1. What desires cause the most fights in your life?
2. What plans and goals have you established before considering God's will?
3. Are you still pursuing any of those plans?
4. What double-minded way is God calling you to humbly submit to Him?

1. Who is one person that you can bless more in your day to day life?
2. How much negative self-talk do you do to yourself?  Is it healthy or unhealthy?
3. James talks several times about being double-minded.  What does that mean?
4. Make a list of the differences between God's voice and the devil's voice.  What stands out to you?

1. Read James 2:1-13. Who in our lives do we so quickly overlook?
   
   
2. How does favoritism connect with the 2 great commands Jesus gives us?
   
   
3. v10-11 (the equality of sin): all sin separates us from God; are you guilty of thinking some sins are worse than others? Is it hard to come to terms with thinking all sin is equal when the world has labels for what sin is worse?
   
   
4. V14-26 Our faith in Jesus should be strong enough to drive our actions every day. Do you feel like you do this? Why, or why not?
   
   
5. If your faith is “dead,” what can you do about it?

James starts his book by challenging our pain to find a place to go.  When our pain finds a place to go, it can be processed correctly and not affect our relationship with Jesus.

1. Read James 1:1-4.  What is your first impression of those verses?
   
   
2. What is one thing that has brought you great pain over the years that you can't seem to find freedom from?  Have you been able to put words to that pain and process it?
   
   
3. James encourages the tribes to seek Wisdom.  What wisdom do you need to ask God for today?

Ending our community practice leads us to be a church that is not unaware of the devil's schemes.  We will focus on 4 things- the Word, singing, prayer, and fellowship- to help us know the devil's schemes and work against them in the Spirit.

1. “Jesus, this week help me wage war against the darkness by __________.”  
   
   
2. Make a plan for your week on waging war against the darkness by a combination of prayer, singing, slowing down, fellowship, Bible reading, and/or serving.  

Shame lives in our bones and we carry it with us wherever we go.   Jesus takes our shame, uses it for His good and redefines us.  We are not the worst thing that we have done in our life.  

1. What is the difference between guilt and shame?
   What would it look like to bring your shame into the light?  What is keeping you from doing this?
   
   
2. What does Jesus do for the woman & for the Pharisees in John 8?

There are highs & lows to community.  Instead of searching for an ideal church community, it's best to hold on, navigate the highs & lows, and enjoy the journey with Jesus.

1. What does the ideal church look like to you?  What happens when the community you are a part of doesn't live up to your expectations?
   
   
2. Pray for one another in a way that welcomes the Spirit to strengthen your Life Group.   Use Romans 15:13 as the basis.  

At the table is where we are welcoming to others, most importantly our family and Jesus.  At the table is where the guard falls and we begin to share life, encourage, have the deep discussions, and learn about ourselves and God.  Community and the table are two main factors in Practicing the Way of Christ.

1. What keeps you from living in a community?  On the other hand, what do you love most about being in community?
2. Identify the following in your own life:  Your Tribe (large group of people), Your Village (small than your tribe up to 150 people), Your Kin (15 of your closest people), and your Brothers and Sisters (your 3-4 closest people).  
3. Discuss the verse that was preached by Pastor Nicole.  How did Jesus and his discipleship model the practice of community?  
4. Challenge:  Share a meal this week with others for the purpose of connecting.  

Speaking Blessing Over Your Family
Interview format with Chelsea and Landon Dull & Joe and Rhonda Forest
Proverbs 18:21 - The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Our theory of change leads us to week 4, principle 4, having a safe space to grow.  We will talk about John 9 and how we can develop a safe space for people to confess and grow.

1. Begin by sharing one thing that you keep control over in your life.  Ask the others to help you pray to release it to Jesus.
   
   
2. Read John 9 in its entirety.  Make observations about the blind man, the pharisees, and the boy's parents.  Finally, observe Jesus.  Where was He?  What was his role?  Where did he go after he healed the boy?
   
   
3. What can you group do to create a safe space for others and for those that we have not met yet?

Spiritual growth doesn't happen automatically.  We have to be able to organize our days around seeking God and our spiritual growth.   The goal will be for everyone to create a Rule of Life to help guide their days and weeks.

Principle 2 of Our Theory of Change leads us to Peer to Peer Accountability.  Isolation can be dangerous and spiritual growth can be accelerated in community.  The challenge today is to find that one person to be your accountability partner and to consider being in a band at the end of the month.  

1. Why do so many of us find it tough to share our struggles with others?
2. What is the difference between accountability and judgment?  Write out some contrasting things.  
3. Who is currently shaping your walk with Christ?  
4. Pray James 5:16.

How does a person change?  Through trial and error in all things that churches have done throughout the years, we will explore the 4 principles that can lead to true life change.  This week, we focus on a strong first step.  

1. Read Luke 9:57-62.  Make some observations about Jesus, the three men, and their conversations.  
2. What are some excuses people use when putting off following Jesus?  What ones have you used?
3.  Discuss the first principle in our theory of change:  A Strong first step.  What does this mean to you?
4. Close by praying for one another in groups.

The story of God did not end when the last page of the Bible was written. In Acts 2, we discover that through the Holy Spirit, God is still restoring, redeeming, and inviting ordinary people to participate in His mission. Join us as we explore how God's story becomes our story, and what it looks like to say "yes," be transformed, and live as active participants in His kingdom.

1.     When did you realize you were part of God’s story, and what changed for you?
2.     We went over several reversals in Acts 2. Which stood out to you and why?
3.     Where do you sense God inviting you to participate in His story now?
4.     Which of the three invitations do you need most in your season of life? Say YES? Be changed? Or Go? What is one practical step you can take this week towards it?
5.     Considering Acts 1:8, who is one person in your life who might experience the love of Jesus through you this week, and how can you intentionally love or serve them?

God does not force humanity to do anything, rather He invites individuals to partner with Him and leaves the choice up to them. Through the story of Abraham, we learn about how God continually invites us to engage with Him in deeper intimacy.

1.  Have you accepted God's initial invitation to follow Him through repentance and faith in Jesus? Why?
   
   
2.  Have you considered the idea that God continues to invite us deeper?
   
   
3.  In what ways has God called you into deeper intimacy with Him in the past?
   
   
4.  What is God inviting you into now?

This week we will be continuing our “Story of God” series as we discuss the event of the Tower of Babel in Genesis Chapter 11. In this chapter we see humanity once again attempting to subvert God’s plan in place if their own. Even in the midst of our own sin and rebellion God continues His plan in grace to redeem.

1. What is your Babel?
   
   
2. In what areas of your life do you need to surrender power to God?
   
   
3. How can we practice waiting upon the Lord?
   
   
4. What is one instance where the Lord has worked for good in your life when you did not see it at first?

In the early chapters of Genesis, the author is setting us up to see the issue: Sin is growing at a rapid, near uncontrollable rate. What will God do? His response is one of anguish and mercy, ending the suffering of the sinners while enacting justice. Rather than allowing the story to spiral to oblivion, God reveals the new Beginning and flips the script: The story of redemption begins. God promises to erase sin, but he promises to do it in a different way. That way is Jesus Christ, the one who would die for us and offer us redemption.

1. How do you find hope in the midst of our anxious and dark world?
2. Read the story again as a group. Is there anything that confuses you, or makes you uncomfortable? Is there anything about this story that gives you comfort, or teaches you something new?
3. What kinds of "Death" have you experienced as the result of sin?
4. Who in your life needs to be told that there is nothing they could do that would turn God away from them?
5. Allow space for participants to talk with God. Encourage them to intercede for the lost or confess their sins to God, knowing that He responds only in love rather than shame.

We bring what we have to God and he does the rest!  Based on the widow's oil being multiplied by Elisha, we will bring what we have to see what God can do in and through us in this next year.  It will end with a summary of the formation model that we are implementing this fall at COTH. 

1. Choose one of the miracles found in 2 Kings (chapters 2-13...many to choose from!).  Divide your group into sub-groups and assign a miracle to each one.  Have them discuss and report back the content of those miracles.
2. When was a time you were desperate for God, realizing that He was all you had left?  What did you have to offer him?
3. End by telling your heaviest prayer requests about the size of your God!  Mark 11:23

1. Name one thing you learned from your father.
2. How can you, no matter what role you play (mother or father), display Christ-like behavior to your families?  
3. Self-awareness is essential to ensure we are leading healthy families and showing a Christ-like example to our children and families.  What is one thing you want to be careful not to pass along to future generations?  

Today our teens lead the service as we honor our graduating class of 2026

The Story of God series will walk through Genesis 1-11 as a reflection of the entire story of the Bible.  Identity Crisis will focus on how God's story doesn't have a beginning or end, our story begins with him and we find our identity in Him because he created us.  

1. What is one thing you made in school or life that you were proud of?
2. What is one thing that you kids or grandkids made for you?  What was your response to it being given to you?
3. Read Colossians 1:15 and Romans 8:29.  Discuss ways you can reflect the image of Christ in your walk with Jesus.
4. Discuss the 9 practices individually.  How can these aid in the image restoration that God seeks in us?

When God taught Israel how to build a nation that would last and that would be faithful to him, he always directed Israel towards the children and weaving God's truth into daily life. But this direction was not just for a child's parents but the entire faith community. God asserts that it takes a village to raise disciples. So how will we participate in this individual AND communal discipleship?

1. What kind of impact do you want to make on the people around you? Your family? Your friends? What do you want to pass on to them?
2.  If you grew up in the church, reflect: how did your parents affect your discipleship? Who outside of your family helped you grow closer to Jesus?
3.  If new to church: what role have others around you played in your walk with Jesus? Have you felt alone in your walk?
4.  God has placed a high calling on the church to support families and children. This is done by directly or indirectly serving them. How do you feel called to participate in "communal discipleship"?

Jesus curses the fig tree because it was not bearing fruit.  Today's message is a warning in real time (real time parable) and an invitation to let God work on the soil from which fruit grows in your own heart.

1.  Read Mark 11:12-25.  Name some of the main details of the story and how they apply to your walk with Christ.
2. Pray for one another in groups, specifically praying for fruit of the Spirit to be present toward your family and others.  

We all have bitter waters in our lives. Just as God used a tree to transform the bitter waters at Marah for the people of Israel, He transforms our bitter waters through Christ's death on the Cross.

1. What are some bitter waters you have experienced in your life?
   
   
2. Have you been able to see God redeem those experiences?
   
   
3. Do you harbor any bitterness in your heart because of those experiences?

Where the river of life runs, life exists. Our challenge on this Mother's Day is to invite the river of life that is mentioned in Ezekiel 47 (and referenced by Jesus in John 7:38-39) to run through our homes and carry us away into obedience to Jesus.

1. Do a concordance search for 'river' & "trees' online or in the back of your bible.  Get an idea of the roles that rivers and trees play in the bible.
   
   
2. Read Ezekiel 47:1-12 and talk about its relation to salvation and sanctification.