The Deep Dish

Melissa and Courtney talk with Jen Oshman about the lie that our worth is measured by what we possess. They discuss why we try to fill a God-shaped hole with earthly things and how to recognize materialism in our lives.
They talk about strategies to combat materialism, including inviting trusted friends into your financial decisions, seeking to be as generous to others as possible, and setting your heart on heavenly possessions rather than earthly ones.
Resources Mentioned:
Heaven by Randy Alcorn
The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
Related Resources:
Materialism, Money, and Me Culture
Materialism Is Easy to Decry and Hard to Avoid
Covetousness: The Sin Behind the Sin
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In what ways do you see materialism connected to deeper desires in your heart? How might you be settling for lesser gifts instead of storing up treasure in heaven?
2. What types of things most often capture your attention or stir up desire (e.g., clothes, home decor, technology, experiences)?
3. What rhythms or practices (daily, weekly, or monthly) could help you become more mindful of how you consume, spend, and steward what God has given you?
4. Share a time when you experienced God’s abundant provision. How does remembering his care grow your desire to trust him and reflect his generosity?
5. What Scriptures or truths about God’s character help reorient your heart when you feel the pull toward “more”?
6. How could other believers help you with accountability or input in the areas of spending, consumption, and giving?
7. What’s one next step you would like to take based on what you’ve heard and discussed today?

Click here for more information about Women's Initiatives at The Gospel Coalition!
Click here for more information about our upcoming conference, TGCW26, June 11-13 in Indianapolis!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Courtney Doctor talks with Colleen Chao about how her faith has grown and flourished through living with a terminal cancer diagnosis. They discuss the difficulty of knowing she may not live to see her son grow up, what keeps her clinging to Jesus, and what excites her about the life to come. Colleen expounds a rich theology of suffering accompanied by contagious joy in the Lord.
Resources Mentioned:
She Laughs at the Days to Come (Colleen’s story)
Related Resources:
The Secret to Living Hope in the Face of Death
How to Help When Cancer Strikes Your Church
Experiencing God in Your Affliction
Review: "Out of the Shadow World" by Colleen Chao
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How do you practice “setting your mind on things above” amid ordinary life or in seasons of suffering?
2. What circumstances or experiences have made you more aware of your limitations?
3. How have you experienced the closeness of your Shepherd in dark or fearful seasons? In what specific ways has his nearness been your good?
4. What does it mean to think of suffering as something you’re “entrusted with”? How does that perspective shape the way you steward hard experiences?
5. As you think about eternity with God, what excites or comforts you most about the life to come?
6. What does it look like to entrust those we love most to God when the future feels uncertain?
7. What truths from God’s Word have most strengthened or steadied you in seasons of suffering?

Click here for more information about Women's Initiatives at The Gospel Coalition!
Click here for more information about our upcoming conference, TGCW26, June 11-13 in Indianapolis!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Courtney and Melissa talk with Christine Hoover about why we need friends and how to make them. They discuss how to get over the awkwardness of walking into a room where you don’t know anyone, why our friendships may shift in different life stages, how our friends shape us, and how an idealized view of friendship (where your friends never disappoint you) runs counter to the gospel.
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The Hard Work of Lifelong Friendships
 
 
RELATED RESOURCES:
Want to Grow in Wisdom? You Need Gospel Friends.
Why Ministry Partners Are Better than Instagram Friends
How to Be the Friend You’ve Always Wanted
Messy Beautiful Friendship by Christine K. Hoover
 
 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How has your experience of making friends changed in different seasons of your life? Which seasons have been most challenging, and why?
2. In what ways are your current friendships gospel-centered? Where do you sense room for growth?
3. Where has God placed you—at church, at work, at home, or in your community—to notice and include those who may feel overlooked or alone?
4. What qualities of a faithful, Christlike friend are you asking God to grow in you right now?
5. How does the gospel speak to the fears or expectations that hinder our friendships?
6. How are you intentionally prioritizing fellowship with Christ? How does your relationship with him shape what you offer in your friendships?
7. What next step is God calling you to take in your pursuit of gospel-centered friendship?

Click here for more information about Women's Initiatives at The Gospel Coalition!
Click here for more information about our upcoming conference, TGCW26, June 11-13 in Indianapolis!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Courtney and Melissa talk with Jen Wilkin about how they each related to their siblings while growing up, how those relationships have changed over the years, and how to foster a healthy relationship with adult siblings.
In this laughter-filled conversation, they talk about how they dealt with conflict among their own children, words of wisdom they wished they’d heard sooner, and how to encourage kindness and love between siblings throughout their lives.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
I Am the Light of the World (Jen’s message at TGCW24)
Being Mortal  by Atul Gawande
 
RELATED RESOURCES:
Help! My Kids Won’t Stop Fighting
Raising an Alien Child
How to Handle Family Conflict This Holiday Season
 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What was your relationship with your siblings like as you were growing up? How has it developed over the years?
2. What patterns of dealing with conflict do you see in your family (past or present)?
3. What has God taught you about conflict resolution through your sibling relationships?
4. How do you see your children (or children you’re close to) developing friendships in their sibling relationships? What’s challenging about this? How would you like to encourage this more?
5. As you interact with your adult siblings, in what ways might you be reverting to childhood roles? How can you guard against this?
6. How are your siblings navigating (or planning to navigate) care for aging parents? What advice from this episode was helpful as you consider how to do this well?

Click here for more information about Women's Initiatives at The Gospel Coalition!
Click here for more information about our upcoming conference, TGCW26, June 11-13 in Indianapolis!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Melissa and Courtney talk with Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams about how they learned to love the Bible. They discuss both the challenges and rewards of studying Scripture, memorizing it, and learning to interpret it in community. They explain the difference in thinking the Bible is written to you and understanding that it was written for you.
Resources Mentioned: 
She Reads Truth
The Bible Is for You: A Devotional Journey Through Every Book of the Bible Edited by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams
Daily Light
 
Related Content:
How to Study the Bible 
Keep Reading Your Bible, Even If You Don’t Understand It
TGC Course: Mining God’s Word
 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In a few words, describe your current attitude toward and practice of engaging with God’s Word.
2. How has your approach to reading and studying Scripture changed over time? What habits or rhythms are helping you prioritize it in your current season?
3. How did this conversation deepen your understanding of the unique nature and power of God’s Word?
4. How has your understanding of God grown as you’ve spent time in his Word?
5. How has Scripture ministered to you in difficult circumstances? How is his Word ministering to you currently?
6. In what ways has studying the Bible alongside others encouraged or shaped you?
7. What’s one thing you want to start, stop, or change in your practice of engaging with Scripture?

Click here for more information about Women's Initiatives at The Gospel Coalition!
Click here for more information about our upcoming conference, TGCW26, June 11-13 in Indianapolis!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.