Questions to prod your personal thinking and processing or for use in group discussion and are arranged by article title.

​

The “B” Word Article

REFLECT ON:

1. What did you think when you read about Nancy’s “pie chart.” Did the idea appeal to you? Or did you sense that what works on paper doesn’t necessarily work in life?

​

2. Nancy writes, “There was such hope and promise in that circle.” How and where do you find yourself searching for the hope of “balance” when things aren’t working for you?

​

3. Peter. Paul. Jesus. Mary. Martha. None of these biblical characters displayed “balance.” Where did the concept come from in your own life? After reading Nancy’s article does it even seem like something to seek after?

​

4. “Balance gives the illusion of control. The comfort of order. The draw of balance may be that it promises to relieve the stress of our world, with its competing priorities, clapping to get our attention.” Is this true for you? If so, isn’t it ironic that the thing we chase after to reduce stress often causes it?

 

5. Nancy summarizes: “I think what God wants for us, to grow in us over time, is a well-ordered heart. Not a circle with lines, but a heart that is full of his love, spilling over into the lives of others.” Do you agree or disagree? If you agree, how does this knowledge simplify or make the issue of “balance” more complex for you? And what can you do about it?

​

“Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer” Interview

REFLECT ON:

1. Priscilla says, “Our prayer should be, ‘Lord, I present the gifts and ministry that you’ve given me back to you. Equip me with spiritual vision to see clearly the opportunities you put before me to use them for your glory.’ Then we must be yielded to what He shows us.” What do these words means to you?

​

2. Priscilla also says, “I can’t do everything right now so I have to choose wisely.” If you took these words to heart, what things are you currently doing that perhaps you shouldn’t be?

​

3. Priscilla’s three boys often travel with her and help at her book table. How can you involve your children in your work and ministry? And what can they learn from being included?

​

4. You can challenge yourself spiritually by taping a verse on the bathroom mirror, over the sink where you do dishes, or where you fold laundry. Priscilla does this and says, “I’ll see it and meditate on it all week. I spend each day being deliberate about listening to how the Holy Spirit will apply that verse throughout the week.” How could this small act make a big difference for you?

​

5. Priscilla says, “I feel like I’m running on a treadmill headed nowhere lots of the time. I’m trying to learn that it is ok not to be superwoman.” Do you struggle with this? If so, how does knowing other women struggle with it help you?

​

“Prayer” Article

1. Patricia Raybon has the guts to admit what we all know: there are people who only call us when they want something from us. How did her admission make you feel? And who in your life is like this? Are you like this with anyone?

​

2. Patricia writes, “Prayer can become a time just to plead our needs—to beg God to do something for us. To bless some project we’ve started. To fix some program gone wrong. To turn some bad plan into a good one.” Have you ever use prayer in this way? If so, how does a one-sided relationship with God feel?

​

3. Have your prayers become “all about getting, not about becoming?” How does the idea of praying about “becoming” appeal to you?

​

4. Richard Foster writes, “Today the heart of God is an open wound of love. He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him. He grieves that we have forgotten him. He weeps over our obsession with muchness and manyness. He longs for our presence.” Can you identify with this? If so, how?

​

5. “To pray is to love,” writes Patricia. What impact do these words have on you? And how can they transform what you think—and do—about prayer?