Captivating

1.The Eldredges argue that the heart is the 'core of a woman's being' — that the longings we feel as women are not peripheral but central to who we are. How does that compare to how you have typically thought about your own desires and emotions?

1.The authors make a significant point about the order of creation: Eve was created last, as the culmination of God's creative work. How does this reframe the way you have thought about the creation of woman?

1.The Eldredges describe a question that haunts women: 'Am I captivating? Am I lovely?' How have you seen this question — answered or unanswered — shape the choices and relationships in your own life?

1.The Eldredges open this chapter by acknowledging that the wounds women carry are real and varied — some dramatic, some subtle — but all of them carry a message. What is the core message that most wounds deliver to a woman's heart?

1.The Eldredges argue that there is a 'special hatred' the enemy holds for women — that he goes after the feminine heart with unique intensity. What is their reasoning for why this would be the case?

1.The Eldredges open this chapter by insisting that healing is not only possible — it is God's active intention for every wounded heart. What makes it hard to believe that your specific wounds can actually be healed?

1.The Eldredges argue that the desire to be romanced — to be pursued, delighted in, and chosen — is not a shallow desire but one of the deepest desires of a woman's heart, placed there by God. How does framing this desire as God-given change how you think about it?

1.The Eldredges open this chapter by acknowledging how fraught the topic of beauty is for women — wrapped up in comparison, shame, cultural pressure, and wounds. What is your immediate emotional response to the idea that you have a 'beauty to unveil'?

1.The Eldredges describe the desire to play an 'irreplaceable role in a great adventure' as one of the core longings of a woman's heart. How have you experienced this longing — and where have you most often gone to try to satisfy it?

1.The Eldredges argue that women are uniquely gifted to offer one another something the rest of the world cannot — a deep knowing, a validation of the feminine experience, an invitation for each other's hearts to come alive. Have you experienced this kind of life-giving feminine friendship? What made it possible?

1.Looking back across all the chapters of Captivating, which single chapter, story, or idea struck you most deeply — and why? What was it about that particular content that got through your defenses and touched something real?