Oct/Nov 2009 — more than enough

Questions are available for the following articles:

The Lord is My Shepherd by Pierre Gilbert

The Frugal Christian by Katie Funk Wiebe

The Saga of Stolen Stuff by Michelle Ferguson

The Lord is My Shepherd by Pierre Gilbert

1. Discuss the difference between the two statements:

•   “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

• “As long as the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”

2. What is the difference between the person who lives as under the “Landlord” and the person who lives as under the “Shepherd?” Which is the better relationship?

3. What does it mean to put yourself voluntarily under the Lord’s care?

• Is it easy to stay under his care?

• Do you find yourself wandering from his care?

• What draws you back under his care?

4. What is the difference between the person who lives under the care of “Elohim,” the great and powerful creator, and the person who lives under the care of the “Shepherd?”

5. What is the meaning of the word “want” as found in the Hebrew in this passage? What is the meaning of the word “want” as used in 21st century North America?

6. How can a person get “close to or even into” the care of the Shepherd so that he or she is not distracted by the things calling to them from the world in which we live?

The Frugal Christian by Katie Funk Wiebe

1. Think about the statement, “Living frugally does mean releasing ourselves from our love affair with the clutter in our lives that keeps us from serving God wholeheartedly.”

• How does this statement convict you?

• How does this statement confirm you?

2. What can you do with your “stuff” now to help you live a life that seeks first God’s Kingdom? What can you do with your “stuff” to be able to focus again on God and his Kingdom?

• Practically, begin making a list of things that you have that you don’t need.

• Who do you know (a person or organization) that might need these things worse than you do?

• Ask God to release you from the hold your “stuff” has placed upon you and begin to act on your list.

3. What activity can you remove from your life to make room for God and his call on your life?

4. What practical steps can you take to develop the “enough is enough” mentality?

5. How can you rearrange your life to make room for new and important relationships with others in your community of faith?

6. Consider the bumper stickers that state, “The one who dies with the most ______________ (toys, money, fabric, etc.) wins.” Imagine that someone is determining how to fill that blank in for you. 

• What would word would someone use to fill that space in describing you?

• Are you using your resources, past, present, and future, to the best of your ability as you maintain this lifestyle or should some changes be made?

The Saga of Stolen Stuff by Michelle Ferguson

. 1. How does North American consumerism teach us to evaluate our adulthood according to the status of residence and possessions?

2. How can the idea of living simply be caught? How can it be taught?

3. Describe your most valuable possessions. 

• Why are they valuable to you?

• What can you do to protect them?

• How does protecting them remind us to “lay up our treasures in heaven” where we don’t have to worry about moths, rust, and thieves?

4. Describe a time when someone in your community of faith gave to you generously. What were your thoughts on that occasion?

5. How can we guard against the urge to consume more and more stuff? 

• Make out a checklist for yourself so that you will know when you have begun to start down the “consumption” highway.

• Set realistic goals for yourself that will help you sidestep the urge to get more and more stuff.