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Week 6 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

Week 6 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.1

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

  1. Book 1 , Chapter 13 : Resisting Temptation (February 6, 2012)
  2. Book 1 , Chapter 14 : Avoiding Rash Judgment (February 9, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

  1. Challoner’s Reflections2 on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:3

  1. “The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death. We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation.” (Day 36)
  2. Kempis writes in Chapter 13 of Book 1: “Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. “ If temptation performs a useful purpose, should we seek out temptation? (Day 37
  3. Why is judging others such a bad thing? Isn’t judging a necessary and useful part of normal human interaction? (Day 40)
  4. During Kempis’ lifetime, many Christians “seemed to believe in an ‘arithmetical piety’ in which one sought to add up sufficient ‘good deeds’ to outweigh one’s sins. The quantity of prayer was emphasized over prayer quality.” Do you find evidenence of this kind of thinking today? (Day 41)

Footnotes:

  1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide. ↩
  2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ↩
  3. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide ↩

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Week 5 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

Week 5 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.1

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

  1. Book 1 , Chapter 11 : Acquiring Peace and Zeal for Perfection (January 30, 2012)
  2. Book 1 , Chapter 12 : The Value of Adversity (February 2, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

  1. Challoner’s Reflections2 on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:3

  1. Kempis was born in a small town in about 1380 A.D. Would it be possible for a modern person to write a book remotely similar to “The Imitation of Christ”? (Day 29)
  2. Note the life goals of The Brotherhood of Common Life. Which of these pursuits are desirable or even possible for modern Christians? (Day 29)
  3. What does Kempis mean when he writes, “Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.” Have you found this to be true in your experiences? (Day 30)
  4. Is Kempis correct when he writes, “It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from [becoming vain].” (Day 33)

Footnotes:

  1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide. ↩
  2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ↩
  3. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide ↩

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Week 4 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

Week 4 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.1

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

  1. Book 1 , Chapter 8 : Shunning Over-Familiarity (January 23, 2012)
  2. Book 1 , Chapter 9 : Obedience and Subjection (January 25, 2012)
  3. Book 1 , Chapter 10 : Avoiding Idle Talk (January 26, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

  1. Challoner’s Reflections2 on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:3

  1. Kempis cautions us about the nature of the friendships we make. Are we correct in concluding that it is neither possible nor desirable to be everyone’s best friend? (Days 22 and 23; Book 1, Chapter 8)
  2. What did Kempis mean when he wrote, “It a very great thing to obey, to live under a superior and not to be one’s own master, for it is much safer to be subject than it is to command?” (Day 25; Book 1, Chapter 9)
  3. Kempis correctly advises to avoid gossip. How do we distinguish between gossip, polite conversation and edifying discussion? (Day 26; Book 1, Chapter 10)
  4. God created humans to live in a society. When and why is solitude desirable? (Day 27)

Footnotes:

  1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide. ↩
  2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ↩
  3. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide ↩

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