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01.  Introduction

Thank you for choosing to use Another Kind of Life for your group. This participant’s guide is designed to accompany the Another Kind of Life On-line Experience and the book Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard by Trevor Hudson. Please note that the study guide and video lessons are only available on this website.

This study guide is six sessions long and will help participants grow closer to God as they rediscover Jesus’ greatest offer—an invitation to live another kind of life. The sessions will show participants what it means to become a seeker of a life marked by an intimate and transforming friendship with the Trinity.

Before you begin your journey through each of the six chapters, we encourage you to first watch the introduction to the book on the video by Trevor Hudson. It is titled, Becoming a Seeker, and it sets the stage for getting the most from the book, the video, and the study guide. In is also where Trevor discusses one of the most special aspects of this experience. God is inviting us to become seekers. And as you journey through the chapters with Trevor, you will also be hearing from two of his mentors and friends, St. Ignatius of Loyola and Dallas Willard; and you will learn that God is seeking us, even more than we are seeking God.

After the introduction you will observe that each of the sessions follows a similar format: a video with teaching from Trevor Hudson, brief responses from a member of Trevor’s small group, discussion questions for group reflection, and key activities that invite participants to go deeper into the topic studied. There are also suggestions for ways that participants can engage this study throughout the week, including reading corresponding chapters in the book Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard, Scripture passages, and a few reflections inspired by St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard. These materials will follow the theme of the session.

Your group should have a leader who is responsible for starting the video, prompting participants with the discussion questions, and directing the key activity. The leader should also monitor the time and adjust the session activities and discussion accordingly. (See “Leader Tips” on page xi.)

Trevor writes, “The promise is clear. Those who seek God consistently, faithfully, passionately, will not be disappointed. They will find God, and all those good things that are part of God’s kingdom. . . . So, an important question at the outset of our journey is: Are we willing to take these biblical invitations to seek God seriously?

Another kind of life waits.

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02.  Materials Needed

This Another Kind of Life Study Guide is intended to accompany the Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard book. Each session of this curriculum is intended to last sixty to ninety minutes. In order to get the most out of this study, we recommend that you have the following materials present at your meetings:

• A way to show the Conversatio video to your group.
• A copy of Trevor’s book and access to the study guide by each person.
• A clock to monitor time
• A pen or pencil for each person to take notes during the video and for use in each session’s key activity
• A Bible for each person

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03.  Leader Tip

The following are some tips that will help you as you lead your group though the Another Kind of Life study.

 

Before The Session

• Watch the video and look over the study notes, discussion questions, and activities in the participant’s guide in advance of the meeting.
• Pray by name for each person who will be at the session and ask that God would open new avenues for intimacy with this person through the study.
• Consider preparing (or asking someone to prepare) a snack for the session. Snacks can relax the atmosphere and make people more comfortable with sharing.
• Make sure the materials needed (page ix) are present at every session. It’s a good idea to arrive early in case of problems.
• Encourage study participants to read the chapters in Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard in advance of your meetings. While reading the chapters isn’t necessary to use the study guide or on-line videos, participants will get the most out of the experience by following along in the book. Each chapter significantly amplifies the main themes in the video.

 

At The Session

• Be sure to welcome each person to the group when they arrive and carry that spirit of hospitality throughout the session.
• Try to encourage each person to speak during the discussion. Sometimes a simple wondering question may be helpful like “What do you think about . . .? Or “How do you feel about what was said?”
• It is important, however, not to put pressure on anyone.
• In order to enhance the experience and because of the personal nature of some responses in this study, it may be helpful to adopt group guidelines that many recovery meetings have in order to allow participants to feel safe to share their own journey up to this point in their lives. These include:
  • not interrupting when another person is sharing
  • not trying to “fix” another participant—this allows the Holy Spirit to work
  • using only “I,” not “you,” statements
  • maintaining confidentiality of the group members: What is said in the group stays in the group!

• It will also be helpful for every participant to silence their phones and put them out of sight. Just the sight of a phone can inhibit conversation.
• Don’t be afraid to adapt the materials provided in this study—cutting questions or lingering on a topic—to provide the best experience for the group.
• Be mindful of participants’ time and do your best to keep the study within the parameters you’ve set for the group. That being said, if the Holy Spirit is moving, do what you can to allow extra time and space for ministry.
• Remind participants of the weekly homework activities that accompany each session. Highlight one or more of these activities and request that participants be prepared to share at your next session.
• Consider taking prayer requests at the close of your session or breaking into smaller groups for prayer.
• Don’t forget to remind the group about confidentiality. What is said in the group stays in the group.