
G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr once noted;
Have you ever had to swallow your pride, and quickly realized; "Man... I bit off more than I can chew?" Talk about needing a weight-loss program, right!
Hoping Stones
12 Week Study Guide


Priorities and Alignment
9
Week:
Ordering life, priorities, aligning with God's rhythm
Ordering life, priorities, aligning with God’s rhythm. This week helps participants evaluate and reorder commitments so life reflects gospel priorities. It offers practical frameworks for decision-making, time use, and aligning daily routines with spiritual values. The focus is on coherence—making choices that sustain spiritual health and mission over time.

Trials and Perseverance
10
Week:
How suffering refines faith and endurance
How suffering refines faith and endurance. This module addresses the reality of hardship and how trials can deepen character and trust when met with faithful practices. It provides pastoral frameworks for lament, endurance, and meaning-making, plus community practices that sustain people through seasons of testing. The aim is resilient faith that endures without losing hope or compassion.

Leadership, Service, and Integrity
11
Week:
Keeping vows, leading well, faithful service
Keeping vows, leading well, faithful service. This week explores servant leadership rooted in integrity, accountability, and covenantal commitment. It equips participants to lead with humility, to serve without seeking status, and to keep promises that build trust. Practical tools for ethical decision-making and healthy leadership rhythms are emphasized.

Deep Formation and Mystery
12
Week:
Advanced formation, spiritual depth, mystery of God
Advanced formation, spiritual depth, mystery of God. The final week invites participants into deeper, often paradoxical dimensions of spiritual life—mystery, silence, and ongoing transformation. It focuses on practices for sustained interior formation, embracing questions that have no quick answers, and living with wonder. The goal is to leave learners equipped for lifelong formation rather than a finish line.
Purpose
A guided 12‑week journey that moves learners from early faith toward deeper formation. Each week focuses on a single theme and uses 3–9 of our devotionals as daily Hoping Stones (stepping-stones of faith).
Format
Each week contains: Theme, Learning Objectives, Daily Readings, Reflection Questions, Practical Exercise, Leader Notes, and Suggested Scripture. Use the daily readings as short personal devotions or group discussion prompts.
Pacing Options
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Daily personal track: one devotional per day (self paced).
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Small‑group track: three devotionals per week with deeper discussion.
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Retreat track: compress a week into a single half‑day session for concentrated groups.
Printing: Print one workbook page per week (or two pages for leader notes). Provide participants with a journal or printable reflection sheet.