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 p...

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 d...

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 opene...

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 pa...

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 i...

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 p...

“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 e...

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...

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. Fo...

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

Script:I have a new review of Logos Bible Software, and as I was getting ready to film it, I started wondering how I was supposed to pronounce Logos. I did a quick search and found two blog posts by Mark Ward. In his first post, he says it's pronounced Lah-gahs. His first reason is that most evangelical Christian pastors, Bible teachers, and students (the people who buy Logos products) know at...

Visit my Logos Partner Page for an extended free trial (get an extra month free):https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/recommendations/logos-partner-offerScript:Imagine having everything you need for Bible study, including your personal library, searchable and accessible with a keystroke. This is Logos – a powerful and comprehensive Bible study platform designed for those who want to deeply explore a...

How do you trust in Jesus? Script:This was a question asked by a young student in AWANA, and I was caught off guard. I gave my typical ABCs of the gospel — admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for your sins, and confess Him as the resurrected King over your life. I said that trusting in Jesus is something that happens in our hearts, and it’s God who ma...

Larry Sanger is the co-founder of Wikipedia, and he recently published his testimony online. TGC’s Trevin Wax shared his highlights, and I wanted to share my reflections and resolutions after reading it. Script:First, I am resolved to answer questions. I teach high school Sunday School, and Sanger specifically pointed out that his questions as a youth were met with contempt. I don’t want to be a t...

Don’t Preach a CommentaryScript:This was the title of a Gospel-Centered Discipleship article by Michael C. Lyons — and I absolutely agree with him. He states three symptoms of Bible commentary preaching, and I want to interact with each of them. The first symptom is appealing to Hebrew and Greek. While I always look at the original languages, it’s true that this often seems to be more helpful for...

"But the countercultural truth is that preachers are more like opera singers than like athletes." -- David MathisScript:"Preachers are more like opera singers than athletes." This is a quote by David Mathis from his Desiring God article No One’s Born to Preach: The Myth and Truth of Pulpit ‘Gifting’. He explains that while athletes peak in their teens and twenties, musicians an...

"I love theology, but theology isn’t meant to live in your head; it’s meant to get into your bones." -- Ian Harber Script: "Theology isn’t meant to live in your head; it’s meant to get into your bones." This is a quote from Ian Harber in his interview with Ivan Mesa, On My Shelf: Life and Books with Ian Harber by TGC. He shares this in the context of reading old books that focu...

"We should instead imagine culture as a language we all speak. It’s communication. We constantly receive culture and are formed by it. Every book, song, dinner, and habit can become a channel of blessing to the world. Each offers an opportunity to witness to the hope of Jesus." -- Dennis Greeson and Benjamin T. Quinn YouTube https://youtu.be/20n5LJ_KF-k Shownotes https://www.thegospelcoa...

I’m close enough to see the Pasadena fires from my work at the hospital. I’m humbled to have my home. I’m grateful for the safety of my family. I’m praying for the first responders and firefighters. I’m mourning with those who have lost more than I know. As someone who values books, it is not lost to me that they are just words on paper. The books themselves are of little value — but the stories,...

"Friend, if you need to be glued to your manuscript while preaching the gospel (which I assume you do in one way or another every week!), you might be in the wrong profession." -- Sean DeMars Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ44KyD2g1c&list=PL761H3XZh_NBALFHF5xBssWTpShNKgizz&index=1&pp=gAQBiAQB Shownotes https://www.9marks.org/article/helpful-hacks-for-preaching-from-a...

"Sometimes, when I hear professing Christians who have just been diagnosed with a disease or suffered a terrible loss or experienced a calamity say, 'Where is God? Why would a good God let this happen?' I ask myself, 'What Bible do they read?'" -- John Piper Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pbuLR1Rx_wU Shownotes https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/countless-dangers-continual-joy Links https://w...

"While Mary’s first Christmas looked far from perfect—and far from what she might’ve hoped for—it was exactly what God had planned." -- Ann Swindell Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kfZgX51qqy4 Shownotes https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christmas-expectations-ruined/ Links https://www.diveindigdeep.com/ https://newsletter.diveindigdeep.com/ https://www.instagram.com/diveindigdeep https...

"Ask yourself, brother or sister in Christ: How do I talk about my church and other churches? What do my words reveal about my pattern of thoughts and deep-seated attitudes toward Jesus’s bride?" -- David Mathis Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vpQplVGWn90 Shownotes https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/love-the-church-like-jesus https://www.desiringgod.org/books/workers-for-your-joy Li...

“The most significant contributions to the kingdom often come from those who never stand in the spotlight.” -- Trevin Wax Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/31h50BZ-QDg Shownotes https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/church-unsung-hero/ https://www.ivpress.com/the-thrill-of-orthodoxy Links https://www.diveindigdeep.com/ https://newsletter.diveindigdeep.com/ https://www.inst...

The reality of it all floods my mind. There are no evangelical celebrities here, only doorkeepers. It comes with regret. Oh that I had lived with my heart more aligned with the psalmist! “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” -- Natalie Brand Watch the video on YouTube https://youtu.be/sq-lSwvPbbE Shownotes https://www.desiringgod.org/article...