Program

EACH WEEK in your program ‘Field Guide’, you’ll find interactive field assignments with creative

ideas to apply message learnings to your life. Some weeks will be reflective, some weeks will be places to visit and some weeks will be things to do with others.

–X– You shall not covet.

True contentment is choosing to have genuine pleasure in accepting and celebrating what God has given us, as well as what God has given others. { Ryan Alexander, Lead Pastor }

WHEN WE ACKNOWLEDGE that everything we have is a gift from God, we become grateful. Practicing an ‘attitude of gratitude’ leads to contentment.

1. TAKE A HEART INVENTORY

5. THANK GOD

2. DETERMINE THE ‘WHY’

6. OPTIONAL [GREAT FOR CHILDREN]

Take an honest inventory of your heart. Is there something that you covet? Write down whatever God reveals to you on a piece of paper.

Next to each item on your paper, write down why you think you need it. What difference will this make in your life? 3. TRUE OR FALSE

Spend time pondering what you wrote down with God. Ask Him to show you what is and isn’t true. Invite God to correct any false thoughts you’ve come to believe. 4. WRITE DOWN THREE THINGS

On a second piece of paper, write down 3 things you own for which you’re grateful. Write down how God has used them to bless you. Throw the first piece of paper away.

Thank God for each item on your second piece of paper. Don’t stop there. Continue to thank God for everything that comes to mind. Celebrate His boundless love and care for you!

Divide a piece of paper in half. Label one side ‘needs’ and the other side ‘wants’. Look around your room. Decide on which side of the paper each of your items belong. Thank God for everything on your paper! DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

☞ Do you have everything you need? Do you need everything you have? ☞ Why do you think people try to ‘keep up with the Joneses’? ☞ What do you believe God’s heart is for you in this life?

MESSAGE NOTES

Week 10 - The Field Guide to Contentment September 2/3

01

Life doesn’t promise a clear and easy path. We are surrounded daily by influences that can cause us to lose focus on what our relationship with God and others should look like. God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us navigate life better and to become living examples of His character. In this series, we will explore God’s ‘Field Guide to Real Life’ to strengthen and enliven our relationships, with Him and others.

Notes:

02 03 04 05 06 07

FRONT COVER DESIGN Sometimes we find ourselves looking at others to see how we compare – on social media, in our neighborhoods, in our chosen careers, within our families and among our friends. We try to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ by focusing more on what others have than what we have. THE BINOCULARS represent a visual lens that we use to see the world around us. These binoculars create comparisons between our lives and the lives of others. God calls us to use a different lens, the lens of contentment (Philippians 4:11-12).