Discussion Questions

Joy described how Scripture and prayer “became less of a thing” as media (movies, social media, etc.) filled her life, and she connected that shift to feeling isolated and lonely; what specific patterns of media use most commonly crowd out “going back to Scripture” in stressful seasons, and what does that reveal about what our hearts are running to for comfort and meaning? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When life is stressful, what kinds of media habits most often replace Bible reading and prayer? What does that show about what we look to for comfort and purpose?

Joy said her early formation was “weak” and that later she didn’t feel like an example in any category of 1 Timothy 4:12 (word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, purity); which one of those categories tends to collapse first when foundations are thin, and what practical foundations would have to exist for a young believer to actually become “an example” rather than just admire the verse? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In 1 Timothy 4:12 (word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, purity), which area usually falls apart first when someone’s early faith foundation is weak? What basic habits or supports would help a young Christian become a real example instead of just liking the verse?

Joy strongly challenged the common language of “calling,” saying, “If you have decided to follow Christ, you have already been called,” and argued Scripture doesn’t tell us to wait until God shows an individualized plan; where does that collide with how you’ve been taught to make major decisions, and what view of God’s guidance (and our responsibility) is Joy trying to recover? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joy says if you follow Jesus, you’re already “called,” so you shouldn’t wait for a special personal plan from God. How does that clash with how you were taught to make big decisions, and what is she saying about God’s guidance and our responsibility?

Joy listed “the will of God” passages (give thanks in everything, submit to authorities while doing good, sanctification/abstaining from sexual immorality, doing justice/loving mercy/walking humbly) and concluded God’s will is “clearly laid out”; how would early Christians—who were often persecuted and had fewer choices—have heard “this is the will of God,” and what modern assumptions make that clarity feel uncomfortable or insufficient? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians (who faced persecution and had fewer choices) heard “this is God’s will,” how do you think they would understand it? What modern ideas make God’s will sounding so clear feel uncomfortable or not enough?

Joy said she “highly, highly dislike[s]” calling-language because she’s heard it used as an excuse (“I didn’t feel called to give…to serve…to share the gospel…”); what are the most respectable-sounding ways Christians today avoid obedience by appealing to guidance, and how does John 14:15 (“If you love me, you will keep my commandments”) confront those habits? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are some polite or “spiritual-sounding” ways Christians avoid obeying by saying, “I don’t feel led/called”? How does John 14:15 (“If you love me, you will keep my commandments”) challenge those excuses?

Joy claimed Scripture calls us “to not amass wealth and to not live in comfort and to not just have a comfortable, easy life,” and connected that to gospel advance and care for the needy; what would have to change in a typical evangelical understanding of “freedom,” “blessing,” and “success” for that statement to feel normal rather than extreme? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joy says Scripture calls us not to chase wealth and comfort, but to live for the spread of the gospel and care for the needy. What would need to change in how many Christians think about “freedom,” “blessing,” and “success” for that to sound normal?

Joy offered a Venn diagram for discerning service direction—interest, gifts/skills, and need—and emphasized she didn’t receive a special message from God about medicine but chose it as a way to obey Scripture; think of a decision you’re facing or a path you’re on—how would Joy’s framework change what you prioritize, and what fears does it expose about making the “wrong” choice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joy says to choose a path by looking at your interests, your skills, and the needs around you—not by waiting for a special message from God. For a choice you’re facing, how would that change what you focus on, and what fears do you have about choosing wrong?

Speaking to unmarried women, Joy pleaded, “do not waste your life in the meantime,” cited 1 Corinthians 7:34 about the unmarried woman caring for “the things of the Lord,” and said culture is “bent towards marriage”; what parts of church culture reinforce waiting-passivity until marriage, and what would it look like for unmarried years to be treated as a strategic season of holiness and mission rather than a holding pattern? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What messages in church culture can make single people feel like they should just wait until marriage to really live and serve? What would it look like to treat the single years as a key time for holiness and mission instead of a pause?

Joy argued young adulthood should prioritize “learning, serving, and building,” including doing tasks you “don’t know how to do and possibly don’t want to do,” and serving “in relative obscurity” to form character; what does that challenge in the modern pursuit of platform, visibility, and self-actualization, and where do you see resistance in yourself to being “unremarkable” for a season? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joy says young adults should focus on learning, serving, and building—even doing hard or unwanted jobs without being noticed. How does that challenge today’s push for attention, influence, and self-fulfillment, and where do you resist being “unknown” for a while?

Joy said the “only way” she finally won the battle for consistent disciplines (Scripture, prayer, memorizing, evangelism) was accountability, even when it initially felt like “checking a box,” and she also insisted women may struggle deeply with sexual addiction and need structured accountability (like Freedom Groups); what would a church community shaped by the New Testament “together” reality (Acts 2; 1 Cor 12; 1 John 1:7) actually do with struggles like prayerlessness, porn, and hidden sin—and what keeps us from wanting that kind of known-and-asked-about life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joy says real accountability is what helped her stay steady in Bible reading, prayer, evangelism, and fighting sexual sin. What would a church that truly lives like a “together” family do when people struggle with prayerlessness, porn, or hidden sin, and why do we avoid being that known?