Recommended Resources
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14-Week Relationship Kickstarter Additional Resources
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Session 1: Introduction & Your Story
Introduction Session to the Kickstarter
Book: The Other Half of Church: Christian community, brain science, and overcoming spiritual stagnation.
Authored by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendrix
Book: People Fuel: Fill your tank for life, love, and leadership.
Authored by Dr. John Townsend
Book: Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World
Authored by Jennie Allen
Session 2: Gratitude and Joy
This session includes a series of thoughtful gratitude exercises and sharing time, to increase our joy.
Exercise: Complete the 30-Day Joy Exercise developed by Life Model Works and located in the Appendix of The Other Half of Church.
Session 3: Strengths & Weaknesses
Learn to enhance your strengths and address your needs through the four planes of development in trusted relationships.
Coming Soon!
Session 4: The Scripture & Science of Hesed
Your loving attachment to Jesus and others forms your character.
Book: The Other Half of Church, Chapter 4
Authored by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendrix
Book: People Fuel, Chapter 7
Authored by Dr. John Townsend
Book: Our Mothers, Ourselves: How understanding your mother's influence can set you on a path to a better life.
Authored by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Session 5: Hardest Challenge
We find strength and resilience as we walk together in community, following Jesus' example of empathy and experiencing His presence in our suffering.
Coming Soon!
Session 6: Conflict Resolution
Using wisdom and a culture of Hesed love to approach and resolve conflict.
Scripture: The five examples in the session are just a few of over 100 examples in the OT and NT of how God addresses conflict. Additional verses for study include Exodus 4:14, Numb 32, Prov. 15:10, Prov. 29:17, Matt 7:11, Luke 22:38, John 15:5, Rev 3:19.
Session 7: Freely Receive, Freely Give
This session contains exercises for you to freely receive and freely give in the group.
Chart: Review the Life Model Works Maturity Stages in The Other Half of Church (Appendix E).
Authored by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendrix
White Paper: Download and review Dr. John Townsend’s 4 Quadrants of Relational Nutrients.
Authored by Dr. John Townsend
Chart: Print and post the Feelings Wheel to help name your emotions.
Session 8: Golden Memory
This exercise invites us to recall a key moment in our life and experience a deeper awareness of God’s presence in that moment with us.
Exercise: Write the name of your memory and summarize the memory in a Golden Memories journal.
Session 9: Identity and Mission Discovery
The cure to relational poverty is living within a community that values who God created you to be and what He created you to do.
Book: Relational Intelligence: the people skills you need for the life of purpose you want.
Authored by Dr. Dharius Daniels
Book: Find Your Place: locating your calling through your gifts, passions, and story
Authored by Rob Wegner
Book: Destined to Win: how to embrace your God-given identity and realize your Kingdom purpose
Authored by Kis Vallotton
Session 10: The Power of Story
Your stories have the power to transform you and others.
Book: The Other Half of Church, Chapters 5 & 6.
Authored by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendrix
Book: The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Stop Jumping to Conclusions. Free Yourself from Anxiety. Transform Your Relationships.
Authored by Dr. Scott Gornto
Article: Check out Life Model Works and their teaching on Four Plus Stories.
Video: Listen as Dr. Dan Siegel explains how relationships provide a window of opportunity for us to perceive our history in new ways.
Social Media Account: For an example of learning how to express your story, follow Flowers & Feelings on Facebook or Instagram.
Exercise: Go to coffee with a friend and share your life stories. Ask them to share theirs.
Session 11: Healthy Correction
How do we respond when our people don’t act like themselves?
Book: The Other Half of Church, Chapter 6 “Healthy Correction.”
Authored by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendrix
Book: Crucial Accountability, Second Edition: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior
Authored by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and David Maxfield
Video: Listen as Dr. John Delony advises a caller about how to correct their teen from secure attachment and Hesed love.
Session 12: Diference Making Prayer
Through prayer, your group works with the Holy Spirit to conceive, carry, and proclaim the future.
Exercise: Consider a 20-minute per day challenge as a group.
App: Download the Lectio 365 App on your device.
App: Download the Pause App on your device.
White Paper: “Opening Portals of Prayer” from Global Awakening Prayer.
Book: Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth
Authored by Dutch Sheets
Book: Created for Influence: Releasing God's Will for Your Life and Nation
Authored by William L. Ford
Book: Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting
Authored by Derek Prince
Book: Fresh Encounters: Experiencing Transformation through United Worship-Based Prayer
Authored by Daniel Henderson and Margaret Saylor
Session 13: The 5 1/2 C's of Relationship
The different levels of relationships to discern and steward are contact, casual, connected, committed, covenant, and contract.
Book: Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship
Authored by Justin Whitmel Earley
Sermon: Watch this sermon on YouTube about Justin Whitmel Earley's book Made for People.
Session 14: Cornelius: Becomming a Marketplace Champion
God uses your relational influence, generosity and prayers, quick obedience, and humility through impossible circumstances to change the world.
Nurture ongoing relational wholeness with a core group of trusted peers through a Relational Investment Group. Groups meet weekly for 60 minutes over zoom or in person. Take the principles you learned from the relational Kickstarter and put them into practice. Your tax-deductible $150/month donation gives you the ongoing resources and support you need to continue this journey in your group while advancing the movement to end relational poverty in our lifetime. Sign up for a Relational Investment Group here.
Bonus Session: Fresh Bread
Sharing personal miracles and revelations helps us achieve collective growth and anchor our worldview in Christ.
Coming Soon!
Bonus Session: Saying Goodbye
Endings are an inevitable part of life, and saying goodbye is a crucial aspect of honoring and concluding relationships meaningfully.
Book: Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward
Authored by Dr. Henry Cloud
Book: AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church
Authored by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay