Discussion Questions

In the opening story on the mountain in northern Iraq, Brian describes fear turning into relief when a smiling armed man said, “Welcome”; what does that moment reveal about what kind of “power” God can exercise through simple human welcome even when there are guns present? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Iraq, Brian felt fear turn to relief when an armed man smiled and said, “Welcome.” What does that show about the kind of power God can use through a simple welcome, even when danger is close?

Brian defines “wilderness” not only as geography but as “a world…set against Eden,” then includes loneliness statistics and says “unfortunately, this is also in the church”; where have you personally experienced church life as “wilderness,” and what would have to change for it to feel more like “rivers in the dry wasteland”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian says “wilderness” can mean a lonely, broken world—and that the church can feel like that too. When has church felt like a wilderness to you, and what would need to change for it to feel life-giving instead?

Brian contrasts “a Sunday morning shiny shoe show” with a corporate gospel of “a new king with a new nation…bringing heaven to earth”; what assumptions about Christianity (especially individual salvation and assurance) does that critique expose, and what parts of your church rhythm quietly reinforce the “saved-me gospel”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian criticizes a shallow, showy Sunday and a “saved-me” kind of faith instead of God’s bigger kingdom plan. What ideas about Christianity does that challenge, and what parts of your church routine might quietly keep the focus on “me getting saved”?

He says God is “doing a new thing,” but we often respond “like Thomas” needing to see before believing; where do you feel that “only if I can see it will I believe it” resistance when it comes to hospitality, evangelism, or community, and what “baby step forward” would faith actually take? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian says we often act like Thomas and won’t believe until we see proof. Where do you feel that pushback when it comes to welcoming others, sharing your faith, or building community, and what small step of faith could you take anyway?

Brian claims “God himself waits on tables,” citing Exodus 24 (leaders “ate and drank” in God’s presence), Psalm 23 (“You prepare a table”), and Jesus saying, “I am among you as the one who serves”; how does that reshape your picture of God’s greatness, and what does it threaten in you (status, control, comfort) if God’s posture is service? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian says God’s greatness shows up in serving, like “waiting on tables.” How does that change how you picture God, and what does it challenge in you—like your need for status, control, or comfort?

When Brian says table extension can be summarized as “Go in love,” and connects it to Matthew 25 by calling preservation “the opposite of what Jesus wants,” what are the “hole-digging” ways you protect your time, money, home, or reputation—and how might you be calling that “wisdom” when the teaching calls it fear? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian says “Go in love” and warns that self-protection is the opposite of what Jesus wants. In what ways do you protect your time, money, home, or reputation, and do you ever call that “wisdom” when it might really be fear?

Brian reads Luke 14 (“do not ask your friends…lest…you be repaid”) and says Jesus aims at “generosity…not reciprocity”; what relationships or invitations in your life function mainly on repayment and social safety, and who are the “poor, maimed, lame, blind” equivalents you tend to avoid because they can’t return the favor? JumpstartAnother way to ask: From Luke 14, Brian says Jesus wants generosity, not inviting people only because they can pay you back. Where do you keep relationships safe and “even,” and who do you tend to avoid because they can’t return the favor?

Brian says Middle Eastern table fellowship communicates “I’m one with you,” then asks whether Jesus’ diversity of fellowship matches our lifestyle; what groups (political, ethnic, class, “messy,” socially awkward, ideologically hostile) would it actually cost you something to eat with—and what do you think you’re protecting by keeping your table “same with others”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian says sharing a meal can mean, “I’m with you,” and asks if Jesus’ wide welcome matches our lives. Who would it really cost you something to eat with, and what do you think you’re protecting by keeping your table to people like you?

In the “Tom” story, Brian admits he almost walked away from a volatile situation because he was busy and scared, but felt God calling him to be a peacemaker and said, “I’m here for you. Can we talk?”; what does that story expose about how easily we rationalize avoidance, and what would “pressing through by God’s grace” look like in a concrete situation you’re currently avoiding? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In the Tom story, Brian almost walked away because he was busy and scared, but chose to stay and seek peace. How do you talk yourself into avoiding hard situations, and what would it look like to face one situation you’re avoiding right now with God’s help?

Brian uses Rachel’s 20-hour “tea party” with Hamas militants and Heather Holman’s “four mindsets” (be curious; believe the best…) to argue that “small talk is not small”; where do you dismiss ordinary conversation as trivial, and how would early Christians—who advanced the faith through ordinary, risky hospitality—evaluate the way your speech either dignifies strangers or keeps them at arm’s length? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Brian says “small talk is not small” and that ordinary conversation can be real hospitality. Where do you treat small conversations as pointless, and how might early Christians view the way your words either honor strangers or keep them at a distance?