Gospel of Larry Journal-CH 1 4/7 “I haven’t enjoyed a rant this much since Thoreau,” Beth said, “We need people stirring up the way we think about things” (7) Do we need to change our perspective on certain things? Why or why not? What issues in America are people the most naïve about (abortion, taxes, education)? Why? How can we change that?

Gospel Journal-Ch. 1 2/18 Larry brings up Beth’s fascination with Jocks and thinks “ ‘Beth, what are you doing to me?’ Life was cruel and unfair- what did this Larry guy have to say about that?” (9) As a teenager, do you ever feel as though life is cruel and unfair? Why or why not? Is life generally cruel and unfair? Why or why not?

Gospel Ch. 1: Larry writes about how bored he is at school, that even when something new happens “it was still just a giant yawn in the storyline. To keep myself amused during study hall, I invented a new alphabet based on the sense of smell” (10) Do you feel bored at school? Why? Generally, when you are bored, what do you do to pass the time? What are your hobbies/interests?

Gospel of Larry Journal-Similes 2/23 Larry finds Katherine “as interesting as a bag of rice” (12) Write similes (compares two things using like or as) about five of your friends

Gospel Ch. 2 2/25 “There’s something to be said about ignorance being bliss” (16) Ignorance: Lack of knowledge, awareness, education (innocent, naïve) 1. Remember when you were younger, on a typical day, were you ignorant about the world? In what ways? What didn’t you know that you know now? 2. Is ignorance bliss?

Gospel- 3/2/09 “It’s very simple, really. I’ve only wanted one thing my whole life-to contribute, to help make the world a better place.” (18) Explain the significance of the quote Why did Josh want this so bad? What were some issues he was concerned about? How can you personally contribute to the world to make it a better place?

Gospel 3/3/09 “I think it’s safe to say I was the only person in that department sitting in the lotus position” (26) What is Larry doing in this scene in the novel? How do you relax? Make a list of what you do when you are stressed out/need a break

Gospel Ch. 7 3/4/09 “It’s so great to focus on the big picture, not just our stupid little lives at school” Beth mentions to Larry (50) What is the “big” picture for you? Do you spend time focusing on it? Why or why not? Do we all get distracted by our own “little” lives, issues, and to do list?

Gospel Ch 9 -3/11/09 1. First, tally up your water use survey to see how much water you use on a given day (how much do you use in a week)? Read Sermon # 137 in Gospel of Larry 2. Analyze the sermon-what is he saying to us? 3. What do you think about the state of the environment at this point? Are you concerned about the state of our planet (clean water, pollution, global warming)? Why or why not?

Gospel Ch 11 When Larry is talking about the advertisements that he changed, he mentions that others kids caught onto the trend and created parodies of the company’s in his ads. A parody is…

Gospel Ch 13 Read the sermon on pages What is America’s obsession with celebrities? Is it is positive or negative obsession? Why? Do most of us live lives where we are trying to be someone we are not?

Gospel Ch 18 (108) How do you feel about spending time alone? Do most of us spend enough time alone? Why or why not? How does this have an affect on us either positively or negatively?

Gospel Ch. 21 (118) There is going to be a Larryfest…what do you think about this? Can you predict what is going to happen next in the novel?

Ch 22- (120) After reading several of Larry’s sermons, reflect generally on: 1. Why are people attracted to Larry’s sermons? 2. What does this (answer to # 1) tell us about people in society today & about our lives?

Gospel Ch 22- (122) 3/23/09 Have out your Sermon RD for pts. “It was, bar none, the greatest moment in my seventeen-years” Larry says when he hears the Bono Larry theme song (122) Why is this Josh’s greatest moment? What has your greatest moment been in your life? Why?

Gospel Ch. 23 “For the next few days at the hardware store, I did 360-degree spins down the aisles, checking out every angle as I walked” (132) Why is Larry so paranoid? Why is Begatold so determined to find out who Larry is? Have you ever felt paranoid/as though you were hiding from something?

Gospel “BE THE HERO OF YOUR OWN LIFE” (187) How can one be the hero of their own life? Define “hero.”

Gospel (207) “Images, memories, thoughts-they were the only real possessions any of us had anyway” (207) Why does Larry say this? Do you agree/disagree?

Gospel – (208) “Was it worth it? If I had Larry to do all over again, would I?” (208) Why is Larry questioning himself? How would you feel in his situation? Do you think that all of it was worth it?

Gospel (217) “Maybe finding common ground with the people we disagreed with was the first step to a real revolution” (217) Why does Larry decide this about Begatold? Who/what type of person do you disagree with? Can you find common ground?

Gospel (217) “With this story behind me, I could concentrate on what has always been important to me-contributing. But I didn’t have to preach to a million people to move civilization forward; offering a hungry person a bowl of soup was contributing too” (217) What are some little ways that you can help people in life? How has Larry’s philosophy changed?

Gospel 4/28/08 Larry, or Josh only owns 75 possessions. When he buys something new he has to get rid of something else that he owns. If you could choose the most important items for you to own, what would the top 10 items be? Why? Would you be able to only own 75 items, why or why not?