Jennie Allen - Get Out of Your Head Study Guide: A Study in Philippians

[Your Response Here]

This is going to get personal, but it will be worth it. We will be dealing with the very things that make you, you. God wants to do something with those things. But until we recognize that we are made to run a race all our own, we will miss what He has for us. Be honest with yourself and honest with God. He knows all of it anyway.

An important part of personal growth is community. We are going to deal with the way we view God and how we are to spend our lives individually for Him. You may even need time outside of this small group to process with others your passions and gifts and purpose. Be intentional to pursue deeper conversations with others through this process.

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32 NKJV).

Commit to being present at your group meetings, barring an emergency, and arrange your schedule so you do not miss any part in this journey. Have your lesson and projects finished when you come to the group meeting (except for this first one, of course).

Share your answers to the questions while protecting others time for sharing. Be thoughtful. Dont be afraid to share with the group, but try not to dominate the conversation.

Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak (James 1:19 ESV).

Many things your group members share are things they are choosing to share with you, not with your husband or other friends. Protect each other by not allowing anything shared in the group to leave the group.

We are prone to use conventional, worldly wisdom as truth. While there is value in that, this is not the place. If you feel led to respond, please only respond with Gods truth and Word, not advice.

Protect the group by not directing all attention on solving one persons problem. This is the place for confessing and discovery and applying truth together as a group. Your group leader will be able to direct you to more help outside the group time if you need it. Dont be afraid to ask for help.

In the first meeting, your groups study guides will be passed out and you will work through the Getting Started lesson together. After that, each lesson in the study guide is meant to be completed on your own during the week before coming to the group meeting. These lessons may feel different from studies you have done in the past. They are very interactive. The beginning of each lesson will involve you, your Bible, and a pen, working through Scripture and listening to Gods voice. Each lesson will conclude with four projects you can do to help you further process how to live Gods Word.

Dont feel as if each lesson has to be finished in one sitting; take a few blocks of time throughout the week if you need to. The goal of this study is to dig deeply into Scripture and uncover how it applies to your life, to deeply engage the mind and the heart. Projects, stories, and Bible study all play a role in it. You may be drawing or journaling or interacting with the homeless. At each group meeting you will discuss your experience in working through that weeks lesson.

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SESSION 1 INTRODUCTION
SPIRALING OUT

The first time I taught the study youre about to dive into, I gathered a room full of women in my local church to talk about whats going on in our heads. We met for six weeks, and lives were changed. The first night those women streamed into the chapel where we were meeting, they were greeted by a giant whiteboard on which was written the question, What are you thinking about? Attached to that board were dozens of brightly colored sticky notes with topics that might be taking up space in their thoughts, things like these:

others opinions

finances

plans

the holidays

the weekend

the news

Before the women in the Bible study took their seats, they were asked to identify a few of the thoughts that were true for them and peel off those sticky notes. It was a challenging task.

Following that evenings exercise, my team and I assessed which thoughts had been taken and by how many women and which thoughts were still left on the board.

Despite dozens of positive options available on those sticky notes, guess which options got picked?

stress at work

stress over finances

Am I good enough?

Am I worthy?

failures

rejection

pain

Guess which stickies remained untouched?