Introduction: After Falling
1. Have you ever heard the “stupid sheep” analogy that Lisa describes? Do you agree with it? Why does Lisa react to it?

2. At age twenty-four, Lisa is tired of who she’s become. Why? Have you ever felt this way?

3. Lisa made a vow to God that she didn’t keep. How did she feel the moment she broke her vow? Have you ever experienced a moment like that? What happened?

Part One: Two Ways to Remember
1. Why does the author put a jar of honey on her kitchen table? What does it symbolize?

2. Why do fasters’ cravings seem to carry so much weight (page 20)? What are the two ways to remember a fast (page 21)? How does Lisa mostly remember hers?

3. What made Lisa cry while reading a Frederick Buechner essay? How did this change her view of Genesis 1 and God in general (page 27)? What stories, books, or messages have touched your own life and made you think differently?

4. Lisa says that after giving the new small group a chance, she’s “more excited about this group than . . . about anything in a long time” (page 36). Have you ever been a part of a community that makes you feel like this? If so, describe your experience. What are the common threads between these experiences?

5. What does Sarah’s prayer for Lisa (page 29) have to do with the new direction Lisa’s friends are heading in (page 40)?

Part Two: Withouting
1. Things seem to be moving in the right direction for Lisa. What good things are happening in her life? What is the author’s frequent thought in the midst of this time (page 53)? Have you ever had similar thoughts? If so, how do you deal with them?

2. In what ways did Lisa say that God was like asparagus (page 55)? Is that a good simile? Why or why not?

3. What is “slot-machine theology” (page 61)? Have you ever found yourself believing it?

4. Lisa says, “God withheld, I withouted” (page 71). Do you ever feel like this is how it is in your own life? What two explanations for the withholding and withouting did Lisa half-believe (page 72)? Which explanation are you more likely to believe?

5. Can you relate to Lisa’s desperation in the “E-Flirting” chapter? Have you ever become impatient and agitated about something you wanted but weren’t getting? What was your opinion of God at that moment? Do you have a different view now, as you look back?

6. What did Lisa’s typo in the Lord’s Prayer teach her (page 83)? What questions did it raise?

7. How did Job 38 change Lisa’s perspective? Now what did she think about her “unfair” life?

8. How can grace be both “terrible and captivating” (page 97)? Have you experienced this in your life?

Part Three: Fig Leaf
1. By the end of the chapter “Panties and Other Catastrophes,” Lisa’s attitude has changed, and she feels that most of her efforts “are turning out wrong” (page 111). Can you relate? Describe a time when you’ve felt this way.

2. What does Lisa mean when she says that “fasting and other spiritual disciplines . . . put physicality on faith” (page 117)? Do you agree with her? Why or why not?

3. Why do you think Lisa refers to the money scenario on the way to the airport as more than just a “blip on the grace radar” (page 126)? Why was this small incident a big deal?

4. What does Lisa mean by the term Woe Poker (page 128)? Can you think of a time when you’ve played this game yourself?

5. What questions did Dr. P— ask Lisa at the end of their first session (page 137)? What was Lisa’s response at the time? Would you be able to answer these questions in your own life?

6. What was the word naked originally understood to mean (page 140)? How did that meaning change? What does Genesis have to do with it?

7. Lisa thought “a life in Christ was about elegance and polish” (page 141). Have you ever thought of faith in this way? Can you think of any examples in Scripture or from your own experiences that support or contradict this?

8. Describe the sheep on Lisa’s farm (page 144). What does that say about our being compared to sheep in the Bible?

9. What does the author say is the silver lining of our endless fallenness (page 145)? Do you agree?

Part Four: Cheap Sweet Counterfeit
1. What was Lisa’s silent sermon about? Why was it not as significant as she thought on that Sunday morning (page 152)?

2. What change took place fifty or sixty days into Lisa’s fast? How did this change affect the way she looked at her spiritual life? What important question did she begin to ask herself (page 155)?

3. Why was Lisa afraid of allowing God to bless her? When Lisa gives God a “wild opportunity to be sweet” to her, he takes it (page 158). Have you allowed God the room to bless you in your life? How have you seen his sweetness recently?

4. Why did the three bumper stickers on the car in front of Lisa bother her? Do you have any pet peeves that might cause you to react like this? What does Lisa learn about grace from that incident (page 170)?

5. Describe Lisa’s scene at the mirror in the “Chastity Belt” chapter (pages 178–179). Can you relate to her feelings in this moment?

6. What are the three kinds of love in the Greek language? How does an understanding of these words help us see the seemingly repetitive conversation between Jesus and Peter in a new light (page 182)? Why is Peter hurt after Jesus’s third question? What lesson does Peter learn, and how does it relate to Lisa’s story?

7. What example of sacrifice does the author use in the “Signed Up” chapter? Can you think of other examples of people making sacrifices? Why is sacrifice so important to us?

8. According to Lisa, what is the “scandal of grace” (page 198). Explain.

Part Five: By Flock
1. What was Lisa’s grandma’s response to help? Why do you think that is? Do you have a similar response when it comes to grace? If so, why?

2. Lisa says, “More people only complicate things further” (page 209). Do you agree? Why or why not?

3. Why did Lisa want to keep her fast a secret as much  as possible? Were these reasons good ones or not?

4. What made Lisa almost leave her church? What do you think made her stay (page 216)?

5. How did Lisa feel about kissing Tom? Why was it so hard for her to tell Cora about what had happened (page 217)?

6. What is the significance of giving and receiving the ashes on Ash Wednesday? Are there any holidays, rituals, or traditions that are especially meaningful in your spiritual life?

7. What was Cora’s response when Lisa finally confessed about the wedding mistake (page 224)? What happened to the “ladder-faith” Lisa had always clung to (page 225)? Have you ever had a moment of confession in your own life that gave you the opportunity to give or receive grace?

8. What quality in sheep makes them actually quite smart (page 228)? What can we learn from them about community?

9. What finally changes Lisa’s mind about accepting grace completely (page 233)? Have you accepted the grace in your own life? What have you learned about the topic through reading this book? What stands out to you the most?