· How do you explain the difference between solitude and loneliness?
· When do you feel lonely?
· Lectio Divina is a practice of reading scripture in a way that you enter into the passage and let it enter you. It is less talking about the passage and more experiencing it.
· Read Mark 1:35-39. Spend a few moments pondering, what word or phrase stirs something in you?
· Take a moment and share with one another what that word or phrase is. You don’t need to explain why.
· Read the passage again, slowly, this time considering the 4 participants - Jesus, His Father, Peter, and everyone.
· Silently ponder, who do you relate to in this passage? In what area of your life right now do you need direction and to whom or what are you looking? Are there people in your life to whom you are “everyone,” rather than pointing them to seek God for direction?
· Read the passage a third time, this time with an ear towards what God may be inviting you to?
· After a few moments, feel free to share with the group what you experienced,
· How do you explain the difference between being called and driven?
· What are you called to at this time in your life?
· What forces tend to drive your life, priorities, and next steps? How have those forces changes over the years?
· When have you felt alone in the midst of a group of people? How did you respond?
· Can you think of a time when you have sought God in making a decision? How did solitude play a part in the decision-making process?
· How do you carve out time to be in the company of God alone? What keeps you from making this a priority?
· What do you think of when you think of hospitality? What are different ways to practice hospitality?
· How do you see practicing solitude dovetail with practicing hospitality?
· With whom do you share life? How do you make life with them an expression of hospitality?
· How much space do you have for interruptions in your life? How does that impact your ability to be hospitable?
· Hospitality invites us to create space in our lives for people we wouldn’t normally spend time with. In what contexts of your life are there unlikely companions for you?
· In solitude, we create space for God, and realize that He has created a wide place for us. How do you see the cultivation of solitude in your life expanding your capacity for hospitality to those around you?
· Are there things that need to go in order for you to practice solitude and/or hospitality? What steps can you take to move toward a life with space for these practices?