Session Extras

Year 1

Crafted: Session 3
Crafted by Trials

Digging Deeper:

• Listen to the discussion of young people in Chicago when a friend was tragically killed in the article “Solid Ground Amid Tragedy” by Richard E. Williams.

• In the article “Passages of Faith” Paula Rinehart discusses how life’s disappointments give us the opportunity for our relationship and understand of God to grow.

• Do we as Christians need to rejoice in suffering? Jim Crew looks at how we can rejoice in suffering in the article “Singing in the Pain.”

• How do we respond to tragedy in our lives and in the world? Check out the article “Spirituality While Facing Tragedy: How Then Shall We Live?” by Henry Gustafson.

• Read “Through the Churning Waters”, a message by Thomas Long on Psalm 77 about the comfort and hope for those in grief. (This message is also available in video and audio format.) 

• Why is there evil in the world? Why do people suffer? Why do we get ill? Dallas Willard discusses these questions in the article “God and the Problem of Evil.”

• Thomas C. Parker’s use of the psalms helps us to express our feelings to God in the article “Language of the Heart.”

• The psalms meet us where we are, even when our feelings are less than godly. In the article “The Psalms in American” Eugene H. Peterson translates six psalms, including Psalm 30, into American language. Don’t miss the interview with Peterson by David Hardin about why we can use psalms to pray at the bottom of the page.

For Leaders:

• In the article “If I could live my life over …” Robert Boardman comes up with a list of eight things he would change in his life. One of the items is “I would welcome trials and failures as menders of my character.” Would your group place this on their list?

• This lesson invites people to share some of their hurts and struggles. If your group shares, it may take some time. Listen, acknowledge the person’s feelings, be empathetic and pray together. (Be aware of the time; it may be appropriate to do this lesson over two weeks.)

• Some members of your group may dominate the discussion time. Include the quieter members by individually asking each person if he or she has something to add to the discussion.

• Read the article “Principles and Practices for Fostering Spirituality of Leadership” for ideas to make your meeting centered on the presence of Christ.

Submit your ideas!

Do you have suggestions for this particular session? Something that was especially meaningful for you or your group? Extra reading you’d like to suggest? Help others get the most out of this session. Send your ideas to editors@FaithAliveResources.org and we’ll consider adding them here!