Discussion Questions for MARKED Book 2
Spoiler Alert! (If you have not read the book, these questions will reveal crucial events in the story)
- Do you think the monks would have believed Gage had he told them the whole truth immediately? How did his concealment of the truth actually make the monks that much more suspicious of him?
- Have you ever been afraid to tell someone the truth not knowing how they would respond? The truth has a way of coming out eventually. Have you ever had someone conceal something from you? How did you feel when the truth was revealed?
- The monks thought Gage a thief and a liar, yet how did they treat him? Tending to him and praying for him took time and effort. Why did they choose to do these things regardless of thinking him a thief?
- Do you treat every person you encounter with dignity and care even if they may not be a nice or good person? How did the monks care and grace toward Gage communicate God’s heart?
- What is it that Princess Rhonalyn values most? How does what she values impact the way she treats the people around her?
- Have you ever placed more value on looking good and being the one in control than on caring well for the people around you?
- Rhonalyn seems confident and capable as a ruler, but where does her confidence come from? What would happen if she did not have the security of a castle and people to order about? In what are you placing your trust?
- Gage chose for years to believe that God did not exist. Why does he want to believe this? God intervened to save Gage, and this makes Gage angry. What is it that Gage has assumed God’s intervention means?
- Brother Sholan is expecting that Gage is either a follower of God or a nonbeliever, but Gage defines himself as a believer in God but as someone who does not love God and who does not want to serve God. Why is this concerning to Brother Sholan? (Read James 2:14-20)
- Are we saved by works? How about by faith? What if we’re doing good works but not as a means of serving God? Gage has been following the principles of Christianity but not because he wishes to obey or honor God. What if now Gage does works to appease God, but has no faith in who God says He is? (Even the demons believe God exists, but they reject Him as their King) Why are both faith and works important? What does our faith and our works together reveal about our heart toward God?
- Gage has lost so much; how has he let that change him? Have you ever felt like you were the only one you could trust? How did your distrust affect your choices? Where you able to live well in community or did your distrust leave you isolated?
- Gage wants to protect the people around him but doesn’t take into account what they want. How could he do a better job of helping others and of letting other people help him?
- Gage’s actions after the ambush majorly impacted Sir Wick’s life. How did Wick cope with being sent back to the White Fortress? What kind of decisions did he make in regard to how he would respond to what was being said and assumed about him?
- Have you ever been betrayed by someone who promised you things and then walked out on those promises? Were you able to forgive them and make healthy choices going forward?
- Gage fears that he will not be enough to save the people around him. What is the difference between being responsible for our own actions and being responsible for everything that happens?
- When Gage and Haaken talk about wanting God to stop evil, Haaken points out that if God put a stop to evil here and now it would mean the end of every person. How does this concept change your perspective of God’s grace toward us all?
- Haaken acknowledges that for a long time he didn’t recognize his need to be saved from the evil in his own life. Have you ever seen yourself as the good person and others as the evil people? How might recognizing the evil in yourself change the way you respond to other people in your life who still need to understand God’s grace toward them?
- How does Haaken deal with what Gage has chosen to believe about God? Have you ever gotten mad at someone because of their beliefs rather than asking more questions to understand why they believe what they do? Haaken chose to go away and process what Gage said and then come back and apologize. How did that change the way Gage thought about God?
- Rhonalyn is annoyed that her father’s pride is getting in the way of renegotiating the harbor’s toll, but what is it that is motivating her to want to re-negotiate the toll?
- Rhonalyn cares a lot about title and position. How does the status of the people around her impact how she views them and responds to them?
- Do you let the position someone holds change the way you respond to them? Have you ever treated someone younger than you as less important or less significant than yourself? Or have you yourself ever been treated as less valuable? Is a person’s value in their age, gender, title, etc., or is the value of every person the same, no matter who they are?
- Have you ever let your own or someone else’s power and status influence your decision making? Can you think of any modern position, job, or education title that prompts us to allow people additional influence in our lives?
- We’re told in Scripture to obey and submit to governing authorities for the praise of those who do good and the punishment of those who do evil. (1Peter 2:13-15) Is there a place for doing what Sir Wick did and overriding the authority of people who are using their power to do evil instead of good?
- What changed Gage’s mind when it came to helping the two noblewomen? Truth spoken into our lives sometimes takes awhile to make a difference. Have you ever had words of truth from your past come to mind just when you needed them? Have you ever spoken truth to someone else and wondered if those words would ever make a difference?
- God does not completely protect Prince Gage; instead God uses Gage’s injuries and encounters to bring about a greater purpose. Have you ever wondered why God has allowed something hard in your life? Have you gotten the chance to look back at any of those moments later on and been able to see how God used them to accomplish something good?
Like Gage, you will probably have some hard experiences in your life. So know that God is who He says He is, that He has not abandoned you, and that God still loves you even when hard things happen to you, because God always has a purpose for what He allows.