Your story is important.We believe that the story of your life is being written one day, one minute, one second, one choice, one moment, one failure, one victory at a time. Maybe you forgot parts of your story. Maybe some parts of your story just don’t seem that important. But those defining moments—the second when you snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, the moment when God broke through to you, the day when black-clouded storms were brewing on every horizon, the times when you found the answers to those impossible questions, the choice that changed your life forever—you remember those chapters. If you feel like you haven’t had that defining moment...it’s coming. God is working your story out for your good. He is writing a masterpiece with your life. Our stories are God’s stories.

Week of: July 15-21, 2017

Story

Week 1: DeeterBIG IDEA

Your story is important because it’s part of

God’s story.

NEXT STEPThink about your story. Then, talk to someone

about your story.

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DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES

Icebreaker (5 min) What’s something that happened in your life in the last few days that feels important?

Breakout Questions (25 min)1. What did you think of Deeter’s story?2. What important thing happened in Deeter’s story? Why was that important to him? Why is that

important to you?3. Read Romans 8:28. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who

love God and are called according to his purpose for them.○ Do you think this verse hard for people to believe? Why?○ Do you believe it? Why, or why not?○ What does the verse have to do with Deeter’s story?○ What does it have to do with your story?

4. Read Ephesians 2:10. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

○ If we’re God’s masterpiece—a part of his amazing story—what does that mean for our lives?○ What does it mean for this week?

5. Challenge: Think about your story.○ Spend a few minutes thinking of good or bad things that have happened in your story.○ Then, spend time thinking about what’s good and bad in your story right now.○ Think of times when God has showed up in your story.○ Think about how you want God to show up in your story in the next few days.○ Take a few more minutes to talk to someone about what you’re thinking.

Story

Week 1: Deeter

Large Group

Before the lesson: for your site● Welcome, announcements, expectations, game, worship

Host Segment : Lesson set-up (4 min)● Your story is important.● We believe that the story of your life is being written one day, one minute, one second, one choice, one

moment, one failure, one victory at a time.● We all have defining moments and significant chapters that we’ll always remember.● If you feel like you haven’t had that defining moment...it’s coming.● God is working your story out for your good. He is writing a masterpiece with your life.● Our stories are God’s stories.● Check out Deeter’s story.

Video Teaching (7 min)Host Segment: Transition to breakout (5 min)

● React: Spend 30 seconds reacting to Deeter’s statement: “[God is] actively engaged—not just to give you a good life...but to make your life part of something bigger…”

● BIG IDEA: Your story is important because it’s part of God’s story.● This is God’s story…He created us with a choice. We—all of us—choose not to trust Him and love him.

But He never stops loving us. When we pull away and chose not to trust Him, he chases us and calls us back. God sent his son Jesus to Earth as a way for us to come back to him. Jesus lived a perfect life—he never believed a lie, he never settled for less than God’s best in his life, and he always chose to trust his Father. And then Jesus was executed, even though he never did anything wrong. He died when we should have died. All of us have believed lies. All of us have settled for less than the best God has for us. All of us have chosen not to trust God. All of us deserved that punishment. But Jesus took ALL OF IT. That’s how much God loves us and wants us back. And then, Jesus beat death. He came back from the dead. He showed that God is more powerful than death. If we receive the love that God showed us through Jesus, we have power over death—the power to live lives of fullness, freedom, purpose and hope. Jesus is alive in us. He’s waking us up from all those dead areas—when we choose not to trust God, when we believe lies, when we settle for less than God’s best for us. And as that’s happening in our lives, we’re seeing God’s story continue. We’re seeing Jesus’ story continue. We’re seeing OUR story continue...

Breakout Groups (30 min)(Insert series banner

artwork.)

Week of: July 15-21, 2017

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