Pathways to Discipleship
Formation on the Go allows you to bring your faith formation with you as you travel this summer! Use the age-friendly format of the resources below to spark deeper thought and conversation for the whole family. These readings, videos and podcasts complement the summer sermon series: "Meeting Jesus on the Road” June 11-July 9, and "Felt Board Stories” July 16-August 20.
JUNE 11 - Road to Damascus
Read
Children
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How do you think Paul’s life changed from when he was Saul to when he was Paul? Paul wrote many letters to the early church- why do you think people were mad at him even after he turned “good”?
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Youth
Are You There God? It’s Me, Paul
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Consider the questions posed towards the end of the sermon, these all seem to be pushing us towards spaces where we are uncomfortable or unfamiliar. What do you think that means for us as disciples? What do you feel called to?
Adults
“The Conversion of Saul” Choral work by E. Randall Stroope
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Read the story of Saul’s conversation then watch the video of the choral performance, “The Conversion of Paul.”Listen for the harshness of Saul’s persecution and God’s penetrating question, “Why do you persecute me?” Around 2:10, the music shifts to reflect a continuum of light. Notice how Saul is drawn to his knees and commissioned to a life of love and compassion. Does God speak to you through music?
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9/18-10/9
JUNE 18 - Jairus’ Daughter
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Children
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How do you think Jairus’s family felt when their daughter was healed? Draw a picture of a time when you felt grateful to God.
Youth
"We have nothing to lose” Sermon at FPC - Otis Moss III
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This passage shows us that the strong faith of this woman allowed her to step out of her comfort zone and touch the hem of Jesus in hopes that she might be healed. It also reveals to us the call that Jesus has for us to believe and not limit ourselves to the fear that we are constricted with. Jesus tells Jarius to believe and your daughter will be saved. In his sermon, Otis Moss shows us that we have nothing to lose if we break free from the boxes that our world restricts us to. What is restricting you with fear from believing in the power of Jesus? What are some times in your life that you can step out of your comfort zone and restrictions to see the power that God has given you to transform this world?
JUNE 25 - Zaccheus
Read
Children
Zaccheus (video)
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Zaccheus was seen by Jesus in a surprising way! How would you feel if Jesus saw you? How would we live if we expected to see Jesus every day?
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Youth
Zaccheus (video)
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How can you mirror the love and hospitality Jesus had for Zaccheaus? Where do you see yourself in this retelling of Zaccheaus’ story?
Adults
Stepping Across the Divide (blogpost)
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There are times when our healing depends on the faith and personal touch of others. In what ways do you need the personal touch and engagement of others in order to connect with the healing, liberating, and transforming power of Christ? In what ways do you need to personally touch and engage others in compassionate, redemptive, and liberating ways?
JULY 2 - The Good Samaritan
Read
Children
Who is My Neighbor (video)
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Who is your neighbor? Are there lots of different definitions of neighbor for you or is there only one definition? How are your neighbors different from you? How are they the same? Who would Jesus say is our neighbor?
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Youth
Parables of Jesus: Parable of the Good Samaritan (video)
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Why do you think it was significant that a Samaritan helped a Jewish man? What characteristics of a good neighbor did the Samaritan man have? How can you practice being a good neighbor to those that you know and even those that you don’t know?
Adults
MLK Jr. on The Good Samaritan (4:47)
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As you go about your day, consider Dr. King’s observation about the parable of the Good Samaritan: “The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help this man what will happen to him?"
JULY 9 - The Road to Emmaus
Read
Children
Road to Emmaus (video)
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Would you know Jesus if you saw him? How would you know it was him? Will we ever see Jesus?
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Youth
The Resurrection of Jesus (Bible Project video)
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This video uses the phrase, Jesus’s Upside Down Kingdom. What would turning our current world upside down look like? How can you turn your own world upside down, to live into the Kingdom Jesus brings? Do you relate to the travelers on the road to Emmaus, who fail to recognize Jesus?
Adults
A New Story (blogpost)
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TCleopas and his friend tell a tale of dashed hopes and an uncertain future, but Jesus tells the same story differently. Meeting Jesus along the way changes our story. What would Jesus’ version of your story be?
JULY 16 - David and Goliath
Read
Children
Defeat the Giant (game)
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ZWas Goliath afraid of David? Why or why not? Who is the real hero in this story?
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Youth
The Bible - David and Goliath (video)
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David demonstrated great faith in God as he took on the giant, Goliath. What are some times that you might need to lean on your faith to help overcome some obstacles that you might be afraid of?
Adults
Goliath (Frederick Buechner blogpost)
In the reading, Buechner says that when Goliath was near death, “the giant believed that what he was seeing was his own soul stripped of the unwieldy flesh at last for its journey to paradise.” What is Buechner implying? How does God see your enemies?
JULY 23 - TBD
JULY 30 - Daniel and the Lion's
Read
Children
Daniel in the Lion’s Den (listening 6:44)
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How do you think Daniel felt in the Lion’s Den? Do you believe that God hears us when we pray?
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Youth
Daniel in the Lion’s Den (video)
The video shows us that because of Daniel's great faith, God protected and sustained him from the lions. When you are faced with adversities and your faith is tested, how can you strengthen your faith? What are some practices you can begin to strengthen your faith in times of adversity?
Adults
Daniel (Painting by John August Swanson)
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Study this painting that hangs in the Candler School of Theology in Decatur, Georgia. What stands out to you? What emotion do you see in Daniel’s face? You may have experienced a time of trial and testing. Can you assign each of your challenges to a lion in the painting and imagine angels attending to them?
Read
Children
My Who Did Swallow Jonah? (song on video)
What do you think Jonah prayed while he was in the belly of the fish? After Jonah was released from the fish, where did he go? Where is God calling you?
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Youth
Jonah (Bible Project video)
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As the video asks, are you ok with God loving your enemies? What are some ways that you can work towards practicing love for your enemies? What makes practicing this radical love so difficult? Did this video teach you anything new about the story of Jonah?
Adults
The Sign of Jonah (blogpost by Richard Rohr)
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Jesus used the image of the belly of the whale as a metaphor of the pattern of life. As Rohr says, “We are transformed through death and rising, probably many times in our lifetime.” When in your life have you tried to change events to avoid changing yourself? What questions have you shied away from to avoid the hard answers?
AUGUST 6 - Jonah
AUGUST 13 - Jacob and Esau
Read
also Genesis 25 and 33
Children
Jacob and Esau - Stories of the Bible (video)
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Do you ever have a hard time waiting for something? Sometimes we have to say no to ourselves when we want something really great right now so we don't do something silly to get it.
Youth
Jacob and Esau (video)
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Have you ever messed up and wondered if God was there with you? Have you ever been surprised by God? The video shows us that even Jacob who messed up, received blessings from God and forgiveness from Esau. Even in the messy times of our lives, God is always there. God is always in the mess.
Adults
Read: Was Jacob right to take Esau’s blessing?
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Listen: Was Jacob right to take Esau’s blessing?
(Rabbi Jonathan Sacks)
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In Genesis 27, Jacob disguises himself as his brother Esau and receives the blessing his frail father intended for Esau. Was Jacob right to take the blessing? This story may be one that we “ understand one way the first time we hear it, and a different way once we have discovered and reflected on all that happened later.” Or as Søren Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Consider a decision that is ahead of you. What might you learn by understanding it backwards?
AUGUST 20 - Walls of Jericho
Read
Children
The Walls of Jericho - Stories of the Bible (video)
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How does it make you feel to know that God is faithful to keep His promises? How has God been faithful in your life?
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Youth
Hospitality at the Margins (sermon FPC Albequrque)
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In the story of Jericho we often learn about the walls tumbling down. Holding this sermon's message in the same context, how might we knock down the barriers holding us from practicing Jesus’ practice of hospitality in our lives? What do you think of the question at the end of the sermon, “Is there mutuality at the heart of our hospitality?”
Adults
Joshua: The Battle of Jericho (video)
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As the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they received unexpected instructions for conquering Jericho: March around the city in silence for 6 days and on the 7th day, shout and the walls will come down. It must have been difficult to follow those orders, but the pause (of 6 days) might have allowed them to better see God at work in their coming victory. How might we take a pause to see God’s work in our lives?