Chapter One:
- In what ways have you blamed God for your loss?
- What are the obstacles that are keeping you from focusing on the loving and caring nature of God?
- Who is that ‘Ruth’ in your life that desires to come along side of your pain? What is one thing you can do to allow them to be present with you?
Chapter Two:
- Which of the three principles of the ‘death talk’ connect with you the most? Why?
- How would you describe your ‘ragged edge of grief’?
- What role does your unwritten messages of being worthy have on your daily thoughts and emotions?
Chapter Three:
- It has been said in 2 Cor. 1: 3-4 that God dispenses care and comfort to those in need. In what ways do you need this now?
- In what areas of your life do you need the Divine Healing of God (physical, emotional and/or spiritual)?
- How are your emotional tires? In what ways can you add more life to your emotional tires?
Chapter Four:
- What obstacles do you think King David was able work through so he could adapt through the trauma his child’s death?
- What does it mean that the ‘sting of death’ has been taken away? How does this truth provide courage for us to face death without fear?
Chapter Five:
- When faced with emotional hurt, is there something warm and positive that is slowing making its way into dark corners of your heart?
- Describe any ‘signposts’ that maybe pointing to something good in your future. In what ways should you respond to these positive ‘signposts’?
Chapter Six:
- Why is it so uncomfortable in hearing others talk about dying?
- What message is being muffled by your ‘hushing’?
- In what ways can you pivot to provide positive words of caring and listening support to someone facing death?
Chapter Seven:
- What would be some good reasons to visit the grave sites of your loved one(s)?
- In what ways would it be healing for you to remember the memories that have meaning and value to your life? Why is this?
Chapter Eight:
- What unresolved ‘stuff’ is still in your hurt locker?
- Describe how important the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection points to something special and joyful in our lives? In what ways can you allow the healing of Jesus with your ‘stuff’?
Chapter Nine:
- How God is actively meeting your thirsty, dry, and ragged soul? What refreshing message is God doing in your soul care?
- How difficult is it to embrace the fact that God deeply cares for us during times of heartache? What kinds of obstacles need to be removed to make this more of a reality?
Chapter Ten:
- Who is the person in your life that speaks your ‘language’ of hurt and loss? In what ways do they demonstrate this for you?
- Because God is concerned for your well-being, what are the effects of His comfort in your life?
Chapter Eleven: The Final Frontier
- How would you describe your emotional whirlwind?
- How is God calming your whirlwind?
- How tight is your grip on the promise of eternal life? What is the relationship between how God values you and your grip on Him?
Chapter Twelve: The Silver Pocketknife
- What kinds of ‘artifacts’ trigger sharp memories with past loved ones?
- Which ‘overt’ rules still live on from your loved one? How does this impact your emotional well-being?
- Take a moment to think about those personal items that would be meaningful to you. What brings fond memories of their loving legacy?
Chapter Thirteen: The Strawberry Patch
- How do I know if I am in this state of shalom and well-being due to the loss of a loved one?
- What kinds of goodness are dripping into your heart?
- In what ways is Jesus is stitching your ragged edge of emotions with the smooth silky garment of God’s presence?
Chapter Fourteen: Commencement
- In what ways will you celebrate the work of God’s healing hand in restoring your heart and head into a new purposeful chapter in your life?
- Are there are those around you that would benefit from the content of this resource? If so, how can this resource be a source of restoring grieving relationships?
- What are those obstacles that may keep you from applying the well-being of God’s Shalom in your life? How can you use the obstacles as opportunities to grow and learn from your journey into “Two Stiches and A Patch.”?
Bonus Material
- What does it mean that God’s comfort can be intermittent, which means it comes and goes during our emotional cycle?
- In what ways have your experienced a burst of comfort from God? How did you respond?