Discussion Questions

Brian opened with Matthew 19 where the disciples scolded parents for “bothering” Jesus, but Jesus insisted, “Let the children come to me”; what does that scene reveal about God’s heart and priorities, and where do you see “well-meaning disciples” today still functioning as gatekeepers to Jesus for children? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Matthew 19, what does Jesus welcoming children show about what matters most to God? Where do you see church people today, even with good intentions, getting in the way of children coming to Jesus?

Brian said that in the first-century Middle Eastern culture “children were kind of looked at as a bother…kept on the outside,” and Jesus broke that norm; how do you think early Christians would have practiced child-inclusion because of Jesus’ example, and what church habits today quietly communicate that children are peripheral? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Since Jesus included kids when culture pushed them aside, how do you think early Christians treated children in the church? What church habits today quietly send the message that kids don’t really matter?

Sherlyn described sensing God leading her to accept a Sewing Circle nomination she didn’t want, and she told the Lord she would do it “with my whole heart…100%” if He would help; what does this story suggest about how God guides (premonition, reluctance, obedience, desire), and how do you discern the difference between reluctance that should be resisted and reluctance that might be wise? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Sherlyn’s story about taking a role she didn’t want teach about how God leads us when we feel reluctant? How can you tell the difference between reluctance you should push through and reluctance that is a wise warning?

In Sherlyn’s account, a late-night reading about “reaching the needs…in the community” immediately preceded a vivid dream/vision of a foster child, a women’s-group blanket, and a book; how should serious Christians weigh experiences like this—neither dismissing them nor building a theology on them—and what criteria from Scripture and church history would you apply? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How should Christians think about strong experiences like Sherlyn’s dream—without brushing them off or building everything on them? What tests from the Bible and church history would you use to judge them?

Andrew connected their foster involvement to Mordecai’s words to Esther—“for such a time as this”—and said, “Each one of us is…placed here”; what are the implications of that for vocation, location, and responsibility, and where does modern Christianity tend to excuse itself from “placement” by treating mission as optional or specialized? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God has placed each of us “for such a time as this,” what does that mean for where we live, what we do, and what we’re responsible for? How do Christians today sometimes act like mission is optional or only for a few special people?

Sherlyn told a detailed story of Jeffrey entering their home “on drugs…going through withdrawal,” with hours of screaming, and how he would quiet when wrapped in a blanket, given sweet chocolate milk, and rocked; what does this teach about the kind of love that heals (patience, physical comfort, time), and what parts of that kind of love make us uncomfortable or feel “too messy” for ministry? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the story of caring for Jeffrey in withdrawal teach about the kind of love that helps people heal? What parts of that kind of “messy” love make you want to back away?

Sherlyn said the women wanted to embroider “Jesus Loves Me” on every blanket, and later paraphrased Joshua 1:9—“Do not be afraid. The Lord is with thee”—for older kids; how do you think early Christians would have viewed pairing tangible mercy with explicit God-talk, and what fears do believers today have about naming Jesus directly while serving trauma-affected children? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do you think early Christians believed about meeting real needs while also speaking openly about Jesus? What makes believers today nervous about naming Jesus when helping kids who have been through trauma?

Sherlyn recounted a child saying, “Jesus does not love black children,” and her insistence that the illustration must show a black child made in God’s image; what does that moment expose about how children absorb theology from their environment, and what specific “unspoken doctrines” about race and belonging might Christian communities accidentally teach? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the child’s comment about black children show about how kids learn beliefs from what they see and hear? What hidden messages about race and belonging might churches teach without meaning to?

Brian highlighted Revelation 5 and 7—people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (ethnos)—and said the garden-like spread in the book pictures harmony with God, each other, and nature; how does this heavenly multi-ethnic worship confront modern political or tribal Christian identities, and what would repentance look like if our instincts resist that vision? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the picture in Revelation of every nation worshiping Jesus challenge today’s political or “my group vs. your group” Christian thinking? If we resist that vision, what would it look like to repent?

The interview ended with the challenge, “How does God want to use us in reaching the world?” alongside very concrete ideas (booths at foster events, giving books to police for calls involving children, parks, cafés, bulk distribution); what would it cost your group to adopt one of these specific pathways in the next 30–60 days, and what motivations (love, guilt, image, fear) would be exposed by either doing it—or avoiding it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would your group have to give up or change to try one of these outreach ideas in the next 30–60 days? If you do it or avoid it, what would that reveal about your real reasons—love, guilt, wanting to look good, or fear?