***Due by every last Tuesday of the month

-Read assigned chapters per month

-Post 2x minimum per chapter - Respond/Comment per Chapter.

*Post 1: Chapter Content Question

*Post 2: Group Discussion Questions from last page of each chapter

February -

Chapter 1: Half Brained Christianity

Chapter 2: How Do People Grow?

Chapter 3: Joy: The Face of Jesus That Transforms

+ Try it out Appendix A: Soil Sample 1: Relational Joy Assessment

a. Do this assessment for our Hawai'i Cru community.

b. Do this assessment for your personal spiritual community.

March-

Chapter 4: Hesed: Our Relational Glue

Chapter 5: Group Identity: What Kind of People Are We?

Chapter 6: Healthy Correction: Stop Being So Nice

+Appendix E - Maturity Stages

April

Chapter 7: Narcissism: The Relational Infection

Chapter 8: A Full-Brained Christianity

Reflect on one concept you read from each chapter. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 1. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 2. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 3. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 4. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 5. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 6. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 7. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Comment below using this prompt:

Reflect on one concept you read from chapter 8. What connections are you making with this material? How might this concept or idea contribute to your understanding of God's calling for you OR How might this concept or idea help you navigate similar situations differently in the future?

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 1 by commenting below:

1. Do you relate to Michel's surprise at discovering he was a left-brained Christian?

2. Are the spiritual practices you have been taught mostly left-brained, right-brained, or a good mix of the two (whole-brained)?

3. Discuss what your life might be like with more right-brained focused skills: more joy, a better ability to regulate distressing emotions, a more coherent identity, and the ability to feel God's face shining on you.

4. Does the soil of your Christian community have signs of being depleted? How common is transformation in your church/Cru community?

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 2 by commenting below:

1. Have you ever attended a church that had a well-developed intentional plan to build your maturity?

   a. If so, what worked and did not work?

   b. If not, why do you think a maturity plan was absent?

2. Read Matthew 28:18-20.

   a. Up to now, how did you think we learn to obey everything Jesus commanded?

   b. How have you taught others to obey?

3. Read Ephesians 4:11-14

   a. How have you been built up to maturity as a Christian?

   b. Who equipped you (over the years) as your spiritual leaders on your path to maturity?

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 3 by commenting below:

Read several of the following Scriptures on joy: Numbers 6:25; Psalm 4:6-7; Psalm 31:16; Psalm 44:3; Psalm 67:1; Psalms 80:3, 7, 19; Daniel 9:17.

1. Pick a few of the Scriptures above and read them. How does that feel in your body as you hear of God's face shining on you?

2. Read Psalm 4:6-7. Why might David value the light of the Lord's face shining on him more than financial security (abundant grain & wine)?

3. Rephrase the joy Scriptures below and replace "joy" with the concept of God's face shining on you. He is happy to be with you.

   a. James 1:2: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

   b. Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 4 by commenting below:

1. Complete the Soil Sample 2: Hesed Attachment Development in Appendix A for your Christian community.

   a. Do this assessment for our Hawai'i Cru community

   b. Do this assessment for your personal spiritual community.

2. Rewrite the following Scriptures, replacing "love: with the concept of a family level attachment.

   a. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34)

   b. "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8)

3. In Colossians 2:2, Paul prays for his readers that their hearts may be :encouraged, being knit together in love" (ESV). What can you do in your church or Cru community to knit yourselves together in a closer bond of love?

4. What can you do in your Cru Community and Church community to practice sharing weaknesses on a regular basis? what are the dangers of sharing weakness? How can you create a safe environment for presenting your true selves, including your character flaws?

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 5 by commenting below:

1. Complete the Soil Sample 3: Group Identity Strength in Appendix A for your Christian community. Discuss the strength of your community's group identity.

   a. Do this assessment for our Hawai'i Cru community.

   b. Do this assessment for your personal spiritual community.

2. Read 1 Peter 5:8-9

   a. What reason does Peter give for enduring?

   b. Why would knowing of the suffering of other Christians help us suffer?

   c. Create an identity statement about how you can deal with Satan's attacks.

   d. optional: As a group, create a group identity statement about how we deal with Satan's attacks.

   e. optional: As a group, create a group identity statement about how we suffer. We are a people who _______________.

3. Read Matthew 7:3-5

   a. Come up with an identity statement from this teaching. I am someone who _______________.

   b. optional: Come up with a group identity statement from this teaching. We are people who _______________.

*optional: do this during the next Cru team meeting when you see each other.

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 6 by commenting below:

1. Complete the Soil Sample 4: "Culture of Correction" Assessment for your Christian Community. Discuss the strength of your community's "culture of correction."

   a. Do this assessment for our Hawai'i Cru community.

   b. Do this assessment for your personal spiritual community.

2. Read Philippians 4:2-3 and notice how Paul corrects two women.

   a. How does he affirm their hesed?

   b. How does Paul correct these women?

   c. Why do you think he mentions the book of life?

3. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. What is the healthy shame message here? Restate it in your own words: We do not _____________. Instead, we are a people who _____________.

4. Read the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Restate Jesus' correction of Martha as a general statement of how God's children act: We are a people who _____________.

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 7 by commenting below:

1. Complete the Soil Sample 5: Narcissism Signs in Appendix A for your Christian community. Discuss the signs of narcissism you see in your life and your community.

   a. Do this assessment for our Hawai'i Cru community.

   b. Do this assessment for your personal spiritual community.

2. Read 3 John 9. Have you lived or worked with someone who needed to be first? Share your experiences of what it was like to interact with this person. How did he or she influence the dynamic of your group? Was their behavior ever corrected? If not, what kept you from speaking up?

3. Read the list of narcissistic behaviors enumerated in this chapter. Which ones have you seen played out in a Christian community? In your family? Which ones do you see in your own life?

4. In your opinion, how vulnerable is your church's/Cru Community's soil to the relational infection of narcissism? Which of the soil ingredients is most lacking?

Answer these questions after you read Chapter 8 by commenting below:

1. What changes might you make to your gatherings so that they appear more like Paul's description in 1 Corinthians 14:26?

2. Think of the four ingredients of healthy relational soil and evaluate your current Christian Community (Hawai'i Cru and your personal church). Where is your community strong, and where does your soil need improvement?

3. Read Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19. Does your church intentionally teach and build wisdom by singing? Do you ever sing to each other as part of your discipleship?

Feb 1st - Read Appendix B

No later than Feb 8th

Start Phase 1: Gratitude for Five Minutes

No later than Mar 1st

Start Phase 2: The Thirty-Day Joy Exercise

No later than April 5

Start Phase 3: Joy Maintenance