Our hearts will always be close to you, Marlo. We will pray for you daily. Speak kindly. Love powerfully. Listen fully.
“But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”
—James 3:5-6
Discussion Questions
Use these questions for individual reflection or for discussion within your book club or small group. If your book club reads Listen and is interested in talking with me via speakerphone, please feel free to contact me through my Web site at www.renegutteridge.com, and I’ll do my best to arrange something with you. Thanks for reading!
1. Do you believe words have power over you? What about the words you speak in private? Do they still have power? over you? over someone else?
2. Can you recall an instance where words changed you, either for better or worse?
3. Kay’s life was changed by words when she was young, but the pain it caused her and others continued into the next generation. What steps can we take to make sure painful words do not continue to cause harm through more generations?
4. Why do you think Frank kept his sister a secret, even from his best friend?
5. If you were the one who discovered who was behind the Web site, would you turn them in? What if it were a friend or family member? Would you try to protect them from the consequences?
6. How have social networking sites and other technological advances—like texting and Twittering—changed what we say about ourselves and others? Do you think people feel freer to share personal details? What issues can this present?
7. If you have a damaged or estranged relationship in your life, and you were asked to write the person a letter, could you do it? Why or why not? What would make it hard or easy?
8. What are three words you’d like to have spoken about you?
9. What do you think are five of the most powerful words in the English language? What makes them powerful?
10. The Bible has a lot to say about the power of the tongue. For instance, Damien quotes James 3:5-6 in his letter to Marlo. Read and discuss the following verses: Psalm 34:12-14, Proverbs 13:3, and Proverbs 15:4.
About the Author
Rene Gutteridge is the author of sixteen novels, including the Storm series (Tyndale House Publishers) and Never the Bride, the Boo series, and the Occupational Hazards series from WaterBrook Press. She also released My Life as a Doormat and The Ultimate Gift: The Novelization with Thomas Nelson. Rene is also known for her Christian comedy sketches. She studied screenwriting while earning a mass communications degree, graduating magna cum laude from Oklahoma City University and earning the Excellence in Mass Communication Award. She served as the full-time director of drama for First United Methodist Church for five years before leaving to stay home and write. She enjoys instructing at writers conferences and in college classrooms. She lives with her husband, Sean, a musician, and their children in Oklahoma City.
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