Welcome to the final week of Dream Big, Think Small. We hope this study has created some tremendous conversations about being faithful and persistent in the important areas of life. This week, we will return to the idea of the long, faithful road to success.
This week, we will read Days 26-30 in the book. Some of the questions will come from days you may not have read yet, but that is ok.
Share Life
Building healthy and life-giving relationships.
Updates.
What has been new or challenging in your life since last time the group met? Spend 20-30 minutes checking in with each other.
Reflections.
Jeff Manion gives an assignment at the end of each chapter of Dream Big, Think Small. Quickly review your book and spend some time discussing what reflection activities you attempted to tackle in the past week and how it went.
Share Part of Your Story.
We often trip up on the long, faithful road to success because we can become impatient. Let’s face it, we live in an “I want it now!” culture. When it comes to personal or spiritual growth, where and how do you tend to get impatient in the process?
Pursue God
Taking next steps toward Christ together.
Tabitha Factor.
A hero of faithfulness in the New Testament is a quiet character named Tabitha. Read Acts 9.36-43 together. What do you learn about Tabitha in this story? How would you describe her?
When Peter arrives, the room is filled with weeping widows who are showing Peter the clothes Tabitha had made for them. Pastor Manion used three words to describe what these clothes meant to these poor women: warmth, dignity, and hope. Spend some time talking about each word. Place yourself in the context of these widows as you make the connection between the clothing and these words.
Discuss this statement: “Tabitha lived an extraordinary existence by devoting herself to fairly unextraordinary activity” (Jeff Manion, Dream Big Think Small, pg 181). How does unextraordinary activity become extraordinary?
Who are the Tabithas around you? Who are the people repeatedly involving themselves in doing good for others? What impact has their Tabitha Factor had on you?
What “Tabitha task” are you being called to start or being encouraged to continue? What challenges or threats could stifle your pursuit of faithfulness? How could your Tabitha task bring warmth, dignity or hope to someone?
Jeff uses the phrase “holy redundancy” to describe this type of activity. How does repetition become “holy”?
Goodness Grows Slowly
Drama, conflict and fear are three elements that fill the news feeds. Slow, steady, repetitive goodness is rarely newsworthy in our culture. Why do you think this is?
Often in our pursuit of faithfulness, we lose our desire to continue. We can become weary, bored or uninspired. Paul recognized this as he wrote to some believers in the region of Galatia.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up
(Galatians 6.9).
When have you become weary in the pursuit of good? What inspires you to stay engaged or re-engage when fatigue sets in?
Looking Back
Reflect together on the series. Use the five phrases below to guide your discussion. What has been most compelling and most challenging for you? What steps are you taking? What steps are you continuing once the series is done?
- Don’t break the chain!
- Finding restorative rest.
- How’s your heart?
- What is your circuit?
- Avoiding stress fractures.
Invest in Others
Valuing people outside the group and outside the faith.
Spend some time talking about how you and your group can better engage the people in your life outside your small group.
Invite
As we conclude the sermon series and approach Easter, it’s a perfect time to ask, “Who needs what we have?” Who in your life needs an invitation to church? Who needs an invitation to your small group? Who needs an invitation to dinner? Prayerfully consider those you are investing in!