Discussion Questions

Merle says “there will be misunderstandings” and that “trust is so foundational”; in the Canada firewood story (“moving out of the country”), what did Merle’s assumptions reveal about the fears or sensitivities he carried, and what would it look like to practice trust before clarity in a tense relationship? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In the Canada firewood story, what did Merle’s assumptions show about what he was afraid of or sensitive about? What would it look like to choose trust before you have all the facts in a tense relationship?

In Haiti, Merle interpreted Brother Jeremy’s raised hand as a concrete commitment, while the church interpreted it as willingness (“I would come if I could”); what does that cultural moment expose about how quickly Christians can label others as dishonest, and what habits of “asking what you mean” would have prevented Merle’s mistrust? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Haiti, Merle thought the raised hand meant a firm promise, but the church meant “I’d come if I could.” What does this show about how fast Christians can call someone dishonest, and what simple questions could Merle have asked to understand the meaning?

Merle describes trying to “get them in a negative frame of mind” about Brother Jeremy and then being corrected by every man: “You shouldn’t talk like that”; what kind of church culture produces that reflex to defend someone’s intentions, and how does that challenge the way suspicion and gossip often function in modern Christian communities? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Merle tried to get others to think badly about Brother Jeremy, but everyone corrected him. What kind of church culture makes people quick to protect someone’s good intentions, and how does that challenge the way gossip and suspicion often work today?

When Sam the cement salesman physically stops Merle, says “What you did was wrong,” and then insists “I’m going with you” to apologize, what does this teach about the kind of correction God uses—and what does it confront in modern ideas that correction is unloving, optional, or purely private? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Sam stops Merle, tells him he was wrong, and goes with him to apologize, what does that teach about the kind of correction God uses? How does it challenge the idea that correction is unloving, optional, or only private?

Merle says, “I’m not always right… I need guides… and the Holy Spirit’s guidance,” and then gives examples of people who corrected him and people he corrected; how do you discern when someone is a “Sam” voice you should submit to versus a controlling voice you should resist? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Merle says he needs guides and the Holy Spirit, and he gives examples of being corrected and correcting others. How can you tell when someone is a “Sam” you should listen to, and when they are being controlling and you should not?

In the story of the older couple, the man refuses to tell Merle what to do and only says, “You’ll be all right,” which later unsticks him; what does that reveal about God’s way of guiding—sometimes giving commands, sometimes giving perspective—and how does that affect the way you counsel others who want certainty? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The older man doesn’t tell Merle what to do and only says, “You’ll be all right,” and it later helps him. What does that show about how God guides us—sometimes with clear directions and sometimes with a new way to see things—and how should that shape how you advise someone who wants certainty?

Merle intervenes with the man who abandoned his wife, telling him, “What you did was wrong… you need to come back,” then making him quit the job and saying, “I’m going with you”; what assumptions about church authority, obedience, and communal responsibility are operating here, and how would early Christians likely have viewed this kind of direct interference? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Merle tells the man who left his wife that he was wrong, must return, and Merle will go with him. What does this story assume about church authority, obedience, and responsibility for each other, and how might early Christians have viewed this kind of direct involvement?

The agnostic businessman’s strategy was to be involved “just enough” in church in case God exists—but “not too much”; where do you see that same calculation in yourself or in evangelical church culture (time, money, comfort, risk), and what does this video imply God thinks about hedged discipleship? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The agnostic businessman stayed involved in church “just enough” in case God is real, but not enough to change his life. Where do you see that same “just enough” mindset in yourself or church culture, and what does the video suggest God thinks about that kind of half-commitment?

Merle’s envy at the cottage (“this is how a person ought to live”) collapses when the wealthy man admits, “We never have done anything for anybody”; how does this story redefine “the good life” in terms of eternal significance, and what concrete choices would change if you believed Merle’s claim that chasing wealth is a “phantom”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Merle envies the rich man’s life until the man admits they never helped anyone. How does this change the meaning of “the good life,” and what would you do differently if you believed chasing wealth is empty and won’t last?

Merle insists “There is a God, and it’s not me… he is sovereign, but he loves me,” then tells two cases where God’s answers were not what he demanded (the dying woman’s “hand squeeze,” and the Leviticus study that unexpectedly connected with Native tradition); what do these stories reveal about God’s wisdom and purposes, and what modern Christian expectations about control, outcomes, and “successful ministry” do they unsettle? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Merle says God is in control and loves him, but God didn’t answer the way Merle wanted in two stories. What do these stories teach about God’s wisdom and goals, and what expectations about control, results, and “successful ministry” do they challenge?