Chapters 8-11

"A Breakfast of Champions"

1. "Mackenzie, I have no favorites; I am just especially fond of him" (118). To what extent to you believe God is especially fond of you? Describe a specific time that you felt certain of His affection.
2. "I don't need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside" (120). To what extent do you agree that sin is its own punishment? Have you observed sin in someone's life that seems to go unpunished? How is sin punishment?
3. "If you had truly learned to regard each other's concerns as significant as your own, there would be no need for hierarchy" (124). Is it possible to live self-sacrificially and without hierarchies? Where does that idea begin to break down?
4. "But your choices are also not stronger than my purposes, and I will use every choice you make for ultimate good and the most loving outcome" (125). Can you recall a poor choice you once made that has resulted in unimaginable good?
5. "The real underlying flaw in your life, Mackenzie, is that you don't think I am good" (126). Do you believe God is good? More importantly, do your choices, actions, and reactions demonstrate that you truly believe God is good?
6. "We're not justifying it. We are redeeming it" (127). Consider the difference between "justify" and "redeem." Why might Papa have felt it necessary to distinguish these two terms as they relate to suffering?

"A Long Time Ago, In a Garden Far, Far Away"

1. "For whatever reason, Mack had expected a perfectly manicured and ordered English garden. This was not that!" (128). What does the state of the garden reveal about the Holy Spirit and his work in us?
2. "As they walked...he relaxed what he hadn't realized he had been clenching" (129). When walking with the Spirit, have you ever released something you didn't realize you were holding onto? What might you be clenching now that the Spirit would like to see you let go of?
3. "It's not the work, but the purpose that makes it special" (131). Sarayu's work is arduous, but she delights in the higher purpose. What arduous work has the Spirit led you to carry out? What is the higher purpose?
4. "Humans have a great capacity for declaring something good or evil, without truly knowing" (133). How do we judge what is good and what is evil? Are good and evil relative?
5. "Sarayu was somehow able to reach deep under the ground and find the ends of the roots, bringing them effortlessly to the surface" (133). Have you ever felt the Spirit tugging away at a deep root within your soul? Why is necessary to dig up that old root? (For fun, look a few lines down at what Sarayu plans to do with those roots. Any metaphorical significance here?)
6. "Rights are where survivors go, so that they won't have to work out relationships" (137). We live in a nation that clings to our "rights," but do they really exist? What about our perceived subconscious rights? For example, our right to be right? Our right to be appreciated? Our right to "alone time" (these are just a few of mine). Can you identify some of yours? What might happen in our relationships if we gave up those rights?
7. "This mess is you! Together, you and I, we have been working with a purpose in your heart. And it is wild and beautiful and perfectly in process. To you it seems like a mess, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing alive--a living fractal!" (138). I find this passage to be particularly encouraging...do you? If so, why?

"Wade in the Water"

1. As this chapter opens, Jesus invites Mack to walk on water. Mack finds the suggestion absurd, but he eventually trusts Jesus and steps out in faith. Have you ever felt God asking you to take a giant step of faith, one that others might consider foolish or ill-fated? Did you hesitate? If so, would you do things differently now? Why? Why not?
2. "But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel taskmaster" (141). How might imagination be cruel? Jesus tells Mack that the human imagination is powerful. How so?
3. "...do you think humans were designed to live in the present or the past or the future?" (141). Where do you spend most of your time living?
4. A few passages worth noting from page 142: "Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?...It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn't even real, nor will it ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming a reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear....To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know keep in your heart that I love you." I found these passages to be particularly challenging. What does our fear and worry communicate to God? What does it mean if we say that we fully trust God and yet worry about our future and our children's future?
5. "Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration, other than their immediate needs" (144). Do we have an obligation to care for Earth? As Christians, how might we lead our families and communities in this challenge?
6. "In fact, we are submitted to you in the same way" (145). How can God be in submission to His creation?
7. "Women, in general, will find it difficult to turn from a man and stop demanding that he meets their needs, provides security, and protects their identity, and return to me. Men, in general, find it very hard to turn from the works of their hands, their own quest for power and security and significance, and return to me" (145). How have you seen this idea manifested in your own marriage or significant relationships? What is the result when we seek fulfillment in others or ourselves?
8. What do you make of Jesus' reaction to the "WWJD" phenomenon (149). According to Jesus, why does that mantra fall short?

"Here Come Da Judge"

1. "So then, Mackenzie, may I ask which of your children you love the most?" (154). What might be Sophia's purpose behind this question?
2. "So many believe it is the love that grows, but it is the knowing that grows and love simply expands to contain it" (155). How does this concept relate to our relationship with God and our love for Him?
3. Why did Mack not truly believe God is good? What area in your life causes you to wonder if God is truly good to you? (Even if you don't feel comfortable answering out loud, this is a question that might be worth thinking about.)
4. Sophia asks Mack by what criteria does he make his judgements, and his methods of judging all seem foolish and illogical. What is your criteria? Appearance, education, associations, behavior? To what extent are our judgements of others self-serving?
5. "Judging requires that you think yourself superior over the one you judge" (159). Given the previous chapter's discussion on submission, what is God's view of our perceived superiority? Might your actions ever communicate a sense of superiority over others?
6. How have we passed judgement on God?
7. "Could I go instead? If you need someone to torture for eternity, I'll go in their place. Would that work? Could I do that?" (163). What does Mack learn about God when asked to choose which of his children will go to hell? Of what does he judge his children worthy?