Pointers for Group Leaders

A group of about 8 people requires about 1½ hours for Looking for God’s Footprints.

It is a good idea for a group leader to gear the discussion to some extent, so that the group follows the steps of looking for God’s footprints and their attention is drawn to important points.

Looking for God’s footprints is a meditative dialogue. We want to avoid discussions or even a know-it-all attitude.

It is important not to start talking immediately about “God’s Footprints”. At first we should simply take a look at our experiences in everyday life.

After the prayer at the beginning we spend a few minutes in silence. In this time each one can set out calmly on the first step of “remembering”.

At Step 2, “sharing”, we listen to one another attentively and respectfully. Each experience is important. When particularly difficult experiences are shared, the leader can encourage the group to listen and not comment.

At Step 3, “discover”, it is not possible to consider each and every experience. The leader can suggest which experience the group could talk about more intensively. Often similar experiences are shared, so they can be discussed together.

At Step 4, “answer”, each one is invited to listen to their own hearts in silence for a time, and to ask: How do I want to reply to God? Finally, each can say what he or she wants to tackle. The group could also decided to do something together, for example, to play for a special intention, or do tackle some project.

In conclusion the leader invites the group to pray. This can either be one of the prayers on the flyer, or a spontaneous prayer.