Life's
Better
Together
You + Friends
Conversation
Thank you so much for deciding to put God first in your friendships!
We truly believe that your growth in God is right around the corner. That’s why we’re here to help you and your friends enjoy great conversations focused on God while keeping it simple and natural. Below you will find clarity on how to get started, discussion guides to stir the conversation around God, and how we'll be there to help. It's that easy!
Let's Get Started!
01
Gather Your Friends
1. Share this idea about how you want to deepen your relationship with God together.
2. Afterward, schedule a date, time, and where to meet.
We recommend having at least two other people besides yourself, but not so many that everyone cannot be part of the conversation. We also recommend that you try meeting for all 4 topics.
02
Talk About God
The idea is to grow closer to God together. This means that God should be the topic of your conversation. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a Biblical scholar, but rather simply stir a conversation using the guides provided in the link below.
Content Below
03
Pray Together
We believe that powerful things happen when God's people gather in prayer. Take time and pray for and during your gatherings. Pray about who you will invite ahead of time, and that He will bring His truth to life as you dialogue. Ask for prayer needs while you meet, and pray to close out your time together.
Content
1st Conversation
2nd Conversation
3rd Conversation
4th Conversation
1st Conversation
The Goal
To get together to deepen our relationship and be there for each other.
Discuss
What are some things going on in your life right now that are important to you?
What are some things or defining moments that you feel have shaped your life?
What are the areas in your life where you would like to see growth?
Has God been a part of life so far and if so, do you mind sharing how?
Bible
The ideas found in this verse of the Bible have changed my life.
- You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ( Romans 5:6-8 )
Discuss
What is your takeaway on the idea of our helplessness and His love?
Prayer
Is there anything I could pray for in your life?
Pray that God would help us to see His love for us.
Invite Back
Set up the next gathering.
2nd Conversation
The Goal
To explore the relationships that we have and how they can affect our lives.
Discuss
Who is one of the most impactful people in your life and what are some ways they have shown this?
How did their care make you feel and respond?
How would you define “love”?
Why are we so drawn to love and what are some ways that we try and get it?
Bible
This passage from the Bible helps me realize God’s great love for me.
- This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ( 1 John 4:9-10 )
Discuss
Is there anything in this passage that stands out to you?
How does the Bible say that God “showed” love to us?
What makes this passage so different from the way we normally receive love?
If we can’t earn love but rather just accept it, how can we apply these Scriptures to our lives?
Prayer
Let’s pray that we can learn to receive and grow in God’s love on a daily basis. Is there anything else you need prayer for?
Invite Back
Set up the next gathering.
3rd Conversation
The Goal
To discuss the things that might cause anxiety in our lives and how God can help us.
Discuss
What is a quirky or unusual fear that you have?
What are things most people worry about and why do you think this is the case?
What kind of effect can worry have on us?
How do you typically handle anxiety and worry?
Bible
This passage helps realign me when worry begins to creep in.
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 4:6-7 )
Discuss
Is there anything in this passage that stands out to you?
How is prayer helpful with our worries?
This passage says that we have access to God’s overwhelming peace. How can this change the way we handle life’s anxieties?
Prayer
Are there worries in your life right now that you’d like to pray about?
Invite Back
Set up the next gathering.
4th Conversation
The Goal
To evaluate our lives and make sure we’re pursuing the right things.
Discuss
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever purchased?
Have you ever pursued something and it wasn’t as great as you had hoped for? If so, tell us about the experience.
What are some things people typically chase after in life?
What are the things you consider most important in life and how do you keep them in focus?
Bible
These Scriptures highlight an interesting dynamic of pursuit and reward.
- Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. ( Psalms 37:3-6 )
Discuss
Is there anything in this passage that stands out to you?
Why would God spend time taking care of our basic needs?
God guides us to trust, do good, delight, and commit our ways to Him. Which of these are easier and which are more difficult to live out?
How can we practically develop a life of trusting, doing good, committing, and delighting in Him?
Prayer
Let’s take time to reflect and surrender those things that have distracted us from God and have left us empty.
Let’s pray that God would help us commit ourselves to Him.
…
What’s Next?
Discuss with the group and decide if you would like to keep gathering to grow closer to God and each other.
If so, we will be in touch, or you can simply email smallgroups@healingplacechurch.org.
Out of Content?
No worries, we've got you covered!
When you're done with the conversations above, we'd love to talk and discuss what can be next.
▼ 1st Conversation
▼ 2nd Conversation
▼ 3rd Conversation
▼ 4th Conversation
▼ 1st Conversation
The Goal
To get together to deepen our relationship and be there for each other.
Discuss
What are some things going on in your life right now that are important to you?
What are some things or defining moments that you feel have shaped your life?
What are the areas in your life where you would like to see growth?
Has God been a part of life so far and if so, do you mind sharing how?
Bible
The ideas found in this verse of the Bible have changed my life.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ( Romans 5:6-8 )
Discuss
What is your takeaway on the idea of our helplessness and His love?
Prayer
Is there anything I could pray for in your life?
Pray that God would help us to see His love for us.
Invite Back
Set up the next gathering.
▼ 2nd Conversation
The Goal
To explore the relationships that we have and how they can affect our lives.
Discuss
Who is one of the most impactful people in your life and what are some ways they have shown this?
How did their care make you feel and respond?
How would you define “love”?
Why are we so drawn to love and what are some ways that we try and get it?
Bible
This passage from the Bible helps me realize God’s great love for me.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ( 1 John 4:9-10 )
Discuss
Is there anything in this passage that stands out to you?
How does the Bible say that God “showed” love to us?
What makes this passage so different from the way we normally receive love?
If we can’t earn love but rather just accept it, how can we apply these Scriptures to our lives?
Prayer
Let’s pray that we can learn to receive and grow in God’s love on a daily basis. Is there anything else you need prayer for?
Invite Back
Set up the next gathering.
▼ 3rd Conversation
The Goal
To discuss the things that might cause anxiety in our lives and how God can help us.
Discuss
What is a quirky or unusual fear that you have?
What are things most people worry about and why do you think this is the case?
What kind of effect can worry have on us?
How do you typically handle anxiety and worry?
Bible
This passage helps realign me when worry begins to creep in.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 4:6-7 )
Discuss
Is there anything in this passage that stands out to you?
How is prayer helpful with our worries?
This passage says that we have access to God’s overwhelming peace. How can this change the way we handle life’s anxieties?
Prayer
Are there worries in your life right now that you’d like to pray about?
Invite Back
Set up the next gathering.
▼ 4th Conversation
The Goal
To evaluate our lives and make sure we’re pursuing the right things.
Discuss
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever purchased?
Have you ever pursued something and it wasn’t as great as you had hoped for? If so, tell us about the experience.
What are some things people typically chase after in life?
What are the things you consider most important in life and how do you keep them in focus?
Bible
These Scriptures highlight an interesting dynamic of pursuit and reward.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. ( Psalms 37:3-6 )
Discuss
Is there anything in this passage that stands out to you?
Why would God spend time taking care of our basic needs?
God guides us to trust, do good, delight, and commit our ways to Him. Which of these are easier and which are more difficult to live out?
How can we practically develop a life of trusting, doing good, committing, and delighting in Him?
Prayer
Let’s take time to reflect and surrender those things that have distracted us from God and have left us empty.
Let’s pray that God would help us commit ourselves to Him.
…
What’s Next?
Discuss with the group and decide if you would like to keep gathering to grow closer to God and each other.
If so, we will be in touch, or you can simply email smallgroups@healingplacechurch.org.
Out of Content?
No worries, we've got you covered!
When you're done with the conversations above, we'd love to talk and discuss what can be next.
Meet Virtually!
...
because distance should never stand in the way of true friendships!
Simply reach out to your friends and schedule a time to meet using one of these online video services!
FAQs
Anybody! Start with friends that you would normally hang out with, and don’t be afraid to invite that coworker you’ve wanted to talk to about God. Please be mindful of healthy co-ed situations.
The idea behind gathering with your friends is to be genuine with one another. For some, this can look like a total of four people while some gather in larger numbers. As a church, we would ask that you gather with at least three or more people. Whoever God brings, do your best to make sure that everyone is valued and has an opportunity to be known.
In any healthy relationship, consistency is critical. It is ideal to meet as often as possible. A weekly gathering is optimal, but schedules sometimes don’t always allow for that. Just do your best to be intentionally consistent, and try to commit to all of the sessions in the series.
We are always here for you. As mentioned, a ministry leader will be in contact with you, and they will be that resource for these moments and any other questions.
We would love to help you continue meeting. At the end of the series, your ministry leader will be following up with you to celebrate and to help you continue meeting as a group.
The one main requirement to be an official small group leader at HPC is to complete the Next Steps track and become an official church member. We highly recommend beginning our Next Steps class if you haven’t already to expedite your timing. CLICK HERE for more information on Next Steps.
Tips
After you ask a question, let the people sit for a moment and think. Silence isn’t always a bad thing.
Be sure to affirm people’s comments, but do not be artificial with your praise. Be delicate with answers that are clearly wrong. Do not feel like you have to finish, complete, or correct an answer.
We are human, and it’s good for people to see that you are limited.
We have provided a discussion guide with specific questions, but feel free to generate your own questions during your preparation and even on the spot.
Ask questions that generate discussion, and that gets people to explain their answers. Allow multiple people to respond even if the first person gets the “right” answer. Be careful not to be “preachy.”
Encourage everyone to deal with the material on their own terms. Create a climate where people feel the freedom to ask any question.
If someone’s answer or comment is long-winded or unclear, repeat it back (summarize it) for clarity. This proves you are listening, and it keeps the attention of the rest of the group.
After a person answers a question, ask “Would anyone like to add to that?” or “Does everyone agree/disagree with that?”.
Don’t go down a rabbit trail and leave the topics and Scripture passages unless something “big time” comes up. (ex: a family crisis) Always be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
This allows people to open up because they feel their environment is safe. However, don’t keep potentially dangerous information to yourself. (ex: abuse, suicide, destructive intentions, etc.) These situations must be reported to HPC staff immediately. When in doubt, report urgent situations.
