Aim
To seek to grow into a deeper intimacy with God, letting "heart speak to heart".

Focal Point
An attractive glass bowl, part-filled with water, and an open Bible turned to
Psalm 63.

Leader's Introduction
The way we grow up, with all our conditioning, may well mean that we live with a "split personality" in relationship to our understanding of God. We may well, for example, believe God is a God of unconditional love, and yet feel, or be endeavouring to live out, something else, such as having to earn or be worthy of that love. Growth in awareness of this disharmony offers the possibility of movement and change. It is an important step toward integrating and harmonising all of your whole self.

Heart Speaks to Heart
The leader can select from the following material (prepared sheets will help):

• Invite people, in a period of quiet, to listen to these words (Psalm 63.1) and reflect on them:

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you;
My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.

• Without trying too hard, allow a word or sentence to draw you to itself, stay with it, and let it become your prayerful longing.

Sharing as listening, not a discussion group, without comment.

• What are your favourite titles for God?

Healer, Lover, Father, Mother, Friend, Protector, Lord, Rock, Light, Love, Ever-present, Sophia (Wisdom), Shepherd, Master, Mystery, King, Gentle Presence, In All Things, Beyond Words, Saviour ... add your own.

• Why are you drawn to particular titles, and what might your choice say about the God you believe in?
  
• What symbols or words best reflect your choices?
  
• What people, places, or events in your life have led you to desire a more intimate relationship with God?
  
• Recollect and revisit some of them.
  
• Are you aware of any stumbling blocks that stop you taking your relationship with God more seriously in your life?
  
• What are they, and how might they become stepping stones?

• Some suggest we have four windows through which we might let others glimpse the person we are - one open to the world; one open to a select few, those very close to us; a third we open only to ourselves. And the fourth? To nobody!
  
• If there be truth in this, which window do we open to God?
  
• If God's love is an unconditional love, what might we choose to hold back from God and why?

Sharing as a listening, not a discussion group, without comment.

• The main enemy of relaxation could be perfectionism, for Christians are often driven by an image of a God who is insatiable, who is never, ever satisfied with us. This God is carefully monitoring our every failing and falling-short. If God, however, is the God of unconditional love revealed in Jesus, God is for us and we can afford to relax.
  
• Explore your thoughts and feelings around these questions.
  
• Are you drawn to the attractiveness of the love of God revealed in Jesus, or driven by the need to satisfy an insatiable God?
  
• What motivates your discipleship?
  
• Are you dragged or drained by the sheer duty of what it means to be a Christian?
  
• What motivates your discipleship?
  
• What desires in your life demonstrate your longing for God?
  
• What happens inside you when you imagine God being crazy and passionate about you?
  
• What do you notice about yourself, and your longing for God, if you take time to stop and prayerfully examine and note, by being still and letting God be God for you?

Sharing as a listening, not a discussion group, without comment.

• Take time to quieten heart and mind, and listening to your own breathing - the gift of life - reflect on the miracle of your own existence.
  
• What might that say about God's love for you? Let heart speak to heart. Love speak to love. Stay with it!
  
• How will the gift of being loved by a God of unconditional love spill over to affect every area of your life? Stay with it!
  
• When you feel ready, mark the sign of the cross on your forehead or wrist from the water in the bowl, as an anointing in the love of God.

• "Every time you listen with great attentiveness to the voice that calls you 'Beloved' you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply." (Henri Nouwen)
  
• "Anyone who gives anything to the Divine will find it comes back to them as gold." (Rumi)

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