Week 1: Introduction — A Still, Small Voice

1.Wilkerson describes himself at the start of the book as a small-town preacher with a tiny congregation in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania — far removed from the world of New York City street gangs. What does this 'ordinariness' of his starting point say about how God tends to choose the people He calls?

2.The moment that launches the entire story is Wilkerson staying up late one night and coming across a *Life* magazine article about seven teenage boys on trial for the murder of Michael Farmer in New York City. He is arrested by the faces of the defendants in the photographs.

3.Wilkerson's first response to this sense of calling is not triumphant confidence — it is confusion and even resistance. He questions whether the feeling is from God at all. Why do you think genuine calls from God so often come wrapped in uncertainty and doubt rather than clarity?

4.Before Wilkerson ever steps foot in New York City, he sells his television set to fund the trip. What does this small, practical act of sacrifice tell us about the relationship between faith and action? Why might this detail be more significant than it first appears?

5.Wilkerson's wife Gwen and his small congregation are part of this decision from the very beginning. How does their support (or initial hesitation) shape the way you think about answering a personal calling — is calling ever purely individual, or is it always communal?

6.The book opens with a tension between two worlds: the safe, predictable world of rural Pennsylvania and the dangerous, chaotic world of New York City's gang culture. How does this contrast serve as more than just a geographical detail — what spiritual or theological contrast is Wilkerson setting up for the rest of the book?

7.Wilkerson's story is ultimately a story about obedience to a calling that made no obvious sense. Where in your own life are you aware of something God may be nudging you toward that feels similarly impractical or even absurd?