Sessions Include:

Lesson #1
Why God Made You
2 Corinthians 5.17; Ephesians 2.10

Lesson #2
The Me I Don’t Want to Be
Matthew 6.1 - 18

Lesson #3
Discover the Flow
John 7.37 - 39

Lesson #4
Find Out How You Grow
1 Samuel 17.38ff

Lesson #5
Surrender
1 Kings 20.4

Lesson #6
Try Softer
Luke 17.7 – 10; Matthew 7.3 – 5

Lesson #7
Let Your Desires Lead You to God
Psalm 40.8; James 1.17; 1 Timothy 6.17; Exodus 34.21

Lesson #8
Think Great Thoughts
Romans 12.2

Lesson #9
Feed Your Mind Excellent Thoughts
Psalm 1.1 – 3; Philippians 4.8

Lesson #10
Never Worry Alone
Mark 4.35 - 41

Lesson #11
Let Your Talking Flow Into Praying
1 Thessalonians 5.17

Lesson #12
Temptation: How to Not Get Hooked
1 Corinthians 10.12 - 13

Lesson #13
Recognizing Your Primary Flow Blocker
Jeremiah 17.9; Luke 15.11 - 32

Lesson #14
When You Are Out of the Flow, Jump Back In
Psalm 139.23; Psalm 19.9 - 14

Lesson #15
Trying to Go Off the Deep End with God
Matthew 6.6; Psalm 103.1 - 4

Lesson #16
Make Life-Giving Relationships a Top Priority
Matthew 22.37 – 40; Ephesians 5.25 – 27; Ephesians 4.16

Lesson #17
Be Human
Romans 15.7; James 5.16

Lesson #18
Find a Few Difficult People to Help You Grow
Matthew 5.43 - 48

The Me I Want to Be / Lesson #19
Let God Flow in Your Work
Exodus 35.30 – 35; Ecclesiastes 3.22

The Me I Want to Be / Lesson #20
Let Your Work Honor God
Colossians 3.23 – 24; Genesis 24.12, 19

The Me I Want to Be / Lesson #20
Let Your Work Honor God
Colossians 3.23 – 24; Genesis 24.12, 19

The Me I Want to Be / Lesson #21
You Have to Go Through Exile
Romans 5.1 - 5

The Me I Want to Be / Lesson #22
Ask for a Mountain Numbers 13.26 – 33; Joshua 14.6 - 14

When a young shepherd boy named David was preparing for battle against Goliath, King Saul stepped in to help. But he made the mistake we so often make in other battles: He figured that whatever would be helpful to him would also be helpful to David. So King Saul — who stood “head and shoulders” above every man in Israel — dressed up David in his own tunic and armor, crowned him with his helmet, and armed him with his sword. David “tried walking around” in them, the Bible says, but it was no use. Saul was a size 52 long and David was a 36 regular. Saul was a warrior; David was a shepherd. Saul was a man; David was a teenager. The very things that would help Saul in a battle would only hinder David. Saul’s tunic did not fit. His helmet was too big, his sword was too heavy, and his armor would only slow David down.

Fortunately, David had enough self-awareness and courage to name the problem. “I cannot go in these,” David said, “because I am not used to them.” David had to set aside Saul’s equipment and use what would help him — a sling, some stones, and nimble feet — and Saul ended up sending David with the best help he could give: “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

The greatest battle of life is spiritual. It is the struggles with resentment and anger and greed and superiority that keep me from living in the flow with God. How often in spiritual life do we get burdened because we try to wield weapons that have helped someone else in the battle? We hear about how someone else prays, or reads Scripture to start or end their day, or worships, or studies, or serves — and we feel guilty if we don’t do the same. We get frustrated because what works for someone else is not helpful to us. We are like David, trying to walk around in Saul’s armor.

The apostle Paul said to “put on the full armor of God,” which includes truth and peace and prayer and faith. Have no doubt, it will fit you. If David had gone into battle using Saul’s armor, he would have lost. God knew what Saul needed. God knew what David needed. And God knows what you need.

 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

The Bible does not say you are God’s appliance; it says you are his masterpiece. Appliances get mass-produced. Masterpieces get handcrafted. God did not make you exactly like anyone else. Therefore his plan for shaping you will not look like his plan for shaping anyone else. If you try to follow a generic plan for spiritual growth, it will only frustrate you. Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

It is time for you to stop walking around in Saul’s armor. It is time to get free

John Ortberg, The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 12–13.

If you would like to explore this new study, it is available on Amazon, as well as part of Good Questions Have Groups Talking

Why Study Books?

My church recently transitioned to using books as curriculum in our Sunday School. The reason is simple. My life has been profoundly influenced by the reading of books. I don’t think my life has ever been changed by any curriculum piece I have ever read. Ever.

I have actually surveyed a number of groups I have taught over the years, asking: Has your life ever been changed by any curriculum? The most common response is for people to laugh out loud.

Our first study was the Bless book by Dave and Jon Ferguson. It is a great study on relational lifestyle evangelism. About half-way through the the study, we did a survey to help determine what we would study next. No one wanted to go back to the curriculum. Not. One. Person.

The #1 choice for what to study next was a tie:

• John Ortberg’s The Me I Want to Be
• My recently released book, The 21 Laws of Discipleship

We will be studying these two books over the next year and a half or so. Here is what Amazon says about Ortberg’s book:

The Me I Want to Be will help you discover spiritual vitality like never before as you learn to "live in the flow of the spirit."

Why does spiritual growth seem so difficult?

God's vision for your life is not just that you are saved by grace, but that you also learn to live by grace, flourishing with the Spirit flowing through you. And this book will show how God's perfect vision for you starts with a powerful promise: All those who trust in God "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Pastor and best-selling author John Ortberg first helps gauge your spiritual health and measure the gap between where you are now and where God intends you to be. Then he provides detailed tasks and exercises to help you live in the flow of the Spirit, circumventing real-world barriers - pain and sorrow, temptations, self-doubt, sin - to flourish even in a dark and broken world.

As you start living in the flow, you will feel:

• A deeper connection with God
• A growing sense of joy
• An honest recognition of your brokenness
• Less fear and more trust
• A growing sense of being "rooted in love"
• And a deeper sense of purpose.

God invites you to join him in crafting an abundant and joy-filled life. The Me I Want to Be shows you how to graciously accept his invitation.

I have just completed a new, 22-week study of John Ortberg’s book, The Me I Want to Be that we will be using in my church. (I had previously done a 7-week study.)

I have always thought that using books as a curriculum would be a good idea, and I have written a lot of book studies over the years. One of the things that actually using books as curriculum caused me to realize has to do with cost. By writing a study on every chapter of this book, instead of my previous study that had a lesson for every section, the cost drops to below what we were paying for curriculum. Better curriculum. Cheaper cost. Win. Win.