Book Club Kits

1. Counterfeit Love is the title. How did you see this theme played out in the story? How can one tell the difference between counterfeit and genuine love?
2. Colonel Plane was a difficult man, and few people understood Theresa’s fierce loyalty to him. Do you feel the loyalty was justified? Why or why not? Would you have been as loyal if you had been in her position?
3. Both Broderick and Theresa made compromises to their convictions in order to find security and success in their lives. How did those compromises affect their relationships with others and with God? What consequences did they face by making those compromises?
4. While Theresa’s past love for Broderick had been passionate, her feelings for Edward were practical. Given her circumstances and Broderick’s insistence they had no future, how would you have felt in her position? What would you have done? 
5. Broderick decided the best way to protect Theresa and his career was to lie and withhold information. How do you think the story might have gone differently if he had chosen to speak the truth from the beginning?
6. Theresa was willing to give Nathaniel a second chance. What evidence of being a changed man would you have had to see in Nathaniel’s life for you to give him a second chance? What is the difference between giving someone a second chance and trusting them? Is there a difference?
7. “Even if” is a phrase repeated throughout the story—often in reference to God’s presence and the need to surrender to and trust Him even when our plans don’t match His. How do you see God’s hand in Theresa’s and Broderick’s lives as He teaches them He can be trusted even if . . .?
8. As Theresa wrestled with trusting and loving God even if . . . , she turned to prayer, the story of 2 Chronicles 20, and worship. What strategies do you use when struggling through tough situations? What areas are the hardest for you to surrender to and trust God with?
9. Was Edward’s love for Theresa genuine? What leads you to believe this?
10. Both Broderick and Theresa had to learn to forgive someone who hurt them deeply. Were Nathaniel and Colonel Plane worthy of forgiveness? Why or why not?

1. Consider Lu, Andrew, Ma Frances, Clint, Priscill, and Cyrus and each of their connections to the theme of “counterfeit hope.” Where did you see these characters putting their hope? How did putting their hope in places other than Christ affect their decisions and actions? How did putting their hope in these things fail them?

2. How did you see Lu grow and change over the course of the story? What about Andrew?

3. Andrew had grown up in a criminal family until his arresting officer took him in and gave him a new life. Andrew occasionally hinted that those first years were challenging for him and the Darlingtons. What challenges do you think he and the Darlingtons faced? How do you think they overcame them?

4. When Andrew discovered his former family was at the heart of the criminal dealings in Landkreis, his two lives collided. What are some of the complex emotions you saw Andrew face in regard to his former family? How do you think you would have felt in his situation? Could you have found forgiveness for each Thorne?

5. Andrew and Lu were forced into a marriage that neither of them wanted. In what ways did God use the situation for their good and His glory? How have you seen God work hard things for good in your own life or in the lives of those around you?

6. Do you believe Pastor Newcomb should have filed the marriage paperwork having known the circumstances surrounding Andrew and Lu’s marriage? Why or why not?

7. In chapter 16, when Andrew confronted Lu about her stealing and her interactions with men, Lu said she didn’t have a choice. Andrew countered by saying she always has a choice. Do you think this is true? Did Lu always have a choice? Why or why not?

8. One of the emotions Andrew struggled with after his family was arrested was guilt for not having shared his faith and not giving his family an opportunity to find forgiveness and hope through Jesus Christ. Do you feel it was his responsibility to do so? If he had shared his faith with the Thornes, how do you think they would have responded?

9. Widow Zachary refused to offer forgiveness for Lu’s part in Sheriff Zachary’s death. How did that refusal affect Widow Zachary and her daughter? Would you have been able to forgive Lu if you had been in Widow Zachary’s position?

10. Andrew claimed Romans 8:24–25 as the verse for their family and explained to Oscar, “Hope is trusting God’s promise for our future. We can’t see it yet, but because we know Him, we can look forward to heaven, no matter the struggles we face here.” How does having that hope in your life affect how you respond to difficulties in life?

1. Throughout this story, conflict arose from the paradox of serving others while considering oneself superior. Where did you see this play out? How did this affect behaviors and the relationships involved?

2. Once Josiah realized he was ready to love again, he jumped right in, but Gwendolyn needed more time. What unique struggles did Gwendolyn’s and Josiah’s relationship have due to his being a widower? Do you think it was important that they addressed Shauna’s part in their relationship instead of moving forward like she didn’t exist? Why or why not?

3. Josiah’s family claims a history of knowing who they will marry from almost the beginning. Do you believe love at first sight is possible? Why or why not? How does one know if it is infatuation or real love?

4. Instead of facing his doubts, Josiah chose to ignore them. How did ignoring those doubts affect his relationship with God? How has confronting or ignoring doubts in your own life affected your faith?

5. Gwendolyn wrestled with her faith despite knowing all the right verses, hymns, etc. How did you see her faith sustaining her even through her doubts and struggles? What verses and/or people do you turn to when your faith needs to be encouraged?

6. The prayer Gwendolyn leans into, “help thou my unbelief,” comes from a desperate father in Mark 9:24 after Jesus confronts him about his unbelief. What do you find powerful about that prayer? How does that prayer have the potential to change a person?

7. At what points do you think Gwendolyn acted out of faith, and at what points do you feel she acted out of fear? What did those moments of fear reveal about her faith? Can fear ever be used to grow our faith?

8. Mr. Ellison was a hero turned addict. How did this addiction change him and his view of himself? How did his addiction affect the rest of his family? If you were Gwendolyn, how would you have reacted at his return?

9. Gwendolyn and her mother eventually learned to forgive her father. How did that forgiveness look different for each of them? Does forgiving someone require trusting that person and/or allowing that person to return to a place in your life? Why or why not?

10. Mr. Ellison told Josiah that the hardest truth he had to learn to be content with was that faith is founded on declaring God Lord of his life, even when the answers don’t come. How does one learn to be content with not having answers? How has struggling with not knowing the why to situations affected your faith?