This week we tuned in to Bob Goff via video for his insights into how we become love with those a few rungs out on our sphere of influence. For your benefit, below are some quotes and “homework” we provided during our service. If you’d like to listen to what Bob Goff said, click play to the right or subscribe to our podcast.

Quotables from Bob Goff’s Video Teaching

•       Instead of telling people what they want, tell them who they are.

•       Recognize that God made people just like God made you – and God made you to know others.

•       The best way you can express your faith to people is to tell them who they are becoming.

•       God found you right where you are, and you can find other people the same way.

•       The story of the Gospel is that [in] Jesus [God] jumped out of heaven to be with us.

•       Talk about the right stuff behind people’s backs: who they’re turning into, not who they used to be.

•       Don’t let shame distance you from God, and don’t let it distance you from others.

•       Follow Jesus to people who are hurting – who have hit the ground hard – and catch them on the bounce.

Which of the above quotes is especially relevant to you today? Why?

What do you feel compelled to do in response to today’s teaching?

During the week…

Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

There is a whole lot in this story to chew on.  The father in the story is a metaphor for God, and the two sons sure seem to reflect our human tendencies.  In a world that was hyper focused on keeping score, the father chose to focus on mercy instead.  The younger brother came to his senses, came home and received it.  The older brother never left the property yet was never really home, and never really embraced the love that the father had for him all along.  God’s love is truly unconditional and unlimited in breadth and depth.  Will we come home to receive it?

Questions to think about…

1.       In what ways can you relate to the “score keeping” nature of the older brother?

2.       In what ways has God shown you mercy like the younger son?

3.       How do you respond to the idea that God threw a party for the younger son?

4.       How does this parable challenge your vision of others?

5.       Do you think the older brother ever joined the party?  What would you do if you were in his place?

Questions for chapters four through six of Everybody, Always…

1.       Does your Christian practice feel more like “faith” or compliance?

2.       Is there a relationship where you’ve let shame create a barrier between you and someone else? What would it look like to heal that divide?

3.       What does it mean to build a “kingdom” rather than a “castle” when it comes to accepting others who are different from you?

4.       What are some ways to love the difficult people in your life “thirty seconds at a time”?

5.       Why is it so important to react to those who have failed with compassion and understanding instead of disapproval or indifference?