Sheila Walsh - The Longing in Me Bible Study Guide: A Study in the Life of David

The Longing in Me Study Guide

2016 by Sheila Walsh

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Author is represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80902, www.alivecommunications.com.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the English Standard Version, Copyright 2001. The ESV and English Standard Version are trademarks of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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ISBN 978-0-310-68486-2

ISBN 978-0-310-68487-9 (eBook)

First Printing March 2016

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 Here]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

Contents

How to Use This Guide

Longing for God Alone

Group Size

The Longing in Me video study is designed to be experienced in a group setting such as a Bible study, Sunday school class, or any small group gathering. To ensure everyone has enough time to participate in discussions, it is recommended that large groups break up into smaller groups of four to six people each.

Materials Needed

Each participant should have her own study guide, which includes notes for video segments, directions for activities and discussion questions, as well as personal studies to deepen learning between sessions.

Timing

The time notations for example (17 minutes) indicate the actual time of video segments and the suggested times for each activity or discussion. For example:

Individual Activity: What I Want to Remember (2 minutes)

Adhering to the suggested times will enable you to complete each session in one hour. If you have a longer meeting, you may wish to allow more time for discussion and activities. You may also opt to devote two meetings rather than one to each session. In addition to allowing discussions to be more spacious, this has the added advantage of allowing group members to read related chapters in The Longing in Me book and to complete the personal study between meetings. In the second meeting, devote the time allotted for watching the video to discussing group members insights and questions from their reading and personal study.

Practice

Each session ends with a suggested application activity for group members to complete on their own between sessions. Although the activity is completed outside of the group meeting, reading through the practice before concluding the meeting to clarify any questions and to make sure everyone is on board is a good idea.

Facilitation

Each group should appoint a facilitator who is responsible for starting the video and for keeping track of time during discussions and activities. Facilitators may also read questions aloud and monitor discussions, prompting participants to respond and ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to participate.

Personal Studies

Maximize the impact of the curriculum with additional study between group sessions. Every personal study includes reflection questions, Bible study, and a guided prayer activity. Youll get the most out of the study by setting aside about thirty minutes between sessions for personal study, as well as additional time to complete the practice activities.

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

C. S. Lewis, Made for Heaven

Welcome!

Welcome to Session 1 of The Longing in Me. If this is your first time together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to one another before watching the video. Then lets begin!

Video: Longing to Be Chosen (19 minutes)

Play the video segment for Session 1. As you watch, use the outline provided to follow along or to take additional notes on anything that stands out to you.

Notes

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T. S. Eliot

The human heart longs for closure and understanding. It longs to change the ending of those things in our lives that have scarred us badly.

[Your Response Here]

David was known as a man after Gods own heart, yet he made choices that cost him and others dearly.

[Your Response Here]

We all long to be chosen. But when those longings are unmet, what do we do? Even more, when those longings are met, why is there an even greater ache that remains? No matter how great your longing is for God, it will never, ever compare to His longing for you.

[Your Response Here]

God chose the things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important (1 Corinthians 1:28). These words exactly describe David, the man God chose to be king over Israel (see 1 Samuel 13:14).

[Your Response Here]

Were drawn by charisma more than character. But charisma cracks under pressure, while character doesnt.

[Your Response Here]

The God who created you has chosen you as His beautifully loved daughter. Because of that, you can take rejections in your life in stride.

[Your Response Here]

Group Discussion (39 minutes)

Take a few minutes to talk about what you just watched.

1. What part of the teaching had the most impact on you?

[Your Response Here]

Betrayed by Longing

2. Sheila pointed out that our high school years often rank near the top of the scale when it comes to intensity and longing. She described herself as an awkward girl in this season of her life and shared a painful story about how popular girls used her longings to torment her. As you reflect on this same era in your own life, which of the following high school stereotypes come closest to describing you? Place a check mark next to your top two or three.