DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Choose some questions for your group; no pressure to use all of them.This week’s message is about a big-picture perspective on life. Take a moment to share about where were you born and where you grew up.This weekend’s feature song was “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas, which is a good intro to the Book of Ecclesiastes. As you think of your life now, what would your feature song be (or what’s a top song on your current playlist)? Or, is there an art piece that would describe your life in this season? (You can look it up on your phone and share it.) Take turns reading Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 together. What are some key phrases or ideas that stand out to you from this passage? With the previous passage in mind, think of a time when you felt that something in your life didn’t live up to your expectations. How did it miss your expectations, and how did that feel? Jeff asked the question, “Are you trying to make one good thing your god?” How would you respond to this question? Read Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. The conclusion shared here is to fear God, which is a Hebrew way of saying: “Make God the center of your life, all of life.” How can knowing God and putting him in the center of our lives help us to find meaning? Why does Jeff use the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, where beautiful porcelain statues or bowls are broken and then repaired with pure gold to bond the pieces back together, as a way to describe our ugly beautiful lives? Does your life seem meaningless or meaningful (or ugly or beautiful) right now? Why? Jesus wants to move into the brokenness of our lives and our broken world with his redemption. He wants us to find the beauty in the ugly beautiful. Is there an area in your life where you want Jesus to bring beauty out of the brokenness? Close your time by praying for one another and asking Jesus to bring beauty out of the broken areas of our lives. VERSE TO MEDITATE ON AND MEMORIZE Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) PUT IT INTO PRACTICE (in-between meetings) One of the best ways to focus our lives on Jesus and navigate the ugly beautiful is to spend time in silence and solitude (spending quiet time alone with God). Practicing the Way describes it here: In our over busy, digital, distracted world, the first challenge we face in silence and solitude is simply our lack of ability to slow down and focus. To “be ourselves with God,” we must first learn to center our mind and body. The goal of week one is to first identify a time and place that works well for you to practice silence and solitude, set a modest goal, and then start with the basics: begin with a breathing prayer, and then just spend some time abiding. It sounds easy, but, like all good things, it takes practice. So be patient with yourself and God, and enjoy the journey. For further guidance on this week’s practice of silence and solitude, visit this link and read the instructions under “Talk about the coming week’s practice as a Community”.