Ripple Effects Study Questions: Chapter Six

Ripple Effects by Pam Tebow

Chapter Six

1. Truth is: I hate reading directions! And devoting the required time, in the midst of a busy life, to reading a comprehensive book providing detailed operating instructions goes against my human nature. But then, there’s not much at stake with a toaster oven or clock radio. There is a lot at stake for a wife, mother, student, friend, employee, or neighbor – in short, for all of us. We need the directions to life! Is there a manual for that?” – Pam Tebow, page 82
   1. Can you relate to Pam’s dislike of reading instruction manuals for various appliances? For things that feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things?
   2. What is your personal threshold for sitting down to read instructions?
2. “The Bible has since become the Manual for my life. And my goal is to study the directions, in order to learn and to have eternal influence on the people in my sphere.” – Pam Tebow, page 83
   1. What do you think Pam means by “eternal influence?”
3. Pam refers again and again to verses “that became mine.” (pp. 75, 90)
   1. What do you think she means by that?
   2. Have you ever found a verse or passage to internalize and make your own?
      • If you want to, please share what it is and one of the ways it helped you.
4. “Our goal as parents was to weave God’s Word into the fabric of our children’s lives through discussing it during the routine of ordinary days.” – Pam Tebow, page 84
   1. In the prior paragraph, Pam shared how her daughter, Christy, was grateful for training Bob and Pam gave her from childhood in “engrafting the Word of God, because it gave her a grid to filter everything through.” (p. 84)
      • What is a benefit of having a grid to filter life through?
      • What did your childhood grid look like and how did growing up require you to rewire that grid?
        • How did coming to faith further cause that grid to need to reworking?
   2. What did you think of Bob and Pam’s creative way of “encouraging” their children to memorize Scripture through the Daddy’s Dollars? 😉 (p. 85)
   3. Have you ever listened to Scripture set to music? Or, set Scripture to music yourself?

Ripple Effects Study Questions: Chapter Five

Ripple Effects by Pam Tebow

Chapter Five

1. What rose up in you when you read about Pam’s pregnancy, first obstetric visit, and bleeding issues? (p.65)
   1. “Bob and I were convinced that our only choice was to leave my life and the life of our child in God’s hands, so I made the conscious choice to trust God.” -Pam Tebow, page 65
      • Most of us have likely never had to have this level of trust (overseas on bedrest without an abundance of available medical or communication options) in God’s perfect plan, but what about other situations?
2. When Pam was living the circumstances we read about in the first part of the chapter, she had no idea that someday her story would be broadcast around the world on ESPN.
   1. “Only God writes stories like this! . . .God uses the most unlikely people for influence – in my case, an anonymous missionary, home-school mom.” – Pam Tebow, page 69
      • Do you ever get caught up in looking around at what everyone else is doing and get discouraged by your own circumstances?
      • Does hearing Pam’s story help you see that God could be in the process of writing an amazing faith story in your family?
   2. “People need the hope that can only come from our big God, and life-impacting influence takes place when we share our hope with those who are desperate to know its source.” (p. 69)
      • Think back to a low point in your life. Who helped point you back to a place of hope? Do you think that person was intentionally trying to lift you up or were they speaking a truth to you that your circumstances had temporarily blinded you to?
      • Do you know anyone in a low spot? Is there a way you can speak hope and truth to that person?
3. “The Lord uses hard things to bring us to a point of need and dependence. As He meets our needs, we learn to trust Him.” – Pam Tebow, page 70
   1. Why do you think He uses increasingly hard things to grow us? If God is our perfect Heavenly Father, what does that say about His parenting style?
      • Pam tells us that “At this point in my life, I stake my faith in a very big, faithful God. And through time and experience, He has proven Himself trustworthy.” (p. 70)
      • “An ordinary woman is made extraordinary by her faith.” – Pam Tebow, page 72
        • Our Heavenly Father is seeking to make us extraordinary. Isn’t that amazing?

Ripple Effects Study Questions: Chapter Four

Ripple Effects by Pam Tebow

Chapter Four

1. After sharing with us about when God told her that she and and her family needed to move to the Philippines, Pam asks us, “How would you process an outrageous and unexpected prompting from the Lord?” (p. 49)
   1. “I felt as if I were in a tug-of-war with God that night, asking questions, but receiving no answers.” – Pam Tebow, page 50
      • Have you ever felt like you’ve been in a tug-of-war with God? Who won? How did that work out?
   2. She may not have gotten immediate answers to her practical questions, but she did have two verses from Jeremiah come to mind that gave her “much-needed courage for that moment and for months to come.” (p. 50)
      • Have you ever practiced the spiritual discipline of Scripture memorization?
        • If so, has it ever blessed you the way it did Pam?
        • If not, are you willing to give it a try?
        • What do you imagine that might look like in your day-to-day life?
2. “Put simply, faith is trusting God, even when we don’t have a clue how his plan will unfold. And a trust relationship grows only one way: by making the choice to trust.” – Pam Tebow, page 50
   1. Have you decided to trust God against the external odds? What did that look like in your life and in the actions and reactions of the people around you?
   2. “Faith is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the bigger it becomes.” Bob Tebow, p. 50
      • Have you experienced this growth of faith through an exercise of trust?
      • If not with faith, how about love? Have you ever chosen to trust in someone’s declaration of love for you when your feelings told you otherwise?
3. “During this huge transition in our lives,” Pam says of their move to the Philippines, “I realized that my attitude would directly impact my children’s attitudes, so I determined to exercise my faith muscles and be positive.” She continues on to explain that “Mothers do not need to search for someone to influence. We have an audience who will mimic us, whether we want them to or not.” (pp. 53-54)
   1. Think of a time one of your kids copied something you said or did and you found it highly embarrassing. Or, if your child(ren) aren’t old enough, try to remember back to a time you embarrassed one of your parents by copying them.
      • Have you ever heard or found yourself saying something to the effect of “Do as I say, not as I do?”
      • How has that worked out?
4. “The enemy knows our weaknesses, fears, and doubts. He appeals to our desire to know how our story ends before we finish the first chapter. Should we put down the challenging book we are living out and try to write our own version?” – Pam Tebow, page 55
   1. What do you think Pam is saying here?
   2. “Don’t give the enemy access to your pen or computer to finish your story. Remember that even challenges can be moments of influence. People in your sphere are watching you. They need to see if you can trust your God when your world falls apart.” (p. 56)
      • Think back in your own life to where you saw someone trust or not trust God during a crisis.
        • What did their faith (or lack thereof) do to you?
        • Did it build your faith or not? Perhaps, it inspired you to do the exact opposite?
        • Now, think about your current circumstances. Do you need to spend some time unearthing any lies you’ve taken for fact and asking God to replace those lies with His truth? (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
5. “When we remember that God is our Master, we can trust Him to guide our every step. And when we do, our children and others who watch us will be encouraged to trust Him too.” – Pam Tebow, page 59
   1. Don’t answer out loud. Just take a few minutes to read and re-read the quotes above. Then ask yourself if you really, truly believe it. If not, ask God to help you get there. He’s faithful and He loves you.

 

Ripple Effects Study Questions: Chapter Three

Ripple Effects by Pam Tebow

Chapter Three

1. On page 32, Pam shares about falling prey to Superwoman Syndrome: “If you just stick to your plan, work harder, get up earlier or stay up later, and do everything you are supposed to do in the way you are supposed to do it – then you will be successful!” Later, she shares that she’s “since learned that real life offers plenty of opportunities to remind us that no matter how sparkly our capes or how strong our capabilities, certain days, or even seasons, will leave us overwhelmed and drowning in responsibilities, without energy to spare.”
   1. Have you ever struggled with Superwoman Syndrome? If so, what did it take to wake you up to the shackles of those unrealistic expectations? Do you still struggle with it?
   2. Do you remember where you first encountered the expression, “God helps those who help themselves?”
      • What emotions does this expression raise up in you? Pride? Fear? Something else?
2. Pam talks about how hard it was when she and Bob began homeschooling their kids. Bob didn’t have any issues with people talking behind their backs or weird looks, but Pam told us, “it would sure be easier with a few more people on my team.” (p. 35)
   1. Have you ever felt this way?
   2. “And then I discovered these verses: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV (p. 35)
      • Although Pam quotes this passage in reference to homeschooling, Jesus was talking about all areas of our lives. What area(s) do you need to surrender to Him? If you’re having trouble thinking of something, think through your life and relationships – what feels like it is crushing you? Your schedule? Your finances or marriage? Your relationship to your parents or siblings? Take anyone or thing that came to mind and tell God about it and how it’s making your feel. Ask Him to help you carry and find rest in these areas.
3. *

 

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*Hi, there! I wasn’t able to finish the questions for this chapter and haven’t gotten back to them yet. However, I have the next several chapters done and ready to publish. So…I’m going to go ahead and publish this so that I can keep the posts in order – with the understanding that I will get back to this and finish it up.