Dive In Dig Deep

One of my favorite childhood memories was family dinners at my grandparents house. We would just hang out, eat dinner, and watch TV. This was a time before smartphones, before the Internet was ubiquitous. It was a different time, but I can see God’s kindness in allowing me to experience his goodness in this way.The moment came full circle for me yesterday, when I found myself staying late at my parents house with my kids, hanging out, eating dinner, and watching TV. God has been incredibly kind to me and my family. It’s moments like this when I can clearly see his faithfulness — and it’s a feeling I don’t want to forget.Your faithfulness is for all generations; you established the earth, and it stands firm. — Psalm 119:90https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/p/god-of-generations

These questions have worked well for me as I do Author Interviews, but also just in my regular life and wanting to get to know people better. I don’t necessarily think these questions are deep, but I think they can bring out deeper conversations if people want to pursue them.Ask what people do, but also ask why they do it, or what is the motivation behind it. For instance, ask someone what they do for work, and then ask why they chose that line of work or what got them into it in the first place.Ask how things make people feel. A lot of times you can talk about a topic or event, but to get to know a person, you want to know the feelings and emotions. For example, if a person is facing a new project at work — does it make them excited, scared, optimistic, or anxious?Part 2 coming soon!https://open.substack.com/pub/diveindigdeep/p/how-to-ask-deeper-questions

Today, I want to confess that I actually don’t know that much about Bluey. I’ve heard good things about it, and I’ve watched a couple of episodes, but my kids know way more about it than I do. I didn’t even know Bluey was a girl until late in the game. What I do know, though, is that it’s a great show to keep the kids occupied.

We went to see the show at Disneyland, and my eyes were really opened to another world. People knew all the characters. People knew all the songs. As someone who knows a lot about Disney, I felt like an outsider at Disneyland. But it all looked very fun and exciting!

As a Christian, I was reminded that our faith can seem very different—especially to those who have not had much exposure to it before. Our churches may seem strange, with all the different people to meet and songs to learn.

But I believe the Gospel is good enough to draw people in—to turn outsiders into family and pull them into the story, transforming confusion into joy. And I’m grateful I get to be part of that welcome.

https://open.substack.com/pub/diveindigdeep/p/seeing-bluey-at-disneyland

Our marriage small group is one of the biggest blessings at our church. One reason it has such a strong impact on us is our intentionality. As a leader, here are three simple ways I try to support meaningful discussions:1. Come with one clear topic. Sometimes there are multiple parts to a discussion question, but everything flows from a central theme. For example, our topic today focused on our parents, with the question: What patterns from your parents have been passed down to you, and are they helpful or hurtful in your marriage today?2. Give space, but guide the group. I ask whether people would like more time with the discussion question or if they’re ready to move on to prayer requests. This helps move the group along without feeling pushy.3. Model openness first. I typically answer the discussion question first, as openly and honestly as possible. This provides an example for others and sets the tone for the rest of the sharing.Healthy discussions don’t happen by accident. My hope is that our group continues to grow not just in conversation, but in Christ-centered love for one another.https://open.substack.com/pub/diveindigdeep/p/leading-intentional-small-groups

My daughter Numbers was explaining to me how her teacher told her to “read the pictures.” Since she doesn’t yet know how to read words, her teacher encouraged her to look at the illustrations in her books to understand what is happening in the story.For the Christian, we are blessed to have the Bible. But even if someone is unable to read it, they can still “read” the world. Just as my daughter is learning to understand a story through pictures before she can read words, so we can learn to see God’s glory in the world around us, even before we fully understand Scripture. Look at the pictures God paints every day—in our lives and in the world around us.My prayer is that God would continue to open the eyes of my daughter, my children, and your loved ones as well.“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” —Psalm 19:1https://open.substack.com/pub/diveindigdeep/p/read-the-pictures

1. Read the preaching text immediatelyGet the passage into your head as soon as possible so you can start wrestling with it and working on it. Dig in using basic hermeneutical skills and study Bibles. Begin forming your main points and the big idea while letting the text marinate in your mind.2. Study the text with resourcesExplore commentaries, Logos, and other trusted materials, and check what pastors you respect have written or preached online. Make discoveries, but don’t get lost in the content—stay focused on your big idea and keep your congregation in mind. Use these insights to solidify your main points and refine your message.3. Apply the text to your lifeLive out the sermon personally. Work through the applications in your own life so you can speak to your congregation from experience, not just theory. Reflect on how it relates to your listeners, and then put it all into writing in a way that is practical, relatable, and spiritually grounded.https://open.substack.com/pub/diveindigdeep/p/my-short-and-simple-sermon-writing

“Every sermon was an opportunity for Spurgeon to turn the diamond of the gospel and reveal a new facet of the glory of God in all its brilliance and beauty.” — Geoffrey ChangAs a lay preacher, I take every opportunity to preach very seriously. While I’m on rotation, there’s no guarantee of a preaching “career.” And although this could be said of any preacher or pastor, I am especially aware that each opportunity is given—not required, obligated, or expected. That uncertainty can make each preaching opportunity feel fragile and fleeting.It can be tempting to view this as a weakness or a source of discouragement. Without a regular place in the pulpit, I easily feel the lack of stability or assurance that others may have. But God uses my weakness so that His strength can shine through. It compels me to rely fully on the Word, not on the assumption that I’ll have another opportunity, and to preach with a greater sense of urgency and dependence.And to use Spurgeon’s terms, it allows me to savor every turn of the diamond of the gospel. It frees me to hold it up, earnest and urgent, and say, “Look!”https://open.substack.com/pub/diveindigdeep/p/every-opportunity

We talked about physical intimacy recently in our marriage small group. I already shared three reasons why I felt it was important to have the conversation. The emphasis was on not isolating physical intimacy to the bedroom, but knowing that the entirety of our relationship contributes to the intimate relations we have as husbands and wives. Here are the prompts we used, and each individual had to share one they thought they were doing well in and one they thought they could improve on:Love each other intimately by living in a healthy relationship of leadership/submission/complimenting/communicating.Love each other intimately by emotional AND physical connection.Love each other intimately by serving each other, giving more, denying yourself and not being selfish.Love each other intimately by loving exclusively (either time w other women or other things like work or tv or home or hobbies).I thank God for friends who share our faith and are open to sharing all aspects of their lives with us.These points were adapted from The Redeemed Man, edited by Joel R. Beeke, Richard D. Phillips, and Paul M. Smalley. Pick up your copy at Reformation Heritage Books, and use code DIVEINDIGDEEP for 10% off.https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/p/how-we-talked-about-our-sex-lives

We talked about physical intimacy today in our marriage small group. It’s a group where we meet with other married couples (though we’re open to dating couples as well!) to discuss what it looks like to live as married Christians and to pray for one another.In Monday night’s newsletter — or Tuesday morning, more likely, by the time you read it — I’ll share what I used as our discussion prompt. For now, here’s why I felt it was important to have that conversation:We want to be holistic Christians. Christianity encompasses our entire lives — including our physical intimacy lives. While we don’t need to talk about it every time we meet, we also can’t ignore that physical intimacy has an important place in marriage.Physical intimacy is good and a gift from God. Christians should be able to talk about it openly and rightly with one another — not only for encouragement, but also to combat the lies the world tells us about physical intimacy.If not in our marriage group, where else will we talk about it? While you can discuss it in gender-specific small groups, those conversations are naturally one-sided. A marriage small group should be a safe, private space to share about sensitive topics like this.I thank God for friends who share our faith and are open to sharing all aspects of their lives with us.https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/p/why-we-talked-about-our-sex-lives

https://diveindigdeep.substack.com/p/growth-in-groups