FLEX SPACE

What space would you rather be trapped in for 24 hours: an elevator, your car, or at the top of a Ferris wheel?
Flex Space — Senior Picture Edition: Prior to your group meeting, ask a few members to send you their high school senior picture. Then, show the photograph to the group and have everyone guess who it is. (Or, have everyone bring a high school photograph and have everyone share their own picture.)  Flexibility Text: Pick a few tests from below to determine who’s the most flexible in your group! 

• Standing Toe Touch — Who can touch their toes for 10 seconds?

• Back Scratch — Who can touch their hands together behind their backs?

• Sit & Reach — While sitting in a chair with one leg extended, who can touch their toes?

• Overhead Squat — Who can do a squat without touching a wall? While standing facing a wall with your toes two inches away from it, raise your arms overhead and do a squat without touching the wall for support.

1. This season of “flex space” has been harder on some personalities — planners — than others — procrastinators. Which one are you? For the planners, do you agree with that statement? 
2. On a scale of 1-5, where would you rank your belief in this season? What would you have scored it eight-weeks ago? What factors changed the score? 
3. Pastor Steven opened up his sermon with a story of our Matthews Campus and his belief that God was going to show off in a desperate situation. Share with the group similar moments in your life. Was there a time when you truly believed that God would move and He did? Was it in the way you expected?
4. Read Isaiah 54:1-4. Are there barren places in your life that you’re waiting to celebrate till you see life? How does verse 4 speak to you?
5. What does your flex space look like? List out all the new flex spaces in our lives during this season (e.g. home, work, church, eGroup, family time, etc.) Have your group talk about what has been challenging in these spaces. Then, list out and celebrate how God has shown off in each one.  
6. Where have you been inflexible in this season? How has it impacted your faith? How have you viewed it as ‘wasted’?
7. Read Philippians 1:18-21. Like Paul in this text, how can we ‘eagerly expect’ to see God move and then prepare for it? How does it speak to you that Paul said, ‘eagerly expect’ instead of simply ‘expect’? 
8. Pastor challenged us to ask the question, “Is there another way?” Think about a frustrating situation you are facing. How does that question change your perspective or approach in working in this flex space? 
9. How can you practically create more flex space in your life during this pandemic? How can your eGroup support you?

The challenge of faith is to keep speaking the things God shown you, even when you can’t see it.  What is a situation where you have lost faith in your flex space? Find a verse or song that you can use to speak God’s truth. Every day this week, SPEAK God’s truth over your life and STRETCH your faith.

Father, thank you for the perspective that you are working and moving in our lives even when we can’t see it. Thank you for your examples of past faithfulness that give us even more confidence in facing this season. Allow our joy to not be taken, and for us to strengthen our stakes and lengthen our cords. And, thank you for this eGroup, where we can encourage and strengthen each other. In Jesus’ name, amen.