FAMILY DISCUSSION STARTERS, QUESTIONS & REFLECTIONS
1. Waiting
Question:
Can you think of a time you had to wait a long time for something (a holiday, a birthday, food, results, someone to arrive)?
- How did you feel while you were waiting?
- What helped you not give up?
Link for parents:
Share briefly how the preacher’s long wait on the plane made you think about how we wait for God to answer prayers.
2. The River Picture
Read (adapted from Ezekiel 47):
God gave a man called Ezekiel a picture of a river that started small at the temple and got deeper and deeper. Everywhere the river went, things came alive.
Question:
If you were standing in a river with God:
- Would you rather stay where it’s shallow and safe, or go deeper where you have to trust Him more? Why?
3. Ankle, Knee, Waist, Deep
Question:
Imagine your friendship with Jesus is like standing in water:
- Ankle deep: just toes in
- Knee deep: beginning to feel it
- Waist deep: getting serious
- Deep enough to swim: really trusting Him
Where do you feel you are right now, and what is one small thing that could help you go a bit “deeper” this week?
(For younger kids, let them draw it or act it out!)
4. Dead Sea Places
Explain simply:
There’s a place in the Bible called the Dead Sea where nothing can live. In Ezekiel’s vision, when God’s river flowed into it, it came alive with fish and trees and life.
Questions:
- If you could ask God to bring new life to one thing in our family, what would it be?
- Is there anything that feels “stuck” or “never going to change” that we could pray about together?
5. Who’s in Control?
Question:
In our family, who likes to be in control or make the plans? (Parents can include themselves too!)
- Why do you think it’s hard to let God lead instead of us always trying to be in charge?
- What’s one thing we can trust God with this week instead of worrying?
6. Fake “Prince Charmings”
Explain simply:
The sermon talked about not looking for “fake prince charmings” – things we think will make us completely happy instead of God (like being popular, having lots of money, always winning, looking perfect).
Questions:
- What are some things people your age might think will make them happy forever?
- Can you think of a time you really wanted something and then, when you got it, it didn’t make you as happy as you hoped?
7. Peace in Hard Times
Question:
The preacher told a story about a woman who had cancer but still had God’s peace.
- Have you ever felt calm or looked after by God even when something was a bit scary or sad?
- When you feel worried, what helps you remember that God is with you?
(Parents can share a short example from their own lives.)
8. God’s Whisper
Explain the picture:
The sermon imagined God holding us like we’re in a safe river and whispering:
“I love you. I’ve got you. I understand your pain. Don’t give up.”
Questions:
- Which of those sentences do you like the most, and why?
- If you could add a sentence you’d love to hear God say to you, what would it be?
9. Feeling “Out of Place”
Question:
Have you ever felt like you didn’t quite fit in (at school, in a club, with friends)?
- What happened?
- How does it help to know that God always understands us and we always belong with Him, even when we feel left out with other people?
10. One Thing to Pray
Question:
If each person at the table could ask God for help with one thing this week, what would you ask for?
After everyone shares, say a short prayer together, for example:
“Jesus, thank You that You are like the river that brings life. Please help us in the things we’ve shared. Amen.”
You can encourage parents in the WhatsApp post to:
- Pick just one question per meal, keep it light and short.
- Let everyone (including children) ask follow‑up questions.
- Finish with a very simple prayer connected to what was shared.
WOMEN’S DISCUSSION STARTERS, QUESTIONS & REFLECTIONS
1. **Where Are You Waiting?**
Israel waited 400 years; the Romania team waited 27+ hours.
– What are *you* currently waiting for (big or small)?
– How does that waiting affect your heart – does it draw you closer to God or make you feel distant?
2. **Control vs. Trust**
The sermon asked: *“Where are you trying to control the narrative?”*
– In what area of your life do you most struggle to “let go and give it to God”?
– What do you fear might happen if you *really* surrendered that area?
3. **Ankle‑Deep or Deep Enough to Swim?** (Ezekiel 47)
– If your walk with God today was a depth in the river (ankle / knee / waist / swimming), where would you place yourself, and why?
– What might it look like for you to take one step “deeper” with God this week?
4. **Dead Sea Places**
The Dead Sea picture in Ezekiel is of a place that seems “too far gone” – yet the river makes it come alive.
– Is there any area of your life that feels like that – barren, stuck, or beyond change?
– What would it mean for you to invite God’s “river of life” into that specific situation?
5. **False “Prince Charmings”**
The sermon warned us not to look to “alternative prince charmings.”
– What are some things we, as women, can be tempted to look to for peace instead of Jesus (e.g. relationships, children’s success, money, appearance, approval, career)?
– Which one is the biggest struggle for you right now?
6. **Peace in the Storm**
We heard about the woman in Romania facing cancer yet saying, “God is with me… I have His peace.”
– Have you ever known God’s peace in a situation that *should* have left you falling apart?
– What helped you receive that peace?
7. **Hearing God’s Whisper**
The sermon pictured God holding you in the river and whispering: “I love you. I’ve got you. I understand your pain. Don’t give up.”
– Which part of that whisper do you most need to hear today?
– Is it easy or hard for you to believe God speaks to you like that? Why?
8. **One Step of Response**
– After hearing this sermon, what is *one simple thing* you want to do differently this week?
(e.g. pray more honestly about a “Dead Sea” area, release control in one decision, spend intentional quiet time with God, ask someone to pray with you.)
– How can we, as sisters in Christ, pray for you in that?
MEN’S DISCUSSION STARTERS, QUESTIONS & REFLECTIONS
1. Waiting Rooms
Post:
In the sermon we heard about a 27‑hour delay, and Israel’s 400‑year wait.
- Where do you feel you’re “in the waiting room” right now (job, health, family, faith, something else)?
- In one line: are you handling it with patience, frustration, or just numb?
2. Who’s Really in Control?
Post:
The preacher asked, “Where are you trying to control the narrative?”
- Be honest: what’s one area you struggle to let God lead (career, money, relationship, kids, sin, future plans)?
- What’s the real fear behind giving that area over to God?
3. Ankle‑Deep or All In? (Ezekiel 47)
Post:
Ezekiel’s river went from ankle‑deep to deep enough to swim.
- If your walk with God right now was a depth in the river (ankle / knee / waist / swimming), what would you pick and why?
- What is one practical step that would take you “one level deeper” this week?
4. Dead Sea Places
Post:
The Dead Sea looked beyond hope, but when the river touched it, it came alive.
- Is there an area in your life that feels like a “Dead Sea” – stuck, barren, no change in sight (habits, marriage, mental health, faith, work, addiction)?
- What’s one short prayer you wish you had the courage to pray about that area?
5. False Prince Charmings
Post:
The sermon warned us not to chase “alternative prince charmings” – things we look to instead of Jesus.
- As a man, what’s your biggest “fake prince” right now: success, porn, money, comfort, approval, control, being needed, something else?
- How does chasing that actually leave you less at peace?
6. Peace in the Pressure
Post:
We heard about a woman with cancer who still had God’s peace.
- Have you ever had a moment where life was falling apart but you still sensed God’s peace? If yes, what happened?
- If not, where do you most need that kind of peace right now?
7. Hearing God in the Deep End
Post:
The picture at the end of the sermon: God holding you in the river and saying, “I love you, I’ve got you, I understand your pain, don’t give up.”
- Which phrase hits you the hardest right now, and why?
- “I love you”
- “I’ve got you”
- “I understand your pain”
- “Don’t give up”
8. One Concrete Change
Post:
Off the back of this sermon, let’s keep it simple.
- What is one small but concrete thing you want to do differently this week?
(e.g., be honest with someone about a struggle, pray before opening email, delete an app, read a psalm each day, ask your wife/partner/kids, “How can I serve you today?”)
9. Exiles in Our Own Skin
Post:
The preacher said we can feel like “exiles in our own home, strangers in our own skin.”
- Where do you feel most “out of place” in life right now—as a man, as a Christian, as a husband/father/son/friend?
- What helps you remember this world isn’t your final home?
10. Quick Prayer Swap
Post:
Let’s try something simple:
- Share just one word or short phrase for what you need God’s river to touch in your life this week (e.g., “anger,” “marriage,” “work stress,” “loneliness,” “addiction”).
- Then pick one other guy’s word and reply with a one‑line prayer for him.
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