This book is used for it’s singular focus on wholly trusting God and demonstrating that God is trustworthy. It helps disciples realize that they can trust God to have forgiven their past, to heal it, and to use it for good. Ruthless Trust helps disciples release anxiety over near and far future events. We read the book over two weeks according to the reading plan that follows and guide the discussion using the book club method. The topic matter is focused and sufficient and needs little input from the leader.
Week 1 – Foundations of Trust Forward, Preface, Chapters 1-5
Focus: Understanding what ruthless trust is, why it matters, and how it’s formed.
Preface & Chapter 1 : The Way of Trust
- Key Idea: Trust isn’t just a comforting notion—it’s a bold dismantling of control and fear.
- Why do we tend to block ourselves from God when bad things happen?
Chapter 2 : The Way of Gratefulness
- Key Idea: Trust naturally unfolds into gratitude; to trust is to live in thankfulness.
- What events in your life have taught you to trust in God?
- Why is it so easy to take blessings for granted, and how can we remember to be grateful?
Chapter 3 : The Enormous Difficulty
- Key Idea: Trust requires vulnerability—not just belief but letting go of self-defense.
- Have you experienced loneliness and alienation from God? What brought you back to him?
- Is there no purpose in saying “I love you” to anyone unless you feel some strong emotion to go along with it?
Chapter 4 : Thinking Big
- Key Idea: Trust is nurtured in intimacy with God.
- What practices deepen my awareness of God’s presence?
Chapter 5 : Artists, Mystics, and Clowns
Week 2 – Living Out Ruthless Trust Chapters 6-12
Focus: Moving from understanding trust to practicing it in real-life challenges.
Chapter 6 : Infinite and Intimate
- Key Idea: How we picture God—transcendent (beyond) and immanent (near)—shapes how we trust; even our worship spaces teach us.
- Does your worship context emphasize God’s nearness or beyondness?
- How does that affect your trust?
Chapter 7 : Trusting Jesus
- Key Idea: Trusting Jesus is fundamentally about embracing His fundamental love and extending that trust to others.
- Imagine your enemy as your own child—what shifts in your heart?
- How does practicing friendship with Jesus change how you speak, react, and forgive this week?
Chapter 8 : Tainted Trust
- Key Idea: Fear, memory lapses, and the need for control can distort trust.
- Have you ever experienced “tainted trust”—expecting God to solve everything while you sidestep responsibility?
- What examples does Manning use (e.g., the story of the scouts sent by Moses) to show how fear can undermine trust?
Chapter 9 : Humble Confidence
- Key Idea: Real trust blossoms from humility and knowing you’re deeply loved.
- How does humility open our hearts to trust more fully?
- What does Manning mean when he suggests that a trusting heart delights God more than grand cathedrals?
Chapter 10 : The Cracked Pot
- Key Idea: our existence is a direct manifestation of God’s love and purpose.
- Trust at the end of life and in all things.
- What legacy of trust do I want to leave?
Chapter 11 : The Geography of Nowhere
Chapter 12 : Ruthless Trust
- Key Idea: True trust means complete surrender and acceptance—authentic trust, not a pretense.
- Do you pretend to be forgiven, or have you embraced real forgiveness?
- What does “ruthless trust” look like in your daily life?
Our team has found that the topic matter needs little help. So, we begin by asking a general question like, “What did you learn this week and what stood out?” and follow the conversation around the room with individuals. Duplicate ideas, we simply “ditto” and move on. We make sure that every chapter is covered, and if the disciples miss a chapter we will use one of the sample questions to prompt awareness or discussion of the topic in the missed chapter.
