If you want to make reading through God Is Coming a communal affair, either with a church small group, an extended family, or a group of neighbors, I’d love to offer a few suggestions. As always, I’d love to hear the creative ways you are using God Is Coming this year!

When I first started writing God Is Coming, it was with my own children in mind. They were really too young at the time, but I knew I wanted a way to communicate the enormous, beautiful, magical story of the Gospel to their young hearts.

If you know me, you may know that I have a great amount of esteem for Elizabeth Elliot. The feisty New Englander was different from me, but her passion for her God and her relentless pursuit to growth and obedience make her a model for anyone. My first born bears the name Elliot as his middle name in honor of her.

I have listened to and heard of a great amount of suffering this week. Perhaps you have too.

We were already weary, us poor frail humans

QUESTION: Was it significant that Jesus, the Son of God was placed in a manger when He was born? We actually don't know that Mary and Joseph went door to door asking for a place to stay with innkeeper's slamming doors in their faces.

QUESTION: Do you think Mary felt shame? It would have been easy to feel that way. To society at the time, it was one of the worst things a girl could do - to get pregnant before being married.

QUESTION: What would you have thought if you were Joseph and heard Mary's story? I can't imagine being in Joseph's shoes. He was a nice guy. A carpenter. Just an average man getting ready to get married.

QUESTION: How did Mary respond to the angel's words? First it's important to note that (a) this probably seemed like a huge, outlandish promise and (b) this promise could completely ruin Mary's life.

QUESTION: Why did the angel cause fear?It was pretty common for an angel’s appearance to cause fear. We don’t know exactly what Gabriel looked like, but some of the imagery from the Bible involving angels is definitely intimidating.

QUESTION: Does the story of the priest and his wife (Zachariah and Elizabeth) remind you of anyone?There are quite a few stories of men and women who longed for children in the Bible, but the one this brings to mind is the one we recently read about -- Abraham and Sarah.

QUESTION: What do you think the second line of today's poem means when it references a "new ark"? Of course this is speaking of the ark of Noah we read about on December 8th.

QUESTION: What does the word "repent" mean? To repent is to "turn away from" -- specifically to turn away from sin. All throughout the long years of Israel's history as a kingdom, God's people continued the pattern of all of humanity.

QUESTION: Are you familiar with the Psalms of David and do you know what they are about? The book of Psalms is one of my favorite parts of the Bible.

QUESTION: Why do God's people keep disobeying Him? This is an easy question to ask as an outsider reading a story. It's like watching a movie and wanting to tell the main character "Don't open that door!"

QUESTION: What was the reason for the plagues? As it says in the poem, "Pharaoh's heart hardened." In fact, in one of the more confusing Scriptures, God tells Moses, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart"

QUESTION: Do you know the story of Moses? In what ways was he an unlikely hero for God's people? Similar to Joseph, Moses has a pretty wild story. He was born at a terrible time.

QUESTION: Why do you think God would allow one of His children to be sold into slavery? You have probably heard the story of Joseph before. It's a great one. Isaac eventually had a son named Jacob and Jacob had a bunch of kids, one of whom was named Joseph.

QUESTION: What does Abraham see right after God tells him not to harm his son, and why do you think this is important? This moment is absolutely fantastic. If you've read the Biblical account you may remember that on their way up the mountain to make the sacrifice, Isaac asks his father where the lamb is.