After a time of good food and conversation, we begin by asking two questions: 1) What are you thankful for? 2) What is causing you stress or grief? Then we pray for one another. After this, we spend some time reading and discussing a short excerpt from the Bible. Our gatherings are intended to provide a safe place for those who desire to explore the stories and teachings of the Bible for themselves. No one teaches and all are encouraged to engage with the text for themselves—specifically, what it is saying to them. We encourage the fixers and the experts to restrain themselves and allow God to speak to each person directly! This begins by having one person read the short excerpt. Then as a group, we summarize what was read. Then we have someone else read the passage—preferably, a person of a different gender than the person who read first. We then discuss the following questions:

• What does this tell us about God/Jesus?

• What does this tell us about ourselves and how God sees us?

• Based on what we’ve read, what is the Holy Spirit telling you to do?

• Who needs to hear this story, and how can I tell them?

Interested in learning more? (Learn more about this approach to scripture: Discovery Bible Engagement)