SMALL GROUPS

Advent Message Series – The Promise of Christmas

A promise fills us with anticipation. It offers hope for the future and gives us something to look forward to. For a promise to inspire hope, we need clarity on what is being offered and trust in its fulfillment.

The Christmas season is rich with promises. But what is the true promise of Christmas? What should we anticipate during this season and beyond? Without a clear understanding of what Christmas genuinely promises, we risk missing out on its true meaning and the expectations we can have of God throughout the year.

In this four-week, series we will look at the Promise of Christmas and hope it offers to all.

Fr. Carl will deliver the message series at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass. You can watch his message here.

PAST VIDEOS & QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUP

Series Summary

The perception of prayer often leans towards acknowledging its goodness, yet not
necessarily deeming it as effective. It’s common to engage in prayer while maintaining a
hope that it might make a difference, but sometimes regarding it as a secondary option
to our own efforts and endeavors. Phrases like, “All we can do is pray,” often imply a
sense of resignation rather than a belief in prayer’s potency.

What if, however, we’ve underestimated the impact and potential of prayer? What if our reluctance to fully engage in prayer stems from a fear that it might actually yield powerful results? Hebrews 10:31 cautions, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” This suggests that encountering God through prayer is a profound and awe-inspiring experience.

Prayer connects us with the same omnipotent power responsible for creating the universe—the power of the sun and the unfathomable depths of the ocean pale in comparison to the might and profundity of our God. Through prayer, we come into communion with this divine force and gain access to tap into His boundless power. This 5 week series will challenge some of the restrictive attitudes towards prayer prevalent within our culture. We want to embrace bold, audacious prayers that lead us to transformation!

Fr. Carl will deliver the message series at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass. You can watch his message here.

Fr. Carl did not deliver a message for Week 6.

There are two pages to the Conversation Guide for Week 4, due to the Creation Story.

WEEK 6 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


How can you pray for the next generation prophetically? This could be your kids, grandkids, godkids, or even over the entire generation coming after you. What do you hope they will believe about God, themselves, and their
purpose?


Think of a situation in your family, neighborhood, or with a friend that needs God’s help. What does God’s Word have to say about it? If someone has a smartphone or computer, have them look up what the Bible says
about it. (ex. Search for “What does the Bible say about trusting God, making plans, healing?” etc.)


Read Psalm 78: 3-7 Can you remember a story passed down through your family about God’s healing, protection, provision, or faithfulness?


When we testify to others about what God has done, we are giving him glory and building faith in others, what stories of God’s faithfulness to you or your family can you share with your kids, family, or friends? Go around the group and share what God has done.


Deeper Dive – Read the book of Tobit, note all the ways God helps this family.

WEEK 5 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


Who has been an encourager to you in the past? What did they do to encourage you?


On a scale of 1-5, how good are you at encouraging other people? Why do you answer as you do?


Who is someone, especially someone younger or less experienced than you that you can encourage? What words of blessing can you speak over their life?


Is there someone around you that seems down that needs to be encouraged?


Of the ways mentioned, what do you find is the form of encouragement that comes most naturally to you?

Ways to encourage others
Express belief in them and their abilities specifically
Lift them when they are down on their abilities or themselves
Promising to have their back and give them support
Giving the gift of our presence
Helping them visualize future success

WEEK 4 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(Fr. Carl did not present the message series this week)


When have you been influenced by someone simply because they took time to understand you?


What do you think gets in the way of seeking to understand others?


Who is someone you want to understand better?


Do you tend to listen to someone’s emotions or deeper motivations first or the logic of their arguments?


What is one step you can take this week to seek to understand someone’s heart?

WEEK 3 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


Talk about a time you had a bad coaching experience (either coaching or being coached). What made you feel that way about it?


Who is someone that asks great questions? What do you think their secret is?


Share about a time when you were coaching and withheld the answer or information someone needed so they could solve the problem themselves (or conversely, when you were being coached and someone withheld the
answer from you). How did it turn out? Did you learn more or less than if the answer was shared?


With whom do you have enough influence to call yourself a coach?

Read Proverbs 13:20 again. Finish by praying to surround yourself with wise people.


WEEK 2 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Who was the last person who empowered you? What did they teach or show you?


How are you empowered by God and what are you empowered to do?


Read Mark 16: 14-20. 15 He [Jesus] said to them, “Go into the whole world and
proclaim the gospel to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will
be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will
accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will
speak new languages. 18 They will pick up serpents [with their hands] and if
they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the
sick and they will recover. 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was
taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. 20 But they
went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and
confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

What is Jesus telling believers to do? What does He promise will happen when we proclaim the gospel? (Jesus promises power and protection in verse 18). Are we alone in doing this work? (Look at verse 20)


What would the world look like if Christians realized they are empowered by God to bring Jesus to the people around them?

Week 1 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


Who has been the most prominent influence in your faith? In your vocation or career? What did they do to influence you?

Do you think of yourself as an influencer? Why or why not?


Read aloud Matthew 5:13. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt
loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled under foot.”

What attribute of “salt”resonates with you?
thirsty
flavor
preservative


Read aloud Matthew 5:14-16. You are the light of the world. A city set on a
mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a
bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it give light to all in the house. Just
so, your light must shine before others that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your heavenly Father.

Who do you think looks to you to be a light in their world?

Who is one person God is putting on your heart to positively influence?

.

We grow not only by the commitments we make but those that we fulfill. Committing to a marriage, a job, or a friendship allows us to grow personally. Committing to learning a foreign language, taking a dance class, or mastering martial arts, and then fulfilling this commitment help us to grow as well.

Likewise, we come to mature as Christians, in Christ-likeness by the faith commitments we make and keep. In this series, we will look at the power of this commitment and the steps we invite people to commit to in our church community.  Commit to a life-long journey of growth. You can’t be committed to everything, be committed to the right things.

Fr. Carl’s Message for Week 1 – Staying Power

SMALL GROUPS Week One – Staying Power


1. What is your biggest challenge or obstacle with prayer?
2. What has been most effective in helping you make prayer a priority in your life?
3. “We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything
else but beginners all our lives.” What are your thoughts about this quote?
4. If you could give one or two pieces of advice about prayer, what would you say?
5. When have you seen prayer make an impact in your life? Where have you seen prayer make an
impact on your world?
6. What is your prayer plan? How do you pray?

Scripture/Quotes:
“We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything
else but beginners all our life.” Thomas Merton


“Nothing can cure our sick world except saints, and saints are only made by prayer” Peter Kreeft

Fr. Carl’s Message Week Two – Staying Power

SMALL GROUPS WEEK TWO – Staying Power

  1. What is the biggest obstacle that keeps you from sharing your faith with others?
    2. Do you agree that sharing your faith, will grow your faith? Why or why not?
    3. A few different ideas were given for how to reach outsiders. Which steps are you most likely to take?
    4. Who are the people that God has placed into your life, so that they may be brought into a
    relationship with God?
    5. Why is the Gospel good news and worth sharing?
    6. Have you ever had the experience of leading someone to faith or seeing someone far from God
    come to know God? What happened in that experience?

Scripture/Quotes:
For missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others! It is in commitment to the Church’s universal mission that the new evangelization of Christian people will find inspiration and support.

  • Pope St. John Paul II

Fr. Carl’s Message – Week 3 Staying Power

SMALL GROUPS Week Four – Staying Power
What do you think of when you hear the word “engage”? What does it mean to you?
What can our group do to deepen our engagement and commitment to one another?
Of the obstacles mentioned, which are the biggest for you? Which ones are the biggest for the
group? What helps you keep your commitment to this group?
Read aloud Hebrews 10:24-25. Where are you feeling discouraged in your life? Where do you need
encouragement from this group?
What are your thoughts on the analogy of a small group being like a retirement plan?
Scripture/Quotes
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and
let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
Hebrews 10:23-24
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good words, not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing
nearer.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Two is better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil; If they fall one will lift up his
fellow, but woe to him who is alone when he falls, he has not another to lift him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Fr. Carl’s Message – Week 4 Staying Power

Small Group Week Four – Staying Power


Read aloud Philippians 2:5-7. Have you ever considered serving as beneath you? How do these
verses challenge us to think of serving?
Have you ever had the experience of the Holy Spirit using you to serve someone else? What was
that experience like?
What is the biggest obstacle that keeps you from serving?
Do you agree that serving in the Church is vital to spiritual growth? Why or why not?
What is your next step in serving in ministry or missions?
What tests have you experienced with serving? Have you been able to over come them? If so, how?


Scripture/Quotes:
“By coming as a servant, Jesus was not disguising who God is, but revealing who God is.”
-John Ortberg
Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of
God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the
form of a servant […] Philippians 2:5-7
But grace was given to each of us, according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesians 4:7
And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors
and teachers. Ephesians 4:11
To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12
Until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:13

PAST MESSAGE SERIES

Over the last several years, many of our relationships have changed. We learned brand new ways of connecting  with people on Zoom calls and other digital communication platforms. In-person gatherings look different or may have disappeared altogether. All of these changes can create a strain on our relationships. God’s word gives us unchanging wisdom on how to approach and interact with people successfully, no matter where we meet them. Through this series we will look at some biblical principles we can apply to succeed in all of our relationships.

The message will be given by Fr. Carl at the 10:00 a.m. Mass each week. This page will have the small group video and the questions AND if available, Fr. Carl’s message. Fr. Carl’s message will also be posted on our Messages and Homilies page each Monday. You can also watch the repeat of the 10:00 a.m. Mass on our YouTube channel, Ascension Boca Fl.

Fr. Carl – Week 5 Message

Week 5 Small Group Video and Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – WEEK FIVE
Gayle Kelly – Invest and Invite

  1. Read aloud: “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many
    as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they
    found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.” Matthew
    22:9-10 ESV What makes attending a wedding special to you?
  2. Who do the servants represent in the parable in Matthew 22:9-10?
  3. Share a time when you experienced God inviting you into a relationship with Him. Was
    there a specific person who invited you into a relationship with God?
  4. Have you accepted, rejected or neglected God’s invitation to you?
  5. Who is God calling you to invite?
    SCRIPTURE
    “Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of
    man.” Psalm 66:5

Fr. Carl – Week 4 Message at Mass

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – WEEK FOUR
Kelly Lippenholz – Anxiety

  1. Tell about a time in the past or recently when a relationship caused you anxiety or
    stress.
  2. What do you do in the face of a stressful relationship – withdraw, lean in or break up?
  3. The scripture from 2 Timothy is a tough one to hear. Read it again. How do you react
    to people with these behaviors? How can you change your mindset on how to react to
    them?
  4. Surrendering your anxiety to God means that we would have total trust and faith in him
    for a stressful relationship. What might it take for you to surrender your anxiety to God?

SCRIPTURE
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith,
patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings…
2 Timothy 3:2-5

Fr. Carl’s Message for Week 3

REALIGN WEEK 3 – SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Week 3 Discussion Questions

  1. Did your mom or dad have a favorite saying they always shared to guide you?
  1. Paul said: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ
    Jesus”. Jesus came to serve. He serves like a servant serves their master. What would
    that look like in your home or at your place of work?
  2. What do you wish you could do for all people? How can you do it for one?
  3. In what ways do you feel you need to be served right now? How could you translate
    that to serve others?
  4. What do you find challenging about our call to value others before ourselves?
  5. SCRIPTURE
    Philippians 2, Paul says Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking
    to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
    Paul continues,
    In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
    Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
    7
    rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
    8
    And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
    even death on a cross!

Week 2 – Small Group Video and Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – WEEK TWO
Generosity

  1. Recall a time when your parents were unfair to you. Now recall a time when you felt
    that God was unfair to you or to someone you know.
  2. Our definition of fairness often relates to what we have compared to someone else or
    our circumstances compared to someone else’s. In the parable of the workers in the
    vineyard, it is not fair that the workers who only spend one hour in the vineyard were
    paid the same wage as those who worked all day. Tell about a time when you were
    given extravagant generosity.
  3. Where are you feeling the most unfairness in your life?
  4. How can you counteract your experience of unfairness with generosity?
    SCRIPTURE
    9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a
    denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more.
    But each one of them also received a denarius.11 When they received it, they began to
    grumble against the landowner.12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’
    they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the
    work and the heat of the day.’ Matthew 20: 9-12
    13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree
    to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired
    last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own
    money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Matthew 20: 13-15
    16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20: 16

REALIGN – WEEK 1 MESSAGE FROM FR. CARL, SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND QUESTIONS

FR. CARL’S MESSAGE

SMALL GROUP VIDEO AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – WEEK ONE

  1. On a scale of 1-5, how stressed are you feeling today? Why do you feel that way?
  2. What in this season tends to make you angry?
  3. What does it mean to you to be angry but not sin?
  4. How can we keep Christ’s forgiveness front and center in our relationship with others?
  5. Who do you need to forgive?
    SCRIPTURE
    Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are
    members of one another. Ephesians 5:25
    Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger; and do not leave room for
    the devil. Ephesians 5:26-27
    No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed
    edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear. Ephesians 5:29
    All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with
    malice. Ephesians 5:3

Past Message Series

Confessions of a Control Freak Week 1

  1. What are your initial thoughts about the “Confessions of a Control Freak” series?
  2. Are you already aware of your tendency to be controlling in certain areas or is it a
    stretch for you to believe that you might be a control freak?
  3. There is definitely an upside to controlling some things in life. What are the pros
    and cons of being a control freak?
  4. Putting yourself in the shoes of Peter, what do you think it would be like for Peter
    to enter the house of a Gentile when all his life he had been taught not to? Do
    you think this series might stretch you to do something you’ve never done
    before?
  5. What would you like to get out of this series? Write it down. There is typically a
    cost or need to give up something in order to gain something else. How can your group be praying for you to grow in this area?

Confessions of a Control Freak Week 2

  1. What are some classic characteristics of a “control freak” as it relates to tasks?
  2. Have you been a control freak in any task or project recently?
  3. How does it feel to be working alongside a control freak?
  4. Describe the balance of accomplishing a task and not controlling it.
  5. What does Jesus mean in Mark 10:43a “But it shall not be so among you.”
  6. How does surrender to God happen when trying to see a project through?
  7. Share your thoughts on: “But whoever would be great among you must be your
    servant…” Mark 10:43b
  8. Describe a time when you surrendered a task to God.

Confessions of a Control Freak Week 3

  1. Do you consider yourself to be a control freak when it comes to what others think of
    you? On a scale from 1-10, how tightly are you holding on to your image?
  2. We all want to be liked, to be well thought-of, to be popular with people that we love
    (and maybe some that we don’t). Name a few ways that you attempt to control your
    image or control what others think of you.
  3. In what area of your life are you most tempted to try to control what others think? Is it
    a social circle? Work? Around other parents or grandparents? Why?
  4. In the message, Kelly mentioned that controlling our image comes down to two
    things – fear and pride. What are you afraid of when it come to your popularity? What
    is the biggest source of pride in your life?
  5. Read Mark 13:13. Tell about a time you felt hated because of your faith in Jesus
    Christ. What do you think about the idea that a true Christian cannot be popular?
  6. Read James 4:4. How does our friendship with the world put us in danger with our
    faith?

Confessions of a Control Freak Week 4

  1. Would you describe yourself as a person who controls others or do you tend to be
    controlled?
  2. How did the religious leaders try to control people in the Old Testament?
  3. Take a look at the 10 Commandments in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, which commandments
    refer to our relationship with God, and which to one another?
  4. What is the greatest commandment? Deuteronomy 6:1-9
  5. How can ‘You love your neighbor as yourself’?
  6. Do you believe God has a unique plan for you, that is different than anyone else?
    Why or why not?
  7. What does it mean to surrender a relationship to God? How do you do it and not
    control it?
  8. Is there a relationship you need to surrender to God? If you’re comfortable, share
    who and take time to pray as a group.

Confessions of a Control Freak Week Five

  1. On a scale of 1-5, how much are you a control freak about money? One means it is
    not a problem at all and 5 means you are a total control freak. Why do you answer as
    you do?
  2. Has there ever been a time where you felt powerless because you didn’t have
    enough money? When was that? How does that impact your attitude towards money
    now?
  3. When do you find it easy to give? When do you find it to be a challenge?
  4. How does giving money to God show our faith and trust in him?
  5. When have you given money away and been glad you did?
  6. How do you review your giving?
  7. Why does Jesus praise the widow for her giving? What does that teach us about how
    he wants us to give?

Confessions of a Control Freak Week Six

  1. What environments, programs or habits have helped you grow closer to Jesus?
  2. What areas of your life do you find it easy to trust Jesus with? What areas do you
    struggle with?
  3. When would you say your faith in Jesus became personal and your own?
  4. Who of your family, friends, and co-workers needs a relationship with Jesus? How are
    you investing in them right now?
  5. What are your thoughts on Wow 1? What can you do when you come to Mass in your
    ministry to make Wow 1 a reality?
  6. Of the goals mentioned in the video, which ones most excite you or interest you?

  1. In what areas of your life do you feel like you have enough or are doing enough? Why
    do you believe those areas are in good shape?
  2. Is there an area or areas of your life where you don’t feel like you have enough, or you
    are doing enough? If so, what are they? If not tell, the rest of us your secret.
  3. Where do you feel the most pressure from others to have or do enough? Where do you
    feel the most internal pressure to have or do enough?
  4. Read aloud. 1 Kings 19:11-12. Where do you go to hear the still, small voice of God?
    What do you do to position yourself to hear from God?
  5. As we begin this series, are there any hopes or expectations you have for the series?
    What do you hope to get out of it?

Week Two

  1. If enough isn’t our goal in life, why do we so often make it our goal or focus?
  2. What does following Jesus look like to you? If someone asked you how do you follow
    Jesus, what would you say?
  3. Would you describe your relationship with Jesus as a personal one? If so, what makes it
    personal?
  4. Psalm 23 speaks of “paths of righteousness.” How does this help free us from
    perfectionism or thinking that we have to follow perfectly?
  5. Read aloud Psalm 23:5. What images come to your mind as you read that verse? What is the promise for you personally?

Week Three

  1. On a scale of 1-5, how difficult do you find it to ask God for help? 1 means you find it
    easy to ask for help. 5 means it is difficult for you.
  2. Have you ever asked for help and been rejected or told, no? How does this impact our
    ability or desire to ask for help?
  3. Where is there not enough of something in your life? Where are you struggling to have
    enough, do enough or be enough? What do need to ask God to provide for you?
  4. Dallas Willard writes, “God does not give us what we need without being asked.” What
    is your reaction to that statement?
  5. When have you asked God for something, and he gave it to you? When have you asked,
    and he didn’t? How have you interpreted why God provided in one case and did not
    provide in the other?

Week Four

  1. Do you resonate with the good deeds verse bad deeds mentality? Why or why not?
  2. Who do you identify with in Luke 18, the religious leader or tax collector? Why?
  3. Who are you tempted to compare yourself to? What affect does comparison have on
    us?
  4. Why is Jesus and living in him enough for God? How does believing this help us get rid
    of the concern of being “good enough” for God?
  5. What is God’s position? What is man’s condition? What is God’s provision?

Week Five

  1. On a scale of 1-5, how difficult do you find it to ask others for help? 1 means you find it
    easy to ask for help. 5 means it is really difficult for you.
  2. Is there an area of your life where you feel like Elijah that you are overwhelmed and
    battling all on your own? Work? Family? Finances? Another Area?
  3. Who are the people God has already put around you that help you? If you don’t know
    who can help you, have you prayed and asked God to send people to help you?
  4. Where do you feel like you don’t have enough knowledge or resources? How can this
    group help you?
  5. Immediately following a great victory, Elijah became depressed because he wore
    himself out and shut others out, which of these two are you more likely to do?
  6. As we wrap up, what has been your biggest insight or lesson you have learned from
    this series.