JUNE 2012
celloutlines | overview
Boundless Surprise They say ‘life is full of surprises’! So I looked back over my life to look for some. This is what I saw…. I was surprised when, at ten years old, I went out for a ride in the car with my mum and dad. We drove to the airport where my dad flung open the boot of the car to reveal suitcases….we were off on a family holiday to Spain! I was surprised when, after eleven years of being an only child, my parents announced that my dearest wish, which was to have a brother or sister, was about to be fulfilled! I was surprised when, reading my Bible one day, God spoke clearly to me about buying a house, despite the fact that my husband and I worked for a Christian charity without any salary! A year later, we moved into our very own first home! I was surprised when, out of the blue, someone bought us a brand new family car….the exact make and model that my husband had picked out! I was surprised when, suddenly and unexpectedly, my grandfather collapsed and died in his own home. I was surprised when my first baby turned out to be a beautiful girl…I was convinced she would be a boy! I was surprised when my parents in-law announced they felt God calling them to move to South Africa to live. A year later they left, leaving five grandchildren, and seven years later they are still living there, and enjoying every minute of their adventure with God! But we miss them! I was surprised when my daughter’s pet gerbils had twelve babies….they were supposed to both be boys!
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I was surprised when at eight weeks old, my second child – this time a boy – was diagnosed with a serious heart condition that required life saving open heart surgery. It was Christmas Eve. I was surprised when some close friends gave us a very generous financial gift to enable us to buy a larger house for our growing family. I was surprised when my husband and I bought home a new puppy to our family. I think our family were surprised too….we are not known as dog lovers! Life is full of twists and turns, ups and downs….just when we think we’re plodding along nicely, something comes along and surprises us! It may knock us off track, or fill us with energy, but as much as we like to plan, can we ever really know what’s just around the corner?! Life is full of surprises and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure - do it well, enjoy it - and then, not now, think about what comes next. Condoleeza Rice
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JUNE 2012
This month’s cell groups are called Boundless Surprise! And one guy in the Bible knew just what surprises life can turn up. He started out as one of the youngest brothers in a very large family, with the lowly job of looking after the family’s sheep. He ended up rich and powerful, with the top job in the whole of the vast empire of Egypt. (Can you guess who it is yet?!) Just how he got from one to the other is an exciting life story full of surprising and unforeseen events. He went through times of great darkness, and times of exuberance and joy. And through it all he never stopped trusting God … he really knew and understood the promise of God in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.” “God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.” Pope Benedict XVI This month we are going to think about how God loves to surprise us, and how we can we be ready and expectant for what God wants to bring to us into our lives. In week one - ‘Introducing Joseph’ – we will meet this great Bible character and look at his story; in week two – ‘Surprise, Surprise!’ – we will consider how God surprises us; in week three – ‘Prepared to be surprised’ – we will commit ourselves to be alert and expectant for God’s presence in our lives through praying a simple prayer everyday; and in week four – ‘Surprise Me God’ - we will sum up what we have discovered and review the significance of Joseph’s surprising life! Our God is the God of great surprises. God loves to surprise and bless his people. Yes, life can be exhilarating and exciting, and, yes, life can be demanding and difficult. We learn from the Psalms in the Old Testament that we walk together in difficult and pleasant places. In all of the experiences of life, our good Lord loves to come alongside and surprise us with his love and his interest in us. Yes, our God is the God of great surprises, who, in the midst of every situation in life, finds a way to remind us of his presence and surprise us with his love and his encouragement. And, as our God is the God of great surprises, so you are to be a person of great surprises and look for ways to surprise the people in your life in ways that will bring the blessing, joy and encouragement of God into their lives.
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Rev. Dr. E. Stanley Ott
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JUNE 2012
Leader’s notes Joseph: Bible Character Study For more info on the life and times of Joseph check out the following website http://bibleseo.com/old-testament/joseph-bible-character-study/ Further (and recommended) reading on Boundless Surprise! “Our God of Great Surprises” by The Rev. Dr. E. Stanley Ott www.viennapres.org/fileadmin/media/sermons/print/2009-08-09%20Our%20God%20of%20Great%20Surprises.pdf “The God of Surprises” by Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick http://www.rcan.org/archbish/1998/12-09-98.htm “God of Surprises” by Howard Butt, Jr. www.christianitytoday.com/workplace/articles/attitude/godofsurprises.html “God’s Surprises” http://www.inspiration-for-singles.com/surprises.html
Joseph Karaoke! If your group like to sing - how about a bit of Joseph Karaoke each week…from the famous musical ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat? Songs like ‘Any Dream Will Do,’ ‘Josephs Coat’, ‘Go,Go,Go Joseph’, ‘Close Every Door to Me’ are all fairly well known! Tracks easily available from itunes and lyrics on the internet!
Joseph Quizzes Find some fun online quizzes about the life of Joseph on the following websites: http://biblequizzes.org.uk/quiz.php?joseph www.biblequizzes.com/quest50.htm http://quiz.christiansunite.com/Famous_Stories/Joseph_in_Egypt.shtml
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www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/religion/old_testament__tanakh_people/joseph.html
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week one These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources
Introducing Joseph Welcome Plan a surprise to welcome your group…something you don’t normally do and that would be really unexpected! e.g. a selection of high quality cakes, some nice drink, or a little gift for everyone! Read the Cell Intro together.
Word a. Introducing Joseph Take some time to get to know the story of Joseph. You can use any of the following ideas to do so! • Read the Bible. Depending on how long your group can concentrate on reading the Bible text, pick out the key passages from the story of Joseph and read them together. (Joseph’s story is found in Genesis 37 – 50) • Read the story from a children’s Bible story book, with pictures. A short version can be found here: www. childrenstory.info/biblestoryforchild/chdbbljoseph.html?cPath=50 • Listen to an audio recording. • Look at a variety of pictures / images based on this story. (Easily done via a Google image search) Discuss how they help you imagine the story or think about it in new ways. • Watching a video clip (search on You Tube if you don’t have any clips to hand).
b. First impressions Write the following questions out on separate pieces of flipchart paper and spread around the room. Give each person a pen and ask them to go around the pieces of paper writing down any answers that they have to each question. Then gather the papers together and discuss the answers.
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• What part of Joseph’s story stands out to you the most? • What character traits do you see in Joseph? • In what ways / situations do you think Joseph was surprised by God? • In what ways can you identify with Joseph? e.g. what similarities do you see between you and him? • What do you feel we can learn from Joseph’s life?
Worship Twice in the story of Joseph we read in the Bible that “The Lord was with Joseph”. (Gen 39:2, 39:21). Look up the verses and find out what happened. Spend some time praying for each other, asking God to be with each one of you as he was with Joseph. Try getting your group into a circle and asking everyone to place their hands on the person on their right. All together pray out loud for God’s blessing and presence to be with that person. Then all turn to the person on your left and do the same. (You may find some loudish background music will help everyone to pray out loud!) continued over >>>
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Witness Look again at the sheet of paper with the ‘What do you feel we can learn from Joseph’s life?’ question on it. From the answers that you have written on it ask each person to consider one thing they can put into action this week and how they are going to do it. Don’t forget to ask for feedback next week!
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week one (continued...)
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week two These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources
Surprise, Surprise! Welcome Have a look through You Tube and find some clips of people being surprised. Show these to the group (Try searching ‘surprise present’ for starters!) If you can’t access any videos, try talking about TV shows that spring surprises on people. e.g. the old ‘Surprise, Surprise’ with Cilla Black; John Barrowman ‘Tonight’s the Night’; ‘Keith Lemon’s Lemonade’. Ask the group to think about what sort of emotions people are feeling when they are surprised. Feedback from last session Ask each person if they were able to put into action their chosen task and how they got on.
Word a. Surprise Thesaurus Brainstorm as many words that mean ‘surprise’ as possible, jot them down on some flipchart paper or perhaps write them out as a spidergram. (Look at the visual thesaurus www.visualthesaurus.com/landing/?ad=google. visualdictionary for some ideas.)
b. Surprise reports!
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Ask the group to get into pairs, then give each pair one of the following Bible passages. Ask them to read the passage carefully, considering the emotions of the characters involved and where/how God was at work. Then come up with one of the following: either act out the story like a TV interview with Joseph (one person as Joseph and one as the reporter) or write a diary entry from Joseph’s perspective. Tell them to be sure to emphasise how the people involved would have been surprised by the way things were going, and how they would have felt about it. Encourage them to try to use as many of the ‘surprised’ words as possible! Ask each pair to share their story / drama with the group. Afterwards discuss what the group members may have learned through this activity. Did anything surprise them!?! Genesis 37:1-36 Joseph sold by his brothers into slavery Genesis 39: 1 – 20 Joseph and Potiphar’s wife Genesis 39: 21 – 23; 40:1 – 23 Joseph, the cupbearer and the baker Genesis 41:1- 46 Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams Genesis 42 Joseph’s brothers turn up!
c. Surprised by God Watch the following video clip: The Time God Surprised Me The Most www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrA1g6-xJoQ Discuss with the group any times they feel they have been surprised by God. Use your own examples too. You continued over >>>
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could then make your own script, or even video, like the one that you watched on You Tube. (Perhaps there would be a way to share this with your Corps too?)
Worship Use as many of your ‘surprise’ words as appropriate to write your own psalm to God, either individually or as a group. Then use your psalm(s) in a time of prayer together…thanking God for how amazing he is!
Witness Give a friend a nice surprise this week!
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week two (continued...)
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week three These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources
Prepare to be Surprised! Welcome Ask everyone to share their own stories of surprises (e.g. have they ever been thrown or invited to a surprise party! Have they ever been given a surprise present?) Feedback from last session Get some feedback on what each person did to surprise someone else during the last week!
Word a. Brainstorm together some other Bible characters that were surprised by God. Take some time to remember what happened to each of these people and how they responded when things didn’t go the way they expected or went better than they could have ever hoped for! Some examples could include: • Abraham and Sarah receiving their much longed for child • Abraham being told to sacrifice Isaac and then God telling him not to at the last minute • Moses and the burning bush • Isaiah having a vision of the Lord • Hannah having her baby son Samuel • Elisha seeing Elijah taken up to heaven • Mary and Joseph…enough said! • Paul and Silas rescued by an angel from prison
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• And what about the disciples…they were continually surprised by what Jesus said and did! b. God, Surprise me! A guy called Terry Esau has written a book in which he describes a 30 day faith experiment in which he asked God each day to surprise him - then kept his eyes open to see what God would do. (Have a look at the website together: www.surprisemegod.com or a peek inside his book on Amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Surprise-Me-30Day-Faith-Experiment/dp/1576838234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336647100&sr=8-1) The following is an extract: Surprise Me: A 30-Day Faith Experiment by Terry Esau What if….. Everyday for thirty days I pray and ask God to surprise me? ‘Surprise me God.’ Nothing more. Nothing less. Three words. Not asking for something in particular. Not giving him my list. Not presenting my agenda. Just inviting him to barge into my life in any old way he pleases – to crash into the busyness of my schedule and mess with it. continued over >>>
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JUNE 2012
Then what if….. Everyday I record my thoughts and activities. All the twists and turns that give shape to the month. I’ll look for when, where and how God steps into my world…… The interesting thing about this experiment – it’s not taking place in a vacuum. I’m not taking time off to do it. I haven’t set aside thirty days to laboratory-ize it. Life as I know it will continue – and this project will weave itself in and around and through it. This is intentional. I want this to be a slice of the normal life I lead, not a scripted event that doesn’t relate to my everyday existence. Surprise Me is about inviting God into my life as is.
God, Surprise Me! Posted by Linda Werner on Jun 12, 2011 On June 1, I began a 30 day journey in which I ask God every morning to surprise me. I was challenged by my brother to take this journey with him and a few of his closest friends. I loved the idea as well as the timing of a new month and the beginning of summer. What I have discovered over the last twelve days has been simply amazing. Let me share some of my take-aways: • When you begin the day with anticipation of what will come, your heart is open and you become more aware of people, conversations, and thoughts. • When little things happen, surprises if you will, you will find that you will be saying “Thank-you” more often. • There is a huge amount of excitement to share with others your little surprises and what GOD is doing in and around you. • Every time God surprised me, it ignited my faith like crazy! In my journal every morning I write the date and these words, “God, Surprise Me!” in red. At the end of the day before going to bed I reflect on my day and all that GOD did. At the end of the month I will celebrate and declare once again that HE is worthy of MY TRUST and MY LIFE. Who wants to join me on this journey of delightful surprises? http://circlechristianschool.org/2011/06/12/god-surprise-me/
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The following post is written by someone who gave this a go: Ask your group if they would be up for doing something similar?! Decide what you are going to do, but keep it manageable…perhaps just one day, or three days or a week. You could even give each person a special little notebook to record their ‘surprises’ in. Discuss how you should do this; what attitude of the heart you should have, how to keep your eyes open to spot what God is up to! Remember the key thing is to pray ‘Surprise Me God’ everyday, and be alert for God in the midst of the ordinary!
Worship Joseph really lived out this verse from Proverbs: Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he is the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)
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Witness Keep a diary or write a blog, as you have agreed above, of how God surprises you each day this week. Be prepared to share with the group next week.
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JUNE 2012
Use this verse to pray together and commit yourself to the above. Ask God to really surprise each one of you this week. Ask God to help you trust him and listen for his voice in all that you do this week.
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week four These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources
Surprise Me God!! Welcome Play a game of nice & nasty surprises! For example, you could have some boxes or bags filled with different things, and group members have to put their hands in the box and guess what is in it…have some nice things to touch and some nasty things! Or how about a taste test game where each group member is blindfolded and you place something nice or nasty in their mouths. Go round the group and give everyone a tasty piece of chocolate but in one person give them something sour or bitter tasting! (Check for food allergies first!)
Feedback from last session Allow plenty of time for people to share about their ‘Surprise Me God’ experiment. In fact, you may find much of this cell group is taken up sharing and discussing everyone’s experiences last week. If this takes over the whole session…let it! However, below are some suggestions of things you can do if the discussion runs dry!
Word a. Joseph Timeline Think back to the story of Joseph.
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On a large piece of flipchart paper or wallpaper try to draw out a time line of Joseph’s life with the group. As you do so ask the group to try to imagine and identify the different emotions that Joseph might be feeling. Allow the line to go up or down accordingly. Then ask the group to think about where Joseph may have been ‘surprised’ by what was happening in his life. Place a large star, or some other indicator, at those parts of the timeline. (You could split the group into two groups and allow the young people to do this by themselves if you feel this would work better with your group) Ask the group to then try to identify with Joseph. Which of those emotions do they feel at the moment? Which have they felt in the past? Are there any that they have never felt? How did Joseph move from a down phase into an up phase? How can we? How did Joseph react when his life took surprising twists and turns? What do you think Joseph thinks when he looks back over the course of his life (Look at Genesis 50:20 – 26 if you are not going to do the Bible study below)
b. Read Genesis 45:1 – 15 Since Joseph could no longer control his feelings in front of his servants, he sent them out of the room. When he was alone with his brothers, he told them, “I am Joseph.” 2 Then he cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and told about it in the king’s palace. 3 Joseph asked his brothers if his father was still alive, but they were too frightened to answer. 4 Joseph told them to come closer to him, and when they did, he said: “Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. 5 Don’t worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives. continued over >>>
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JUNE 2012
celloutlines | week four (continued...) 6 There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plough fields or harvest grain. 7 But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way. 8 After all, you weren’t really the ones who sent me here—it was God. He made me the highest official in the king’s court and placed me over all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back and tell my father that his son Joseph says, “God has made me ruler of Egypt. Come here as quickly as you can. 10 You will live near me in the region of Goshen with your children and grandchildren, as well as with your sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else you own. 11 I will take care of you there during the next five years of famine. But if you don’t come, you and your family and your animals will starve to death.” 12 All of you, including my brother Benjamin, can tell by what I have said that I really am Joseph. 13 Tell my father about my great power here in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring him here. 14 Joseph and Benjamin hugged each other and started crying. 15 Joseph was still crying as he kissed each of his other brothers. After this, they started talking with Joseph. Genesis 45:4 – 10 Discuss the following questions: • Why were Joseph’s brothers frightened when they realised the powerful man in front of them was Joseph? • Do you think Joseph feels bitter or angry about what his brothers did to him? Why or why not? • In what ways do you think Joseph’s brothers were surprised? • Remember the time line that you drew out above. Joseph had a lot of low points in his life. What do you think he sees now as he looks back over his journey up to this point in his life? • What part(s) of the passage show you that Joseph believed that God had a plan for his life all along? • What can Joseph’s story teach us about going through unexpected hard times in our lives? • What can Joseph’s story teach us about handling unexpected blessings that God pours into our lives?
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At the end of your discussion flip to Genesis 50:20 – 26. Explain how theses verses set the stage for what would begin to happen in Exodus and come to completion in Joshua. God was going to make Jacob’s family into a great nation, lead them out of Egypt and bring them into the land he had promised them. Joseph was ready to die. He had no doubts that God would keep his promise and one day bring the Israelites back to their homeland. The nation would rely heavily on this promise and Joseph emphasised his belief that God would do what he had promised. God bought good from the brother’s evil deed, Potiphar’s wife’s false accusations, the cupbearers neglect, and seven years of famine. The experiences in Joseph’s life taught him that God can overrule bad situations to bring about his intended results….in this case the saving of his people, the nation of Israel!
Worship Print / write out the following ‘surprise’ quotes onto pieces of paper. Place in the middle of the group. Allow some time for people to read the quotes. Ask group members to pray out loud prayers based on any of the quotes that they wish….encourage just short one sentence prayers e.g. “Thank you God that you have surprised me everyday”, “God, help me to live each day like an adventure with you”. It would be good to allow this time of prayer to continue into thanking God for all the surprises you have had with God this month!
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JUNE 2012
“God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.” Pope Benedict XVI “Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.” Samuel Johnson “The story of Easter is the story of Gods wonderful window of divine surprise.” Carl Knudsen “Bibles laid open, millions of surprises” George Herbert “I believe in the surprises of the Holy Spirit.” L.J. Suenens “History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. “A life full of turns, achievements, disappointments, surprises, and crises is a life full of landmarks.” Eric Hoffer “There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God’s finger on man’s shoulder.” Charles Morgan “Seize every day as an adventure and your spirit will soar when you discover the wonderful surprises life has to offer.” Unknown
Witness
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Encourage people to continue with their surprise journal if they wish to. Would you have the opportunity to share what you have discovered this month with the rest of your corps? And encourage them to look for God surprises in their lives. If so, use some of this time to work out how you will do this! (Don’t forget about your The Time God Surprised Me The Most script from week two!)
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