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The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

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Adult Sunday School Weekly Reading Guide (13 week span)

Text: Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Week 1:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 1 paragraph 1 reads: "But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

-         What is the author saying?

-         Can anyone give a personal example of this?

-         Are there examples in the life of the church?

2.                  Pg. 2 paragraph 2 reads:  "After all those years he could hear trouble.

-         What does that say about Eddie's life and his job?

-         Is there anything wrong or right about that?

-         Are there similar examples in your life?

3.                  Pg. 5 last paragraph says Eddie is the 'ride man' at Ruby Pier.

-         What would/do people call you and why?

-         What would you like for people to "call you" and why?

4.                  Pg. 7  Catching the fish on the line, Eddie wonders how Dominguez can remain so optimistic.

-         Why?

-         What does that say about both men?

-         Who would you be more like, and why?

5.                  Pg. 9 A true love snapshot

-         Is that true, does everyone have one?  Do you have one?

-         Is there a true Christ snapshot in your life?  Why or why not?

6.                  Pg. 10  No story sits by itself. Sometimes stories meet at corners, and sometimes they cover on another completely, like stones beneath a river.

-         Is that true or false?  If so, how, if not why not?

7.                  Pg 13.  How do people choose their final words?  Do they realize their gravity? Are they fated to be wise?

-         What does Eddie believe about people's final words?

-         What were Eddie's final words?

-         What would you like your final words to be?

-         What were Christ's final words?

8.                  Pg 18  How did Eddie die?

-         Why do you think, based on what you know of Eddie from the first section, he tried to save the little girl?

General Discussion:

9.                  Monday, between 2:00 and 3:00 pm, what will you be doing (or likely be doing)? Why?

-         If you knew it was the last hour of your life, what would you do and why?

-         What made the difference?  Should it have?

Week 2:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg.19 The first 'Today is Eddie's Birthday' describes his first birthday.

-         How have things changed with respect to hospitals and childbirth since Eddie's birth?

2.                  Pg. 20 The novel describes how some have described their moments after death.

-         Why are these stories known or why have they been related to those yet living?

-         Why do you believe Eddie isn't going to get a 'second chance'?

3.                  Pg. 21-22 What are some of the questions Eddies asks himself?  What is missing?

-         Why do you feel Eddie's pain and worry are no longer present?

-         What might it say to you if his pain and worry were present?

4.                  Pg. 23  The second 'Today is Eddie's Birthday' describes Eddie's 5^th birthday.

-         How dies Eddie interpret Mickey Shea's breath? What does that say about his innocence?

-         Who does his mother say is proud of Eddie? How does that make him feel? Why?

-         What is his father doing during the party? How does that contrast to the first birthday?

5.                  Pg. 26-29 Eddie arrives at Ruby Pier, but what is different?

-         How did he get there (pg 22 top)? Might this be significant?

-         What does Eddie do that he hasn't done in over 60 years?

-         "The running boy is inside very man, no matter how old he gets." Is that true? Why or why not, and what does it say about we humans? Is it the same (or something similar) or women?

6.                  Pgs. 28 - 31 The barker draws Eddie to what attraction?

-         Why did Eddie believe the sideshows closed down? Do you agree? Could a sideshow exist today?  Why or why not?

-         Did people who were Christians visit sideshows? What movies, television and other attractions do Christians today watch or visit?  Is there a difference between today and fifty years ago?

7.                  Pg. 31  Who is waiting for Eddie?

-         Upon arriving in heaven, who do you believe would be the first one to greet you? Why?

-         What do you believe Eddie's reaction will be to seeing the Blue Man? What would your reaction be?

General Discussion:

8.                  Do you believe Eddie knows where he is, or what is going on? What makes you believe this?

-         In your mind's eye, how do you envision Heaven?

Week 3:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 33 When Eddie wonders how long he has been dead, the Blue Man answers, "A minute. An hour. A thousand years."

-         What is the Blue Man indicating?

-         Why might time in Heaven differ from Earthly time measure?

-         What consequences might that have considering our finite understanding of God's universe?

2.                  Pg. 34 The Blue Man tells Eddie that, "People often belittle the place where they were born. But Heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners."

-         Why does Eddie think that the Ruby Pier if his childhood, being Heaven, is ridiculous?

-         Do you believe that there is some truth to the Blue Man's statement?

3.                  Pg. 35 The Blue Man explains that Eddie will meet five people in Heaven, he explains that, "People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place were they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless."

-         How would you interpret that statement, and do you agree?

4.                  Pg. 35  The Blue Man goes on to explain that, the solace, "is the greatest give God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for."

-         Do you agree with that statement? Why or why not.

-         What is the greatest gift God has given to mankind—to you?

5.                  Pg. 38 Joe runs off but seven year old Eddie stays to retrieve his baseball, when confronted by one of the freaks from the show, what does this say about Eddie as a kid?

-         How might this translate to him growing to an adult, contrasted with his older brother?

6.                  Pg. 39-41  Describe the Blue Man's life from childhood to adulthood.

-         What was missing in his life?

-         Why would the Blue Man be the type of person Christ called us to care for, or accept as a neighbor?

-         Why didn't Christians do that for the circus freaks back then? Do they today? Would our congregation?

7.                  Pg. 41 The Blue Man explained how his life as a commodity had begun, once he joined the traveling carnivals.

-         Do we live life as a commodity as well?

8.                  Pg. 42  Why is the Ruby Pier of Eddie's childhood the Blue Man's heaven?

-         If Heaven were as described in the novel, what would be 'your heaven'? Why?

9.                  Pg. 43  What lesson or understanding do you, as a Christian, take away from the two perspectives of the same event that lead to the Blue Man's death?

General Discussion:

10.              Eddie's 8^th birthday was spent at the Blue Man's funeral. In retrospect, how should his attitude been different that what it was—not wanting to go, counting backwards hoping he gets his birthday back.

-         Can you recall such moments, ones that bring to mind the importance of forgiveness?

Week 4:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 47-48 When Eddie learns that it was he who caused the Blue Man’s death, he squares is body as if bracing for a fight and says, “But now I gotta Pay. For my sin. That’s why I’m here, right? Justice?”

-         What does it say about Eddie?

-         Why might Eddie see that (pay for sins/justice) as why he is in heaven?

2.                  Pg. 48 What is the Blue Man saying when he says: “That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.”

-         What is the Blue Man saying and do you agree? Why or why not?

3.                  Pg. 48 The Blue Man explains that: “Fairness does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die?”

-         To you, what defines a good person?

-         Do you believe ‘fairness doesn’t govern life and death here on earth? Why  or  why not?

4.                  Pg. 48 Read: My Funeral… to pg 49…And to Funerals.”

-         Do you agree with that statement or assessment of life and death?

5.                  Pg. 49 The Blue Man explains to Eddie: “Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know.”

-         Do Christ’s teachings agree with this statement? Yes or no. Explain.

-         In your experience, is the statement true?

6.                  Pgs. 53-55  Eddie’s 17^th Birthday, what is his relationship to his older brother, his father and his mother?

-         How does Eddie interact with each family member? What does it say about the family?

7.                  Pgs. 56 to 57. After the Blue Man leaves, Eddie travels to another place in Heaven. What could this place best be described as?

-         What had found Eddie, even in Heaven?

8.                  Pg. 58  What is Ruby Pier like after the United States has entered the war?

-         Why do you think Eddie went to war?

-         How did his father, his mother, and Mickey Shea respond to Eddie’s enlisting?

General Discussion:

9.                  What was the Blue Man’s main message or lesson for Eddie?

-         How does his message reflect Christ’s teachings and how we are to act as Christians?

-         How can this message be used to introduce our neighbors to Christ?

Week 5:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 60 What does the rifle stuck in the ground with the helmet signify (or stand for) based on Eddie’s military experience?

-         What might this marked grave signify? What did Eddie lose as a soldier?

2.                  Pg. 61 Who does Eddie meet in Heaven and where?

-         Why do you think the Captain said: “Betcha didn’t expect me, huh?”  with respect to him being Eddie’s second person?

3.                  Pg. 62 - 64 Eddie learned many things during the war. What were some of them?”

-         Which ones do you believe are the most profound?

-         What does it say about Eddie that he ‘never learned to be a prisoner’?

4.                  Pg. 64 What promise did the Captain make to all of the men in his company?

-         Is it a promise that he could guarantee to keep?

-         Why did he make the promise?

-         How is the Captain’s promise similar to Christ’s promise? How is it different?

5.                  Pg. 64-65 Eddie tells the Captain, “Look, there’s some mistake. I still don’t know why I’m here. I had a nothing life, see? I worked maintenance.  I lived in the same apartment for years…I did nothing to be proud of…”

-         Why might Eddie feel that he shouldn’t be in Heaven?

-         Is he right? Why or why not?

6.                  Pg. 68  How did Eddie adapt to captivity?

-         What life experiences had prepared Eddie for his captivity?

7.                  Pg. 69 - 71. Eddie wasn’t much for praying, but when he did pray while in captivity, what did he pray for?

-         What was the purpose of Eddie’s prayers? Were they ‘right’ or ‘wrong’?

-         What event caused Eddie to stop paying? What changed in Eddie’s view/what did he lose?

-         When the Captain saw the oil, what did he tell Eddie they were digging?

8.                  Pg. 71-76  How does Eddie help effect or initiate their escape from captivity?

-         Was it right or wrong, killing the Japanese soldiers, even the one who snuck food to Eddie and his fellow GIs? Why or why not?

-         Did Eddie regret the action of killing the Japanese soldiers? (Discussed later in the book). Would it affect you? Why or why not?

General Discussion:

9.                  Why do Eddie and the other GI’s decide to burn the camp down?

-         Is there any symbolism with respect to Eddie’s escape and burning down the prisoner camp?

 Week 6:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 80 “A freed soldier is often furious. The days and nights he lost, the torture and humiliation he suffered—it all demands a fierce revenge, a balancing of the accounts.”

-         Does this statement, especially in light of Eddie’s experience, seem logical and reasonable?

-         What would Christ’s message be?

-         Can there be any intersection or compromise with: An eye for an eye (Exodus 21:24) vs. turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)?

-         Was destroy8ing the mine wrong? Burning the buildings? Explain.

2.                  Pg. 83 Reading: “He stepped forward convinced…so very tired. (pg 83-84)

-         Why does Eddie attempt to enter the burning building, the one he had just set fire to?

-         Why does Eddie feel ready to die, for the first time in his life?

3.                  Pgs. 86-89  Who shot Eddie in the leg?

-         Why did the Captain shoot Eddie? What promise was he trying to keep?

-         Why did Eddie attack the Captain?

-         The Captain explains to Eddie that he took his leg to save his life. It wasn’t his time. How does this tie back to the Blue Man’s lesson, and how might it reflect God’s plan for Eddie?

4.                  Pg. 90 What happened Captain after he crossed through the gate?

-         What might the symbolism be, with the gate and looking to the sky just before he steps on the landmine?

-         How does this tie into the Captain’s promise? The physical salvation he’d promised?

5.                  Pg. 90 Despite the Captain’s death, the bullet stayed in Eddie’s leg.”

-         How did this affect Eddie the rest of his life? Physically and Spiritually?

-         What promise did the bullet allow Eddie to keep to Marguerite? If he’d have looked at it that way, might it have changed Eddie’s life? Explain.

-         Do you think the Captain was satisfied with the cost to keep his promise to the men in his platoon? Explain.

General Discussion:

6.                  When we make a vow at the altar upon marriage, or bring a child into the world, at the time of the promise and commitment, do we know the cost?

7.                  When we make a promise to follow Christ, do we know the personal cost of that promise?

Week 7:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pgs. 90-92 The Captain talks again about time, and relates to death being like sleep, tying into Adam and Eve, Adam lying down to sleep, thinking it’s the end of everything, but it’s not.

-         Do you agree with this analogy for death?  Why or why not?

-         What did Eddie notice about the Captain’s age, compared to his own? Why did it surprise Eddie a little?

2.                  Pg. 93 The Captain’s message is about sacrifice.  He said, “Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be.”

-         Do you agree with the Captain’s assessment? Explain.

-         Do you believe Christ would agree with the Captain’s statement? Explain.

-         What is sacrifice?

-         What didn’t Eddie get about sacrifice during his life?

3.                  Pgs. 93-94  Eddie tells the Captain about his sacrifice, “But you lost your life.” The Captain replies, “That’s the thing. Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.”

-         What was he trying to explain to Eddie?

-         What was symbolic about the Captain throwing the rifle that was once stuck in the ground, the ‘symbolic grave’, and it never landing?

4.                  Pg. 94 What promise did the Captain get to keep by shooting Eddie in the leg?

-         What had the Captain been waiting for from Eddie?

-         What does that say to you about the Captain and about Eddie for forgiving him?

5.                  Pgs. 95-96 Why did the Captain pick that place for his heaven?

-         How was it different from what Eddie saw? Why do you think it was different?

6.                  Pg. 97 Why do you think that Dominguez and Willie sit in the shop, waiting for the old man to come in?  They know he is gone.

-         What does it say about human nature, routine, and our earthly experience?

7.                  Pg. 100 What kind of building or business does Eddie find in the mountains (the next part of heaven he visits)?

-         Who does he see there and how does he respond?

-         Why does he respond that way where others might do so differently if the saw their father?

General Discussion:

8.                  Thinking of sacrifice, how does it link us to Christ? How does the Blue Man’s message of connection, how one life affects another, ties into that?

 Week 8:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pgs. 104-106 Do you agree with the novel’s assertion: “All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of it’s handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.”

-         How was Eddie ‘damaged’ by his father? (violence, neglect, denial of affection, silence)

-         What does this say about children as God’s creation and mankind’s many flaws.

-         Do you agree with the novel’s assertion: “…because sons will adore their fathers through even the worst behavior. It is how they learn devotion. Before he can devote himself to God or a woman, a boy will devote himself to his father, even foolishly, even beyond explanation.”

-         What lessons did Eddie’s father teach him about life (fighting, working, self reliance?)

2.                  Pg. 109  Eddie doesn’t recognize the older lady, his third person. Who does he expect to see in heaven, and why?

3.                  Pg. 114 Why does Eddie want to go back to his life on Earth?

-         Why do you think he can’t he go back?

-         What does he offer to do or change if he’s allowed to go back? What does this indicate to you?

-         Why does Eddie feel that he can’t find peace? What point or points about life and death is he missing?

-         When Eddie asked if he could talk to God, Ruby said he could always do that. Why do you think Eddie didn’t take her up on that offer/suggestion?

4.                  Pg. 115 What did Eddie mean when he said to others about Ruby Pier…”You know where I work at the end of the line. That’s where I work.

-         What metaphor might that statement have for Eddie’s opinion of his job and life?

-         Although this was discussed before buy us, who would Eddie have identified himself as first…Maintenance man at Ruby Pier, Husband, Son, Brother, Friend…or something else?

-         What would you identify yourself as? Would the context or place of the discussion change your answer?

5.                  Pgs. 118-119 What is, or explain the darkness that travels with Eddie during his life…in his dreams and daily routine?

-         Why doesn’t he discuss the darkness with his wife? Would it have made a difference?

-         Might it have made a difference if he had not lost his faith back during the war? Why or why not?

6.                  Pgs. 120-122 When Ruby Pier burned, Emile never recovered (his sprit was broken as was his body). Might it have been because he lost his fortune? Or that his splendid gift to his wife was gone? Explain.

-         What does this say about earthly possessions vs. love?

7.                  Pg. 123 Ruby explains to Eddie: “Things that happen before you are born still affect you. And people who come before your time affect you as well. We move through places every day that would never have been if not for those who came before us. Our workplaces, where we spend some much time—we often think they begin with our arrival. That’s not true.”

-         What does this say about Eddie’s perspective on life? Does this perspective affect us as well?

-         How does this tie into the Blue Man’s message and the Captain’s message or lesson?

8.                  Pg. 126 When Eddie goes to the hospital, where his father is dying, he holds up his grease-stained fingertips. What is he saying to his father?

9.                  Pg. 126 The novel asserts: “Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them—a mother’s approval, a father’s nod—are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It’s not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.

-         Is this true?

-         What might this suggest about parents providing a foundation of Christian faith to their children?

10.              Pg. 127 Of all the things Eddie could’ve taken from his father’s drawer after he died, why do you think he took a pack of cards?

-         What is one thing that you believe your children, family or close friends might take as a piece of your life to remember you?

11.              Pg. 128 Why did Eddie curse his father for the situation Eddie which felt trapped in after his old man died?

Week 9:         

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 130 What does Eddie worry about happening at his park that has happened at others?

-         Why does he feel it’s his responsibility?

2.                  Pg. 133  What was the last thing Eddie’s father ever said to him?

-         What did Ruby indicate was positive about his father’s words?

-         Why did Eddie respond, saying she didn’t know the guy, instead of accepting her point?

3.                  Pg. 133-136 What does Eddie see Mickey Shea attempt to do to his mother?

-         Why does Mickey Shea do what he did?

-         When Eddie’s father comes home and finds Mickey attempting to sexually assault his wife, how does he respond?

-         Although Eddie’s father chased Mickey, intending to hurt, if not kill, him, why did he in the end save Eddie?

-         What motivated Eddie’s Dad to save Mickey? What was he able to do?

-         Why might Eddie’s mother not have accepted her husbands passing, and saying she should have done something?

4.                  Pg. 138 When Eddie and Ruby are discussing why his father died, Ruby says it was due to loyalty. When Eddie disagrees, she indicates that people die of loyalty for  “Religion, Government. Are we not loyal to such things, sometimes to the death?”

-         What experience, at least with loyalty did Eddie have during the war?

-         What about risking his life at Freddie’s Free Fall for the little girl?

-         Do you agree, when Ruby says, “Better to be loyal to one another”—as opposed to relation or government.” Do you agree? Would Christ agree? Why or why not?

5.                  Pg. 139 When Eddie’s father awoke alone during the night in the hospital, why do you think he went to the window?

-         Who did he call for? Why those people?

-         What regrets might Eddie’s father have had? Would that make it ‘harder’ to let go, to die? Why?

6.                  Pg. 140 Upon learning of the true cause his father’s death, and his final moments on Earth, Eddie wonders which is worse left unexplained: a life or a death? What is he asking?

-     Is there merit to Eddie’s question?

7.                  Pg. 141 What was Ruby’s heaven (where she waited for Eddie) and who populated it? Why?

-         If so, why do you believe Eddie’s father was there?

8.                  Pgs. 141-143 When Eddie explains that he hated his father, Ruby says, “Learn this from me. Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks a person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.”

-         Do you agree with Ruby’s statement?

-         Although Ruby’s statement sounds ‘common sense’, why is hate so prevalent in our society?

-         How can one respond to hate directed at them?

-         How did Christ respond to hate directed at him?

-         What does Ruby say Eddie must do with respect to his father?

-         Why was this such a hard thing for Eddie? What did he blame his father for?

9.                  Pg. 144 Eddie forgave his Father, even though he didn’t fully understand all that his father did and why he did what he did to Eddie and his family.

-         Is it necessary to understand someone’s motivations to forgive them?

-         Why is it so hard to forgive? Why is it so relieving? Why don’t we always connect the result of forgiving with the result?

-          Is it important to accept forgiveness? Was Mickey Shea able to do this? What did it do to him?

General Discussion 

10.              His is more important: Justice or Mercy? Why?

 Week 10:       

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pgs. 146 – 147 As Eddie enters his next ‘heaven’ to meet his 4^th person, he is struck with two images or facts: One, he does not cast a reflection in the mirror. Two, he is aging, rotting away with each stage.

-         What does this, as a readier, indicate to you?

-         Based in Eddie’s experiences thus far, what might it indicate to him?

2.                  Pgs. 147 - 148 What events does Eddie find through each door of this heaven?

-         What do you feel weddings and associated receptions represent in life?

-         What did Eddie think of weddings and receptions? Why do you think he felt this way about them?

-         How did the pattern of weddings change throughout Eddie’s life? How did he ‘participate’?

-         What is the significance of marriage in the Church? What is its purpose?

3.                  Pg. 150 Who does Eddie meet at one of the weddings?

-         What does Marguerite say upon meeting Eddie? What does such a saying indicate about marriage?

-         How might a marriage correspond to a Christian’s life in the church and possibly his/her relationship with Christ?

4.                  Pgs. 151-153 Why is Eddie embarrassed that his wife is dressed in the Ruby Pier attire when his brother Joe visits?

-         When it was finally determined that a Eddie and his wife could not have children, and they looked into adoption, Eddie felt they were too old. His wife responded, “What’s too old to a child?”  What is too old to a child?

-         Is there anything in life that one gets too old to do or experience? If so, what and possibly why or for what purpose?

-         Is one ever too old to come to know Christ? Why might someone who doesn’t know him, feel such?  How does this attitude reflect Eddie’s view on life?

5.                  Pg. 155 Describe Eddie and Marguerite’s wedding?

-         What was the only thing “missing”—often joked about by Marguerite?

6.                  Pg. 155-156 The novel says: “People say they ‘find’ love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love.” What is being said? Do you agree or disagree?

-     Eddie found a grateful love, a deep but quiet love, one that he knew, above all else, was irreplaceable. Once she’d gone, he’d let the days go stale. He put his heart to sleep.  How did this reflect his overall view on life?

7.                  Pgs. 156-157 Marguerite says that it never changes, when the groom lifts the veil, when the bride accepts the ring, the possibilities you see in their eyes, it’s the same around the world. They truly believe their love and their marriage is going to break all the records.

-         Are there instances where this is not true? If so, why? If not, why not?

-         How does Eddie respond when Marguerite asks him if they had that?

8.                  Pgs. 160-163 Where is Eddie on his birthday, the day Marguerite gets in a car accident? What did they argue about on the phone? Why is she going to find Eddie?

-         What causes the accident, and how does it reflect back on the Blue Man’s message?

-         Do you believe Eddie would blame himself for what happened to his wife? Would he be right to? Why or why not? Do we sometimes blame ourselves similarly?

General Discussion 

9.                  Would it be safe to say that we all have loved someone who was taken from us before we were ready to let go, be it a mother, father, spouse, son, daughter, friend. Can it leave life feeling incomplete, if we allow death to cut our love short?

 

Week 11:       

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 164 The novel says, “Love, like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must be nourished from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive.”

-         What happens to a plant that lacks deep roots in dry times? What might happen similarly to love? Explain.

-         Can this theory be applied to Christian faith? Explain.

-         What reasons may cause someone to lose faith? What can help them to regain it?

2.                  Pgs. 165 - 165 What happened due to Marguerite’s injury and bed rest after the accident?

-         Who took the blame? Should anybody have “taken the blame”? Why or why not?

-         How did Eddie deal with the loss and situation? How did Marguerite? Why is it possible to believe a weaker marriage may have failed where Eddie’s and his wife’s endured? Why might this have happened?

-         How did the pattern of weddings change throughout Eddie’s life? How did he ‘participate’?

3.                  Pg. 165 Why do you think Marguerite followed her husband around the pier some days, riding the rides with him, listing as he explained the rotors and cables and listened for the engine’s hum?

-         Just like Eddie ‘listening’ was she doing the same?

-         Why is it important to listen? Is it equally important to talk?

-         Can ‘listening’ and ‘talking’ be applied to prayer? How?

4.                  Pg. 166 Why did Eddie and his wife remain in the apartment, even after his mother passed away?

-         Does this match Eddie’s original goals or aspirations when he was young?

5.                  Pgs. 166-168 What illness befalls Marguerite?

-         When all had been tried, what was the ‘protocol’ of the hospital staff for Marguerite’s questions?

-         What comfort were they not offering when the staff was ‘helpless’?

-         About how old was Marguerite when she was stricken with cancer? Does that seem young or old? Would it depend on who you ask? Why? What does that say about perspective when issues such as of life and death are concerned?

-         Just before entering the hospital for the last time, Marguerite’s response to Eddie asking what she could see from there (she was looking at the Ferris wheel) and she said, “Home.” What does that indicate to you as a reader?

6.                  Pgs. 169-171 What kinds of things does Eddie talk to his wife about as they move from wedding to wedding?

-     Why doesn’t he explain to her what had happened during the war, but instead just says he ‘lost himself’.

-     When he thought about the men he’d killed, including the guards, he Eddie wondered if he’d be forgiven. How might this have contributed to his ‘darkness’ that followed him through life? How might it have been different if he had a relationship, or a closer relationship with Christ?

7.                  Pg. 171 At one point Eddie asks Marguerite if God knew he was there. She smiled and said, “Of course,” even when Eddie admitted that some of his life he’d spent hiding from God, and the rest of the time he thought he went unnoticed?

-         Why might Eddie have ‘hid’ from God?  Can one hide from God?

-         Why might Eddie have believed he went unnoticed?

8.                  Pgs. 172-173 Did Eddie believe Marguerite left too soon? Why? What were his thoughts or reasoning?

-         Marguerite tells Eddie that Lost Love is still Love. It just takes a different form. She says, “Life has to end, love doesn’t.” Do you agree with that view? Explain.

-         Is there a parallel one might be able to draw with Christ’s love for us?

9.                  Why do you feel Eddie asked Marguerite to return to the physical image near the end of her life, instead of the day they were married?

General Discussion

10.              What is the difference between life and death, if you feel there is one?

-         How might someone who is not a Christian’s answer differ from yours? How important is that difference? Why?

Week 12:       

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pg. 177 Why do you think Dominguez and the other Ruby Pier workers left Eddie’s thinks in his locker instead of cleaning it out? (It says they didn’t have the heart, but is there possibly more?)

-         Do you think they will eventually clean it out—why or why not?

2.                  Pg. 177-178 The lawyer found an important looking box in Eddie’s dresser. He expected to find important papers. What did he find instead?

-         What does this say about Eddie?

-         Where do you keep your important papers? Someplace easily accessible or safe?

-         Do you think Eddie looked through his box? Why or why not?

-         When the attorney looked at Eddie’s bank statements, what were his thoughts? What are your thoughts about his thoughts?

3.                  Pg. 179 Why do you think Eddie was left hanging in whiteness and silence for what might have been minutes or might have been ages?

-         Is it true, as the book suggested, that silence is worse when you know it won’t be broken? Why?

-         What is one of the most feared punishments in prison?

4.                  Pgs. 180-181 Eddie hears a sound, the sound that has haunted him for years in his nightmares.

-         What does the sound turn out to be? Why might he have mistaken it for something else?

-         Who does Eddie see and what are they doing? Why might there be no adults?

5.                  Pg. 182 Eddie’s body has aged, to the point where he was just before his death.

-         Why do you believe physically he has returned to this state while in Heaven?

-         When Eddie stumbles, his bad knee buckles, and begins to fall while trying to approach the little girl, a wind whisks in and brings him safely to the little girl. Why would this happen? What does might it say about Heaven? Could he physically be injured? What about mentally?

6.                  Pgs. 118-184 After Eddie’s 51^st birthday (read orally) the novel states, “It is never hard to act ordinary if you feel ordinary, and the paleness of surrender becomes the color of Eddie’s days.”

-     What is Eddie surrendering? Why? How much do you believe it actually changed him, if at all?

-     What was/continued to be missing? What relationships?

-     What significance is there for his 60^th birthday? Recall Dominguez and his hopes for catching a fish vs. Eddie’s? How old would Dominguez be at this time?

-     On Eddie’s 68^th birthday, who does Eddie talk to? What is different about Joe’s life vs. Eddie’s? Why?

-     On Eddie’s 75^th birthday, has his sense of responsibility changed? Explain.

7.                  Pg. 184 On Eddie’s 82^nd birthday, he takes a taxi to the cemetery? Why does he take a taxi and how does he deal with not being able to drive?

-         The fact that he takes a taxi, what does that say about his loneliness?

-         Whose graves does Eddie visit?

-         What thoughts does he have while at near his wife’s grave? How does this tie into the magnification of isolation he felt after leaving his wife to move onto his 5^th person in Heaven? Why was it important that he understand that he had to move forward in Heaven? Did he do this in life?

General Discussion

8.                  People are often asked, or even think about, what is important in their life?

-         What would you list? How do you show it? Could others tell? Is it even important that the can tell? Explain.

Week 13:       

Questions for Discussion

1.                  Pgs. 185-186 Who does Eddie meet by the riverbank?

-         Why does Eddie appear to be comfortable around her, even though he’s never had children of his own?

-         Is there truly a language barrier? Why then does Tala explain names of people and items in a different language?

-         Why doesn’t there seem to be any hesitation, in your opinion, in Tala’s voice and actions when she speaks with Eddie for the first time?

2.                  Pg. 186 Eddie is still struggling to make sense of Heaven. He sees the children and figures that the Heaven was chosen for these children because their memories were too short to pick a place on their own?

-         What might the flaw be in Eddie’s view about Tala and other children picking their own heaven?

3.                  Pg. 187 Eddie is making a pipe cleaner animal for Tala. What did he do for the little girl, Amy or Annie not long before she was killed by the accident with Freddie’s Free Fall?

-         What does Tala reveal to Eddie about why she is in Heaven?

-         Why might she have revealed it slowly, piece by piece to Eddie?

-         How does Eddie respond? Why?

-         How is this (the death of Tala) different than when Eddie ‘killed’ the Blue Man? How is it the same?

-         Is Eddie truly culpable for Tala’s death? If so, explain how and why, if not explain how and why not.

4.                  Pg. 188 When Eddie looks at Tala after learning that he’d burned her to death by starting the fire in the Hut, she smiles.

-         What do you feel is behind Tala’s smile? How does it affect Eddie?

-         Eddie feels that he deserves every bad dream that he had. Why? Does he?

-         In our system of laws and justice, is there a difference when someone is killed by another? What is murder vs. manslaughter? What does the Ten Commandments say?

5.                  Pg. 189 Does Eddie ask for forgiveness? Eddie’s body has aged, to the point where he was just before his death.

-         Who does he ask? Tala, God?

-         Is Eddie struggling to forgive himself? How does that tie into Ruby’s Lesson?

6.                  Pgs. 189-190 After Eddie recovers from the shock of learning how Tala died, she is appears to him covered by burns and scar tissue.

-     What might the purpose of this be?

-     Why does Eddie at first resist washing Tala with a stone? What when Eddie does wash her?

-     What purpose does the washing serve? What symbolism might the river and water carry?

7.                  Pgs 190-192 Tala asks Eddie why he is sad. Eddie responds: “I was sad because I didn’t do anything with my life. I was nothing. I accomplished nothing. I was lost. I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there.”

-         Why does Eddie feel this way?

-         What does Tala tell Eddie about him being at Ruby Pier? How does this tie into the message of the Blue Man?

-         What does Eddie learn about the girl he tried to save at Ruby Pier? Why might that knowledge have been held from him by all of the other people in Heaven?

-         How does that tie into the Captain’s lesson? How does it tie into Christ’s lessons and mission for us as Christians?

8.                  Pgs. 193-194 When Eddie emerges from the water, where does he arrive? What is ‘his’ Heaven?

-     Who populates Eddie’s heaven?

-     What is the message for Eddie in his Heaven, the single word from God relayed from all who are there?

-     What is its significance?

9.                  Pg. 196 Who is Eddie waiting for and why?

-     Of the five people Eddie met, whose messages would his be most like for Amy or Annie? Explain.

General Discussion

10.              What would you interpret to be the overall theme or message of this novel?

-         Would you encourage other Christians to read it? What cautions might you have with respect to others reading it?

  © Terry W. Ervin II  All Rights Reserved.

End of the 13 week lesson guide

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