NOTE: Alex mentions Matthew 6, but the passage is actually Mark 6. In our September 28 Sunday gathering we get closer to the conclusion of our series about rage. This week's discussion questions are below:

When was the last time you experienced real silence? What did it feel like? Refreshing,

uncomfortable, strange?

The sermon compared silence to oxygen being cut off from a fire—anger burns out in

quiet. How have you seen silence defuse anger in your own life (or in others)?

Why do you think our culture is so afraid of quiet? What do we lose by always filling

silence with noise?

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Why do you think stillness and

knowing God are connected?

Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places to pray” (Luke 5:16). Why do you think solitude

was so central to his life and ministry? What does that show us about our own need for

it?

The sermon mentioned that in silence, sometimes we face not just God but also our

enemy and our own inner struggles. Why do you think those things surface when we

slow down? How should we respond when they do?

Where in your life do you find it hardest to create space for silence and solitude?

When you do have a moment of quiet, what is your first instinct—to lean into it or to fill it

with something? Why?

What small “on-ramp” could you try this week such as: 2 minutes of quiet before

grabbing your phone, a short walk without headphones, a time of examen prayer?

10. If cultivating outrage is automatic, but cultivating peace is intentional, what intentional

practices (besides silence) do you think help us become people of peace?

11. How might building a rhythm of silence and solitude prepare you to engage a noisy and

angry world differently?

We continue our series about rage in our Sept 21 Sunday gathering. This week's discussion questions are below:

Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways have you noticed culture forming you toward outrage, anxiety, or self-centeredness? The sermon mentioned consumerism, individualism, and digital formation. Which of these has the strongest pull in your life, and how do you see it affecting your peace?

2. Read Matthew 16:24–26. What do you think Jesus means by “deny yourself” in practical, everyday terms? How does Jesus’ prayer in the garden—“Not my will, but yours”—challenge the way you usually respond when you don’t get what you want?

3. John Ortberg said, “Anger is the energy I feel when my will gets frustrated.” Can you think of a recent time when your will was frustrated? How did you respond? What would a response of peace have looked like instead? Why do you think our happiness so often depends on “getting our way”? How does that set us up for outrage?

4. The sermon suggested practices like fasting, eating leftovers, letting someone else decide, or keeping a clever thought to yourself. Which one of these would be hardest for you? How might intentionally denying yourself something small help you resist larger temptations or grow in peace?

5. How could practicing self-denial not just change you personally, but change the way you interact with your family, coworkers, or neighbors? Imagine a community of people truly living this way—laying down their right to always get their way. What impact would that have on the world around them?

6. Where in your life do you most need to practice self-denial right now? What is one concrete step you can take this week to move toward becoming a person of peace rather than outrage?

We continue our series about rage by talking about how shame both when we wield it and when it is wielded against us causes rage. This week's discussion questions are below:

What stood out to you in the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:2–11)? How does Jesus respond differently than the crowd?

How would you describe the difference between guilt and shame in your own words? Why does it matter that the gospel addresses guilt but rejects shame as identity?

Where do you see examples of “honor/shame culture” at work in our society today (online, in schools, workplaces, or even in church)?

Can you think of a time when you felt shamed or carried shame? How did it affect your relationships or your emotions?

How do you usually respond when you see someone else being shamed? Do you stay silent, join in, or push back?

In what ways has the love of Jesus helped you find freedom from shame or a false identity?

How can we as a church resist participating in the culture of shaming others? What would it look like to be a “countercultural” community of grace?

What practices can help us remember who we are in Christ when shame creeps in?

How might refusing to shame others—and refusing to carry shame ourselves—change the way we handle anger and outrage in everyday life?

In our August 7 Sunday gathering we continue our series on outrage and anger. This week's discussion questions are below: Discussion Questions

1. When was the last time you found yourself angry or outraged? Looking back, do you think there was a deeper pain beneath that anger?

2. Our culture trains us to numb pain with entertainment, distractions, or busyness. What are some of the ways you tend to numb pain rather than face it?

3. The sermon compared anger to a “dashboard light” in your heart. How does this image help you think differently about your own anger?

4. Why do you think anger can sometimes feel safer than sadness, grief, or lament?

5. Do you agree with the idea that many of us (especially in the West) are “emotionally fragile”? Why or why not?

6. What stood out to you in Psalm 88 or other lament passages in Scripture? How does it challenge your assumptions about prayer?

7. How does lament differ from rage? In what ways does lament show faith instead of weakness?

8. Why do you think modern worship and church life focus so little on lament compared to celebration and joy?

9. Is there an area of pain in your life that you’ve been ignoring, suppressing, or covering up with distractions? What would it look like to bring that pain to God in lament?

10. Who are the “peaceful people” you’ve known in your life? What role do you think lament and grief have played in shaping them?

11. How can lament—both individually and as a community—make the church a place of deeper honesty, healing, and empathy?

12. Jesus himself lamented on the cross (Matthew 27:46). How does his example shape the way we approach our own cries of pain to God?

In our August 31 Sunday gathering, we continue our series about rage. This week's discussion questions are below:

How do you usually respond when you feel angry? Do you tend to express it outwardly, or hold it inside?

Have you ever seen anger produce something good? Have you ever seen it cause harm?

Read Ephesians 4:26–32 together. What stands out to you in Paul’s teaching about anger and speech?

Why do you think Paul says not to let the sun go down on your anger? What happens when anger lingers?

In Exodus 34:6–7, God is described as “slow to anger.” What does that teach us about God’s character? How should that shape our own response to anger?

Psalm 4:4 says, “Be angry and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” How does reflection or silence help keep anger from turning into sin?

The sermon mentioned the Starbucks “Christmas cup” outrage. Why do you think Christians sometimes get caught up in cultural anger like this?

How do moments of public Christian outrage affect the way non-Christians view Jesus and the church?

Where have you seen the church respond well—slow to anger and quick to love—in a cultural conflict?

Anger often feels powerful, even “sweet,” as the sermon said. Why is anger so tempting to hold onto?

Paul says to replace destructive habits with constructive ones (Eph. 4:28). What are some constructive outlets for anger in your life?

In our August 24 Sunday gathering we kick off a new series about outrage and anger. This week's discussion questions are below:

1. Where do you see outrage most clearly in our culture today — online, in politics, at work, in traffic, in families?

2. When was the last time you felt yourself getting caught up in anger or outrage? What triggered it?

3. Which of the cultural factors mentioned in the sermon (lack of sleep, overwhelm, media, fear, economy, grief, etc.) resonates most with your own life experience? Why?

4. Do you agree that outrage has become a form of entertainment in our society? What examples have you noticed?

5. Read James 1:19–20 again. What does it practically look like to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” in your daily life?

6. James says “human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” Can you think of times when anger failed to make things right? What about times when you’ve seen love or gentleness accomplish more than outrage?

7. Jesus modeled restraint and forgiveness even when insulted, arrested, and crucified. How does His example challenge the way we normally respond to injustice or offense?

8. Where are you most tempted to believe the lie that “outrage is necessary to make a difference”?

9. What relationships in your life might be strained because of anger or frustration? What would it look like to respond differently this week?

10. How do you personally try to numb pain (busyness, entertainment, distraction)? How could lament and prayer be healthier alternatives?

11. James says true religion is to care for widows and orphans and remain unpolluted by the world. What would it look like for us to channel our energy into compassion instead of outrage?

12. As a community, how can we cultivate practices that form us into people of peace rather than people of outrage?

In our August 17 Sunday gathering we wrap up our series in Matthew for 2025, and discuss how Jesus provides in unexpected ways. This week's discussion questions are below:

1. Why do you think Matthew—out of all the Gospel writers—chose to include this unusual temple tax story?

2. What does Jesus’ conversation with Peter about kings and taxes reveal about their relationship and about Jesus’ identity?

3. In verse 27, Jesus chooses to pay the tax “so that we may not cause offense.” How do we see Him balancing truth and peace in this moment?


4. Have you ever spoken on behalf of God or assumed His will without first asking Him—like Peter seems to do here? What happened?


5. Can you think of a time when you laid down a personal right or preference to remove a barrier for someone else to see Jesus more clearly?


6. How do you personally navigate the tension between speaking truth and avoiding unnecessary offense?


. The sermon talked about God’s sovereignty and human free will—how does your understanding of that tension shape how you pray and act?


8. “If you need a fish, pray.” What’s a “fish” you need right now? How will you bring that request before God this week?


9. How can we be the “fish” God sends to someone else this week—meeting a need or showing unexpected provision?


10. In what ways does fixing your hope on the “once and future King” help you endure seasons when your “nets come up empty”?

We continue our series in Matthew, and explore why the disciples weren't ready for Jesus to die. This week's discussion questions are below: Why do you think Jesus responds with frustration in this moment? What does this teach us about his expectations for his disciples—and for us?

What does Jesus mean when he calls them an “unbelieving and perverse generation”? How might that apply to modern-day discipleship?

How does this passage challenge the way you've thought about faith? Do you relate more to faith as “belief,” or faith as “trust through action”?

Why is it significant that Jesus says faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains? What “mountains” do you think Jesus was referring to in this context?

How do faith, prayer, and fasting complement each other in the Christian life? Which of those practices is most neglected in your own life, and why?

Have you ever heard this passage used in a way that felt manipulative or disconnected from the actual context? What harm can result from misusing verses like this?

The disciples wanted to know, “Why couldn’t we do it?” What would Jesus say is your next step of growth when it comes to participating in his mission?

Jesus didn’t send the disciples away after their failure—he stayed and continued to teach. How does that truth affect how you view your own spiritual struggles?

In what ways are you “training” to become more like Jesus, rather than just trying harder to be good? What practices could help you train more intentionally?

Jesus was preparing his disciples to carry on his work without him. If someone looked at your life, would they see someone being shaped to carry on Jesus’ mission?

In our August 2 Sunday gathering we continue our series in the book of Matthew, by looking at the transfiguration of Jesus. This week's discussion questions are below:

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think the disciples felt when they saw Jesus “transfigured”? Have you ever had

a moment of spiritual clarity or awe where something about Jesus became more real to you?

2. Why do you think God said, “This is my Son, whom I love... listen to him”?vWhat might it

mean for us today to “listen to him”? Are there voices in your life that compete with Jesus’?

3. The disciples were terrified, but Jesus told them not to be afraid. What does this tell you

about how Jesus meets us in our fear? Are there ways fear holds you back from joy or deeper

faith?

4. The sermon says, “This story isn’t about rules to follow. It’s about a revelation to receive.”

How does that challenge the way you were taught to read the Bible? What happens when we

shift from “what does this mean for me?” to “what does this tell me about Jesus?”

5. The Transfiguration story is mysterious — full of unanswered questions (like how the

disciples recognized Moses and Elijah). How do you respond to parts of Scripture that leave

things unresolved? Are you comfortable with mystery in your faith, or do you feel pressure to

explain everything?

6. Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah about his “exodus.” What connections can you see

between Jesus’ mission and the Exodus story? What kind of freedom does Jesus offer us

today?

7. Peter wants to build tents and stay on the mountain — but the moment passes. Have you

ever wanted to “hold on” to a spiritual high? What might it look like to carry that experience

down the mountain into everyday life?

8. The Father says to listen to Jesus — not just Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets). How

do we balance the Old Testament and New Testament in our understanding of God? What

does it mean that Jesus “fulfills” but also supersedes the Law and Prophets?

9. In the sermon Alex says: “God is not anger or justice or holiness. God is love.” How does

that reshape your view of God’s actions in the Bible and in your life? Are there ways you've

misunderstood God because love wasn’t the starting point?

10. Peter said later, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Whose stories of faith and witness

have strengthened your own?How might you help others encounter Jesus’ glory — even in

ordinary life?

We continue our series in the book of Matthew and look at Jesus' invitation to pick up our crosses and follow him. This week's discussion questions are below: Discussion Questions:

1. Peter rebukes Jesus for predicting his death. Why do you think Peter

reacted so strongly? Have you ever resisted God’s plan because it didn’t

match your expectations?

2. Jesus calls Peter a “stumbling block.” In what ways can our good

intentions actually hinder the work of God in our lives or others?

J3. esus says we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. What does

that mean in practical terms in your daily life—relationships, work, time,

priorities?

4. Dallas Willard talks about carrying a cross as “cutting us off from normal

human existence.” What parts of your “normal” life do you find hard to let

go of? What do you want more than becoming like Jesus?

5. Jesus warns that it’s possible to gain the whole world and still forfeit your

soul. What does “gaining the world” look like today?

6. Jesus says some would see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. How

does understanding the resurrection and ascension as the beginning of

Jesus' reign shape the way you live today?

7. How does the image of Jesus as the King who dies for his people

challenge our assumptions about power, success, and leadership?

8. What would it look like this week for you to live as a disciple who’s taken

up their cross? Is there something you need to lay down, or something

you need to take up