Good to Me (36 page)

Chapter 13

Emmitt’s relationship with his mother is unhealthy, agreed? How have the relationships between mothers and sons been particularly
significant in the black family? What is your experience with mother-son relationships, whether as a mother, as a sibling,
or as an in-law? What mother-son models does Scripture offer us, and what insights can we gain from them?

Chapter 14

If you received a letter from an inmate such as Charity’s from Joseph, what would be your reaction? How would you respond,
if at all? Why?

Chapter 15

What do
you
do when your past comes knocking on your door? How does your faith or Scripture guide you?

Chapter 16

“Even when you didn’t get what you were expecting, you’re satisfied with what you got,” the mailroom employee marveled to
Joseph. Could the same be said of you? Why or why not? What spiritual quality or character trait is required to reach that
level of satisfaction?

Chapter 17

This chapter might be titled, “Adventures in Dating”… Iesha and Wallace, Iesha and Terrence, Charity and Michael, and
then Mr. Wright. What kind of adventures have you had? How has faith in God affected those adventures?

Chapter 18

Charity struggles with decisions concerning dancing, especially to secular or worldly music. More than once in the novel,
the question of “balance” arises. How do you achieve the balance of being “in the world but not of it”? How do you test your
own spirit’s vulnerability to the spirits around you?

Chapter 19

“The weapon forged against me is the instrument formed for me,” the minister declares. How have you experienced that scriptural
(and spiritual) dynamic in your life? In other words, what weapons forged by your enemies have become (or might still become)
tools or instruments used for good—your own or others’?

Chapter 20

Has a guy ever said to you, in one way or another, “God told me you’re the one”? How did you (or would you) react? Consider
Iesha’s cautious response: “What do you do when God hasn’t spoken to the other person?” In general, how cautious are you about
accepting other people’s pronouncement of God’s will or vision for your life? Why?

Chapter 21

How important do you think the respective families are to a couple’s relationship? How do you balance the scriptural “leave
and cleave” principle (see
Genesis 2:24
) with the truism that you don’t just marry each other; you marry each other’s family?

Chapter 22

Scripture
does
say that God will never tempt us beyond what we can handle. It seems reasonable to extend that principle to the concept of
God won’t burden us beyond what we can bear. However, don’t we all have days when, like Charity, we feel like this is too
much? How do you handle days like that? How do you minister to others who are having such days?

Chapter 23

Suicide. Has it ever touched you? In what way(s)? What motivates people to attempt it? How do family and friends respond?
How do you think God responds? How can we minister to one another in the church—when suicide is contemplated, threatened,
attempted, or accomplished?

Chapter 24

Iesha raises the issue of needing more time with Terrence—time to explore other aspects of who they are in terms of children,
background, careers. He responds, in effect, by saying, “None of those things are relevant when God is involved.” Do you agree
or disagree—why and to what extent?

Chapter 25

Funerals are occasions that evoke complex emotions and a range of reactions. How does your experience of a funeral differ
depending on how the relationship you, the family, or the deceased have had with God? How does your faith help you navigate
the complicated maze of grief—publicly and privately?

Chapter 26

When God observed in
Genesis 2
that it wasn’t good for the first human being to be alone—that the man needed a suitable helper (in KJV, “help meet”)—God
wasn’t only thinking about a marriage partner. We all need help from other human beings sometimes (see
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
). What kind of support system do you have? How willing are you to admit that you need their help? Why?

Chapter 27

“She did not want to be like this but she didn’t know how to act otherwise.” Iesha’s inner struggle is reminiscent of Paul’s
(see
Romans 7:15-25
). When have you experienced that same wrestling? How do you achieve victory in the struggle?

Chapter 28

Charity prayed long and hard for a restored marriage. Now it seems her prayer has been answered. What do you think? What would
you say—and why?

Chapter 29

“I don’t have to be no more than who I am made to be.” “We’re Christians learning to live as humans.” What do you make of
those statements? What do you think they mean? What might one or both mean to
you
?

Chapter 30

How have you experienced the difference between claiming a thing in faith—and actually receiving it? What does that difference
say about the nature of our faith claims? To put it another way, if there
wasn’t
a difference, does that suggest that we are taking God’s answer to our prayers for granted? Why or why not?

Chapter 31

In just one week, Charity received one proposal, one semi-

proposal, and met a man she thinks she could fall in love with. How would you discern which apparently open door to walk through?
Is there only one right door—or might God’s hand be present in each of those situations? Why or why not?

Chapter 32

“Keep praying,” Joseph exhorted the congregation. What are you praying on? How is God answering that prayer? What encourages
you to keep on praying?

Reading Groups for
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go to our Web site at
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.

WHO WE ARE

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OUR PURPOSE IS SIMPLE

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what we read
—and have a good time doing it!

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they make in Godly reading materials.

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