You may answer the following questions if you promise not to treat them like a class assignment. These are provided in case you want springboards for thought and/or discussion. Otherwise, simply enjoy the story with our blessing.
Nancy Rue and Steve Arterburn
About Faith
1. Sully describes Sonia’s idea of faith as “toxic.” Do you agree? Do you see that concept applied in real life situations? With what results?
2. Do you think Sonia’s faith was ever real? How did it disintegrate? What are her chances of gaining a truer perspective?
3. Can you follow the thread of Lucia’s faith as it grows from virtually nonexistent to something her whole family can now stand on?
4. Can you follow the thread of your own faith’s growth?
5. How do you account for Sully’s ability to maintain his faith in the face of all he’s lost? How about Wesley?
On Suffering
6. There are so many levels of suffering in Healing Waters, as portrayed by individual characters. How would you describe the suffering of
• Lucia
• Sonia
• Chip
• Sully
• Bethany
Where did it come from? How have they coped? What needs to change?
7. Sully has a, well, Sully-like view of suffering that he’s able to paint through his podcasts. Do you agree with his treatment of it? Does your experience bear it out?
8. Have you ever been inclined to go with Lucia’s view—that suffering is somehow based on how much God loves you?
9. At the end of the story, Lucia has begun to dig up what she’s buried and fed for so many years. How do you think she’s going to deal with what she has to face now?
In Therapy
10. Sully tells Lucia that whatever you bury (i.e. don’t deal with emotionally), you bury alive and you have to feed it—literally as well as figuratively. Does that resonate with you in any way? 11. Lucia is so reluctant to talk about her past and her pain. Sound familiar? Why do we stuff it?
12. If you had to complete the assignment Sully gives Lucia—“I want you to be the Family Feud audience for your family and make a list of the first five significant things you can remember in your life with them,” what would you include on your list?
In Life
Several of the characters are conspicuously flawed, and yet have much good in them—as do most of us. How would you describe the good, the bad, the ugly, and the holy in these folks?
13. Lucia
14. Sonia
15. Chip
16. Francesca
17. Agent Schmacker
18. Sully himself
19. . . . you
If you would like to do a more in-depth study of Healing Waters, you can download the curriculum from www.nancyrue.com. You can also visit our website: sullivancrisp.com.
Did Healing Waters shed light on anything for you? Get you to consider anything differently? Confirm what you know? Make you want to call us up and tell us we’re nuts? If so, we would love to hear from you.
nnrue@hughes.net sarterburn@newlife.com