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Book Title: Showing Mary
Reading Group 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.
Introduction
1. Can you recall a time when you tried to satisfy an internal yearning by
adjusting your outside circumstances? How did you come to recognize that
what you needed had to come from God? Read John 4:15-29.
"Greetings, You Have Found Favor"
2. "…just because your background is humble doesn't mean your future
is limited" (p. 10). In what ways have you allowed your past to dictate
your present and future? What hope do you have that the past does not determine
the future of those who confess the name of Jesus Christ? Read Psalm 40:1-5.
Ready from Within
3. "It's as though everything you've pieced together in life has come
undone…" (p. 18). What situations in your life have caused you to
feel excitement and joy simultaneously? How did the Lord see you through? Read Matthew 28:8.
God Is with You
4. "…every person God singled out for service may have started out
alone, but they did not end up alone" (p. 23). In what ways, whether through
people or circumstances, has God provided you with comfort and strength to
help you feel God's presence? Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-6.
To a Girl Named Mary
5. "…God's got his hands on your life" (p. 32). How have others
revealed God's desire for your life to you? Read 1 Samuel 3:6-19.
Why Now?
6. "Not all alarms signal fire" (p. 37). When has something terrible
transformed into something wonderful in your life? How can you discern a fire
alarm from a test? Read Genesis 50:20.
What's So Great about Being a Virgin?
7. "A virgin was a woman who still had her own inner strength" (p.
47). Find at least three biblical women who demonstrated inner strength. Then
think of three women you know today who demonstrate inner strength. Compare
the two sets of women. From the six women, make a list of characteristics that
define inner strength. Read Exodus 1:15-17.
"Psst…You're Pregnant."
8. "Pregnancy is the best metaphor to describe what we're going through" (p.
61). How do you know that you are about to give birth? Make a list of the symptoms
of your spiritual pregnancy. How do you see the hand of God working through
each symptom? Read Job 19:21; Jeremiah 18:1-6.
I Have Been Here Before
9. "The holy beyond you is reaching out to the holy within you…" (p.
67). How has God reached out to you to bring your farther along than you are
now? How have you reached out to God in order that you may go farther along
on the journey? Read Psalm 42:1-8.
"Let It Be Done According to Your Word."
10. "When the angel departed, Mary knew that what was happening to her
was part of something larger than herself" (p. 73). Have you yielded to
the Lord in order that you may be part of a work that is larger than yourself?
Prayerfully consider the barriers that may be blocking you from being part
of a greater work in the Lord. Read 1 Samuel 15:24.
Even Elizabeth
11. "But how can I be sure that this is God?" (p. 79). How has God
confirmed that the direction your life is taking is divinely sanctioned? Read Judges 6:17-22.
Overshadowed
12. "Loneliness can be an invitation from God…" (p. 93). When
you experience bouts of loneliness, do you seek an external means of fulfillment,
or do you turn to the Lord to quell your longing for the presence of another?
Read Genesis 32:24; Psalm 62:1 ; Luke 5:16.
Sex and Sleep Dust
13. "…the spell of sleep dust that descends gently upon the shoulders
of women" (p. 106). How has sleep dust affected your intimate relationships?
Has sleep dust made it difficult for you to achieve or maintain true intimacy
in those relationships? How can you move beyond the sleep dust? Read Genesis 29:30-35.
Here Comes the Bride
14. "Where did these strange urges come from?" (p. 115). What strong,
and perhaps strange, urge has called out to you that may stretch you beyond
the boundaries that our society deems acceptable for women? How can you go
about getting to the root of the urge? Make a list of the steps it would take
to reach your goal, down to the simplest action. What steps can you act on
right now? Read Numbers 27:1-8; Luke 18:2-7 ; Acts 16:16-18.
My Mother, My Self
15. "Every mother's daughter needs a coterie of women friends…" (p.
120). Make a list of the women who have modeled womanhood for you and nurtured
you along your own journey of womanhood. Next to each name, list the primary
lesson, virtue, or attribute you have learned from each woman. Say a prayer
of thanksgiving for the women who have played such an important role in your
life. Ask God to guide you in ways that you can help other women on their journeys.
Read Ruth 1.
Shedding the External Girl
16. "…it's hard trying to create an inner sacred landscape after
years of leaving that part of yourself fallow and undeveloped." Draw a
picture of your inner landscape. Is the picture sparse, barren and brown? Or
is it lush, green, and healthy? After assessing your landscape, write on it
some things that need to be planted there in order that you can grow (such
as faith, prayer, fasting, meditation, and hope). Read Luke 2:36-38.
Midwives
17. "You are not the first to wake up one morning to find your soul on
the spin cycle" (p. 133). How has God used the women in your life to minister
to you and help you through life's twists and turns? Read Ruth 3:1-5.
Showing
18. "Trust God to bring the kind of friends that you need into your life" (p.
138). Have you ever formed an unlikely alliance with another woman, yet you
knew it was God who united you? How did the Lord use your differences to solidify
the bond between you? Read Exodus 2:1-10. How has female bonding enhanced
your spiritual growth? Read Mark 15:47-16:8.
"But [She] Had No Children"
19. "…cease being quick to pass judgment on those who have chosen
a path different from your own" (p. 148). How do you believe Christians
generally regard women who have not chosen the traditional paths of marriage
and/or motherhood? In what ways have you allowed traditional role expectations
to prevent you from reaching new heights, whether spiritually or otherwise?
Read Deuteronomy 22:5; Luke 10:38-42.
Late Bloomers
20. "Late bloomers are those who finally stop becoming and start being" (p.
153). Why is it important to understand that all women are not on the same
timetable? In what areas of your life are you a late bloomer? What will it
take for you to move from becoming to being? Read Matthew 9:20-22.
Mary and Red Shoes
21. "Some women live their whole lives resisting the urge to wear red
shoes" (p. 161). What are the "red shoes" in your life? Are
you wearing them? If you are not using your gifts and resources responsibly,
what prevents you from using your gifts to the fullest? Acts 16:14-15.
Something Within
22. "One day your inner world and outer world click and come together" (p.
173). In what ways do your inner and outer worlds sometimes feel out of sync?
In what ways have they come together? Read Exodus 6:6; 1 Samuel 1:10-20; James 1:4-8.
Surprised By Passion
23. "…passion caused Mary to break out into what has come to be known
as the Magnificat" (p. 186). Write your own Magnificat, based on your
own passions, on what God has done in your life already, and what you hope
that God will do in the future. Read Exodus 15:20-21; Luke 1:46-55.
Getting into the Dance
24. "…you have to trust God even when you can't track God" (p.
192). How are you trusting God today, even though you probably don't know everything
that is going on? Examine your prayer/praise life to determine whether you
are dancing even as you wait. Are you willing to risk appearing foolish to
others in order to praise the Lord? Read 2 Samuel 6:16-22; Habakkuk 3:17-19; Acts 16:25.
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