I received the following Facebook message from one of my readers – Roger Coville.
Kary,
I thought you would enjoy knowing that we used the books from your launch night to share with Kelly’s family during our break. We are meeting each night about eight to cover at least two chapters. Great stuff! We have nine in total from age 16 to 67. The kids are leading us tonight. What a blessing to end our day talking about what we all wrestle with. The Line is getting clearer each day.
I hope your tour is going well.
All the best from Fla,
Roger and Kelly
Curious and encouraged, I sent him back a message asking him these five questions.
- What made your family want to study the fine line on vacation
- Please describe a sample schedule of your group study(reading, amount of time for discussion, location, prayer, etc.)
- What types of discussions did it bring up
- Why do you think the study is relevant to such a wide variety of ages
- What outcomes do you anticipate from partipating in the study
Here are some pics with his family doing the study on their vacation. Their answers to my five questions are below:
What made your family want to study the fine line on vacation
1. Some of us went to the launch of the book, and thought it would be a great idea to do with a group. We were leaving on vacation the next week, so it was apparent that we had a great opportunity with the group being our family. It seemed to be applicable to all ages, our teenagers through the grandparents.
Please describe a sample schedule of your group study(reading, amount of time for discussion, location, prayer, etc.)
2. Reading was done daily, between 2-3 chapters each day, with individuals choosing their own pace and location for reading. Discussions were between an hour and two hours each night, in the same room, at around 8 pm with different facilitators each discussion. The reading took 30 minutes to an hour depending on reading pace, which was a very reasonable time commitment, and it is easy-going reading as well.
What types of discussions did it bring up
3. The group was somewhat polarized, with a few of the adults feeling they fell on the separatist end of the teeter totter, with all of the teenagers weighing down the conformist end. It allowed for a great amount of balance and different points of view in discussion. The different ages/stages of life allowed for those to see how it was relevant in all walks of life. The discussions brought many laughs, as well as some tears and minor conflict, but all of it was positive and all felt everything said applied or meant something to them. We followed the discussion questions and let the discussion branch from there, and it worked really well. People were answering the questions honestly, and it led to many in-depth discussions, not just simple question answering.
Why do you think the study is relevant to such a wide variety of ages
4. Every Christian struggles with this, if they are truly trying to grow, something the Church has been trending towards. Most modern Christians wish to grow in themselves, and well as see the Church grow, which you point out. To do this correctly, regardless of age, this is applicable. If Christians are to go into the world and love others as they are directed, this is an obvious struggle.
What outcomes do you anticipate from partipating in the study?
5. We feel this will lead to much more open-mindedness in viewing the other camp. We also feel it portrays the non-christian society in a new light and how you must influence it. As well as how to appropriately involve yourself in this society, and integrate spirituality in every aspect of life. It leads to a greater self-awareness in judging how close to the line you are. For a few of us, we were not aware of what we were doing, and how far on one side of the spectrum we had drifted. We also realized how easy it was to blend in and get caught in one group or the other. Many understood the concept you were putting forth, but it provides new motivation for doing so, the motivation of God, and not ourselves.
A huge thanks to…
The Towler’s of Waverly, Ohio (Gary, Penny, Maddy, Hannah)
Ms Sandra Pollard of Portsmouth, Ohio
The Coville’s of Powell, Ohio (Roger, Kelly, Stan, Cassie)
…for letting us join you on your vacation.
