“Spiritual Well Being ” Small Groups
These groups get together regularly to build friendships, and strengthen and encourage one another in their spiritual journeys. We want everyone to have the opportunity to be known and cared for and to find your niche. You can connect in a caring, interactive group where you can feel free to ask your real questions and sense the support of the group.
New to Imago Dei MCC? Revisiting or reclaiming your faith? We recommend attending “Our Community” small groups before attending the following groups.
God is My CEO
(Larry Julian, God Is My CEO: Following God’s Principles in a Bottom-Line World)
From the best-seller by Larry Julian, God is My CEO is designed to help people integrate their work and faith. We usually want to do the right thing but often succumb to the short-term, bottom-line demands of daily life. While we are encouraged to follow God on Sunday, we are not supported to make the right ethical decision in the trenches on Monday through Friday.
Are you presented with disturbing choices: either embrace bottom-line success and turn from God, or accept and live by God's principles and suffer whatever negative consequences come your way? Are you challenged by questions like 'Can I do what's right and be successful in a competitive, bottom-line world?' and 'Can I be both ethical and profitable?'
If you trust in God's principles, have the courage to live them, and have the patience to wait on God’s timing, the answer to these questions is 'Yes." Biblical principles and bottom-line success are not opposites. Yes, you can do what's right and be successful. And yes, you can honor God, serve others, and fulfill your professional obligations.
God is My CEO will help you…
- Develop your God-given talents and skills, while building a spiritual center
- Focus your energies and thoughts on moving forward with a sense of purpose
- Learn to apply a practical daily plan to overcome the toughest decisions
- Gain ideas and encouragement through real-life stories of those who have faced similar challenges
Talking About Genesis
(Public Affairs Television, Talking about Genesis: A Resource Guide)
We need stories to make sense of the world – to hold our lives together and to fasten onto those values that last. The greatest of all stories are found in the Bible – enduring through centuries. In Talking About Genesis acclaimed television journalist Bill Moyers brings together some of the world’s liveliest minds for conversations on the ageless wisdom from the Bible’s epic first book.
Creation, temptation, murder, exile, and family strife – these themes emerge from every page of Genesis and speak to us today. Talking About Genesis invites us into a lively and accessible discussion of the manifold meanings of these stories. Genesis has the capacity to enrich our lives intellectually and spiritually.
A Study of Other Faiths
(Abingdon Press: Paul Stroble, What Do Other Faiths Believe? A Study of World Religions)
Are you a Christian who has wished to understand the basic beliefs of other major religions? If so, you will find A Study of Other Faiths an ideal discussion. We will review the basics of six non-Christian religions.
After an opening discussion about the reasons that Christians should study non-Christian religious beliefs, we will survey the basic beliefs of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and--dividing a single week--Sikhism and Baha'i. Each discussion begins with a brief description of the religion's history. Then we will go on to describe the principle beliefs of each. In the concluding week, we return to Christianity, and outline how these religions either agree or disagree with Christian teachings and beliefs. This is an opportunity for myths to be unraveled and respect to be garnered for our brothers and sisters in other religious traditions.
Life: The School of Experience
(Abingdon Press: J. Ellsworth Kalas, If Experience Is Such a Good Teacher, Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?)
Everyone attends the School of Experience, but some of us learn more than others.
Whatever comes our way in life, it is up to us to make the most of it. The lessons are presented; how well we learn them is our choice. In this group, you will find invaluable insights to equip yourself for the “course of study” ahead.
Based on the book by J. Ellsworth Kalas, this group provides a profile of some of the teachers in the School of Experience: Friendship, Regret, Love, Success, Defeat, Enemies, and others. The wisdom of Mr. Kalas opens our eyes to the often overlooked subtleties in the lessons of life.
Parables of Jesus
(Abingdon Press: J. Ellsworth Kalas, Parables of Jesus)
Jesus told stories about everyday life, but they were stories with a twist. He intended to disturb people’s assumptions about life. His short parables not only evoked emotion, they demanded life change. The Master Storyteller’s parables still speak to us today in powerful images that will disturb our assumptions and lead us toward life change as well.
This group will allow you to comprehend, discuss, and maybe even debate the incredible life, times, and teachings of the Son of God Himself. It’s impossible to spend time with Jesus and remain the same. This is a great group if you want to grow deeper spiritually.
A Study of Job
(Abingdon Press: Stanley H. Purdum, When Suffering Comes: A Study of Job)
This study of Job focuses on the search for an answer to the question of why suffering in its many forms seems to be an inevitable part of human life. We will explore the nature of the testing and trials of life. how to help others in their time of need, the affirmation that God is with us even when we feel that God has not treated us fairly, and how the experience of suffering can produce a new revelation of God and a deeper faith. A 4 week series that honestly explores suffering and our freedom to ask God, “Why?”
A Transgender Study
(Pilgrim Press: Justin Tanis, Trans-Gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith)
“I have always felt drawn to those on the margins of the religious landscape, both from personal conviction and because the Bible clearly tells us that that is where we can locate the divine. Following Jesus has meant, for me as a Christian, a continuing journey to the margins, to spend time with those that society may ridicule and isolate, to see the beauty and power of God working with them. Transgendered people clearly occupy a marginal space in Western society. I believe that when we go to the margins, we see God.” - Justin Tanis. Tanis, a transgendered clergyperson seeks to explore the spiritual nature of transgendered persons, to listen to the stories of others like himself, and to give a positive voice to the community.
Dr. Tanis provides us with a solid argument about the validity of gender variant people in our church and in our society through the use of personal stories of his journey and the journey of others as well as solid scriptural evidence. If you are grappling with your own gender identity or if you are trying to understand the gender identity of someone in your life this book and small group will open your eyes in ways you could have never imagined. Be prepared to encounter new found courage and strength.
Check out the web calendar for groups currently in progress or coming soon or contact us at smallgroups (at) imagodeimcc (dot) org.