Discussion Questions
Marielle contrasted “protective pain” (hot stove/conviction) with “productive pain” (childbirth/crucifixion); how does that distinction change the way you interpret hardship in your own life, and what kinds of “pain” are you most tempted to label wrongly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Marielle talked about “protective pain” vs. “productive pain.” How does that change how you see hard times in your life, and what pain are you most likely to mislabel?
In her labor story the midwife grabbed her chin and said, “You don’t have a choice,” and Marielle said God has been doing that to her spiritually (“Where can you go? Who else has the words of eternal life?”); what view of God is assumed in that moment—especially about His right to command, His purposes in suffering, and His nearness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Marielle said God was like the midwife saying, “You don’t have a choice,” what does that say about how she sees God—His right to lead, His reasons for suffering, and how close He is?
Marielle said “the way to become a Christian is to identify with Jesus’ death… we are born crucified,” and then read Romans 6 and Galatians 2:20; what do you think early Christians would have assumed baptism meant in daily life if they heard “baptized into his death” as literally as she’s pressing it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians took “baptized into his death” very literally, what would they think baptism should change in everyday life?
She described the “secret” of transitioning into a Kingdom lifestyle as dying to reputation, people-pleasing, offenses, praise, temptation, and ambition; which of those deaths feels most threatening to modern evangelical ideas of “freedom,” and why does it threaten us? JumpstartAnother way to ask: She said the “secret” to living in the Kingdom is dying to things like reputation, people-pleasing, and ambition. Which one feels most threatening to the way modern evangelicals talk about “freedom,” and why?
Marielle quoted from *Born Crucified*: “The cross is not a burden we must bear. It is a life we must surrender unreservedly… To avoid the cross is to forfeit victory before the battle ever begins”; where do you see Christians (or your own instincts) trying to keep “cross” language inspirational but not defining? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see Christians (or yourself) using “the cross” as a nice, inspiring idea, but not letting it shape how you actually live?
In her evangelism counsel, she said one brief awkward interaction (“A believer in what?”) still “put a stone in my shoe”; what does that suggest about God’s use of imperfect witnesses, and how should it reshape the way you evaluate “success” in evangelism? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If one awkward witness still bothered someone for years, what does that show about how God can use imperfect sharing? How should that change what you call “success” in evangelism?
She urged, “Speak the word of God,” and told the story of John 14:6 being planted years before conversion; how does that confront common assumptions that people must first find Christianity reasonable or attractive before Scripture should be spoken plainly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does her advice to speak Scripture directly challenge the idea that people must first find Christianity reasonable or attractive before hearing Bible verses?
When discussing “club mentality,” she warned that if belonging is based on dressing right, homeschooling, or a “pet doctrine,” the church becomes another club; what practices in your fellowship most subtly communicate “you belong if…” and how could you re-center belonging on “what we have in common in Christ” without becoming doctrinally vague? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What things in your church subtly say, “You belong if you dress/parent/believe like us”? How can you focus belonging more on what we share in Christ without acting like beliefs don’t matter?
Marielle said, “Draw your lines where God does… only God can define what it takes to be a part of His family… There are actually a lot of right ways to do Christianity,” and referenced theological triage; what specific issues have you treated like “family-defining” that might actually be secondary or tertiary, and what would humility look like in the next disagreement? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What issues have you treated like someone must agree to be “in the family,” even though they might be less important? What would humility look like the next time you disagree about one?
Her most uncomfortable counsel was “Don’t take a person off the cross,” even if you’re weeping at the foot of it; what concrete situations (children, disciples, friends) tempt you to give “carnal comfort” that helps someone escape what God is pressing, and how do you discern the difference between Spirit-led comfort and cross-avoiding relief? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When are you tempted to comfort someone in a way that helps them avoid what God may be doing in them? How can you tell the difference between Spirit-led comfort and comfort that helps someone avoid the cross?