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Lesson OneIntroduction to SoulCare: Getting Started on the Journey3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoThe First Task in Learning to Provide SoulCare: Knowing What You're After and What It Takes to Get There3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeA Personal Search: Beginning with an Inside Look3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourThe Concept of Ruling Passions: What Energy Carries You into the Life of Another3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveBrokenness: The Key to Releasing the Power of SoulCare3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixThe Good and the Bad in the Human Soul: Self-Need vs. Soul-Thirst3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenEntering the Battle for Another's Soul: The First Step3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightWisdom: A Roadmap for Entering the Soul Without Getting Lost3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineGetting into the Battle: Moving Below the Waterline from the Presenting Problem to the Story of the Soul3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenAgents of Growth: What SoulCare Can Do in Our Lives3 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 598
Discussion Questions
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Dr. Crabb talks about our tendency to keep relationships shallow using the image of “not turning our chairs toward one another.” Why is it so difficult for us to “turn our chairs”? In other words, why are we reluctant to let anyone really know us? As you think about your answer, consider these possible reasons: Don’t have time. Don’t want to get involved. Don’t care. Feel inadequate and awkward. Don’t know how to form deeper relationships. Not culturally acceptable. Explain several possible reasons (using your own or from the list above) and then give an example from your experience that demonstrates which reason most often keeps you from turning your chair towards others.
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Our world is fast paced and filled with distractions. We are often focused more on production and results and fail to pause and consider our own thoughts, let alone the thoughts of others. We live almost as parallel cars on a freeway, never slowing down on our journey from here to there. In my life, I have often tried to be accessible to everybody. I wanted to be available to my husband, my kids, our Safe Families kids and their parents, our family members, our friends, our neighbors, etc. etc. Though I am a very transparent person and often slow down to listen carefully to people when they ask for my time, I would overextend and try to live in a space of rushing from chair to chair depending on who needed me. I think we must be willing to slow down our pace, live with margins, take care of ourselves, and create time for the Spirit to move when turning our chairs. Only then can we really engage in this essential practice of living and coming alongside others in community.
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Some people might not turn their chair toward others because they are afraid they won’t know what to say or how to help,and fear they might make the person feel worse instead of better. Some people might feel they have too much going on to take on in their own lives to take on other people’s burdens. Other may feel like other people’s lives are none of their business.
A friend of mine came to me once with some serious problems in her life and I was worried about saying something that might cause her to not feel safe confiding in me anymore. That’s usually my fear.
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Risk of vulnerability and being ‘seen’ as weak or a failure. Also, there is a sense of responsibility to help others and one feels inadequate to render such assistance. Therefore, I would rather not start what I do not feel equipped to finish.
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Interesting session on turning the chairs.
One reason is often not to overwhelm others with a difficult past or present situation. Unfortunately not many can take the burdens of another with grace. .
A sense of feeling exposed and vulnerable . Needing to be careful with the right person who can handle with wisdom and impact one’s life sometimes this could ve spread around without due sensitivity leading to hurt rather being touched positively.
There is also the feeling that maintaing the depth of knowledge of you others have in a current good working relationship should not be changed by depth of knowledge of the real person.
Cultures do vary on how well they will generally handle the challenges of others.
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It is risky. Turning your chair comes with the risk of rejection as well as with the risk of acceptance — the risk that someone would truly know us as we are instead of how we often portray ourselves to be.