Mountains & Valleys

Small Group Questions from March 4th

1)    This series is about our experience throughout the cycles of life. Where do you currently fit on this adventure?  Mountaintop? Valley? Somewhere in between?  If you aren’t in a valley, are you willing to share with the group the last valley you were?

2)    It is easy to compare ourselves with others when we are in valleys.  Social media accentuates this by showing others on mountaintops (sometimes literally!).  Is there a better way for us, individually or as a culture, to approach social media to prevent this?

3)    Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 to hear about some of Paul’s valleys.  What strikes you in these verses?

4)    When Paul wrote Philippians, he was in about as deep a valley as humanly possible. Alone in Rome, in jail, awaiting death. Rome’s fame and greatness seemed to overwhelm Paul’s mission.   With this in context, read Philippians 4:10-13. What is your response? How does this strike you?

5)    Paul also notes he knows the secret of being content applies not just to the valleys but when he is “in plenty” on the mountaintop. Why do you think he adds this?

6)    Take some time to break down each phrase in Philippians 4:13. Look at some different translations.  Then explain what this “Secret of Contentment” really is.

7)    Paul had no idea that these little letters he wrote would have any impact or even reach the church they were intended for.  Yet they’ve shaped the world. His response in the valley changed history.  What can we apply from this?