Dec 1st to Dec 7th: Becoming the Beloved – Taken

Reading:  Becoming the Beloved  I. Taken

Today we officially begin Advent!  After a wonderful week of discussing the truth that we are the Beloved, Henri now calls us to become the Beloved!  This is definitely a journey rather than a flick of a switch, and the journey is challenging.  Although God has granted us the irrevocable status of being His Beloved, he asks us to apply the disciplines to “become the Beloved in the common places of [our] daily existence” (p 45).

This week we specifically explore what it means to accept that we are chosen (taken).  We recognize that every person God put on this earth, He put here for a reason, for a unique purpose, however “great” or “small.”

1) Think of some of the people of the Bible, or spiritual heroes of the past, who were chosen by God for a specific purpose:
a) Did they generally feel worthy and prepared for their calling?
b) What was the result of their obedience?

2) Does a part of you protest the idea of being chosen?
a) What things come along with being chosen, which you’d rather avoid?
b) If you were to admit that you are chosen by God for a purpose, what might that stir in you?  Require of you?
c) Can you imagine the beauty, excitement, peace, joy etc. that might also come along with accepting that you are chosen?

If you are ready to discover, embrace and live your purpose, a good question is “how?”

3) Henri reminds us that if we listen to the voices of this world, we will most certainly get distracted from our purpose, and get “caught in the net of a suffocating world that accepts or rejects us according to its own agenda of effectiveness and control” (P57-58).
a) If you were totally free from the external voices telling you what you should do, what would make you significant, what would earn you respect or love … if you were free to choose from your heart, what would you do or be or give or contribute to yourself and the world?

4) Finally, Henri gives us three very practical guidelines to help us live as a chosen son or daughter of God:
a) How might you establish a way that you can easily remind yourself of your Belovedness on a daily basis, and when needed?
b) Do you have a community, a friend, a mentor, or a guide that reminds you that you are chosen, and encourages you to live your purpose?  If yes, how did you find them, and how have they been significant to you? (To encourage others who may be looking).
c) Finally, how can you further integrate gratitude into all of your life’s circumstances?
INVITATION:  Choose one new way to express gratitude to God, to others or to yourself this week.  Tell us how it goes!

Looking forward to another great week together!

Nov 24th to Nov 30th: Being the Beloved

Reading:  Being the Beloved

LoBcard“[your name], all I want to say to you is ‘You are the Beloved,’ and all I hope is that you can hear these words  as spoken to you with all the tenderness and force that love can hold.  My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being – ‘You are the Beloved.” (P30).

1) Has anyone ever told you this before?  You are the beloved of God.
a) What does the word “Beloved” mean to you?
b) What does Henri want to say to you when he says “You Are the Beloved”?
c) Have you been rejecting this truth?  Are you more comfortable with low self-esteem or arrogance?
d) Why might you be more comfortable with low self-esteem or arrogance?  What need might this negative way of being meet for you?

2) This Advent, what can you do practically to create a place “where that quiet voice calling [you] the Beloved [can] be heard?” (P36)
a) What can you do to remove some of the “dry sand” that covers the well?
b) What might help you to hear the voice of God’s love for you?
INVITATION:  Please share some words from the Holy Scriptures through which God speaks words of love and affirmation to you (refer also to page 36 where Henri did this).

3) Henri, with all of his love and passion, is pleading with us to claim the truth of our Belovedness as our core truth.
a) Have you been tempted, in the past, to look someone or something else to affirm you?  Or tell you of your worth?
b) If you were to embrace the truth of your Belovedness today, how might your life change?  What might you be free to do, be, give or receive?
INVITATION:  Imagine the physical core of your body.  Put your hand there.  Now put the truth “You Are the Beloved” firmly in there.  As you go through each day, and encounter loud and persistent negative voices around you or in you, go into your core and claim the truth of your Belovedness.  What is the result?

As always, I offer these questions to help get our discussion going, but please feel free to share whatever comes up for you through the readings/comments of others.

Brynn

Nov 20th – Nov 23rd: Introductions

Reading: Prologue

A very warm welcome to each of you! Today we begin an Advent journey together, which is sure to be a time of sharing, learning, growth and focus. What makes these discussions so rich is the thoughtful participation of so many people. Thank-you to each of you for being here and sharing with us.

First let me quickly share how the discussion flows. Each Sunday you will discover a new “post,” indicated by the bold title, on the blog’s Home page. This post will have discussion questions based around the week’s readings. It works best if you always add any new comment to the newest post, even if you are referring to an earlier post. That way, everyone will see your comment. After you submit a comment, either Maureen or I need to “approve” it, so it may take a few hours before it actually appears on the blog page. If you have any further questions about how the blog works, please feel free to ask.

The theme of Life of the Beloved is “spiritual living in a secular world.” It is an appropriate topic for Advent – a time when we are invited to stand in awe of Jesus, while the world rushes through one of the most consumer driven times of the year. We look to Henri Nouwen as a teacher and qualified guide, to help us live this season deeply. With that very brief introduction to the discussion, I now ask each of you to introduce yourselves.

1) Please introduce yourself to the group. You may choose to share:
a) Your general geographic location
b) To whom or what you dedicate your days and energy, and why
c) Whether or not you’ve participated in previous book discussions, or if you are joining us for the first time

2) As you read the prologue please take it in as more than a story of how two people met. Hear what Henri was saying to Fred. Imagine yourself in the seat across from Henri. Feel his love and passion as he asks you:
a) What do you really want?
b) Is there a dream, a passion or a purpose that God has placed in your heart?
c) Has something held you back from living that purpose?
d) Have you been able to grasp and live your purpose? How?

These question are meant to help get us started in our discussion, however please always feel free to share whatever comes up for your through the readings or comments of others.

Looking forward to a great Advent together,

Brynn