Fall Retreat 2023 Sessions

Discipleship Growth Using Jesus' Life as Our Example

Despondency, Acedia, Vainglory, & Pride

September 30, 2023

Despondency (Sadness) - Depression affects more than 300 million people worldwide and seems most prevalent in America. Consuming sadness is like an auto immune disease that keeps us from what makes us healthy. The tendency for most in this state is to isolate. Godly Virtue - Connection with God and People Action items to try - either a camping or mission trip with another person, or a disconnection from what makes you isolate (media, TV, phone, etc.). If a disciple is not in a DBS yet make sure they take steps toward a group. Resources - Another action the desert church fathers would take with those experiencing extreme sadness was renouncing worldly possessions, they found people sad because they compared themselves with others and found themselves wanting in comparison Acadia (boredom, sloth, listelessness) - Acedia - restless discontent, tinged with bitterness, listlessness, laziness, restlessness. John Cassian translated acadia as a weary restless heart (Mid life crisis). Losing spiritual intensity because life/faith has not gone as I thought it should go. The effects of acedia are sabotage. The self importance can lead to self loathing, feeling of un-appreciation.  Godly Virtue - Be quiet, abound in love, pursue your own affairs, work with your own hands, Walk honorably for the sake of outsiders, desire nothing from anyone.  Action ideas to try - Ask your disciple what their favorite hobby is and have them build, design or make something in line with their hobby. After they do this task, pray with them about what they are supposed to do with their creation.  Vain Glory - This is a desire for approval from other people, a need to be seen, noticed and appreciated.  Godly Virtue - Contentment Action Ideas to try...Wear nothing but the same 2 or 3 pairs of clothes for the course of a month, take a spiritual fast from people for an entire 24 hour period (get away for solitude).

Gluttony, Fornication, Avarice, & Anger

September 29, 2023 • Ross Knudsen

Gluttony - The first practice the desert church fathers would teach their disciples was how to fast because they believed Gluttony had connections to all the other deadly thoughts. If you learn to have self control in eating it teaches a person how to have self control in other areas of their life.  Godly Virtue - Temperance (moderation) Action ideas to try - Fasting. Sometime during the month the Disciple and disciple maker will fast together for an extended time. Whether a day or a week, its up to them and what they decide on together in order to experience hunger and the act of the mind over the body telling it no to the need to eat.  Fornication - Gluttony and Unchastity were connected in the mind of the spiritual desert fathers. These two informed each other. This is one of the areas the enemy has major control over our men and we aer excited about getting this into the open in discipling relationships.  Godly Virtue - Chastity Action ideas to try - 30 days of sexual sobriety which means no form of sex with self or persons other than spouse. Take captive thoughts of lust. Resources - Celebrate Recovery, Sexaholics Anonymous, Defeating Repetitive Sin (Right Now Media) Avarice (Greed) - This deadly thought along with gluttony are two that go less talked about within the church, but as the scripture tells us through Paul, "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." Godly Virtue - Generosity Action to try - Set aside $100 each (disciple and disciple maker) to give away over the course of the month. Tell stories when you meet of what it was like to live more generously over the course of the month.  Resources - Financial Peace University, Conversations of Tithe should happen here.  Anger - Anger is a block between us and our relationship with God. It is one of the most destructive thoughts toward relationship, with people and God.  Godly Virtue - Forgiveness Action to try - Do a spiritual inventory of those who have wronged you in your life and those who you have wronged. Work through the process of forgiveness for those who have wronged you and ask for forgiveness for those who you have wronged as long as you are not hurting the person by asking for forgiveness.  Resources - Jamie Winship on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki_qapzvyte, Jim Wilson's http://canonpress.com/content/e-104.pdf, The Art of Forgiveness by Lewis B Smedes.