Leader: Give your group an opportunity to pray simple one-sentence prayers of praise as you guide them. Model for them what you desire. For example: "Lord, I want to give you praise for my children." Explain that this is time for very short prayers and that you will direct them. Also, encourage them to pray more than once in each segment if they would like.
Deepen your relationship with God by focusing on him and discovering what he is like.
This ten-session course will help you get through the summer victoriously. Deepen your relationship with God by focusing on him and discovering what he is like. This course will also teach you how to repent, find forgiveness, and get rid of guilt. Finally, it will help you fill your prayer life with joy and beauty.
Week 1
Spirituality for Today
Modern spirituality begins and ends with the self; Christian ...
Discuss differences between Christianity and other world religions and see clearer what makes the Christian faith unique.
The following 5-week course will help you and your group explore the nature of God's character. Examine questions like: How well do you know Him? How well does He know you? Is God fair?
Week One
Does God Know Your Next Move? God's freedom, our freedom, and spiritual confidence in a changing world
Week Two
Has God Played Fair?Why did an omniscient God create humankind knowing that people, in every generation, ...
Take a few minutes and talk about the things that your group is facing - new jobs, kids leaving home, broken relationships, whatever is on the hearts and minds of your people. You may ask a question like: What is happening in your world right now that is tough to understand? Or, do you ever find yourself asking God, "Why me or why now?"
After some discussion, remind your group that there are ...
Praise God through Scripture reading, song, and prayer.
Tami Rudkin
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I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:1-3
Leader: This time together is going to be a creative, word and thought association. As the leader, you are going to give a word that describes God. Your group is going to respond by giving other descriptive words and thoughts that come to mind after they hear your word. After they exhaust one word, you will go down the list given below. Go as long as you want, adding your own words, or as short as ...
Leader: In this exercise of worship your group is going to write a psalm together.
Pick a few of your favorite Psalms to read together as a group or ask several people to read their favorite Psalms.
Read three or four in the first part of your worship time together.
As you finish each Psalm, point out to your group the honesty of the writer. Notice that he was not afraid to whine, ask questions, and even be angry. This is important for your group members to see because you want them to be equally honest and transparent as they write their psalm.
A reading based on Psalm 23 that focuses on contentment.
Tami Rudkin
Begin your worship time asking your group to make a list of the things they have in their lives because of God, i.e. peace, joy, sense of security, etc. After you have given them a couple of minutes to do that, ask them to share one of the things they wrote down. Have someone in your group read Psalm 23 and follow that up with the, I shall not want, reading. Highlight different lines and paragraphs ...
On a note card or a half sheet of paper print out the following descriptions of God. Ask the question and pass the five choices to each person allowing time to thumb through them and show their response to the group. They may want to share why they chose that description but that should be optional. Which of the following best describes how you pictured God when you were a child?
Leader: Take the following phrases and cut them into individual strips of paper. Hand these out as your group members come in. If there are more phrases than group members, give each person 2 or more. Praise is not a thank you but an acknowledgement of who God is. Take time to praise God before you study about him, thank him, or petition him. We must constantly remind ourselves that God is awesome ...