Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen
Week 2: Chapter 1 — Thirsty
Read Chapter 1 of Nothing to Prove. Key passages: John 4:1–26 (the woman at the well); John 7:37–38.
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Allen begins with one of the most intimate scenes in all of Scripture — a thirsty woman at a well — as a mirror for our own unmet longings.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Allen uses the Samaritan woman's story in John 4 as the opening image for the entire book. What strikes you about Jesus's approach to this woman — his directness, his knowledge of her, his offer? What does he reveal about how God sees our deepest needs?
2.The woman at the well had cycled through five husbands, reaching for something that never satisfied. Allen suggests we do the same — cycling through lesser sources of meaning and identity. What are the 'wells' you tend to return to when you feel empty or unworthy?
3.Allen identifies thirst — spiritual, emotional, relational — as the starting point for honest faith. Why do you think so many of us work so hard to appear not-thirsty, even in church settings?
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