A suggested list of questions for top book club books recommendation: In His Footsteps: How to be happy soul-deep
1. In In His Footsteps Margaret shares many conversations she has with God. Do you think it is possible to have open communication with Deity? Why or why not?
2. Margaret talks about praying for a friend and God sending her Robin. Have you ever prayed for someone to fill a certain role in your life? How was that prayer answered?
3. Margaret calls herself a “selfish server.” Can there really be such a thing? Do you think there really are people “like Carol” who do not ever even momentarily regret the loss of their own plans when they help others? If there are such people, how can you learn to react like them when chances come your way to serve?
4. In “Forgiveness,” Margaret retells an experience she had where she asked for forgiveness from a man who had wronged her. Is this something you have ever done? How do you feel when you genuinely ask for forgiveness? How do you feel when you grant true forgiveness to others?
5. Margaret realizes that her dislike of being micromanaged is a stumbling block on her daily path to get her tasks from God. What stumbling blocks might keep you from implementing Margaret’s “Do God’s To Do List first” approach to life?
6. Margaret shares a couple of stories about learning to see the best in people. She calls that “seeing people as God sees them.” If you could make yourself be seen as someone else–other than God–sees you, who would that be? Through whose eyes would you like the world to know you? Your spouse’s? Your child’s? Your best friend’s? Why?
7. In “Meeting Parker,” Margaret tells how she begged her son, Michael, not to move thousands of miles away to finish college because she was worried that he’d marry a girl from California, settle in the West and not see his family in the East very often. Michael ended up marrying an East Coast girl while Margaret met and married Parker and moved to California. Margaret points out that God has a sense of irony. Have you had a similar experience? How have you seen God’s sense of irony in your life?
8. When driving cross-country, Margaret’s six-year-old grandson, Jacob, utters a prayer for “Grandma to have faith” after Margaret worriedly reminds him that their car is not in the best condition to drive and that they might need divine intervention to complete the trip safely. What do you think this says about the faith of children? What do you think it says about children as teachers? What lessons have you learned from the children in your life?
9. Margaret tells her grandson, Jacob, that she is rich, but he doesn’t believe her. He defines rich as being able to buy whatever you want. How do you define being rich? Do you believe Margaret that she is rich or Jacob that she is not? Why?
10. In “Why Didn’t You?” Margaret suggests that it is not God’s job to keep all people safe and free in this world: it is our job as human beings. What do you think of this philosophy? How does reading this entry change to way you view your world or your role in it? What is one way you can change something you don’t like about the world?
11. This book is a selection of journal entries; not every entry from Margaret’s journal is included in the publication. She chooses to share those entries which deliver a specific message about living a God-led life. If you were to share journal entries from just three days of your life, which days would they be? Why would you choose those days? What message would they share?
12. The theme of In His Footsteps seems to be that the way to be happy is to do what God wants you to do. Is this a realistic way to live? Do you think it is possible to live a joyful life without doing God’s will? How can you be sure you are doing the tasks He wants you to do?