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EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
Disappointment with Others | Part 3
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
January 18, 2026

Sooner or later, people will disappoint us. Our spouse. Our friends. Our church. Even the people we love most—and the people who love us—will fall short. The question isn’t if disappointment will happen, but what we will do with it when it does. This Sunday we’ll talk about unrealistic expectations in our closest relationships, the power of our inner self-talk, and how discontent can either poison love—or mature it. If you’ve been wounded by someone close, weary from conflict, or tempted to give up on relationships altogether, join us in person or online as we discover a better way forward.

Discussion Questions

1. Where are you most tempted to confuse “disappointment with people” with “disappointment with God”? What helps you remember the difference—especially when the hurt is fresh?

2. “Nobody can live up to all your expectations all the time—and nobody is meant to.” What expectations have you been placing on someone (spouse, friend, church, leader) that might be too heavy or unrealistic?

3. Contentment vs. entitlement: Paul learned to be “satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed” (Phil. 4:11–13). What does “contentment in Christ” look like in your current relationships—and what would change if Christ was your primary source of joy?

4. The message described how blame and resentment grow: obsession → keeping score → replay mode → pride-blindness. Which stage are you most prone to, and what is one practical way you can interrupt that spiral this week?

5. Explanatory style: “always/never,” universalizing, and assuming God is against you can multiply misery. What are your most common “scripts” when you’re disappointed (about others, yourself, or God)? How could you replace one script with something truer?

6. Jesus met John’s disappointment by welcoming questions, affirming the person, and redirecting expectations to truth. Which of those do you need most from God right now—and which one can you offer someone else who is hurting?

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EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
Disappointment with Life | Part 2
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
January 11, 2026

This Sunday we’re going to talk honestly about the unfairness of life, the pain that shatters our assumptions, and the hope we find when we stop confusing God with our circumstances. Through the story of Job, we’ll confront the shallow answers that often wound the hurting, and we’ll discover the deeper comfort Job found—not in explanations, but in encountering God Himself. If you’re weary, disappointed, or carrying questions you can’t resolve, join us in person or online.

Discussion Questions

1. Jesus told us “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Related to that is Scott Peck’s summation, “Life is difficult.”

What kinds of “trouble” are you facing right now—external circumstances, internal struggles, or relational conflict? How does accepting that reality change the way you interpret hardship—especially when you’re tired, afraid, or disappointed?

2. “Don’t confuse life with God.”

Where have you seen yourself (or others) blame God for what may be “life in a broken world”? What’s the difference between “life is unfair” and “God is unfair”? How do you tell the difference in real time?

3. Job is described as blameless and upright (Job 1:1), yet suffering still came.

What assumptions do we tend to carry that Job’s story challenges? (Examples: “If I do right, nothing bad will happen,” “God owes me protection,” etc.)

4. Job’s friends tried to explain pain with certainty and clichés.

What are some common “Christian phrases” people say that can unintentionally harm someone who’s suffering?

5. Which of Job’s friends do you most relate to at times—and why?

Eliphaz (fear-based explanations)
Bildad (judgment / “holier-than-thou”)
Zophar (shaming to shut people down)
Elihu (talking a lot without real understanding)

God eventually says Job’s friends “have not spoken the truth” about Him (Job 42:7).
What does that teach us about the danger of speaking for God too quickly?

6. Job’s suffering produced unexpected spiritual insight (hope of resurrection, redeemer, advocate). What “gift” has pain left in your life—greater compassion, deeper dependence, clearer priorities, humility, etc.?

7. The message challenges us to be careful with judgment—especially with public failures or tragedies. What does it look like to respond with truth and humility when someone else
falls or suffers?

Practical next step: Think of someone you know who is hurting. What’s one thing you can do this week to “comfort without explaining”—to be present without preaching?

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EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
Disappointment with God | Part 1
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
January 4, 2026

Some of the deepest spiritual pain isn’t simply what happens to us—it’s what we thought God would do and didn’t. When expectations collide with reality, disappointment isn’t far behind. This Sunday we’re starting a new series: “Expectation vs. Reality.” We’ll talk honestly about disappointment with God—where it comes from, what it reveals about what we really believe, and how that disappointment can either spiral into discouragement… or become the doorway to deeper faith and healing. If you’re carrying questions, confusion, or a heavy heart—you’re not alone. And you don’t have to pretend.

If you know someone who’s walking through a hard season, feel free to share this with them.”

Discussion Questions

1. Expectations reveal themselves in pain - “Expectations are never apparent until they’re unfulfilled.”

Where in your life right now are unmet expectations creating disappointment—and what might that disappointment be revealing about what you truly believe (about God, yourself, or life)?

2. Stealth expectations - Brené Brown calls them “stealth expectations”—the expectations we don’t even know we have.

What are some “silent contracts” you’ve placed on God or other people (unspoken demands like “You should know,” “This shouldn’t happen,” “I don’t deserve this”)? How have those shaped resentment or shame?

3. The spiral of disappointment - Disappointment can move toward discouragement → disillusionment → depression → defeat.

Where have you seen that progression at work in your own life (or someone close to you)? What are the early warning signs that tell you you’re slipping into that spiral?

4. Sorting cause and blame - The message challenged “blueprint theology” and victim-blaming, and explored the nature of life (broken world), people (sin and freedom), and God (His heart breaks first).

Which of those categories helps you most right now—and which one is hardest for you to accept emotionally?

5. God can handle the truth - The Psalms give us language for honest lament, anger, confusion, and grief—without pretending.

What emotions do you most struggle to bring to God (anger, fear, disappointment, sadness, doubt)? What would it look like this week to pray more like a lament psalm—honest, unfiltered, and trusting?

6. Disorientation as a doorway - Brueggemann’s pattern: orientation → disorientation → reorientation.

Where would you say you are in that cycle right now? What might “reorientation” look like for you—not necessarily a quick fix, but a deeper, truer relationship with God in the middle of your disappointment?