Review: BEGIN with praise and thanksgiving–what do you have to be thankful for over the past week?

READ Ecclesiastes 8:10-17 together and pay attention to words or ideas that stand out to you.  (Especially those places that seem hard or challenging! Maybe use the New Living Translation.)

The Preacher talks pretty often about "life under the sun."  On Sunday, Ralph said there's more to life than what we know "under the sun."  What do you think he meant by this?

What do you think it looks like for us to actually "Fear God and Enjoy Life"?  What do you think we lose by focusing on only the first part of that (Fear God) or the second part (Enjoy Life)? 

In 2 Samuel 12, God tells David, "I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more."  How can we practice letting God have His way with us instead of so often taking matters into our own hands?

READ Psalm 73:15-25 and 1 Corinthians 1:20-25.  How does reminding ourselves of Christ's presence and power help us get perspective on unfairness and injustice in this life "under the sun"?

 Review and then DISCUSS these two quotes (the first is from C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair, the second is Deut. 6:4-9.)

1. “Remember, remember, remember the Signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lay down at night and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the Signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the Signs which you have learned here will not look at all like you expect them to look when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the Signs and believe the Signs. Nothing else matters.”

2. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

​Who do you have in your life who can help you "remember the signs"?  Who can you help?