Group Notes | November 6

The Barrick Family
with Pastor Jonathan Falwell
November 6, 2016

 

Open:

Most of us would like to achieve a high goal of some type, or perhaps we have wished to do so at some point in our life, but feel it’s too late. Do you have an example you can share?

Today we are taking time to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of a family from the church who survived one of the worst car wrecks ever seen. A YouTube link is below, so that you can see the wreck as it unfolded in November, 2006. Out of it, God has brought thousands of people to Himself!

Jen’s story, video (appx. 5 mins.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00pWA7mYW-A

Focal Passage: Isaiah 6:1-8

Discuss:

You

  1. Have you ever asked God to use you? If so, can you share with the group?
  2. Do you remember what was in your mind at the time? Did you dream of an easy life, where you shared the gospel with willing people?

Others

  1. Who were some of the characters in the Old or New Testaments who suffered greatly, only to be used of God in a mighty way?
  2. What do you think the Barrick family would have said had you told them a horrific accident and a terrible brain injury would be needed to mold them into a family that God would use world-wide?

Forgiveness

  1. Why is forgiveness so important? Is there anyone you need to forgive (answer in the silence of your heart)? Could they have hurt you more than the drunk driver injured the Barrick family?

Take-away

  1. Can you honestly say that you would have written, as Jennifer did when she was fifteen years old, “God, do whatever You have to do to use me to further Your kingdom, and give me boldness?” Explain your answer.
  2. What is one statement made by any of the family in Sunday’s sermon time that you took away with you?
  3. Share whether you can state, “Yes, Lord, whatever You need to do for me to be a witness, I will accept Your plan?”

 

Close:

It is so easy to almost be envious of the influence, the huge crowds, and the immense number of people that are responding to the Gospel given by the Barrick family as they witness of God’s grace, mercy, and miraculous healing. And yet in the “wish that were me leading so many people to the Lord” mentality, few of us would be willing to go through the years of trauma that they have endured because of one man’s choice to drink and drive. Yes, God could have stopped him. Yes, God could have done anything to keep this family safe. But God was looking at the big picture, the souls they would be leading into the kingdom, and the joy they are experiencing in knowing the suffering has been so worth it! And it is not over. If you know this family, you know Jen still suffers from short-term memory loss, and you travel in your mind to a time when Linda and Andy, the parents, grow too old to care for her. Will she be healed by then? Meanwhile, they still deal with the after-effects of the cancer Jen has experienced, and, although not mentioned, Andy himself has suffered cancer. God has a special love for this family. Pray for their safety, their protection, and their strength as they travel week after week, pouring out the message of hope and healing to a hurting world. And examine your own heart to see if you can honestly say, “Lord, not my will, but Thine be done!” And as Isaiah said in the passage above, “Here am I, Lord, send me!” Can you say that?

Memory Verse: Psalm 73:28: “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works.”

 

 

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