1. What did you get out of this particular lesson?
2. Margaret says that when she begins to doubt God’s love that there are moments she feels like He whispers through the scriptures, “I love you more than you can ever know.” Think of a time when God revealed his love to you in a very real, personal way. How does God lavish His love on you?
3. In The Organic God, Margaret writes, “In the fullness of his beauty, God invites us to change the way we look at our world. Too often I look for signs of beauty from a bottom-up perspective. I think of beauty in terms of what I prefer or what’s trendy or even what feels good. The bottom-up perspective centers on me and leaves me with blurred vision unable to distinguish true beauty from merely attractive things. The Organic God invites me to take off the bottom-up lenses of this world, and asks me to embrace a top-down perspective of that which is truly beautiful” (page 52).
In what ways are you tempted to look at the world from a “bottom-up” perspective rather than a “top-down” or Godly perspective?
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18 comments:
Our group has just completed two weeks of the study. I am amazed at how members shared about how their relationship with their earthly fathers affected their views of God.
Wow - we ran out of time before we completed the questions! Awesome study! our group was mixed regarding the impact bio father had on the concept of God, the Father....
What I love about Jesus - Every day is a clean slate--- I may need to suffer consequences or clean up yesterdays messes but I am forgiven and can start fresh each day! What a gift!
You know my relationship with my father i snot a relationship. I didnt grow up in a church. I came from a brokren home. I cant relate to this
Week 2: WOW!! I loved the correlation between our earthly father and our heavenly Father. I hadn't realized until we were asked to draw the picture, that the trait that I loved most about my dad was the one I love about Jesus.
What do I love about Jesus: His never ending patience. He never grows tired or annoyed with me, even when I make the same mistakes again and again.
I really loved hearing what others loved about Jesus, and everytime someone would state their's, I wanted to say, "oh, yeah, I love that too!"
Our group shared extensively about our fathers, and how that affected how we saw God. One friend of mine was sexually molested by her father, so she has a hard time with God as Father, even though she loves Him, understands that He created all, created a way for salvation for her, etc. Whether we realize it or not, our earthly fathers affect our perceptions of God, fair or not.
I was blessed with a very kind, loving, compassionate, Christian father. He's been a tremendous example to me, and truly lived a godly life. What a blessing.
Our group is on its third week. Everyone is loving it. It gets better every week. What I love about God is how much He loves me. He never changes - He surprises me all the time. He rocks my world every day. I have a hunger to know Him more - I can't wait to see what He has for me next. Life is fun.
I asked my 6yr old son why he loved Jesus, and he said "cause Jesus is the only real superhero we have, the only one that can save us".
I love the six-year-olds response as well as all the others !
I am really enjoying this study. Our group is so diverse it leads to great discussion every time. We especially had good discussion relating our earthly father to God. What do I love about God? He is always with me,leading me. Joshua 1:9....Be strong and couragous. Do not be terrified;do not be discouraged,for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
We started this series on Feb. 4.
On the question why do I love Jesus I would have to say because He is consistent, caring, real and His love is unconditional and never ending. No one in my life comes close to that for me except maybe my husband. My prayer for our ladies in our church is that they will REALLY get to know God for all that He is and take a step up from just knowing about Him.
What incredible answers to your love of Jesus--so challenging and encouraging!
I was a victim of molestation from my bio dad and I guess for years I had a love hate relationship with God because of it. I learned after 27 years to let all that go, I had to be broken down by my heavenly father and stripped down to the basics by going to prison and learning to do without to finally relize that what my earthly father did to me had nothing what so ever to do with my heavenly father. It took some time to learn this lesson but now I can say WOW and thank you God for teaching me that which I needed to learn.
What I love about Jesus is His PEACE - throughout trials, deaths, losses, mistakes, blatant sins, persecution, ...this world can be rotten sometimes, but we have His PEACE and the world just doesn't understand it and I feel badly for those that live a monotonous life trying to obtain that American Dream without His PEACE. That's what I love most about Jesus !
Bettyn -
I am So happy for you and glad that you can know His peace and that you are on the road to recovery from your tumultuous past. It's difficult sometimes, but strive to know Him all the more on a day to day basis.
I have adopted 12 children all whom have an assortment of past abuses, neglectful situations, war torn pasts, etc... but my prayer for each of them is that they may come to know Him despite what they've gone through. Three of my older children just couldn't accept the love we offered them. They never felt 'worthy' of a family or any type of love, let alone normal discipline. All discipline was abuse in their eyes as they were looking through the tainted glass at everything we did or said. Tainted by their abuse, rejection, and their abandonment.
I'm glad you found Him. He will guide you through your daily struggles and bless you beyond belief !
What I love about Jesus is his way with people. He loved the unlovely that chose to adore him,to watch him and follow him. I love how he had patience with Peter. His wild character and stupid mistakes are so me!.
He gives us second chances.
He cuts to the important matters of the heart.
We just started on The Organic God. What a Book!
Question was asked, "What do you love about Jesus? And this one answer popped up. "What I love about you Jesus is you thought I was worth dying for and you did it."
Will keep intouch as we continue
with our studies.
Wanda
What do I love about Jesus? His DEPTH. Oh! The depths of Him! He is the most simple and complex one I will ever "know". And, I thank you, Father, for giving us ETERNITY to "know" You! What an amazing thought that Jesus is so knowable and intimate, in yet, as I come to Him, I am so aware of how MUCH He is, how I will be enamored with the quest to know Him better for EVER.
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