It seems like we have a bit of a problem.

St. James warned his friends that their words were like sparks that had the power to burn down a forest. The Jewish poets noted that while our mouths contain the power to bless and bring life, they also have the ability to destroy and harm. And the noted Persian mystic Rumi instructed his readers to shut up like an oyster shell because, well, their mouths were the enemies of their souls, he thought. Which just means that long before the internet gave us a place to record and play back EVERY SINGLE word, long before social media gave us the platform to spew anonymous hatred, and long before we coined terms like “over- sharing” to describe our inability to keep quiet, we’ve had issues with our mouths.

So let’s open the text, and listen for a moment.

Part 1

Discussion Notes
Today, we're looking at the shortcuts we use, our search for reasons, and God's invitation to create meaning wherever we are.

Bonus Material

This week we're talking about SPIRITUAL BYPASSING a term Bobbi introduced me to during #AfterParty and the idea of how our response to grief is often about protecting our own illusions.

Part 2

Discussion Notes

Today we’re looking at how “I hate you” can be the words that need to be said, how we can be our own harshest critics, and how Jesus invites us into resurrection life in all those moments when we struggle with “those” people or with ourselves.

Bonus Material

We're not perfect and pretending that we are, pushing our emotions down and bottling them up actually makes everything worse. This is why, strange as it sounds, sometimes saying the un-Christ-like thing can help us acknowledge what is going on inside, name it and walk away from it towards something better.

Part 3

Discussion Notes

Today we’re talking about the conenciton between empathy, emotional intelligence and how, when and with whom we share our stories.

Bonus Material

We have all been in those situations where we shared our story and immediately knew we wished we could have taken it back. What can we do with those moments? How can we learn from them? And, how can we better shape ourselves for the future?

Part 4

Discussion Notes

Today we are talking about our words having the power to expand our possibilities, connections and relationships.

Bonus Material

We need to tell stories to each other and about each other. It's human nature. The question is whether we will tell stories that open up or shut down the possibilities for new connections.