• When have you felt most rejected?
• Can you share an experience of turning away from God?• How have you experienced the wonder of God's great welcome home?• When did you react like the older brother?
Life experience questions on David and Goliath may be:
• What have people said to you when you made a bold statement of faith?
• How did your family react to God's calling of you?• Share a time when you trusted God and saw a miracle.
2. General experience questions
These questions draw on experiences of life without being specific as to the particular circumstances. But they are aimed still at experiences not opinions, and contain singular not plural pronouns (i.e. "you" not "we"). They help those sharing, and the audience in general, to apply the sermon story to their own situation. They are slightly less threatening than life experience questions in that they do not require quite so much specific sharing. General experience questions on the prodigal son may be:
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• How do you cope with rejection?
• What stops you going home to God when you have really failed?• In what situations does God throw a special party for you? • When do you start feeling jealous of others?
General experience questions on David and Goliath may be:
• What sorts of things make you afraid?
• How do you know when God is calling you to do something?• When are you really confident about making a stand for God in difficult situations?
3. Present experience questions
These questions try to draw out the experiences that people are going through as they listen to the sermon. They allow people to share their present emotions and experiences and therefore draw on what God is doing in their lives during the sermon. This helps others in the audience identify their own responses. Present experience questions on the prodigal son may be:
• What are you sensing when I say the words, "wild living"?
• What would you say to the dad if you were the son returning?• Are you identifying with the younger or older son?• What is God saying to you through this story?
Present experience questions on David and Goliath may be:
• What comes to your mind when I say the word, "Goliath"?
• What would you say to David if you were Saul?• Would you be as confident as David in a similar situation?
4. Feeling questions
These questions major on a person's feelings or the perceived feelings of a character in the narrative. Because they are feeling based, they draw on past feelings of the audience. They probe the responses of the audience and validate emotional reactions. They also help other listeners to get in touch with their feelings and responses. Feeling questions on the prodigal son may be: