Side By Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom & Love

Introduction

Localisation of Side-by-Side:

COVID: We want to read Side-By-Side with the ongoing COVID restrictions (e.g. 5 visitors per household) and our experience of COVID in mind. How can we walk side-by-side more effectively with one another amidst the ongoing endemic? How can we put into practice some of the principles given the COVID restrictions?

GEOGRAPHY: We also want to read Side-By-Side with the geographical location of our members in mind. For Bukit Batok, this will be the first time for many of us to be staying near to one another. We can start considering how we can capitalise on this change e.g. we can have lunches on Sunday back in the west rather than in Aperia, or we can organise weekday hang outs.

1. Life is Hard

Ongoing Group Project: Take turn each week for each person to share your X-ray i.e what voices are influencing you in each circumference, what are the hard things you face at work/home. What help do you need from God we can be asking for? It’s an X-ray of me. Firstly, an X-ray is necessary for me to know what is going on in me, for the doctor to treat me. Secondly, my X-ray is also very personal to me, that I hesitate to show to others. It puts me in a very vulnerable position to show my X-ray to others. I don’t how how carelessly or carefully they will use it. It’s scary. My instinct would be to protect myself and not be vulnerable. But I want to step out in faith (in fear), trusting that God is at work to build up His church in this way.

2. Our Hearts Are Busy

Personal Project: Pick an image of the heart that resonates most to you i.e a fountainhead, a well, a tree, a treasure chest (Luke 6:43-45). Try to populate the heart diagram to describe your own heart. How much do you understand your own heart?

3. Hard Circumstances Meet Busy Hearts

Personal Project: Look back at your personal X-ray diagram. Identify one difficult event that you can bring before the Lord, perhaps using a psalm like Psalm 22.

3. Sin Weighs a Lot

Group Project: How would a renewed appreciation of sin, confession & forgiveness change our CG Application time?

4. Say ‘Help’ to the Lord

5. Say ‘Help’ to Other People

Side By Side 2022 Project

  • I want to grow towards this in the coming year (me)
  • I want our CG to grow this in the coming year (CG)