Episode 47 - Fathered By God | Book Study Part 1: Introduction
Using a current, real, and personal struggle as a backdrop, Jake and Brett start a book study about one of the most influential books in their lives, Fathered By God by John Eldredge.
Guiding Quote
"“The hardest, gladdest thing in the world is to cry "Father!" from a full heart . . . the refusal to look up to God as our father is the one central wrong in the whole human affair; the inability, the one central misery.” (George MacDonald)
“You are the son of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step.” (Fathered By God, John Eldredge)
Key Points
COVID-19 is creating an opportunity for creative pastoral care
Jake’s experience of powerlessness offers a valuable backdrop to the book and the experience of fatherlessness
The universal angst of every person is the struggle to believe that God is a loving Father
When, in the midst of difficulty, we proclaim out loud things that are true, we are changed
When things are difficult, don’t isolate
This book is like a map, it shows us the way but it doesn’t walk the way for us
God will allow things to be stirred up in us so He can come and Father us...if we will let him
Our journey is real and we need fathering
Discussion Questions
What struck you from this episode?
Think of a current struggle in your life. How might you be experiencing fatherlessness there?
What's your reaction to this quote? “You are the son of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step” (Fathered By God, John Eldredge). How might your life be different if you believed this more? How might your life be different if you trusted the Father more?
What do you think holds you back from a deeper relationship with the Father?
What are you needing/looking forward to in this book study?
Resources
Purchase Fathered By God
