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- Herausgeber: IVP Formatio
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
Sensible Shoes is an unusual novel, blending a fictional story with nonfiction teaching elements. Some readers view it only as a story of four characters on a journey. Others say yes to a deeper level of reading, embracing the opportunity to take a "sacred journey" along with the characters, by opening themselves to the Spirit's work and attending to God's invitations. The Sensible Shoes Leader's Guide offers two ways to invite readers into a deeper journey: first, there are resources here for a twelve-week small group experience through the Sensible Shoes Study Guide. Each week you'll be provided with a few prayer prompts for your work as a leader, tips for facilitating the group, and behind-the-scenes information about the characters and their journeys that can be used as opening materials for your sessions. The second set of resources in this guide relates to leading a retreat based on Sensible Shoes. After years of creating and speaking at Sensible Shoes Retreats, spiritual director Sharon Brown offers here content to help you design the ideal space for your context as you gather people in longer sessions to experience this material. In addition to one-day, weekend, and online program outlines, there are many creative ideas from leaders of groups who have used Sensible Shoes for retreats over the years. Sensible Shoes was written for the purpose of bringing God's healing and spiritual transformation into the lives of readers traveling in community. Is there an invitation here for you to bring this message to your community? Also available: Sensible Shoes Leader Kit and Sensible Shoes Participant Kit, with everything you need for a small group or retreat experience.
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Contents
Welcome
Sensible Shoes is an unusual novel, blending a fictional story with nonfiction teaching elements. Some readers view it only as a story of four characters on a journey. Others say yes to a deeper level of reading, embracing the opportunity to take a “sacred journey” along with the characters, by opening themselves to the Spirit’s work and attending to God’s invitations. Though many book clubs read and discuss Sensible Shoes based on themes, characters, and plot, the material in this guide is designed to move participants into self-reflection and prayer.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
In September of 2008 I began leading a weekly women’s spiritual formation group at the church where my husband, Jack, and I copastored. I had led many kinds of groups over the years—Bible studies, prayer groups, pastoral care groups, and book discussions—and I thought I knew what this Monday morning group of twelve women would become. I planned to lead a study on spiritual disciplines, using one of the many excellent resources about ways we can cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming us to Jesus Christ.
By our second meeting, however, I was convinced that the Lord was asking me to drop the idea of a book study. Instead, he was inviting me to trust him by journeying without a syllabus or curriculum. So I began to introduce the group to spiritual disciplines that had impacted my life with God, such as prayerfully reading the Word (lectio divina), the prayer of examen, journaling, labyrinth prayer, praying with imagination, and spiritual direction. Our time together became sacred space where we encountered the living God. As we practiced sitting in stillness and silence, we became more attentive listeners, not only to God but to one another.
In one of our first meetings together, one of the women in the group looked around the circle and commented, “Everybody here is wearing really cute, but sensible shoes!” The phrase stuck, and we started referring to ourselves as the “Sensible Shoes Club.” God was leading us through the unpredictable and often treacherous terrain of the inner life, and we needed sensible shoes for the journey. We also needed one another.
Over the next couple of months, we witnessed stunning and breathtakingly beautiful transformation as the Lord opened blind eyes, revealed old wounds, and set captives free. In November of 2008 I sensed that God was calling me to write about the role of spiritual disciplines in our formation in Christ, both individually and in community. Since there were already so many good nonfiction resources available, I felt led toward writing it as a fictional story. What would happen, I wondered, if I created four characters who met at a retreat center in order to learn ways to walk more closely with God?
As I prayed about that idea, Meg, Hannah, Mara, and Charissa began to emerge from my imagination, each of them wrestling with common issues: letting go of control, perfectionism, shame, regret, fear, people pleasing, and hiding behind roles and busyness. Each of them is invited to travel deeper into the heart of God and to discover the height and depth, length and breadth of his love. They’re invited to know God and know themselves more intimately. And they’re invited to say yes to the gift of community. Though none of the characters was based directly on people from my group, the heart of their journey toward freedom was the heart of our journey as well.
THE SHAPE OF THIS GUIDE
Part one of this book provides resources and background for a twelve-week small group experience through Sensible Shoes using the Sensible Shoes Study Guide, an in-depth supplementary resource for spiritual formation.
Part two offers content and schedules for various kinds of retreat experiences with Sensible Shoes—whether one-day, weekend, or online.
A third approach would be to combine the two options to include both an opening or closing retreat and ongoing small group sessions. For example, you could conclude your twelve-week small group with a Sensible Shoes Retreat to practice the disciplines in a more extended way together. You could invite others to join you on retreat and then launch a new twelve-week small group out of that experience.
When I finished writing Sensible Shoes in 2009, I had two primary prayers: first, that the Lord would use the book to facilitate an encounter with him and bring healing and transformation to readers, and second, that the book would provide an invitation to readers to travel deeper into the love of God in community.
Your saying yes to leading a group or facilitating a retreat is an answer to my prayers. Thank you for paying attention to God’s nudge forward. I hope this guide will provide helpful tips and insights as you lead.
Introduction
Experiencing Transformation
I’m often asked whether the degree of transformation the characters experience in Sensible Shoes is “realistic.” Based on what I witnessed in the first Sensible Shoes Club, yes—even in a relatively short amount of time. But our group began with an important gift: every single person who committed to the group had a common longing for creating and guarding a safe space where we could be unmasked and unafraid with one another and with God. Our souls are timid creatures, and we will not come out from hiding and name what is true if we think we will be rejected, judged, condemned, or gossiped about.
As the leader of the group, it was important for me to model authenticity and vulnerability as much as possible so that others felt free to share as well. It was also important to keep reminding the group of our commitment to be trustworthy stewards of one another’s stories. In essence, what we said to each other was this: “By the grace of God I will be for you what I long for you to be for me.”
As a leader you’re invited to consider your own spiritual formation, not just as you read and reflect on the material in the book, but also as you lead others in reflection and conversation. Each week you’ll be provided with a few prayer prompts for your work as a leader, tips for facilitating the group, and behind-the-scenes information about the characters and their journeys. Feel free to share these “bonus features” about the characters or my writing process, perhaps as an opening or icebreaker. Since the purpose of your meeting is for spiritual formation and prayer, however, watch for how group members may be tempted to divert conversation into a book club discussion rather than an exploration of how the characters are serving as windows and mirrors to see God and yourselves more clearly.
Because of our group’s commitment to transparency, we grew to trust one another deeply. Not only were we able to receive comfort as we honestly named struggles, losses, and grief, but we were also able to receive the assurance of God’s love and grace as we confessed sin, shame, failures, and regret to one another. James speaks the truth when he tells us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so that we can be healed (James 5:16). Our group met together nearly every week for five years. To this day, I speak with deep gratitude and awe about what the Lord did in us, for us, and through us.
I pray God’s blessing upon you as you say yes to the journey in community. May the Lord reveal himself to you in life-giving, transformational ways. May he fill you with grace, give you courage, and empower you with his Spirit. And may you experience profound healing and joy as you keep company with him, together.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many people should be in the group? Ideally, no fewer than four and no more than twelve. My original Sensible Shoes Club had twelve, and it worked for us. But we met for two and a half hours every week, which gave plenty of time for prayer and conversation. Larger groups might wish to gather together at the beginning of a session, then subdivide into smaller groups, each with a designated facilitator, for conversation and prayer. If you subdivide into small groups, remain with the same group for the whole study.
Do I need to be a trained spiritual director or ministry leader to facilitate a group? No. Though it might help if you’ve already had experience leading a group, the best gift you bring is your own pursuit of God and your openness to the Lord shaping and forming you, not only in the past but also as you participate in the study.
Is it important for people to already know each other well when the group starts? No. Even groups that have been together a long time might find that this study leads them into unfamiliar, even uncomfortable territory of deep reflection and conversation. If you don’t have an established group, don’t be afraid of inviting people who wouldn’t normally choose to connect with one another. Diversity of age, experience, and background can be a rich gift.
Do we need to meet weekly? Though the twelve-week study is designed for weekly group interaction, some groups meet every other week. However, since there is so much content to process, I don’t recommend combining multiple weeks into a single session. You’ll be best served by taking the journey as slowly as you need to, even if that means a longer time commitment.
Do we need to have one designated leader for the group, or can we rotate facilitation? Do whatever best serves the desires, dynamics, and gifts of your group. If there is one designated leader for the entire study, that leader can discern whether to participate fully in the discussion by sharing personal insights, or whether their role is primarily to moderate discussion and encourage others to share their experiences.
Should we allow new people to join our group after we begin? Approach this prayerfully, as each group will be different. While adding a group member for the second session likely won’t create much upheaval, I recommend having an honest conversation during your first session to see whether members are open to this. If you add new group members, have one-on-one conversations before their first meeting to summarize your opening session and talk about their hopes and expectations for the study. It’s difficult (though not impossible) to add new people after several sessions, not only because the trust level has been established in the group but because groups inevitably begin to shorthand their experience together, potentially causing a newcomer to feel disoriented or excluded.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Each participant will need a copy of Sensible Shoes: A Story About the Spiritual Journey and the Sensible Shoes Study Guide. Participants can decide whether they prefer to read the whole book first or read only the designated chapters each week. (Many people discover that the second reading of the book yields invitations they didn’t notice the first time around.)
Set up your meeting space so that everyone is on the same level and seated in a circle if possible, as a table between you creates a barrier. Try to eliminate distractions in the environment, and ask everyone to silence and put away any devices.
Before group members begin the week one study, send a welcome email to highlight these elements from the Study Guide introduction:
Please bring a Bible, pen, and notebook to each session. The Sensible Shoes Journal, a lightly-lined notebook, which includes quotes from the book, serves as a good travelogue for the journey.
Don’t worry if you don’t have time or capacity to answer each question every day. Answer the ones you’re able to answer. Even if you don’t feel prepared for the group session, come anyway. (You will likely need to repeat this reassurance and invitation many times throughout the study.)
To frame each day with the Word, first read the Scripture text (marked in bold in the exercises). Then journal your responses to the questions.
