MESSAGE: Circuit Breaker                       Date: 6/8/2025

SERIES: Broken Homes 

COMMUNICATOR: Pastor Kevin Geer

CHECKING IN: What’s one moment or experience from your week that really stood out to you, and why do you think it made such an impact?

Share Wins: How have you experienced God’s (insert 1-2 fruit of the Spirit here) this week? Have you seen Him answer a prayer, remind you of His presence, or use you to bless someone? How do you see Jesus working in your life or in the world around you?

THINK, DISCUSS, LIVE: These questions are ideal for personal devotion or group discussions, guiding you to grow spiritually, engage deeply in biblical community, and live out your faith in the world around you.

1. Share a time you had either a good or frustrating experience with electricity—maybe a blackout, a shocking moment (literally), or something that saved the day. What’s one electrical device (other than your phone) you couldn’t live without, and why?
2. What does it mean to “break the circuit” in your life or family? Have you ever experienced a moment where you chose to respond differently than what was modeled for you? What was the situation and what did you do?
3. In what ways do you see yourself in Joseph’s story? How have you faced situations where everything seemed to go wrong—and how did you respond? (See Genesis 37:18-36; 39:1-23; 40:1-23). How did God reveal himself to you in those situations?
4. Why do you think it’s so hard to respond with grace instead of revenge when you’ve been wronged? What does Joseph’s choice in Genesis 50:19-21 teach us about that tension?
5. Joseph chose to place judgment and pain in God’s hands instead of taking revenge. What does that look like practically in our everyday lives? Do you have an example from your own life? 
6. Forgiveness is often described as “canceling the debt.” Is there a debt—like an apology, justice, or acknowledgment—you’ve been holding onto? How has holding onto that impacted your relationships and your ability to truly move forward?
7. Read 1 Peter 2:22–23. How can we move from a “victim” mindset to a “victorious” one—without ignoring or minimizing our pain? In what ways does Jesus’ response to betrayal, false accusations, and mistreatment offer us a better way forward? How does His example empower us to respond with hope, strength, and grace in the face of injustice?
8. Read 1 Peter 5:10-11. It talks about God restoring, supporting, and strengthening us after we’ve suffered. How have you seen God bring strength or healing after a difficult season in your life? What does it look like to trust that He’s not done working, even when you’re still in the middle of the struggle?
9. Forgiveness doesn’t always lead to reconciliation. How can we forgive someone even when trust is broken or it’s not safe to restore the relationship? 
10. TAKING NEW GROUND! This week, take new ground by reflecting on what Jesus did for you on the cross. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 again, along with the other scriptures we’ve talked about. Jesus forgave your sins—how does that shape the way you forgive others who’ve hurt, betrayed, or wronged you? Spend time praying and asking God to soften your heart. Who do you need to forgive, and what specific step can you take to start that healing process?

1. THE TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL: Update your current position within the Canvas Circle, Jesus Friends Circle, and Lost Friends Circle. In what specific ways are you growing more like Jesus, reflecting His love and teachings to others, and drawing closer to the center of the diagram?

2025 LIFE CHANGE CHALLENGE: We’ve created a Bible reading plan to help us go through the entire New Testament in a year. Read or listen to just one chapter a day, five days a week. Simply go to the Canvas Church app. and click on ‘Bible Reading Plan.’ If you prefer to listen, that option is available too! Join us on this life changing journey! 

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP PRAYER OPTIONS: “A maturing community is a confessing community—not a church without sin, but a church without secrets.”― Tyler Staton, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer

1. Praise Sentences: Take a moment to offer short sentence prayers of thanks to God for who He is and what He has done this week. Allow multiple people to pray, even more than once. Then, lift up the needs shared within your group. Finish by thanking Him for hearing your prayers.  
2. Invite Jesus into the challenges you or a loved one are facing right now, trusting in His presence and guidance. As you pray aloud, encourage one another with your words.
3. Pray for the person on your right, it can be out loud or in silence, if in silence nudge the person next to you letting them know you are done. 
4. Prayer Clusters: Meet in groups of two or three (same gender) to share praises and prayer requests. Pray together and for one another during the week. Let those in your group know you prayed—send a quick text of encouragement.

PRACTICE ON YOUR OWN: What if you made it a daily habit to ask God what He wants you to know? Whether in every situation or just the ones that come up, take a moment to ask. Then, ask what He would like you to do—whether it’s a specific action or a way to apply what He reveals. Try it and see what happens!

KEEPING TRACK OF HIS ANSWERS: Keep an ongoing list of prayer requests and the answers to those prayers. This will help everyone in the group stay up-to-date on each situation, celebrate wins when prayers are answered, and encourage us to keep praying when the answers haven’t come yet.