Discussion questions for February 9, 2018.

We have been discussing the truth that each person is created with a core identity from which their personality emerges.  What has been part of your gift and talent mix from the beginning?  What values and traits have you demonstrated regularly throughout your life?  What attributes have you put on due to conflict or pressure that are not centered in your core?  How can you change the expression of your identity to match your sweet spot?

Discussion question for February 2, 2018.

We discovered the connection between our personality and the authority from which we seek affirmation.  How do you know a personality trait or quirk is good?  What indicates to you that you are presenting yourself in an affectation?  Who influences your identity?  Under what conditions does your personality “change”?  How do you jettison a false identity, or trait, for the sake of acting in truth?

Discussion question for January 26, 2018.

There are a multitude of problems that arise when we are living an identity that is in conflict with who God created us to be.  What are the foundational aspects of an identity?  How have you described yourself to others?  What are true character traits, and how do you distinguish them from affectations?  Where do you seek affirmation for your identity?  What authority guides your choices and responses?

Discussion question for January 19, 2018.

We have talked often about emotional maturity, and how a delay in development in the emotional realm can affect a person’s identity.  Are you able to effectively communicate your feelings?  When are you most likely at a loss for words for the emotional realm?  What happens when you identify an emotion by name?  How should a man increase his emotion-quotient vocabulary?

Discussion question for January 12, 2018.  Note: No meetings during Christmas break.

We have agreed that truth is not a concept, but a person: Jesus Christ.  How would you answer Pilate’s question of what is truth?  What powers your convictions?  Where does reason fit in with truth?  What are the differences between faith and reason?  How do you test your beliefs?

Discussion question for December 15, 2017.

We have talked about a cause, or calling, that has eternal impact.  How do you know you are fighting for the right thing?  How do you respond to people with good intentions that ardently support a cause that seems frivolous or  disgusting to you?  How are your opinions different than theirs?  What is the balance between control (dominion), stewardship, and worship in regards to natural resources, for instance?  How do your convictions influence your efforts at life?

Discussion question for December 8, 2017.

In our discussion of succession planning we realized that some of what we do is temporal but there may be an aspect that has eternal implications.  How do you define your calling or purpose?  What are you stewarding that belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven?  What do you want to pass along as a calling, even more than a legacy?  If you were Elijah, who might fit the role of your Elisha?

Discussion question for December 1, 2017.

We recently reviewed the fact that the blessings we receive are not for our consumption, but to be stewarded for the Kingdom of God.  How are you stewarding your calling?  What are you doing to fulfill the purpose God set out for you?  How will you duplicate yourself in this area?  What role does discipleship play in this?  What will happen to your goals and priorities when the Lord returns or calls you home?

Join us, with other members of Vancouver Pillar Church, for a Thanksgiving Dawn Service on Friday, November 17.  We will begin at 6:00 AM with a short time of worship, have a message regarding thankfulness, and then enter a time of united prayer.  We are usually done by 7:00 or a little before.

Discussion question for November 10, 2017.

Jesus described the people that are blessed when He taught the Beatitudes.  How are you experiencing the blessing?  What has qualified you for being blessed?  How does your response reflect the condition of your heart?  What recommendations do you have for others that are blessed?