These posts will be a series of study notes and questions for the book that our Life Group is studying together. The book is “Upsidedown” by Tim Bailey. You can read a review of the book and order it here. Feel free to read along and join the discussion in the comments section below. The content for these questions is found on pages 26-30.

Vulnerable and Authentic: Let’s Get Real…

In this section of the book, Bailey makes some challenging, and perhaps even frightening, statements about vulnerability:

“Vulnerability has not been known as a positive word in our culture. It is a battle word used to depict weakness. Yet in community, vulnerability becomes the essential catalyst.”

Have you had an experience in which you tried to be vulnerable and it backfired? How about when you tried to be vulnerable and it turned out well?

“Without vulnerability, you surrender yourself to a life of never being loved by anyone.” Rather than seeing vulnerability as something by which you will be taken advantage of, you must see it as the only way to being loved.

Is this statement true?

“Vulnerability is simply allowing others to ‘see’ the person you and God know. It is leaving the protection of yourself to someone else.” When we embrace vulnerability, we are give others power. They may take what we’ve told them and tell others, causing great damage to both our reputation and our confidence.

Examples anyone?

Authenticity:

“As we allow people to access who we really are and engage in the messiness of intimacy, we discover community.’

“Authenticity isn’t avoiding hypocrisy – it is admitting it.”

In order to be truly authentic, you have to admit that you are a hypocrite. “Authenticity is revealing the ‘you’ that God knows – mess and all.

How do you respond when someone accuses you of being a hypocrite? In what ways are we all hypocrites?

These posts will be a series of study notes and questions for the book that our Life Group is studying together. The book is “Upsidedown” by Tim Bailey. You can read a review of the book and order it here. Feel free to read along and join the discussion in the comments section below. The content for these questions is found on pages 18-26.

INTIMACY – Giving Up Your Privacy

I love the picture above. Have you ever sat in the same room as your spouse and chatted online or via text? I know Anne Marie and I have. It raises questions about intimacy and relationship.

“We know we have an intimate relationship with others when our ‘privacy’ includes them.” (p19) Bailey explores the contrast between ‘knowing’ and ‘being known’. We love to know things about others but when the situation is reversed, we say “That’s a private matter.”

Why do we accept this double standard? Why do magazines like People and US sell millions of copies every week? Are the people in those magazines really that interesting? Why?

Read Psalm 139.

What do you see in this Psalm that gives you comfort? What do you see that causes some fear? Considering how well the Psalmist says God knows us, does it make sense to attempt to hide anything from him?

“Loneliness is not about not knowing anyone – it’s about not being known by anyone. It’s the result of valuing privacy over all.” (p21)

What are some reasons people resist being known? When it comes down to it, how many people are you really known by?

How can a church become a community that embraces intimacy?