DISCUSSION QUESTIONSChoose questions for your group; no pressure to use all of them. What was your first job? What do you currently do, and what would be your dream job? This week’s message is about living our lives with “redeemed ambition” versus “futile ambition.” Futile ambition is driven by selfish motives, isolates us from others, lifts up only ourselves, and is ultimately unsatisfying. Why do you this type of ambition is futile? Read Ecclesiastes 4:4. What did Solomon mean by this passage? Having a job in a helping/people-focused profession (like being a pastor, nurse, or teacher) can make it easier to feel like you are living with redeemed ambition. What does it look like to live out redeemed ambition in a different, task-focused job (like doing office work, manufacturing, sales, etc.)? What does that look like in any role? Jeff explained that everyone craves connection. How can that affect our interactions with other people at work, at school, in the grocery store, or wherever you are throughout your day? Read Ecclesiastes 2:4-11. This is Solomon’s lament as an old man about how, after accomplishing more than anyone else in all of Jerusalem, he was left feeling that his achievements were all meaningless. Then read 2 Timothy 4:6-8, which is Paul’s declaration of victory knowing that at the end of his life, he kept the faith. Which story do you want to be your story, and what is a next step to begin making that happen? Share praises and prayer requests. End with a time of prayer; ask God to help us live a life we will be grateful for, without regrets. VERSE TO MEDITATE ON AND MEMORIZE THIS WEEKI have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7 PUT IT INTO PRACTICE (IN BETWEEN MEETINGS)One of the best ways to focus our lives on Jesus and live in the ugly beautiful is to spend time in the practice of silence and solitude – spending quiet time alone with God. To review from last week, visit this link and read the instructions under “Talk about the coming week’s practice as a community”: For this week, set aside a time for silence and solitude with God, and ask yourself the following questions: Am I primarily driven by selfish motives or something bigger? Am I moving towards greater isolation or greater connectedness with God and others? Am I lifting myself up more or others around me up more? At the end of my life, if I stay on the same course I am right now, will I be grateful for a life well-lived for the eternally significant, or will I be full of regret with very little real significance and impact? Finally, ask God, “Is there anything you want to change about my life and ambition?”