Discussion Questions: Good News for Those Trying Harder
Our Senior Pastor, Alan Kraft, has just released his first book, Good News for Those Trying Harder. Countless believers are pursuing spiritual growth, only to repeatedly find themselves spinning their wheels and making no progress. Many are driven to just try harder. Others feel a growing sense of failure and distance from God. But for all involved, it's a frustrating cycle. What can we do when trying harder isn't working?
In this book Pastor Alan invites us to be still ... still enough to hear the twin melodies of the gospel -- brokenness and faith. These melodies not only have the ability to lift our tired heads to experience the life of Christ for ourselves, they capture the life-giving message of hope that has so significantly shaped the DNA of Christ Community Church.
Several Christ Community Small Groups are discussing this book this Fall, and Pastor Alan and Pastor Bruce Hoppe are currently in the process of writing Small Group Discussion Questions that can be used to help people wrestle with the message of this book in community with others.As each week's questions are written, along with Small Group Leader Insights for those leading groups, they will be posted below as PDF files. Our goal is to have the next set of questions and leader insights finished and posted here no later than Thursday afternoon each week.
If you're leading or participating in a small group discussing this book this Fall, it's our prayer that you will discover the power of a broken spirit, embrace the wonder of living by faith, and experience the joy that's found when you just stop trying.
You might also want to check out Pastor Alan's blog to read posts, and engage in dialog related to this book. You can also listen online to the series of messages delivered at Christ Community in January 2004 ("The Gospel Reloaded") that so significantly shaped the DNA of our church and served as the catalyst for this book. You can do all this at: www.stoptryingharder.com
Chapter 1: The Struggle to Make It Work, and Overview
Chapter 2: The Melody of Brokenness
Chapter 3: If It's Broken, Fix It!
Chapter 4: Learning To Hear
Chapter 5: God's Biggest Priority
Chapter 6: Resting in Christ
Chapter 7: Impacted By the Living Word
In Chapter 7, Pastor Alan talks about how The One Year Bible has been such a help to him in his devotional practice, and how he recommends it to his readers as well. To learn more about The One Year Bible, or to purchase a copy, click here.
Chapter 8: Gazing Upon Christ
Chapter 9: Drinking Deeply
Chapter 10: When The Gospel Comes Home, and Epilogue
Pastor Alan's book may be purchased in The Vines bookstore in the north lobby before and after all weekend services. Or you may purchase it online by clicking here or on the picture of the book's cover above. Copies are also available for loan through the Christ Community Library on the mezzanine level of the south lobby.