With
REIMAGINING THE WAY YOU RELATE TO GOD
By Skye Jethani
Summer Book Club
Discussion Guide
Table of Contents
3 Welcome
4 Tips & Pointers
5 Suggestions for Facilitation
6 Series Overview
7 Session 1
8 Session 2
9 Session 3
10 Session 4
11 Session 5
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Welcome
Our hope for Trinity Book Clubs is to create space for participants to
have the opportunity not only to have meaningful conversations on
the intended topic, but also to either create connections with new
friends or to deepen relationships with old friends. Feel free to be
creative about structuring your time around connection, if you are
able. For example, maybe you have the space to do a potluck dinner
before your discussion. Or, feel free to bring drinks, snacks or
desserts and have time before or after discussion to simply be
together and catch up.
When reading books, it should come as no surprise that you may
agree with what the author says (or even with what a fellow book
member thinks!). It should be equally unsurprising that you may
disagree with some opinions. Both agreement and disagreement are
okay and totally normal! Part of the gift of a Book Club is to have a
safe environment to have healthy discussions and to move towards
each other even if there is disagreement. The art of doing so is
unifying and sharpening (and it seems to be a somewhat lost art in
our culture!).
On the next page are tips for creating a safe space for discussion.
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Tips & Pointers for
Great Discussion
● Always share to the level you feel comfortable
No question has to be answered and you don’t have to disclose anything you don’t
want to. There is space to be who you want to be!
● Make space for one another in the conversation
Share speaking time and refrain from offering advice or inserting your own
experience when another person is talking. Try to be present with one another as
much as possible!
● Honor one another through curiosity
Be curious and listen with open hearts and minds. No one is here coincidentally
and there is always something to learn from someone else. This is how we can
experience Jesus in and through one another!
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Suggestions for Facilitation:
● Either pick an official Group Facilitator or rotate facilitators each week.
The role of the facilitator will be to keep the group on track, make sure to
finish on time, and move the group from question to question.
● We suggest meeting for an hour and a half. Use the first 20 minutes to
catch up then use the remaining time to go through the questions
together and then pray for one another.
● Make sure to end on time. If you don’t make it through all the questions,
that is okay!
● Depending on the size of your group, you may easily make it through all
the questions or, if you have a bigger group, you may only make it
through some. Feel free to jump around to questions that tend to
resonate.
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Series Overview
Session 1
Book Club Overview & Discuss Chapters 1 & 2
Session 2
Discuss Chapters 3 & 4
Session 3
Discuss Chapters 5 & 6
Session 4
Discuss Chapters 7 & 8
Session 5
Discuss Chapter 9
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Session One
Chapters 1 & 2
1. Can you think of a time when the “coin dropped” and a different understanding
of God was illuminated for you? What were the circumstances that led to this
new vision?
2. Which of the four popular postures best describes how you relate to God? Has
this always been the case? Can you think of seasons when you related to God
differently?
3. Which posture best describes the way your faith community relates to God?
4. How do you define sin? How has it been taught to you in the past?
5. What role does fear have in your relationship with God?
6. Can you recall a time when you tried to “bargain” with God? What was the
nature of the agreement and how did it play out?
7. What motivates you to obey God’s commands? What are you hoping to achieve?
What does this reveal about your deepest desires?
8. Is there anything else that stood out to you in either chapter?
For the Next Session…
Read Chapters 3 & 4
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Session Two
Chapters 3 & 4
1. Is there an area of your life in which you rarely or never include God? What do
you rely on instead?
2. How is a relationship with God different from living our Christian values? Is it
possible to live according to Scripture and not be with God? Can you think of a
time in your life when this was the case?
3. Can you think of a way you have remade God in your own image? Can you think
of something that you value highly, or a characteristic you possess, that God
does not?
4. How have you tried to isolate yourself from discomfort? How is this encouraged
by our culture or your immediate community? Do you think God always wants
us to be comfortable?
5. If you could have all of the blessings and benefits that you desire from your faith
without the need to pray or commune with God, would that appeal to you?
What does your answer reveal about God’s place in your life?
6. Idols are “good things turned into ultimate things.” Can you think of a good
thing in your life that seems more important to you than God?
7. Is there anything else that stood out to you in either chapter?
For the Next Session…
Read Chapters 5 & 6
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Session Three
Chapters 5 & 6
1. In the midst of your sins, whatever they may be, how do you think God views
you?
2. How is the call to live for God communicated in your church? What people and
activities are most celebrated? What is ignored? How does it make you feel?
3. Are different vocations “ranked” in your community either explicitly or
implicitly? How would you list them from most important to least?
4. In the parable of the lost sons, do you identify with the younger son or the
older? What truths about yourself do you see in each character?
5. Which of the five apple cores best represents how you have understood your
religious life: divine will, laws/principles, self, mission, or relationship? Which
has been most emphasized by your community?
6. Who or what has shaped your vision of who God is? Is your understanding of
God primarily positive or negative?
7. John Piper said, “The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to
get people to God.” What is the difference between the two?
8. Is there anything else that stood out to you in either chapter?
For the Next Session…
Read Chapters 7 & 8
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Session Four
Chapters 7 & 8
1. In what ways do you seek control over the unpredictable things in your life? Can
you think of a situation where your desire for control resulted in conflict?
2. What evidence from your life confirms that control is an illusion?
3. What teachings of Jesus are you afraid to follow? Can you identify where your
fear comes from?
4. Think back over the previous week. If you had fully trusted God was with you,
what might have you done differently? What “risks” might have you taken?
5. How are life and death redefined for those living with God? What significance
does Jesus’ resurrection have for you? Does it influence how you live and the
choices you make?
6. Can you identify a time when you placed your hope in something or someone
that disappointed you? What hope do you put in religion or your church?
7. What accomplishments provide you with a sense of purpose? Imagine each of
these is taken away? How would you feel?
8. Is there anything else that stood out to you in either chapter?
For the Next Session…
Read Chapter 9
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Session Five
Chapter 9
1. The story of Mother Antonia shows us that love requires courage. Who do you
need more courage to love? What does Mother Antonia’s example tell us about
how to find the courage?
2. Henri Nouwen wrote about God’s voice speaking to our center, and Zephaniah
said God exults over us with singing. What do you think God sings over you?
3. Why is love more important than faith or hope? Which is more evident and
emphasized in your faith community?
4. What names, good and bad, have you been called that have shaped your
identity? Anticipating the day when Jesus will give you a white stone with a new
name on it, what do you think the name might be? What name captures how
God sees you?
5. What is one takeaway you have from reading this book?
6. What is one way we can apply what we learned from this book (collectively or
individually)?
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