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Lesson OneSacred Companions on a Sacred Journey: Three Defining Elements of Supernatural Relating3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoSecular vs. Spiritual SoulCare: The Danger of Blurred Distinctions3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeSoulCare Through Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Friendships: The Biblical Alternative to Psychotherapy3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourBeginning Steps in Spiritual Direction3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveThe Rhythm of Spiritual Direction: Following the Spirit As He Releases Supernatural Goodness3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixSpiritual Friendship: Pouring the Passion of Christ From Your Heart into Another's3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenThe Sacred Journey: Where Control is Lost, Where Good Dreams Shatter, Where God's Agenda Looks (and Feels) Bad3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightReal Church: Two or Three Broken People Agreed on One Purpose3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineEntering the Real Church of Supernatural Community: The Covenant of SoulCare3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenEntering the Real Church of Supernatural Community: A Format for SoulCare3 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 1
Discussion Questions
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Describe in your own words these two deceptions that cause us to walk away from God. We think we need something other than God in order to be home. We believe we are walking towards God when we are walking away from Him. How have you experienced these deceptions in your life?
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5 Replies
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I have felt such an emptiness inside that I have believed that I need something other than God in order to be home, something other than God to feel full and complete. This is a grand deception. In reality, I have learned that it is by letting these empty spaces open that I experience God’s provision, His care, His presence.
I have also experienced when I thought I was walking towards God by trying to fulfill what I thought my responsibilities were (e.g., working hard to provide for my family, being active in church leadership, etc.), but in reality I was walking away from Him because I was not living in active relationship with Him and dialoging with Him about what He wanted me to do.
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“God help those who help themselves!” We need to initiate the move before God can help us! A lie! God initiates! God waits! God woos us back to Himself.
“We are Christians only when visibly we are active in our service, or attendance in church!” A lie! As much as our fruit shows our interior heart, I was reminded of Samson. He walked away from God, towards Delilah, and even upon his death he was a “suicide bomber.” His name is recorded in the Hall of Faith!
Our destiny in Christ is based on our faith in Him, and His grace – nothing of our doings – be it our piety, or practice. -
I have experienced these great deceptions. Thinking that I was walking towards God when I was really walking away from Him and feeling like I needed something in addition to God, like God was not enough. One example is in job. I pray for God to help me do the things I want to do. Some of those things were leading me from God and causing me to invest time and energy in things that were not needed.
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We look to other things to find satisfaction because we believe that God is withholding something good from us and that He is not enough. It goes back to the original sin the Garden of Eden. Eve too the fruit because she was afraid God was withholding something good from her and she believed she needed that thing to be truly satisfied, so she went after it for herself. We’ve all been doing this ever since. I definitely experience this on a daily basis and even when I’m aware of it, my flesh and the Spirit are battling it out.
We often believe we are walking towards God when we are walking away from him because the things we’re doing look good and seem good and right. They may be, but the problem is we take good things and make them ultimate, and then they become idols and a false source of satisfaction. It is very easy for me to fall into this and to believe I’m doing pretty good because I’m studying the Bible and working in ministry.
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Trying to be the best mother at all costs or trying to be the best wife and the expense of your relationship with God. These are the deceptions that cause you to not return home but walk away from God.
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Dr. Crabb makes the following observations about the spiritual journey: It is not governed by the law of linearity but by the law of liberty. Lesser dreams (even good ones) must shatter to awaken our appetite for greater dreams. To say that God is in control means that He is moving all things towards an end point that we don’t always properly value or even like. How do these observations help when you are offering spiritual friendsdhip to another?
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5 Replies
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These observations help when we are offering spiritual friendship to another because they focus us on the truth that God is in control. We do not need to figure out how to make things happen. We only need to discern what God is doing or how He works and try to join with His working and purpose.
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“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase; I must decrease.!” (Jn 3:29-30)
As a friend to another, we are merely a friend who comes along side a struggling friend; we stand and listen and am overjoy to hear the bridegroom’s voice. Our role is not to overtake Christ in the person’s life, nor stand in the way of the person’s ‘interaction’ with Christ. This is liberty – a freedom that we needn’t unnecessary put our desires for the person to break out of the situation on ourselves. The dream is God’s dream! It frees me to simply exercise love, grace and patience, with discernment and wisdom from the Lord to restore the person to see a greater love in Christ is far more worthy to embrace than the little dreams we have. -
When I am offering spiritual friendship to another person, the observations by Dr. Crabb help me to understand that every conversation wont end in a smile or a warm and fuzzy feeling. As we spiritually journey together, the Holy Spirit will be leading and opening up our eyes and hearts (not necessarily at the same time) to things we need to embrace or erase. The idea that lesser dreams must shatter to free space for greater dreams in Christ is not a common thought. We either want it all or give up and don’t go after anything. We complain and settle or exhaust ourselves trying to achieve that we think we are supposed to have.
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It helps me to sit with them patiently and listen. They may not have come to this revelation yet-that they don’t properly value God’s direction. It helps me to have patience, grace, and empathy.
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In our journey with we God we cannot depend on what is the legalistic pattern of the right way to go but see where God is leading us which my be out of our comfort zone or seem strange but the path God is directing us to which will wind up being the ultimate best for us.
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Dr. Crabb makes three observations about Eckhart’s quote. Discuss what you think and feel about each. God’s home is now in me. When I walk away from God, I walk away from me. The only way to discover my true self is to come home to God.
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6 Replies
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The observation that God’s home is now in me is very encouraging. It means that God is close. He is present. He is there. This is true of all His children. God, His image and presence within us, is the truest, deepest thing about us.
The observation that when I walk away from God, I walk away from myself is also encouraging. The way to self-fulfillment is always towards God. When in doubt, always move towards greater union with God.
The observation that the only way to discover my true self is to come home to God is, for me, simply an extension of the second observation. It is encouraging. The way to self-fulfillment is always towards God. When in doubt, always move towards greater union with God. This is also God’s design. He is always seeking to draw us into greater union with Himself.
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God is as “ constant” as the sun, our lives revolve around Him. When we constantly remind ourselves that my heart is God’s home, we will arrange our lives to rotate around Him and his righteousness. He is the source. We live our lives before the face of God. We know we are His. We find our identity in Him.
When we walk away from Him, we walk away from me… our back is facing Him, hence, we walk in the shadow of ourselves – we lost our identity, purpose in Him. We find our identity and purpose in the things we are walking towards – be it worldly pleasures or achievements. We will look like our idols. (Psalm 135:18)
When we turn back to face God, and walk towards Him. We find our true self in Him.
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God’s home is now in me. God is the center in our hearts, everything we do should be Christ centered. When I walk away from God, I walk away from me. When my focus is on other things, and goals are just for myself, than I am not following God’s wisdom, or following the Gentle Shepherd, I end up straying off the path, like a lost sheep, wondering away and heading for danger, we can be deceived. We seek other things more valuable than God. The only way to discover my true self is to come home to God. God is the only true way come home, through all our pain and difficulties in life, and all that life happens in our hearts and souls, in order to find our true self is to come home to God.
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God’s home is now in me. – He is not just near me, he is with me (within me). I am not alone and he is the source.
When I walk away from God, I walk away from me. This is why people feel lost. When I step outside of God’s will and love, I misunderstand God and his love, and without an understanding and acceptance of both, I’m lost.
The only way to discover my true self is to come home to God. My identify is in Christ. This statement makes being in Christ take on a whole new meaning for me. -
1. God’s home is now in me: This gives me a sense of comfort and familiarity with God. It also draws me to want to return home. It also reminds me that I can walk away from home, but I can never actually get away.
2. When I walk away from God, I walk away from me: This makes me feel convicted and also intrigued. It also makes sense because when I’m not looking to God for my satisfaction, I often feel lost to myself.
3. The only way to discover my true self is to come home to God: This feel warm and inviting to me. It also gets me excited. I find it interesting because our culture these days is all about finding yourself and being true to yourself, but that can only happen when we come home to God.
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We don’t return to God for several reasons, among them: We do not see our flesh dynamics. We lose hope. What does the phrase “flesh dynamics” mean? When have you experienced these hindrances to returning to God?
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6 Replies
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Flesh dynamics means trying to make life work without God, in our own flesh. I often find it hard to return to God and live in union with Him, when I am succeeding in making life work in the flesh. It is when I am at the end of my natural abilities and life is not working that I more easily turn to Him and seek Him.
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“Flesh dynamics” is the tension of our fallen nature with that of God’s original design.
The battle within us that wrestle to choose our ways to make outrage life work, our pleasures met APART from God.
The greatest hindrance to return to God is when our ways and the ways of God looks more pleasing than that of God.
(Reminded how Eve fell cos her eyes saw what was more pleasing to her, and doubted God’s way is better) -
Flesh dynamics: When we are in a middle of a spiritual battle, middle of a crisis, in the middle of discouragement or loosing hope. Finding ways to make life work without God. When we have conflict with family, friends, or at work, or when we feel irritable, stressed, or don’t know how to solve a difficult issue in life. When have you experienced the hindrances to returning to God? When I am in the middle of striving to do better, perform better, when I set the bars really high and I have goals and things in life I yet to accomplish. Sometimes or many times it is hard to return to God, when I am extremely stressed or in a middle of a conflict, by believing sometimes that I need to be always on top and have my life in order. Sometimes these hindrances keep me from returning to God. I need to surrender to Christ and let Him gently lead me along my journey.
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Flesh dynamics war against our spirit. They are the feelings and thoughts that go against word of God. If I base my decisions on how I am feeling or what I want, my life becomes about me pleasing and protecting myself instead of living for God and serving others. If I become my own source , losing hope is inevitable because I am not God. Believing the lie that we are in control causes us to try harder instead of surrendering to God. I have experienced this in my need to be a better wife, mom and teacher. I found myself trying to learn more, do more to ‘fix’ things or do what other people were doing instead of surrendering those areas to Christ and drawing closer to him.
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Flesh dynamics are the processes in which we desire things other than God and try to find satisfaction in them rather than God. I have experienced flesh dynamics when I believe I can find satisfaction in something other than Christ. I’ve lost hope before when I am trying to make something in my life work and it just isn’t.
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Dr. Crabb wants a revolution in his life and in the church where our desire for God actually becomes stronger than our desire to fix our problems. To what extent is that revolution occurring in your life?
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6 Replies
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To the extent I slow down, listen to the Spirit by spending time with Him in the Word, am involver with others in relationships of depth…then it is happening to some degree. It could always be more…and hopefully it will be in the days ahead. Ironically, I have found since I retired from the Church as Pastor that it is happening more…as Pastor I fell too often into the trap of “running the church” instead of spirtually directing people.
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Thanks to Dr. Crabb and my experience with him and his colleagues at the School of Spiritual Direction and Next Step, this revolution has been advancing in my life. First learning this truth and realizing how I was not living in God’s larger story but trying to make my own smaller story work caused a tremendous paradigm shift. Since then, God has been training me in trusting Him, in depending upon Him and in living in greater union with Him. The last two years during all the COVID restrictions have been very difficult personally and professionally but very rich in developing a deeper relationship with God, our Heavenly Father.
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This toughest week where unexpected pre-mature death of a loved one drew me to desire more of God and see His work among us, than fixing our grief. God is a good, good Father who graciously was present with us, and turning our mourning to a blessed assurance of a better hope in him. One truth I have learnt, often times we are the ones who stand in the way between the person in need and Him. We talk too much, do too much in trying to ‘ease’ the situation, but when the space is given to the person in need and God – we witness a deep healing, a deep comfort than only He can do it! All glory to Him!
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It is occurring more and more. My desire to fix my problems is decreasing as I am realizing my greater desires to be home in Christ.
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It is definitely occurring in my life-that’s why I’m taking this class. I work in full time ministry and also want this to become a reality in ministry. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I see that knowing him deeply is more important and more satisfying than fixing myself or my my life.
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What do you think a “defining decision” is?
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When did you last sense a longing to have another person walk with you as you walk home to God? What did you do about that longing?
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