Check In
1. Which of the following words resonate with you most right now?
Sad, Angry, Scared, Happy, Excited, Tender, Stuck
Why?
2. What stood out to you from the devotional or the Bible this week?

Open
In the book Generations, Jean Twenge identifies the following generations:
◾ Silents: 1925-1945 (78+)
◾ Baby Boomers: 1946-1964 (59-77)
◾ Gen X: 1965-1979 (44-58)
◾ Millennials: 1980-1994 (29-43)
◾ Gen Z: 1995-2012 (11-28)
◾ Polars: 2013-2029 (under age 10)

1. What are the differences between these generations in terms of technology?

2. How did/do each of these generations experience community?

3. What’s a good definition for community?

Pray
Spend a few minutes laying aside the cares of the day. Release them to God. Draw your attention to the One who knows you and cares about you far beyond what you can think or imagine.

A simple centering prayer: God, You are the source of all that is good and beautiful and right. We pray You’d fill us with more of Your life. Help us grow deeper in Your love. Restore our union with You. We pray You’d give us strength to endure, wisdom to choose what’s right, and a hope that anchors our souls. Protect us from the evil one who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Move us beyond only looking at our own needs, and fill us with a deep love for each other. May Brookwood become a community that’s continually growing stronger together. Amen.

1. What stands out to you in these passages?

2. What does it mean to be dead in your transgressions and sins?

3. How does Christ make us alive?

4. When are times you’ve felt truly loved by God?

5. How has God’s love changed you?

6. What are practical ways to grow in experiencing God’s love?

7. What does it mean to live a life worthy of the calling which you have received?

8. God’s love (Ephesians 1-3) changes the way we relate with each other (Ephesians 4-6). According to this passage, what are characteristics of people who live in God’s love?

9. Which one stands out to you? Why?

10. We all fall short in each of these areas. How can God’s forgiveness change our community?

Scripture Memory
Memorizing Scripture enables you to carry the life-shaping words of God in you at all times and in all places. Here’s a verse to store in your heart and mind based on this week’s theme:

eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3 (ESV)

Recommended Reading
(on the Topic of Growing Stronger Together)
◾ Community: The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block
◾ SoulTalk: The Language God Longs for Us to Speak, Larry Crabb
◾ Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community, Ruth Haley Barton

App and the Daily Devotional
Spend time with God with the Daily Devotionals available on the App. You can also find Sunday Message resources and videos, leave prayer requests, give and more.

Why Jesus?
If you’ve never experienced God’s forgiveness and grace, we’d love the opportunity to talk with you about a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Email thepastors@brookwoodchurch.org or call 864.688.8200

Additional Study Tools
For additional Bible Study tools, guides and devotionals, check out bible.com, youversion.com, biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.org.