Discussion Questions

 

1. Carol is afraid to pray for help, because last time she tried, things got worse. How do our past experiences in prayer shape our present efforts?

 

2. Carol’s praying friend blamed Carol’s lack of faith for Keith’s death. Have you encountered this type of toxic faith that blames a person for not getting what they pray for? How do you balance “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24) with “Abba, Father... everything is possible for you... Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)?

 

3. Carol loves her son Paul, but he feels trapped by the control she wants to have over his life. How can we give our children independence in stages as they grow, while preparing them to make good adult choices?

 

4. To Paul, playing guitar is something he needs as much as breathing or eating. That doesn’t excuse his disobedience, but what do you think might have happened to his easygoing nature if he’d denied his need? Is there another way he could have handled this?

 

5. What element of creativity is there in your life that’s as essential as Paul’s music? How does denying it affect you? What happens when you come back to it again?

 

6. The walls Carol puts up to protect herself keep out the good as well as the bad. And when she needs help she doesn’t necessarily turn to the best person. How can we discern whom to trust?

 

7. What do you think of Paul’s reaction when Joey’s church won’t accept tainted money? Sincere Christians can find themselves on opposite sides of this emotionally charged issue. How do we deal with it while maintaining unity in the family of Christ?

 

8. Joey has a good understanding of God’s grace. He doesn’t judge others because he needed God to clean up his own problems. How can remembering where we’ve come from give us a non-judgemental acceptance of others?

 

9. What do you think of Joey’s advice about not having to learn all the hard lessons ourselves? How have you learned from others’ mistakes? How might your own help someone else? How might you share?

 

10. Joey encourages Carol to trust God’s heart. What difference does knowing God’s character and authority make when you’re facing a crisis? What does walking with Him through a crisis do to your faith?

 

11. Patrick tried faith and gave up when it didn’t bring the results he wanted. He asked for a good thing: healing for his wife. What could he have done instead of turning away? Is faith about us or about God?

 

12. Carol’s convict brother claims God has forgiven him. Paul asks, does that make God amazingly weak or strong? Does forgiveness depend on what we’ve done or on the one doing the forgiving?