Questions- Read Micah 6:1-8. What are some of the ways that your family and community "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God"?
- How does this passage demonstrate the tension, or complementary relationship, between the work of compassion and the way of just living?
- In your immediate community, who are the most vulnerable populations? What are the immediate needs of these neighbors, and also, what would a deeper, more restorative kind of justice look like?
- What are some barriers that your family or faith community might face in talking about privilege or systemic injustice?
The overview of More than Words is found here. The photo above shows a doll who seems a bit perplexed by the book.
Questions- What does your family like to create together?
- How do you practice joy as a family and in community?
- Can you think of a time when your church (or community) faced uncertinty with creative problem solving?
- Describe some glimpses of joy that you have seen in a simple moment, or in the midst of an otherwise difficult time.
Questions- In what ways has violence become an accepted part of life for you? Is there any level of violence in your theology, entertainment, or language that feels "appropriate" or "acceptable"?
- How do you practice nonviolence in your home? In your neighborhood or faith community?
- What cultural barriers make that practice more difficult?
- What Scriptures have you heard used out of context to defend capital punishment, "stand your ground" laws, or upholding violent systems in other ways?
The overview of More than Words is found here. The photo above shows my cat Clawdia asleep beside the book.
Questions- What are some of the messages of scarcity that you receive on a daily basis?
- How does your family practice gratitude and generosity?
- How does your faith community embody the "liturgy of abundance"? Or if your church lives in a pattern of scarcity, what language or practices might begin to change that pattern?
- What is your favorite biblical story of abundance? What does it teach you about living generously?
The overview of More than Words is found here. The photo above shows the book and a toy elephant given to my mother many decades ago by one of her twelve grandchildren when they were young. Mom had lots of great-grandchildren by the time she died in 2004. (In other words, I've lost count.)
