1. The title of the book is taken from Job 14:7-9. "At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." What does this verse mean? Can you think of examples from the Bible or from life in which God has taken something dead and brought it back to life? Have you ever asked God to resurrect something beyond hope? What was the result?

2. Annie speaks of the tearing of the veil. She describes it as a screen that separates people from reality and as a hazy, filmy curtain between humans, the stark pain of life and death. Has the veil ever torn for you? What events in our national life or history have torn the veil? What was revealed?

3. Diane points out to Annie that there are other times we "glimpse behind the curtain" to the eternal. What are some of these? Have you even had any of these moments?

4. Elijah boldly suggests they pray for the little girl in the coma. He says he has seen miracles and suggests Annie may be caught in the cycle of unbelief: not believing because she does not see and not seeing because she does not believe. Matthew 13:58 says that Jesus did not do many miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith. Should we be asking God to do miraculous things for us? Why or why not?

6. Sam cries out for the Holy Spirit to rain down. When this happens, how are he and Annie and Mary affected?

7. Kelly Bright’s life is the center of a nationwide controversy. Some call for it to end, but Sam and the other characters feel that her life is valuable even though she is severely impaired. Is Kelly Bright an important character in the book? How does her life affect the lives of the other characters and move them toward healing and redemption?

8. Family, both extended and immediate, plays an important role in the story. Do you see the role of the family lessening in our society or just changing? How does family provide an anchor for individuals? In the absence of a strong family unit, what can provide for that?

9. Mary, Sam, Annie, and Diane all struggle with forgiveness on different levels. How do you begin to forgive what seems unforgivable? How does Mary struggle in a different way than the other characters?

10. In the book of Job, God finally answers Job’s questions by asking him some of His own, but Elijah and Diane both tell Mary that God is big enough to handle her honesty. Should a person ever be angry with God? What should they do with that anger?

11. Ironically, the character who sets all the events of the story in motion is Ginny, the old woman who prays. Do you know any "prayer warriors?" Are older people more likely to depend on prayer than young people? Why or why not? Were you disappointed or delighted that Ginny never knew the extent of the role she played?