Practicing The Presence

practicing_the_presence.mp4

PRAY:

Have someone read 1 Peter 4:8 aloud. After you read it, spend a minute or two silently reflecting on the passage. Then spend some time praying as a group for anything that 1 Peter 4:8 draws to your mind or stirs up in your heart.

ONE ANOTHERING:

Try to think of some practical needs you can share to give others the opportunity to step up and love you. It's okay if it takes some time to get comfortable with this. It takes time and practice to be vulnerable with one another... but amazing things happen when we are. Remember that the Benevolence Ministry is a resource for our comGroups.

How can we love or serve one another this week?

FOLLOW UP:

How did that practice from last week go?
What was challenging?
What was beneficial?

Begin with a meditation on Romans 8:1-17. Read it aloud and then give space for the group to read it themselves and “chew on” a phrase that jumped out to them.
Ask: how well does Romans 8 describe your own Christian life?
Practicing the presence is an intentional discipline for directing and redirecting our minds to God throughout the course of everyday life. Where is there margin in your life to do this?
The author of A Praying Life, Paul Miller, records how his unhealthy impulse to control shows up in his tendencies to interrupt others, be frustrated when he isn’t given credit, and dominate meetings. He now uses these as prompts to pray, let go, and practice God’s presence. Think about your own tendencies and impulses: what might be a “prayer prompt” that you can begin using today?

PRACTICE:

Develop a Breath Prayer