Oikos

Kairos

The idea is to try to identify something that God might be trying to say to each of us - or something he may want us to push into. This will probably be something unique for each of person, and can often be something that hits us in a good or bad experience, or in a moment of clarity. We are calling this a Kairos moment. The "Kairos Questions" link below provides a better description of a Kairos moment, and also a set of questions that might help spark something.

The questions are grouped around Up (relationship with God), In (relationship with family and tight community), and Out (relationship with everyone else). They are not meant to be a checklist—there are a lot of things in there I need to work on if I self-evaluate—they are meant to be something you reflect on without self-evaluation in hopes that God might have one that really jumps out. That is what we are after—having God put his finger on something that we can deal with. Again, this does not have to come through the questions. It could come through scripture reading, listening to a podcast, prayer time, music/worship, journaling, or out of the blue, but the questions may be of use.

This process of listening and intentionally responding to what we think God is telling us in obedience is how he takes us forward into maturity. No one can do that for you, but we can help each other walk this out.

A Kairos moment is a time in when God’s kingdom is breaking into your life and is “within reach.” It is an opportu-nity to grow, if we’ll respond to it with repentance and faith (see Mark 1:14-15). The following questions are designed to help you discern Kairos moments in your life.

Reflect on the week/day/hour: What happened? What did you do? Think about the actual moments and events.

• What were the high points?
• What were the low points?
• Did you experience stress?
• Did you experience peace?
• Were there moments of inspiration?
• Were there moments of frustration?
• Were there moments of wonder or joy?
• Were there moments of struggle?
• Were there any breakthroughs?
• Were there moments of failure or de-feat?
• Were there any relational conflicts or tensions?

The answers to these questions are all ways God is seeking to break into our lives, and thus they represent opportunities for growth as disciples of Jesus. We grow as disciples when we discern what God is saying to us through (through the Kairos moment, through Scripture, etc), and then put a plan into action to respond to what God is saying.