1. Tim talked about Peter’s response to Jesus after, heeding Jesus’ illogical directives, he and his partners catch literally more fish than their nets and boats can hold. For this first question, you’re invited to take the time as a group to imagine a personalized scenario similar to that in to day’s passage. It may take some time, and you may need to encourage each other if you’re struggling to come up with ideas or if some are feeling self-conscious. This is just an exer cise and an experiment for all of us. Help each other where needed. Have fun with it! (And if it flops, thanks for trying! 🙃 I’d appreciate your feedback either way!) First, take a few moments for each of you to think of an area of your life in which you have some level of credible knowledge or expertise. It can be anything! Do you know a lot about how to bake cookies? To prepare to give a sales pitch? To train a dog to sit? To learn a new song on an instrument ? To ma ke a pizza? To clean a kitchen? To balance a budget? To lead a team-building event? To design a workshop? To throw a party? To lead a staff meeting? Mop a floor? Give a manicure? Teach a game? Format a report in Excel? Teach a new skill to a child? Again, it can be anything!! Try to imagine a situation within that area in which you put in efforts that you and others have learned are best practices, in order to achieve a desired, but not guaranteed return. That return can be physical, financial, emotional, or otherwise. It might be helpful to imagine a scenario in which , for w hatever reason, others are also present. If needed, help each other come up with reasonable scenarios that might make sense in their own lives. Once everybody has an idea for this experiment, take some time for each of you to imagine a scene in which you’re at work on this specific task. Imagine Jesus approaching. Imagine him entering into the scenario, greeting you and others, etc. Then imagine Jesus gives you instructions that go direct ly coun ter to what you know to be good advice on this subject. Realism and scale are unimportant! As you imagine the moment, get specific in your mind about what exactly he’s telling you. Imagine how you might feel hearing it. Give room to your skepticism, defensiveness, or whatever else might surface. Think about what facial expressions you might make, or you might see from others nearby. Wh at faci al expressions is Jesus making? Pay attention to how you’re feeling and what silent thoughts you might have in that moment. In the scene, agree to go along with Jesus’ guidance. What worlds would you use? How might your voice sound? Do you make eye contact with Jesus? Do you convey your skepticism in an y way? Would it matter if others w/similar expertise are nearby? What could you notice about the others observing this moment ? How do you feel about their opinions in this second? Let the scene play out with as much detail as you can. Next, visualize yourself going through the steps Jesus prescribes. Depending on your scenario, this may be a quick moment or a longer one. Then, imagine a shockingly unexpected outcome. This doesn’t have to be realistic - and probably won’t be!! Imagine the specific nature of a positive and ou trageou sly abundant return. In that moment, pay close attention to yourself. What are you doing with your physical body as the outcome is happe ning? A re you just watching it happen? Looking around in disbelief? What’s your emotional response? Do you look at Jesus? If so, what expression is on his face? What are his eyes communicating to you? What expression is on your face? How are others around you reacting? What are they doing or saying? Finally, let the moment fill your awareness, and turn your full attention to Jesus. How do you r espon d to him? What do you say? What do you do? How are you feeling inside yourself in this instant? What, if anything, is Jesus doing? Does he respond to you in some way? Is there a larger message for you in this moment? If so, what might it be? Take a moment to really sit in this final imaginary moment of communication with Jesus, noticing your feelings and body sensations as you do. When all are finished, share with each other about what this experiment was like, what you noticed and felt. Was there anything that left you with new ideas, new questions, new sensations? What, if anything, surprised you? 2. As Tim taught, Jesus’ instruction to Peter included him taking his boat an d crew out into the deep waters, the place in which Jew & Gentile intermingled on the lake. Tim’s accompanying slide read, “the Jewish people couldn’t become fully Jewish without the Gentiles, blessing them was their ul timate mi ssion.” In what ways does this idea apply to us today ? As Christians generally and/or as Redemption Church? Where does it challenge you to consider the “others” as the very people you’re meant to bless? How does it feel to consider not only those on the margins, but also those who are opposing the work we , as Ch ristians, might see as our core calling? What do you think of the idea that loving and blessing both of those groups, as well as more, is part of our mission? How do you respond to the suggestion that we cannot become fully who we’re meant to be without those people we’d rather exclude, ignore, or condemn? 3. Shared on one of Tim’s slides, Dallas Willard said, “a disciple is one who is with Jesus, learning to be like him, so that I react to my world the way Jesus would if he were in my shoes.” In what ways have you felt stressed, frustrated, violent, outraged, offended, or tried in recent weeks ? Are t here specific instances or circumstances that come to mind? How do you think Jesus would react in some of the specific circumstances that you’ve thought of? Are there ways in which your own reacti ons could be shifted to better mimic his example? What do you think about the idea of trying to mimic Jesus in some of these moments? What about it feels most difficult and why?…