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My name is Aaron and I want to get you past shallow Christian faith. https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/Small Group Sharing: 7 Guiding Questionshttps://diveindigdeep.substack.com/p/small-group-sharingFollow me online:https://www.instagram.com/diveindigdeep/Westminster Bookstore exists to connect Christians with books that are theologically rich, pastorally wise, and unwaveringly faithful to Scripture. For 5% off any order, use code DIVEINDIGDEEP at checkout:https://www.wtsbooks.com/?dt_id=2633953&utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=DIVEINDIGDEEP

My name is Aaron and I want to get you past shallow Christian faith. https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/In Awake, My Soul, Dan Kreider presents hymn readings for daily devotion. As a worship leader, I found this book to be encouraging and inspiring.Giveaway and review:https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/book-reviews/awake-my-soulFollow me online:https://www.instagram.com/diveindigdeep/

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https://youtu.be/WIriT_K7e38?si=AuQaCoA8_MJM_lnX

My name is Aaron and I want to get you past shallow Christian faith. https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/In A Christian’s Guide to AI, Pete Killingley provides 12 biblical answers to the questions we’re all asking. This is a timely and accessible guide, and a great place to start for anyone who wants to think seriously about how artificial intelligence is shaping our world and what it means for our faith.Read my full review:https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/book-reviews/a-christians-guide-to-aiFollow me online:https://www.instagram.com/diveindigdeep/

Living at peace with your pastors means humbly allowing them to shepherd you through Scripture, partnering with them in ministry, and honoring the people God has used to shape your faith.https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/messages/life-in-the-family-of-god

Article and transcript:https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/messages/the-strength-that-jesus-givesOutline:Physical power – to endure and serve God (1 Timothy 1:12)Actual presence – God is with us (2 Corinthians 12:9)Spiritual perception – the ability to see the riches of his glory (Ephesians 3:16)More:From the sermon: Strength from Jesus: How to Give Thanks in All CircumstancesAaron Lee | November 24, 2024 | FCBCW Children’s Worship | Philippians 4:13https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/messages/strength-from-jesus

I noticed in my small group that the men tend to idolize selfishness, while the women tend to idolize sovereignty. Men have a certain self-centeredness, and women have a desire for control. While these are generalizations from my personal small group sample, I do see some biblical connections.

After the Fall of Man, we see a pull towards selfishness, self-centeredness in Adam. Rather than taking responsibility, he shifts the blame onto Eve. At the same time, sin introduces a new tension for Eve. There is a struggle over control and leadership in their relationship, as “your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

I was struck by these sinful patterns so early in the Bible. It certainly heightens my awareness of these idols in my own life. It makes me grateful for our Father, who loves us despite our familiar sins. It makes me treasure the Son, who saves us. And it makes me pray to the Spirit, who gives us the power to persevere.

Last week, I wrote about idolatry, and I want to share more observations from my small group. If I were to generalize from our small sample, I’d say the men tend to idolize selfishness, while the women tend to idolize sovereignty—two “S” words to make it easy to remember.For me, my idol was my iPhone, which I traced back to a desire for laziness—to give my attention to my phone instead of to God and others, and to be selfish with how I use my time. Whether it’s an iPhone or other distractions, many of the men in my group struggled with an idol of selfishness.For the women, the common idol was sovereignty—the desire to be in control. Whether it was wanting things to go according to plan or planning everything in extreme detail, there was often disappointment when things fell out of their control.I’ll make some biblical connections with this in my next newsletter!

We were at Legoland this weekend, and I have a confession: I get stressed out when we’re on vacation. I get stressed out at home too, but this is different.It’s like I somehow forget about God more easily, and I forget that he’s in control. I get caught up in the minutiae of what the kids are doing, and just the overall uneasiness about being away from the familiar.There are large letters at the entrance of Legoland that say WELCOME, and my son Ark wanted to pose in front of the C because, as he said, “C is for Christ.” I was happy and also humbled. It was a soft reminder from my son that I am still a Christian while I’m on vacation and that Christ is still King.I’m thankful for Jess, who deals kindly with my stress. And I’m thankful for my kids, who show me the Savior.

I recently shared five reasons why were talking about our spouses’s idols in our marriage small group. The prompt was that we were supposed to state what we think, or what we perceive, what we’ve seen to be our spouses’s idols — and also if and how they have been fighting off these idols. Specifically for this small group question, I wanted to define an idol as anything that gets in the way of loving God and loving others. Yesterday I wrote how Jess said that my iPhone was my idol, and I said it was tied to my sin of selfishness. Today I’ll share what Jess said about how I have been fighting my iPhone idolatry.Jess was kind and gladly said that she noticed I had been trying to fight my iPhone idolatry by confessing it to her and also purposefully putting my phone away or out of reach when I am with my kids. I was happy that she could say this without hesitation. And I believe this is still what I want. When I shared about iPhone idolatry in my most recent sermon, I said it with conviction and hope.When I put my phone away, I’m more proactive in playing with my kids. It’s easier to find time to talk to Jess. My Bible study is better and I can find more times to pray. Putting my iPhone away allows me to be more present to love God and love others. It’s something I’m still working on, and something that I think will be an ongoing battle in our modern age, but I think it’s a fight we can win, and an idol we can all put away.He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” — Joshua 24:23