Examen questions for a weekly look back

The examen is an old practice of looking back over a day or a week and noticing where God was present. It comes from the Christian tradition, and its shape is simple enough that people far outside that tradition recognize it: stop, remember, name what you saw, and bring it to someone. A weekly version is easier to keep than a daily one, and it gives two people something real to talk about.

What the examen is

The examen is not a performance review. It does not ask how well you did. It asks what you noticed. You are looking for movement, not marks: where you felt close to God, where you felt far, where a practice came alive, and where it went flat.

Four questions

These questions are tradition-neutral. Use your own words if they fit you better.

1. Where did you notice God this week? Think small. A sentence in a chapter you read, a conversation, a quiet moment in the car.
2. Where did a practice feel alive, and where did it feel dead? Name one of each. A dead practice is not a failure. It is information.
3. Where did the thing you're working on show up, or not? If you named patience, honesty or rest as your focus this season, look for the moments it was tested.
4. What do you want to bring to your partner? A question, a confession, something to pray about. This is the one that opens the conversation.

How a pair uses it each week

Do the four questions alone first, once a week, at the same time. Sunday evening works for many people. Write a few sentences for each and stop. Resist the urge to tidy your answers into something impressive.

Then decide what to share. You do not have to share everything, and you do not have to share the same amount every week. Share the answers you want your partner to hear, one at a time. The rest stays with you.

When you meet, start with what each of you shared. Read it aloud or glance at it together, and then ask one real question about it. Not "why didn't you," but "what was that like?" The aim is for each person to be known a little better than last week, and for the arrow of encouragement to point both ways.

A few cautions

Keep it short. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough. Keep it honest, which sometimes means writing "nothing this week." And keep it yours: if a question does not fit, reword it. The point is the looking back, not the wording.

In disciple.app this is the weekly reflection (Catholics and Anglicans see it called the examen). It is private until you tap share, and you choose per answer. You can also use these questions on paper with a friend.