Bob Goff - Love Does Study Guide: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World

2013 by Bob Goff

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ePub Edition January 2014: ISBN 978-1-4002-0628-5

CONTENTS

How to Use This Guide

Im with You

Free to Fail

Audacious Love

Be Not Afraid

Follow Me

What do I do to live into the person that Jesus made me to be?... Do you know what the answer was for me? I did stuff!

Loves Does video

W elcome to Love Does!

All of us have seasons of life when our relationship with God is really humming those times where our faith and life sync up in all the right ways and everything just works. We also have the other kind of season. You know the one I mean: the season where faith and life seem to butt heads. Life gets hard, faith seems stale, and we feel stuck. If youve ever felt like that, then dont go anywhere this study is for you!

You see, this is a study about Gods love... and the most amazing thing about that love is that its not just a bunch of rules or stuff we have to agree with. Gods love is different. It changes things. It brings hope where before there was only despair. It revives faith that feels lifeless. It makes a way forward where there seems to be only a dead end. Its active. It works. It risks. Gods love... does.

Tapping into this love requires a different skill set than what it takes to memorize answers for a test or to follow all the traffic laws so you dont get a ticket. This isnt a love you can earn, buy, or win. Its something better. Something bigger. And it just might be something you discover more about by doing stuff too.

Thats what this study is all about.

Love Does is a five-week experiment in doing the love of God. Each session will explore a different aspect of Gods active love through the teachings and stories of Bob Goff. There will be an opening question, a short Bible study, and then a video featuring Bob. However, the real action comes after the video when you dig into each topic in a guided small group time. Heres where the rubber meets the road and you see how Gods love gets practical as you are invited to join in it too. Its going to be great. Really. However, if you want to get the most out of your Love Does experience, its best to keep a few things in mind.

First, the real growth in this study will happen during your small group time. This is where you will process the content of Bobs message, ask questions, and learn from others as you listen to what Gods love is doing in their lives. This leads to point two. Small groups can be a deeply rewarding time of intimacy and friendship, but they can also be a disaster. Work to make your group a safe place. That means being honest about your own thoughts and feelings as well as listening carefully to everyone elses. Third, resist the temptation to fix a problem someone might be having or to correct someones theology. Thats not what this time is for. Finally, keep everything your group shares confidential. All this will foster a rewarding sense of community in your Love Does group and give Gods Spirit the space to heal, challenge, and send you out to do the love of God.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

A s youll discover throughout this study, love is practical. It gets out there and does things. It takes risks. Bob found the most vitality in his faith when he was trying new things and doing stuff. This study is designed to give you similar opportunities.

Each session in Love Does begins with a mixer question followed by a reflection from the Bible. Then youll watch Bobs video teaching and jump into some directed small group discussion. There are multiple questions to choose from, so dont feel as if you have to use them all. Your leader will focus on the ones that resonate with your group and guide you from there.

The final component of each session is called Putting Love into Action. Here Love Does might diverge from other studies you may have done, as you and your group will engage in one hands-on exercise that does the love of God the way Bob described in the video. These exercises are designed to be completed during your meeting and will be as valuable as what you make them. If you choose to only go through the motions (or abstain from participating), chances are youll find them less than satisfying. But if you take the gamble, you may discover what so many others have already found to be true: faith comes alive when we take holy risks for God.

Now, we realize that the thought of risky activities can make some folks feel anxious. Thats okay. If you fall into this category, just check out each Putting Love into Action exercise ahead of time. Then you can prepare yourself accordingly. And remember, none of these experiments involve anything weird or embarrassing. They are just opportunities to show love in tangible ways.

At the end of each session are further suggestions for you to engage the content of Love Does between group meetings. This section, entitled What Love Does This Week, includes activities developed around action (called Do), Bible study (called Reflect), and a reading from the Love Does book (called Read). You are invited to do at least one of these activities between sessions and to use your study guide to record what you learned. Some weeks there will be more options than others. Your job is to pray and choose which will challenge you most as you put Gods love into action. Starting in , time is given to revisit the on-your-own activities and process them as a group. And, if you could not do an activity one week or are just joining the study, dont worry. Hearing what others have learned will be nourishment enough.

Finally, remember that this Love Does study is meant to help train participants in a new way of thinking about love. The videos, discussions, and activities are all meant to kick-start your imagination so that you start coming up with new ideas and doing stuff on your own. Just imagine what God could do with a whole group of people who were passionate about Jesus love and eager to put it into creative practice? Lets jump into Love Does and find out.

If you are a group leader, additional instructions and resources for leading the What Love Does This Week sections are found in the back of this guide. Because some of the activities require materials and setup, make sure you read these instructions ahead of time so that you are adequately prepared.

EBOOK INSTRUCTIONS

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

Love is not just a bunch of stuff we agree with. Love does.

Loves Does video

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever had to do something you were afraid to do? Sure. Everyone has. It is a core part of the human experience. Whether it is jumping off a high dive, riding a bike for the first time, or even professing love, everyone at some point has to do something he or she is scared of and thats a good thing. Good because these experiences teach us important lessons about being human and about our life with God.