In the 13 week study Restore, Robert K. Cheong helps Christians discover how God is at work in our lives within their own unique story. This may sound terrifying to those that have experienced great suffering, abuse, trials, or trauma. I assure you that God is compassionate and will meet you in the struggles. He reaches down into the mud and mire to put your feet upon solid ground (Psalm 40:2). There is power in sharing and exploring your unique story with a group of others. Not all aspects of your story need to be explored during this study, only the key events and parts that have shaped your life. God will use this study to draw you closer to him and to others. Participants learn how rethink, reframe their story in order to move forward in their Christian walk.
“God’s story is a story not only to be told, but a story to be lived. God’s story reveals the One who restores us despite the way evil has embedded brokenness, shame, and trauma into our story.”
“God’s story addresses all of the common struggles. When you face fantasy, shame, fear, guilt, anger, and sorrow, you can know that you are not alone. God knows your troubles. He is with you in them, and he has a plan to use them to make you more like Christ.”
The study is divided into 13 weeks that is best gone through in small groups. In the introduction and after week 13 there is helpful sections on how to best lead the study. This makes leading through the study accessible to all maturity levels of leaders. Each week is broken up in to individual work and then group questions. Group sessions should be approximately an hour and a half. Each participant writes out their story and then reflects on patterns and themes within your story. In the end, you will have a short, insightful life story to share with others. God uses these stories to minister others and to shape your life. One of the key components to the study is the storyboard that participants add to each week. This is a helpful way of documenting how God is using Restore in the participants life each week. The study provides a basic theological understanding of Christianity and Scripture.
One of my favorite sections of the study was the part on Steps for reconciling a broken relationship. I felt this was thoughtful and helpful guide on how to reconcile with others. Part of the process is asking a trusted friend to identify tendencies or blind spots.
“Forgiveness does not deny, excuse, accept, or allow the offense. It does not eliminate the consequences. It does not forget the memories. It does not imply reconciliation, since both parties need to do their part. It does not imply immediate restoration.”
I was excited to dig into Restore and see how God uses it in my life. There were a lot of insightful moments and opportunities to dig deep into Scripture. There were also places that fell flat and that I struggled with connecting with the overall progression of the study. In the beginning, there were helpful categories of fantasy, guilt, shame, fear, anger, and sorrow but these categories were not used throughout the study. I would have liked to see these categories worked through more thoroughly. There was also the breakdown of the heart into Thoughts, Emotions, and Desires (TED) that could have been better utilized through the study.
Overall, the study is a great tool that churches can utilize in their discipleship of their members. As with any study, it is only as effective as you make it. Using the study correctly will result in the growth of the group participants closer together and will help create a culture of dealing with sin and bearing each others burdens. They will understand how God is at work in the mess of life. There are several studies that are similar to Restore and each have their own strengths and weakness.
“How can you know someone’s character? You can listen to what they say, and you can watch what they do. But even then, you may know a person’s public character but not know a different side they keep private, behind closed doors where only few can observe, or in the secret parts of their hearts. But when it comes to God, what you see is what you get.”
“First, we all face the same common struggles that Adam and Eve first faced after the fall. These struggles are described in lesson 1. All of us struggle, to some degree, with fantasy, guilt, shame, fear, anger, and sorrow in response to the evil within and around us. Second, we experience relational struggles with others. We can experience a wide range of relational brokenness—conflict, loneliness, anxiety, family dysfunction, physical abuse, manipulation, or even the death of loved ones. As a result, we might respond with distrust, self-protection, defensiveness, suspicion, isolation, or avoidance.”
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Restore: Changing How We Live and Love, Study Guide with Leader’s Notes By Robert K. Cheong |
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I express are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.