Session 5

When?

There can be a beauty in our brokenness
Our deepest suffering can become our greatest gift to the world. Our ultimate hope as Christians is eternal
“Now, we see the harvest. We can reap this harvest because [the missionaries Mark and Gladys Bliss] planted the seeds in Iran with their tears and their sacrifice” - Ladan Nouri

What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete and Sammy Greig, Gemma Hunt and Ladan Nouri?
The Bible says that we ‘do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.’ (1 Thess. 4:13). Thinking about an area of long-term disappointment in your life, how might an eternal perspective reframe the way you relate to it?
What do you think the new heaven and the new earth will be like? How will it be different? How will it be the same?
In the video Pete and Sammy Greig used a kintsugi bowl to illustrate the beauty that can come out of brokenness. Where can you see beauty coming out of brokenness in your life, or in the life of someone you know?
The story of Ladan and the missionaries Mark and Gladys Bliss demonstrates that it can sometimes take months, years or even decades for fruit to come out of our suffering. Are there stories in our community’s history of how challenges and trials have now produced fruit? Or are there opportunities for us to turn our current challenges into long-term fruit?
Eugene Peterson writes, “Faith develops out of the most di cult aspects of our existence, not the easiest.” How do the stories you’ve heard across this course reflect and inspire you to keep persevering in the midst of challenges?

How are you feeling about the things covered in this session? Are there any areas in which you’d appreciate prayer - get in touch.

Take time to pause reflect on The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (available online at www.caravaggio.org/the-incredulity-of-saint-thomas.jsp)

Books