Like gold that has yet to be discovered, maybe the dreams we thought were gone and the hope we thought had run dry aren’t missing at all. They’re simply waiting to be unearthed. What’s most valuable in life requires digging.
Week 1 Discussion Questions
PLEASE HELP YOUR GROUP UNDERSTAND THAT “DREAMS” CAN BE FOR YOUR FAMILY, FUTURE, SPIRITUAL WALK, COMMUNITY – THERE ARE BOTH BIG AND SMALL DREAMS!
Question 1:
When you think about the “ghost town” pictured from the intro, what dreams in your own life feel like they’ve gone silent or been left behind?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What did that dream mean to you at the time?
- How did you feel when it seemed to fade?
- Do you think it’s possible that God still has plans for it?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Proverbs 29:18 – “Where there is no vision, the people perish”
Question 2:
John 12:24 says that a seed must be buried before it can grow. How have you seen God use a “buried” season in your life to prepare you for something greater?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Was there a time when you thought something was over, but later realized God was still at work?
- How do you think witing seasons can deepen our faith?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
John 12:24; Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good…”
Question 3:
Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Have you ever felt burned out or discouraged chasing a dream? How did God meet you in that season?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What lies does the enemy try to whisper when you’re burned out?
- What practices help you renew hope (worship, prayer, community)?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 40:31 – “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”
Question 4:
In Ezekiel 37, God brought life to dry bones. What is one area of your life or dream that feels like “dry bones” right now, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to breathe fresh life into it?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What would it look like if God breathed life into that area?
- Can you think of a time when God surprised you by reviving something you thought was over?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Ezekiel 37:1-4; Romans 8:11 – “The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.”
Question 5:
The challenge this week is to name your dream and submit it to God. What is one specific dream you can name today – either something old you want to revive, or something new God is stirring in you? Remember these can be big or small, for your family or future! There is no wrong answer!
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- How can this group encourage and pray with you about that dream?
- What practical first steps might you take towards it this week?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
2 Corinthians 5:7 – “We live by faith, not by sight.”
Week 2 Discussion Questions
BIG IDEA: YOUR VIEW OF THE VALLEY SHAPES HOW YOU WALK THROUGH IT.
Question 1: SAME PLACE, DIFFERENT STORY
Two people can stand in the same place, see the same problem, and walk away with two completely different stories. Where in your life have you noticed that your perspective changed the way you experienced a situation?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What emotions or thoughts did you have when you faced that situation?
- Did your outlook change over time – and what caused that shift?
- How might God be inviting you to see your current challenges differently?/li>
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Numbers 13:30-33 – “The twelve spies saw the same land, but only Joshua and Caleb saw it through faith.”
Question 2: WHAT LENS ARE YOU LOOKING THROUGH?
We often see life through one of three lenses – fear-based, flesh-based, or faith-based. Which lens do you most often slip into when things get difficult, and how can you begin to shift towards a faith-based perspective?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What triggers fear or self-reliance for you?
- How do you recognize when you’re relying on you own strength instead of God’s
- What helps you refocus on God’s power rather than your limitations?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
2 Corinthians 5:7 – “We live by faith, not sight.”
Question 3: MAGNIFY GOD, NOT THE GIANTS
You heard Pastor Jeremy say, “What you magnify determines what you move towards.” What “giants” in your life have been stealing your focus, and how can you choose to magnify God instead?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- How does focusing on the problem affect your peace or faith?
- What practices help you magnify God – worship, community, Scripture?
- Can you recall a time when shifting your focus back to God changed your outlook?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Psalms 34:3 – “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
Question 4: REFRAMING THE VALLEY
Michelle Williams shared that her valley wasn’t proof of God’s absence – it was an invitation to walk closer with Him. How can a “valley season” actually draw you nearer to God instead of pushing you away?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What lessons or growth have come from past valley seasons?
- What does remembering God’s faithfulness in the past give you strength now?
- What does it look like for you to walk with God in your current valley?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Psalms 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
Question 5: THE PROMISE STILL STANDS
“The territory may change, but the promise doesn’t” Where in your life do you need to be reminded that God’s promise still stands, even when the path looks different than you expected?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- How can you hold on to faith when life doesn’t match your plan?
- What past example remind you that God has always been faithful?
- How can our group encourage each other to keep believing when things get tough?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Hebrews 10:23 – “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promises is faithful.”
Week 3 Discussion Questions
REDEMPTION BEGINS WHEN YOU SAY YES TO REBUILDING
Question 1: PRAY BEFORE YOU BUILD
Nehemiah’s first response to the ruins of Jerusalem wasn’t to grab a hammer – it was to pray. How does prayer prepare your heart before you start rebuilding something that’s been broken?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why do you think our first instincts is often to act instead of pray?
- What does it look like to bring your honest emotions to God, like Nehemiah did?
- How might prayer change your confidence in what God is calling you to rebuild?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 1:4 – “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
Question 2: SURVEY THE RUINS
Before rebuilding, Nehemiah took time to walk through the ruins and face the damage honestly. What does it look like in your life to “survey the ruins” instead of ignoring or denying what’s broken?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why is it sometimes heard to be honest about what needs rebuilding?
- What might God want to heal once you name the broken places?
- How can facing the reality of the situation actually lead to hope?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 2:13 – “By night I went our through the Valley Gate… examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had already been broken down.”
Question 3: RALLY YOUR PEOPLE
Nehemiah didn’t rebuild alone – he rallied people to help carry the dream. Who has God placed around you to help you rebuild, and how can you invite them into the process?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why do you think rebuilding often requires community instead of isolation?
- Who in your life encourages you to keep building when you want to give up?
- How can you also help someone else rebuild what’s been broken in their life?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
Question 4: DEFEND YOUR DREAM
When Nehemiah began rebuilding, opposition immediately appeared. What distractions, discouragements, or fears tend to threaten your God-given dreams?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- How can prayer help you stay focused when resistance rises?
- What’s one practical way you can “build with one hand and defend with the other” this week?
- Can you think of a time when opposition was actually a sign you were on the right path?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 4:17 – “Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other.”
Question 5: REBUILD WITH WHAT REMAINS
Nehemiah’s wall was completed in just 52 days because he trusted God and stayed faithful. What’s one area of your life that feels like rubble right now, and how can you begin to rebuild with what remains?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What small “brick” could you place in God’s hands this week?
- How does remembering God’s past faithfulness help you keep building today?
- What might God want to teach you through the process of rebuilding, now just the outcome?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Nehemiah 6:15 – “So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, with the help of our God.”
Week 4 Discussion Questions
ENDURANCE IS WHAT SEPARATES A GHOST TOWN FROM A REVIVAL
Question 1: THE TEMPTATION TO QUITE
Nehemiah’s first response to the ruins of Jerusalem wasn’t to grab a hammer – it was to pray. How does prayer prepare your heart before you start rebuilding something that’s been broken?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What emotions or thoughts make quitting seem easier than enduring?
- How did you sense God’s presence or encouragement in that season?
- What do you think might have been lost if you had walked away?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not grow weary in doing good, far at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Question 2: ZOOM OUT
Sometimes we get discouraged because we’re zoomed in on one hard moment. What does it look like to “zoom out” and see your situation from God’s larger perspective
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- How does remembering past faithfulness help you trust God’s timing now?
- Can you share a time when you later realized God was working behind the scenes?
- What would change if you believed this season was only one frame of a bigger story?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Genesis 50:20 – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”
Romans 8:28 – “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
Question 3: PIVOT WITH PURPOSE
Endurance doesn’t always mean doing the same thing forever – sometimes it means adjusting the method while staying faithful to the mission. Where might God be asking you to pivot instead of quit?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What’s the difference between giving up and changing direction with?
- Have you ever seen God open new doors when you shifted your approach?
- How can flexibility actually strengthen your faith?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
1 Corinthians 9:22 – “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
Question 4: FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Moses endured because Aaron and Hur help up his arms when he was tired. Who holds up your arms when your faith grows weak – and whose arms are you holding up?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- Why do you think endurance grows stronger in community?
- Who encourages you to keep believing when you’re weary?
- How can you intentionally “spur one another on” this week?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Exodus 17:12 – “When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and Aaron and Hur held up his hands up.”
Hebrews 10:24 – “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.”
Question 5: DON’T QUIT TOO SOON
Goldfield still had gold in the ground – it was just deeper than people expected. Where in your life might the miracle still be buried a little deeper, waiting for your endurance?
FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS:
- What promise or prayer have you been tempted to stop believing for?
- How can you remind yourself that God finishes what He starts?
- What’s one practical step of faith you can take this week to “keep digging”?
SCRIPTURE TIE-IN:
Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”