Week 1: Introduction — "I'm With You"

1.Bob opens by describing his sense that God is not a distant observer but someone who is genuinely "with" us. What is your gut reaction to that idea — does it feel obvious, surprising, or a little uncomfortable? Why?

2.He frames the book as a collection of stories rather than a list of principles. Why do you think he chose stories as his primary vehicle? What can a story do that a bullet-point list cannot?

3.The publisher description calls Bob "the world's best-kept secret." What do you think that means, and what does it suggest about the kind of faith Bob is modeling — is it loud or quiet? Public or personal?

4.Bob's life is described as "hilarious, whimsical, and meaningful." Do those three words feel like they belong together in a description of following Jesus? Which of those three words feels least natural to you in a faith context, and why?

5.The introduction sets up the book's central claim: love is not passive — it does something. Where in your own life have you experienced love that was genuinely active and not just emotional?

6.Bob seems to believe that ordinary life — sailboats, canned meat, park benches, ice cream — is the arena where faith happens. How does that compare to the way faith is typically presented in church, books, or sermons you've encountered?

7.If you had to describe your faith right now as either "active" or "resting" — which would it be, and what is one concrete thing that describes why you chose that word?

8.How does the picture of a God who "does" — who acts, moves, and shows up — shape how you understand the gospel, the life of Jesus, or what it means to follow Him?