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Book Title: Living Water
by Obery Hendricks
Reading Guide Questions
The following list of questions is designed to enhance a group or individual's
thinking about or discussing some of the issues we hope you will consider after reading this book. This is designed as a starting point only and is not meant to limit the discussion.
- In childhood, the girl who would become the woman
who encountered Jesus at the well was rejected as having a "gibora" spirit,
that is, as being too bold and self-confident for the comfort of men.
When have you exhibited a gibora spirit in your own life? How did those
around you respond? Were there times when your gibora spirit was repressed
or broken? How did you reclaim it?
- While explaining to her granddaughter
the meaning of erwat dabar-an arbitrary declaration of divorce--Ma
Tee impresses on her that to avoid
facing erwat dabar herself she should, "Always be careful how
you live." Consequently, "careful" becomes her defining
approach to life. What factors in your life might have made you careful,
that
is, afraid to take risks in life? How might you overcome them?
- On page
18 we read, "Into the abyss of the little girl's questioning
creeps the ravenous self-doubt that eats at too many women from girlhood,
subtly, quietly, until they come to regard themselves as forever
unworthy of the fullness of life." What causes this self-doubt?
How can it be counteracted? How can girls and young women be protected
from
it?
- On That Day the village men were subjected to soul-crushing brutality
and public humiliation. As a result, the men descended into self-loathing
that hardened their hearts and practically destroyed their ability
to experience emotional intimacy. Many men today have similar difficulty
with intimacy because of social factors and circumstances. What
are some
of those circumstances? What are some of the ways that the feelings
resulting from these circumstances manifest in the lives of men?
How can boys and
young men be protected from these feelings?
- On pages 22 and 23 there
occurs this exchange after Yoram's abuse by the Romans:
" I'm going to kill every Roman the good Lord sends my way."
..."But you can't make all Romans guilty for what Caesar and his
soldiers do."
..."If they benefit from the evil but don't stop the evil, how
can they not be guilty?"
Are those who derive benefits from injustice guilty even if they
don't actively commit the injustice themselves? Why?
- The women of the village
pray to Hokmah, the "woman side" of
God. What does it mean to believe in a feminine side of God? What
are of the implications of this belief with respect to religion and
society?
Your personal belief and practice?
- Tragic loss made the character Man
afraid to love. What kinds of things can raise fear barriers against
showing love? Are you afraid to love?
Why? How does that fear manifest in your behavior and relationships?
- How does the Jesus of Living Water differ from the traditional
picture of him?
- What was the cause of Nahshon's anger toward women? How can
men like Nahshon overcome their anger toward women?
- Maryam refuses to marry
Nahshon under the Law of Moses, that is, according to village tradition.
Why? Does this have significance for
the way marriages are performed and lived out today?
- What was the
basis of the bond between Big Mama and Jalon?
- Why
was Maryam accused of murdering Nahshon? What were the men trying
to protect by calling for her stoning?
- After the death of Nahshon,
Maryam had an experience at the river that changed her forever.
What was the nature of that experience? What
role did Huldah play in it?
- Although he was a charlatan, many people
believed in Parshandatha the "holy man." Why? Do we see
this attitude toward religious and social leaders today? What role
did Mr. Ishmael and his friend Phinehas play in Maryam's life? Has
there been someone who has
played a similar role in your life?
How?
- How did Yeshua's attitude toward women differ from the attitudes
of the other village men? What experiences in his life might have
accounted for that difference?
©
2003 Obery Hendricks. All Rights Reserved.
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