If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg
Week 1: Introduction — The Boat, the Water, and the Call
Read the Introduction of If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. Primary Scripture: Matthew 14:22–33.
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Before diving into the chapters, take time this week to sit with the foundational image of the book — a small wooden boat, a stormy sea, and a figure walking toward you on the water — and ask yourself honestly: where are you standing right now?
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Ortberg opens by noting that there are two kinds of people in the boat: those who got out (Peter) and those who stayed in. Before reading any further, which person do you most identify with right now — the one who steps out or the one who stays seated? What does that tell you about your current season of faith?
2.The book's central image is 'the boat' — a symbol of whatever feels safe, familiar, and under control in your life.
a.What is your 'boat' right now? Name it as specifically as you can — a job, a relationship pattern, a spiritual habit, a dream you've been afraid to pursue.
b.What would it cost you, practically and emotionally, to step out of it?
3.Ortberg points out that Peter is the only disciple who walked on water — but he's also the one who got out of the boat. The eleven who stayed behind stayed dry. What does this suggest about the relationship between risk and spiritual experience?
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