Death

Here is a general discussion on the topic of "Death" we had a while back....
It proved to be a good discussion to open the door to the topic.
 

 Discussion: Death   
                                                                                   

v  How would you personally describe “Death”?

Dictionary: death [deth] 
–noun
the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism. 

Synonyms: afterlife, annihilation, bereavement, casualty, cessation, curtains, darkness,decease, demise,departure, destruction, dissolution, downfall,dying, end, ending, eradication, eternal rest, euthanasia, exit, expiration, extermination, extinction, fatality, finis, finish, grave, grim reaper, heaven, loss, mortality, necrosis, obliteration, oblivion, paradise, parting, passing, passing over, quietus, release, repose, ruin, ruination, silence, sleep, termination, tomb

Wikipedia: Death is the termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. The word refers both to the particular processes of life's cessation as well as to the condition or state of a formerly living body. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include predation, malnutrition, accidents resulting in terminal injury, and disease.

The nature of death has been for millennia a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical enquiry, and belief in some kind of afterlife or rebirth has been a central aspect of religious belief. In modern scientific enquiry, the origin and nature of consciousness has yet to be fully understood; any such view about the existence or non-existence of consciousness after death therefore remains speculative.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for humans.

v  You can actually go to these websites to ‘calculate’ your death….
http://www.deathclock.com/ Or…  http://www.findyourfate.com/deathmeter/deathmtr.html
How does that make you feel?

v  Could you ever work in a morgue? Why or why not?

v  Have you recently seen or heard about someone dying? How did you handle it?

v  What kind of initial reactions did you have to the recent news… “Bin Laden is dead.” -  “Tornado leaves death and destruction.” -  “The world’s ending on May 21^st.” ?

v  Have you ever wondered why funerals are the way they are? What do you like or not like about them?

The Christian worldview: Christianity believes Jesus (the Son of God) came to earth as man, lived a sinless life, was crucified, buried for three days, and was resurrected…
In doing so, Jesus came to “put death itself in the grave.”

v  Any final thoughts on all this?

Quotes

 ^“O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?
 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
~ 1Corinthians 15:55-57

The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.  ~Mark Twain

Men fear Death, as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.  ~Francis Bacon, Essays

There is always death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.  ~Author Unknown

If you spend all your time worrying about dying, living isn't going to be much fun.  ~From the television show Roseanne

I shall not die of a cold.  I shall die of having lived.  ~Willa Cather

Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.  ~Socrates

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.  ~Leonardo da Vinci

Ask Forgiveness

This is the discussion we made for the last Ed's Story video that has been released thus far, "Ask Forgiveness" - I hope that these discussions can be a useful  blessing for you and your community

www.edsstory.com

Ed’s Story - Ask Forgiveness

Initial reactions to this video?

Why do you think Ed felt the need to make this list of everybody he knew he had offended and work his way through it, forgiving and asking forgiveness?

If you made a similar list today, how long would it be?

Do you ever lose sight of the importance of your relationships over whose right and whose wrong? Share.

Has asking for forgiveness ever been hard for you? Why?  Is there a story you are willing to share about the difficulty of forgiveness? 

“I think forgiveness is a great idea until you have someone to forgive, then it’s very difficult, you have to humble yourself and admit that you’re wrong, you have to look at the person in their eyeballs and that is intimidating.”

Honestly, do you ever struggle in humbling yourself?

“Having gone through the list I am much slower to judge and much quicker to listen, if we lived in a world like that there would be harmony and peace.”

What are your reactions to this?     In what areas of our lives can we be slower to judge and more quick to listen?

Final thoughts on this discussion?

“There are consequences to the choices we make, forgiveness and forgiving people do not overrule those consequences, but it’s still the right thing to do.”

Challenge: Make a list of those you've wronged. Be honest with God and yourself about it. Through the loving grace of God, begin working your way through the list seeking forgiveness and reconciliation.

My Garden

(This is the fourth discussion in the Ed's Story series ... "My Garden") 

Visit Edsstory.com

Initial reflections on the video?

What are your reactions to Ed leaving his pastorate?

Have you had to leave something behind before that was difficult to do? A vocation? Family? Home?
What was that like?

Ed talks about how when you feel that you’re not needed you lose part of your purpose in life…
Have you ever experienced this sort of thing before? – A loss of purpose?

Ed spent a year living as closely like Jesus as possible… going to synagogues and even Jewish festivals. He reflects that he’d been trying to follow Jesus all of his life, yet previously he never had time to do it.

What do you think about this period of Ed’s life and his reflections on it?

The more Ed understands he’s getting closer to the end, he realizes how much more fragile life is.
So because of this he spends time only doing the things that are important.

How much of your life do you believe you spend on the important things?

“You ain’t livin’ forever.”

Ed reflects how in the creation narrative “taking care of” the garden is directly connected with worship.
“Part of how we worship is how we take care of the garden.” Having a new understanding of where his garden is has unveiled for him the importance of influencing others one on one rather than thousands at a time.

What is your response to this?
How can this give you clarity about your purpose in life right now?

 “The good news is, out there, there is a purpose for everyone, and when you arrive there, you’ll know it.”

Final thoughts?

Challenge: This week make it a point to have one on one space with someone, be willing to invest your time and yourself.

Be There

For the film "Be There" in the Ed's Story series. www.edsstory.com

Ed’s Story – Be There    

Initial thought’s on the story?

In your own words, what happened in the Ed meeting JJ story?

When you are going through a difficult situation do you tend to avoid being around others?
If so, why?

Looking back in life, do you see more significance in some moments your path crossed with others?
Any times that stands out above others? 

Do you see anyone ever leaving you their “corvette?” Why, why not?

What is it like for you when you connect with someone who is also struggling along the same journey you are?

Is it a challenge for you to simply be present, to just “show up and shut up,” with others?

“Everyone I meet is on a pilgrimage or a journey and in the providence of God our paths cross and I think they cross so we can mutually encourage each other.”

How can we live in our present struggles and journey in such a way that we connect others with hope and encouragement?

Final thoughts?

“In retrospect, the random meeting of JJ was a reminder that God was with me even on the worst of days.”

Consider the Birds

This is a study we created for the second video in the Ed's Story series: "Consider the Birds"
(again, see Edsstory.com for more info)

Initial thought’s on the story?
               

Have you ever been known to be a “worry-wart”?

Has there been a time that you got so caught up in what seems to be a hopeless future that you sank into despair?
Is there a story? Share.

Ed shares that when you’re living in fear every issue is overwhelming and discouraging.

What are some fears that make your life feel overwhelming or discouraging sometimes?
Share your fears with the group. What about tomorrow are you afraid of?

In the video he talked about learning to let go. Ed had to learn to let go of his future with ALS and not only that he had to let go of his son Daniel.

Why is giving our futures and fears over to God so difficult sometimes?

“The truth is, you don’t control squat.”

Jesus said, in Matthew 5:25-26 “Don’t worry about your life… Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”

What are your reactions to this text? What does it say to you?
Honestly, do you see yourself as worth more than the birds?

What does resurrection say about us being able to “let go?”

Ed talked about how when he would get really discouraged he would take a five minute “time-out” to dwell on Scripture.

What are other practical things we can do to step back and get some healthy perspective?

“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.’” Hebrews 13:5-6

Final thoughts?

“When you’re worried about the future it’s hard to find God, when you’re living in the moment He’s right there with you.”

Take a moment and write down what things that you are currently having trouble letting go of:
- Give these things over to God… continually. 

Ed's Story - It Ain't Over

This is a series we did a little while back. The videos are very well made and the story is even better. 

Ed's story is a film series about hope in the midst of suffering, featuring Ed Dobson. 

Diagnosed with ALS and given a short time to live, Ed wrestles with issues suffering raises: worry, identity, forgiveness, gratitude, and healing. Emerging from it all is his discovery that there is always hope.
.....

I believe you can either download the videos for free or for really cheap. 

It's good stuff. I will post the five discussion guides we created for this series (the last two films are yet to be released). Enjoy!

www.edsstory.com
_________________________________________________________________

Ed’s Story – It Ain’t Over

What are your initial reactions to this video?
Which part of his story do you feel you resonate with the most? Why?

How do you think you would respond to this situation if you were Ed?

When has there been a situation in your life that just seemed hopeless?
How have been / are you moving past this?

What do you think he means by “It ain’t over until it’s over”?

How can we experience suffering in a way that it changes us for the better?
Have you done this?

What does resurrection have to say about suffering?

“I had considered my life over, but it wasn’t.”

We are all tempted sometimes to give up, lay down, and die.
So, what can we do to help ourselves and each other keep going?

Final thoughts?

“It’s not about how much time I have left, but about how I spend the time I do have.”

Laughter

Laugh - [laf, lahf]:
To express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.

Synonyms: amusement, cachinnation, cackle, chortle, chuckle, chuckling, crack-up, crow, fit, gesture, giggle, giggling, glee, guffaw, hilarity, howling, merriment, mirth, peal, rejoicing, roar, shout, shriek, snicker, snigger, snort, sound, titter, yuck

When was a time that you laughed until you literally had difficulty breathing?
How did you feel afterward? Stories?

Have you ever heard the saying: “Laughter is the best medicine?” Why would that be?

Does laughter have anything to say about hope?

Are there inappropriate times for laughter? If so when?

Have you ever been “in trouble” for laughing? Story?

In the past, would you say the church (as you have experienced it to be) has encouraged or discouraged laughter?

In the past, has there been space in your faith to laugh?

Do you seriously think God laughs? If so, at what?

Question to reflect on:
Do you laugh at the thought of Jesus being alive, or do you laugh because Jesus is alive?

Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh. - Jesus

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.  ~Jean Houston

What monstrous absurdities and paradoxes have resisted whole batteries of serious arguments, and then crumbled swiftly into dust before the ringing death-knell of a laugh!  ~Agnes Repplier

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.  ~Yiddish Proverb

When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other.  ~Alan Alda

Laughter gives us distance.  It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.  ~Bob Newhart