Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Confession
Read Chapter 5 of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools. Primary passages: Psalm 51; James 5:16; Luke 15:11–24.
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Confession is the prayer that brings us home to ourselves and to God — and Staton argues it is not a grim religious duty but one of the most liberating acts available to us. Come to these questions willing to be honest.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.How have you typically thought about confession — as punishment, as obligation, as relief, or as something else? Where did that understanding come from? How does it compare to the way Staton frames it?
2.Staton draws on the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) as the paradigm of confession — the son "comes to himself" before he comes home. What does it mean to "come to yourself" before God? Is there a version of yourself you have been running from?
3.He makes a distinction between *guilt* ("I did something wrong") and *shame* ("I am something wrong"). Confession, properly understood, addresses guilt without reinforcing shame. How do you know which one is driving you when you confess? What does the gospel say about both?
a.Have you ever left a time of confession feeling worse rather than better? What do you think was happening?
b.What would it look like to confess in a way that receives forgiveness rather than just rehearsing failure?
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