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Recycle Your Faith
Practices weʼve learned that lead to
open-ended conversations
Facilitating Recycle Your Faith (RYF) Discussion Starters is different than what you might
be accustomed to—youʼre primarily a participant, not a leader. You are responsible for
hosting a conversation, not for arriving at “the right answer.” The beauty of conversation
is that itʼs dynamic—youʼll be surprised by where it will lead.
To fully prepare for each group session, watch the videos beforehand, thinking through
how youʼd respond as a participant. Your thoughts and experiences will inform your
response to the video, just as your group
membersʼ thoughts and experiences will.
Youʼre primarily a
Anticipating reactions will help you frame
participant, not a
the conversation so as to avoid the deer in
the headlights moments we all experience
leader.
as facilitators.
Here are a few things weʼve learned that keep conversations moving and honest:
Protect the Space.
Your primary job as facilitator is to protect the space so that you and others
can learn together. Encourage people to share honestly—RYF videos are
provocative and spark many thoughts—but you have to gently encourage
people to participate.
Equity of Voice
If one person is monopolizing the conversation, redirect to other people. The
following conversation stems can help you do this diplomatically:
•
“Thatʼs interesting, does anyone else have a different take?”
•
“How else could we think about that?”
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On the flip-side, here are a few conversation-busters (weʼve learned the hard way!):
Donʼt Preach
People do not join a small group to hear a sermon. Church services take care
of that! Keep the focus on the group members, not on yourself—protect the
space!
Donʼt Shut People Down
At times you may encounter someone in your group who doesnʼt share a
common perspective with the rest of the room. Try not to shut this person
down or discount their thoughts and experiences. This will help maintain a
sense of safety in your group.
Recycle Your Faith videos are inherently provocative. They will stir up past experiences
and challenge deep-seated beliefs. This is good! This is real-life. Disagreements will
inevitably emerge in your discussions. Try not to correct people on things you disagree
with. Instead, try asking them to further explain why they think or believe that way. After
facilitating hundreds of groups like these, we believe strongly that sitting with differences
requires spiritual maturity. Aristotle once wrote, “Itʼs the sign of an educated person who
can entertain a thought without accepting it.” We think Jesus agreed and embodies this
sort of spiritual agility.
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Dialogue, not Debate.
Dialogue is about learning, where as debate is about asserting (literally, “Iʼm right and
youʼre wrong”).
DIALOGUE, NOT DEBATE
Recycle Your Faith seeks to create an environment where differing opinions are
welcomed. Unfortunately, differences in opinion are too often accompanied by a natural
tendency to debate rather than participating in open dialog, so weʼve found these few
general guidelines helpful:
Seek Understanding Rather Than Influence
When you feel the urge to try to change someoneʼs views, try asking a
question instead.
Be Respectful
When sharing your thoughts, donʼt attack another personʼs point of view or
be condescending.
No Name-Calling
Name calling just pushes buttons and provokes debate.
Relax
Dialogue is not easy. Try giving others the benefit of the doubt and try not to
compare your best with their worst. Taking a deep breath helps hold the
space—really.
It might be a good idea to review these guidelines with your group prior to conversations
that might get heated, and remind them of the guidelines when things do get heated.
But more importantly, be sure to model these skills yourself. It really is amazing how far
that will go!
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Customize Away!
On the following pages youʼll notice that the Recycle Your Faith videos are grouped by
topic. They also include some sample discussion questions and suggestions for how
much time to allot. We recommend that you use one or two videos per gathering (see the
sample breakout below for using videos over four weeks). Weʼve arranged the videos
and framed the conversations in the way we think best, but feel free to customize it to fit
your needs!
Four gatherings:"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Show videos 1 and 2 in the first gathering.
Show video 3 in the second gathering.
Show videos 4 and 5 in the third gathering.
Show videos 6 and 7 in the fourth gathering.
Please do utilize the activities and questions as you see fit. Many times, one question can
be enough to carry the whole evening, and other times itʼs good to have more questions,
especially for the more shy groups. Weʼve attempted to give you all our best questions,
but, again, use them at your own discretion.
Weʼve also included some background information for each video that will remind you of
each videoʼs content. Whether you use this background information to set up your
groupʼs viewing of the video is entirely up to you. Weʼve done it both ways with equal
success.
Finally, there are specific times weʼve found it helpful as facilitators to encourage a silent
think-time and sub-groupings (groups of 2 or 3) depending on the questions, prompts, or
videos. Throughout the guide weʼve highlighted these places with brackets and facilitator
notes. Feel free to make use of those notes as you see fit.
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WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
Most of us have a sense of what God is like, but if we
compared notes weʼd surely find that our ideas about God vary
greatly. Why is that? How have our ideas of God been shaped
by our culture and religion? Is the Bible not clear about who
God is? Does God seem the same to everyone? This Recycle
Your Faith Discussion Starter bundle takes a look at our
images of God and how those images have been shaped.
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VIDEO 1
PLAY
Video Title:"
Topic:"
Length of Video:"
Discussion Time:"
“God is ______________.”
People have lots of different ideas of who God is
2 min. 1 sec.
Allow at least 15 minutes
Play “God is ___________.”
People have lots of different kinds of ideas of who God is and isnʼt. Check out
this video with interviews from random people on the street answering the
question “Who is God and what is he or she like?”
DISCUSS
Discussion Questions:
• What is your picture of God?
[Facilitator note: this might require a few minutes of think-time for your participant.
Feel free to say something like, “Letʼs observe 3 minutes of silence as we each
contemplate our picture of God.”]
• What has significantly shaped your picture of God?
[Facilitator note: This is a great question to turn and talk with a partner about
before you open it to the whole group.]
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VIDEO 2
Video Title:"
Topic:"
PLAY
Length of Video:"
Discussion Time:"
“God Created in the Image of Man”
How much do our relationships in life affect our views
about God?
1 min. 52 sec.
Allow at least 20 minutes
Play “God Created in the Image of Man”
Elaine Hamilton is a Christian counselor who hears peopleʼs thoughts about
God every day. In this clip she talks about how often our views about God are
based on our relationships in life.
DISCUSS
Discussion Questions:
• What life-experiences have most influenced how you view God?
• Since our experiences shape our image of God, what are some positives
and negatives of this?
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VIDEO 3
PLAY
Video Title:"
Topic:"
Length of Video:"
Discussion Time:"
“Is God Good?”
Finding the true God
2 min. 14 sec.
Allow at least 30 minutes
Play “Is God Good?”
Our image of God can get pretty intertwined with religion, folklore, and pop
culture. In this next clip Susan Isaacs talks about how she filtered out
external influences to find the true God.
DISCUSS
Discussion Questions:
• When faced with multiple ideas about God, how do you filter through
all of them?
[Facilitator note: This is a complex question, weʼve found that participants often
need a few minutes of think-time to deeply answer it.]
• When Susan came to understand that Godʼs goodness doesnʼt guarantee
happiness, she wasnʼt sure if she wanted to be a part of it. Describe a time
when you learned something about God that was (very) inconvenient for you?
continued on next page...
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CONTINUE
Idea for activity:
On a whiteboard or large piece of paper, write down a list of phrases used to
describe God (sample provided below). Ask your group to individually sort each
phrase into one of three groups:
1. Always Describes God
2. Sometimes Describes God
3. Does Not Describe God
After everyone completes their lists individually, compare notes. Where did you
agree? What is your explanation for why some phrases ended up in very different
places?
loving
hateful
protects us
blesses us
plays favorites
treats everyone the same
looking over us
intrusive
has a plan for our life
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all powerful
causes pain
allows evil to happen
all knowing
merciful
forgiving
unforgiving
extends
grace"
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judging
heals
angry
disappointed
unknowable
only in my mind
accepting
critical
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V I D E O S 4 and 5
PLAY
Video Titles:"
"
Topic:"
Length of Videos:"
Discussion Time:"
“Godʼs Heart for Prosperity”
“Heʼs Got Your Back?”
How much is our prosperity a priority for God?
3 min. 58 sec.
Allow at least 30 minutes
Play “Godʼs Heart for Prosperity” and “Heʼs Got Your Back?”
back to back.
Listening back through our prayers over the years weʼd hear a lot of
requests for God to bless our safety or help us get a job, house, or
spouse. Robbie Reider and James Pond wonder about how much God
really cares about our well-being?
DISCUSS
Discussion Questions:
• To what extent do you think God cares about your safety and prosperity?
• In your experience, has praying for prosperity made a difference? If so, what
difference has it made?
[Facilitator note: This is a great chance for a partner “turn and talk” before you open
it to the larger group.]
• James compares typical Americanʼs requests of God to those made typically
in 3rd world countries.
• In what ways do you think God treats both requests the same?
• In what ways do you think God treats them differently?
continued on next page...
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CONTINUE
Idea for Further Discussion:
Biblical arguments have been made for and against the prosperity gospel for
years. As a group, read through the Bible passages below and discuss why the
Bible has a lot that points to prosperity, but thereʼs also a lot that points to
diligence, planning, and simple contentment.
Genesis 26:12
Genesis 39:3
Deuteronomy 8:18
Deuteronomy 15:10
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2 Chronicles 31:20
Psalm1:1-3
Jeremiah 17:8"
Proverbs 23:4
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I Timothy 6:6
Hebrews 13:5
3 John 1:2
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VIDEO 6
PLAY
Video Title:"
Topic:"
Length of Video:"
Discussion Time:"
“The Box or the Carrot”
If we canʼt understand God 100 percent, why even try?
1 min. 28 sec.
Allow at least 20 minutes
Play “The Box or the Carrot”
Kevin Potter recognizes that we often try—unsuccessfully—to put God in a
box, but he doesnʼt want that to discourage us from pursuing a better
understanding of God.
DISCUSS
Discussion Questions:
• Since none of us can completely understand God, why should we even try?
• Kevin suggests looking at pursing God similarly to a carrot on a stick…in
what way(s) is this metaphor helpful to you?
• In what way(s) is this metaphor not helpful?
• What metaphor works better for you?
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VIDEO 7
PLAY
Video Title:"
Topic:"
Length of Video:"
Discussion Time:"
“Your Shirt is Green”
Could God look differently to different people?
2 min. 1 sec.
Allow at least 25 minutes
Play “Your Shirt is Green”
In this last video, Darin Hufford talks about how God could look differently to
different people.
DISCUSS
Discussion Questions:
• In the video, Darin talks about how he interacts differently with each of his
children. In what ways do you see how this might also be true for how God
interacts with us?
• Describe a way in which you experience God that is different from a friend
or a spouse.
• What does this difference mean?
• What does this tell you about your side of the interaction?
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Tells About God
By Darin Hufford
Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir
By Susan Isaacs
The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God, Their Meaning in the
Christian Life
By A.W. Tozer
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEES:
Elaine Hamilton is a family and marriage therapist in San Diego, California and
has written the book Church on the Couch: Does the Church Need Therapy?
(Zondervan, 2008). She is also the founder and director of the Soul Care House
(SoulCareProject.com).
Susan Isaacs is the author of Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but
Authentic Spiritual Memoir (FaithWords, 2009) and she lives in Sierra Madre, CA.
Robbie Reider is a music leader at Crossroads Community Church
(crossroads.net) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
James Pond is the President of Transitions Global (TransitionsGlobal.org) and he
lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Kevin Potter works with Oasis USA (OasisUSA.org) in Pasadena, California.
Darin Hufford is the founder of The Free Believers Network (FreeBelievers.com)
and is the author of The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Tells About God
(Windblown Media, 2009). He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
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For more Recycle Your Faith Discussion Starters
and to watch free weekly videos visit:
RECYCLEYOURFAITH.COM
Copyright © 2010 by Quadrid Productions, Inc.