Discussion Questions

The speaker warns about “running our lives based off of risk” and says faithfulness to God’s calling sometimes looks “risky” to man; how do you discern the difference between wise caution and fear-based decision-making in your own life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you tell when you’re being wisely careful versus when you’re making choices out of fear, especially when obeying God might look risky?

Jared describes explosive remnants of war as having “no expiration dates,” meaning danger can persist decades after conflict ends; what does that reality reveal about the long shadow of human sin and violence, and how should it shape the church’s posture toward war and peacemaking? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If war danger can last for decades, what does that show about how long sin and violence hurt people, and how should the church respond to war and peacemaking?

The conversation highlights that militaries may clear paths for troops but fields can be left for civilians to deal with; what does that observation suggest about how earthly powers define “safety,” and what might Christians be called to do when governments don’t—or can’t—make things right? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it say about “safety” when armies protect soldiers but leave civilians in danger, and what should Christians do when governments don’t or can’t fix the harm?

Jared insists this work is “absolutely not” taking sides and is not collaboration with the military, but is service to civilians “on either side of the conflict”; what assumptions do you notice in yourself about neutrality, enemy-love, and what counts as “helping” in a war-torn context? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do you assume about staying neutral, loving enemies, and what “help” looks like when you serve civilians on both sides of a war?

Jared frames minefield clearing as the same category as rebuilding houses, food parcels, and medical teams—“another piece of that puzzle”; what does that comparison imply about what early Christians might have considered legitimate forms of mercy in the aftermath of violence? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If clearing mines is like giving food, medical help, or rebuilding homes, what does that say about the kinds of mercy early Christians would see as right after violence?

The speaker connects the work to Isaiah 2 (“swords into plowshares”), saying they’re removing “swords from these fields so they can be plowed”; in what ways does that imagery challenge how modern Christians spiritualize peacemaking instead of doing “shoe leather” acts that reverse war’s damage? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the “swords into plowshares” picture challenge Christians who only talk about peace instead of doing real, hands-on work to undo war’s damage?

Jared describes farmers who won’t wait “years and years” for demining companies, including one who laid a tire on a landmine and lit it—crossing a line Jared says his team “wouldn’t cross”; how should Christians think about desperation-driven risk, and what does love require when people feel forced into dangerous choices? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How should Christians think about people taking huge risks out of desperation, and what does love require when someone feels forced into dangerous choices?

The team runs a tractor with “nobody in the cab” so that if something is missed, it may cost equipment “but not at the expense of someone’s life”; where in your life or church do you instinctively protect assets, reputation, or efficiency more than people, and how does this story confront that instinct? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you or your church protect money, image, or speed more than people, and how does the driverless tractor story challenge that?

Jared says they pray “day in and day out” for wisdom, stress “alertness,” and admit experience is a great educator but “you don’t want to learn the hard way”; what does this balance of prayer, skill, and caution teach about how God’s protection relates to human responsibility? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does praying for wisdom while also using skill and caution teach about how God’s protection connects with our responsibility?

Jared pushes back on the idea that this takes “supernatural people,” claiming “normal people” can do it with education and willingness to “share in the burden”; what concrete burdens in your community (or globally) have you labeled as “for specialists,” and what might obedience look like if you believed God uses ordinary Christians to step into them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What problems have you treated as “only for experts,” and what would obedience look like if you believed God can use ordinary Christians to share that load?