Some Assembly Required
Some Assembly Required is a journey through the construction, instruction, deconstruction and reconstruction that developing a life with God requires. It’s a collision of God’s initiative and our prerogative. It’s a collision of God’s ability and our responsibility. It’s a tale of how the Christian life is really lived. It’s a story of the best gift ever given – a gift that comes some assembly required.
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THE HEARTBEAT OF SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
Have you ever seen something in the store that you wanted and bought it only to have it delivered in a box is full of pieces instead of a final product? When this happens, the all-too-familiar words “Some Assembly Required” mark the packaging. These words focus not on what is but on what could be. You have hopes and dreams of what the new purchase can bring to your life. But you had no idea that so much would be asked of you to make your purchase useful. So you open the box and realize that maybe you’ve bitten off more than you could chew. You have the pieces, the tools, and the instructions. What happens next is up to you.
Some Assembly Required is a series that recognizes that sometimes the best things in life come in pieces and that how we put the pieces together determines what we have in the end. So, we work, we read, we choose, and we construct. Sometimes, we must deconstruct and we start over. But in the end, we learn more in the process than we ever could have if the final product had just been handed to us, and we discover that some assembly required is not the threat we thought it was but actually part of the gift. This is how a relationship with God often functions. It’s easy to think that the Christian life is a one-stop shop purchased by one decision and a lot of grace. We want the finished product without the process. But it rarely works this way. Rather, when we choose God, we don’t get a life complete and free from struggle. Instead, God gives us a life with new potential, a set of instructions and a smile. He invites us into the process of putting it all together and works beside us as we do. This series is a journey through the construction, instruction, deconstruction and reconstruction that developing a life with God requires. It’s a collision of God’s initiative and our prerogative. It’s a collision of God’s ability and our responsibility. It’s a tale of how the Christian life is really lived. It’s a story of the best gift ever given – a gift that comes some assembly required. ABOUT THE ART
Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
-Sir Winston Churchill
You can install SwiftLock flooring yourself with just a few basic tools. Plan to take your time on this project: Set aside a weekend and recruit a helper.
-Armstrong SwiftLock product description
There are moments that define you. Fight or flight, sink or swim, fall or fly ... carpet or hardwood. CARPET OR HARDWOOD!!! I was defined by carpet, but where I once built up static electricity, I now glide effortlessly across my new HARDWOOD (laminate) FLOORS!!! However, getting to that Risky Business moment wasn't exactly effortless. I watched installation videos on YouTube. I read articles on DIY websites. I had a table saw, a chop saw, an undercutting saw, a coping saw, and a jig saw. As recommended, I set apart a full weekend to complete my little project. Fast forward to three weekends, many evenings, a few half days, three trips to the dumpster, many trips to the hardware store, and two sore knees later - I was finished. FINISHED!!! Wait...I thought this was only supposed to take a weekend... Some assembly is a lot of assembly. More assembly than you could ever imagine. Some assembly is intimidating assembly, but it is also engaging assembly and worth it assembly. Some assembly leaves you intimately and forever connected to the resulting beauty. It gives you greater appreciation and greater understanding. Some assembly is trusting assembly, assured assembly, and blessed assembly. Some assembly is defining assembly. That’s why some assembly is required.  SESSION OUTLINE
Session One :: Construct
2 Chronicles 7:1-22
The point: If you build it, He will come
The some assembly required process starts with construction. As we begin to think about what God is building in our lives, we come to the reassuring truth that if we build it, He will come. God not only calls us to build something in our lives; He joins us as we do.
Session Two :: Instruct
2 Chronicles 34:8-33
The point: If you listen, He will speak
Sometimes, in the middle of our construction process, we learn something new that forces us to pause construction and listen. In these moments, instruction trumps construction. God speaks in this way in the midst of our construction process. Part of accepting that our lives come some assembly required is learning to listen and trusting that if we listen, He will speak.
Session Three :: Destruct
2 Kings 25:1-21
The point: If you defile, He will destroy
Sometimes, the some assembly required process breaks down, and everything we’ve been building is completely destroyed. But even in these moments, there are things we can learn. God judges us not to get revenge but to put us back on track. If we defile, He will destroy, but destruction is never the end of the story.
Session Four :: Restruct
Haggai 2:1-9
The point: If you rebuild, He will return
At some point in the some assembly required process, we will get discouraged, because what we’ve been trying to build looks as though it has been destroyed. But in these moments, God does not want us to give up. Thankfully, He promises to be with us, because if we rebuild, He will return, and the rebuilding can actually become more than the original construction ever was.
TEACHING GUIDES and LESSON SAMPLES
Master Teacher's Guide [ view sample ]
The Master Teacher's Guide is designed for use in large-group settings such as Wednesday night gatherings, combined Sunday School classes, summer camps, and other worship gatherings. It contains background information, explanation and application points, opening illustrations and stories, prompts for personal stories, and life-changing Turning Point activities. Leader's Guide [ view sample ] The Small Group Leaders Guide is perfect for use in Disciple Now settings, in-home small groups, individual Sunday School classes, and other settings with one leader and 10-15 students. It contains background information, explanation and application points, group activities, discussion questions, and life-changing Turning Point activities. Gathering Tool The Gathering Tool is designed to provide an opening illustration for groups that meet together in a large group before dividing into small groups or Sunday School classes. This will allow small groups to experience the series video and will add to the overall experience of going through the series. Supply List |
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