what splendor, can you imagine that you would bring into eternity?

4. 4. How does your heart connect with the inconsolable secret?

5. 5. The author states that, wonderfully, “glorification frees us from the presence of sin.” And also that “God designed you and me with incredible capacities to dream, imagine, and create.” If you add together your God-created, incredible capacities and freedom from the presence of sin, what do you get? Please share some possibilities. What do you hope God assigns you to do?

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE [10-15 MINUTES]

Have a volunteer read the following Scriptures aloud: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; and Colossians 3:3-4.

1. 1. Paul informs us that we grieve with hope. Bonhoeffer said that God leaves the emptiness (grief) “precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve—even in pain—the authentic relationship,” but our lovely memories are “but a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain” (hope). How is it that we experience both grief and hope at the same time?

2. 2. What is the basis for our hope amid our grief, even as we face our own death?

3. 3. What image comes to mind when you think of being revealed in glory with Christ? Can you describe what you see?

GO IN PEACE [5 MINUTES]

You are invited to think of a specific person (a friend or family member) and imagine for a few moments of silence what their future glorification could be like. Let your heart swell with joy on their behalf.

May you go in peace, comforted and strengthened by the certainty of a good future. As you are in this history, you will also be in the new heavens and the new earth: the good and beautiful you!