If you’re reading my Like An Anchor Study Guides for your book club, these discussion guides offer a structure for discussing each chapter. Feel free to pick and choose from the questions and adapt the format to fit your book club.

The Beatitudes

Chapter 1: What is A Beatitude?

• How familiar are you with the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount already?
• Did anything in the definition for “beatitude” surprise you? Is there anything you’d add to this definition based on your own studies and experiences?
• What expectations do you have for the rest of the book? What do you hope to learn? What are you curious about?

Chapter 2: True Humility

• What does humility mean to you? Do you think your definition is the same as God’s definition?
• It’s often hard to admit that we can’t be self-sufficient; that we need God. Do you have any stories to share about how you’re learning to submit to God?
• Do you know people who you’d describe as “humble”? What can you learn from their example?

Chapter 3: Mourning and Comfort

• Think about times when you have felt comforted. What gave you that feeling?
• Are there moments in your life where you felt like God was not there to comfort you? How did you respond then, and what advice can you share with others who may feel the same way?
• One of the ways that God supplies comfort to us is through other people. This also means that He could use us to supply comfort to others. Is that something you’re prepared to do?

Chapter 4: Gentleness in Strength

• Have you ever thought about gentleness or meekness as a strength before? Why or why not? What thoughts and emotions does the idea of gentle strength bring up for you?
• What are your experiences with gentleness?
• Are there ways that you could realign the priorities in your life to make more time for noticing and meeting the needs of people around you?

Chapter 5: Yearning for Righteousness

• Have you ever thought of righteousness as an unattainable goal that you’ll never measure up to?
• Does knowing that God promises to fully satisfy your hunger and thirst for righteousness change anything about how you see the character trait of righteousness?
• How can you keep hungering and thirsting for God? Are there steps you can take to carve-out time in your busy schedule so you can spend time yearning for God’s righteousness, seeking Him, and letting Him fill you?

Chapter 6: Mercy for the Merciful

• What ways has God shown mercy to you?
• How can you mimic Him in the ways you interact with other people?
• Are there times when you’ve found it particularly challenging to show mercy? How did you deal with those challenges?

Chapter 7: Seeing God’s Heart

• The Bible tells us to “guard our hearts;” keeping out the bad things and keeping in the good things God has given us. Are there ways that you can guard your heart more diligently?
• How has your understanding of the way Jesus cleanses our hearts deepened as you’ve grown as a Christian?
• What does it mean to you to have a “faces to faces” friendship with God?

Chapter 8: Peacemaking as God’s Children

• Can you recall a time when you acted as a peacemaker (or tried to)? What was it like and what did you learn?
• Are there times when you wanted to make peace but weren’t sure how or were too nervous to step in?
• How do you try to cultivate peace in your life?

Chapter 9: Persecuted for Righteousness

• What thoughts go through your mind when you read the faith chapter (Hebrews 11)?
• Have you ever faced persecution for your faith? If so, how did you respond? If not, have you thought about how you’d respond if you did?
• How do you motivate yourself to value pursuing the kingdom of God and His righteousness?

Chapter 10: Going Forward in Light

• What are your thoughts on this book now that we’ve discussed it all together?
• Has anything you’ve read in this study guide given you a different perspective on the Beatitudes or prompted new thoughts about your faith?
• How will you use Jesus’s words in the Beatitudes to help you work toward the goal of becoming more like God every day?