The Deep Dish

Courtney and Melissa talk with New Testament scholar (and Melissa’s husband) Mike Kruger about the excellent evidence that Jesus physically rose from the dead and the difference that makes for our lives.

Dr. Kruger points out that because Jesus predicted his own resurrection, it validates his claims to be the Son of God and the Messiah. Dr. Kruger highlights the resurrection's transformative effects on early Christians, including their willingness to be martyred for their faith.

Related Resources:

Did the Resurrection Really Happen? (TGC Hard Questions) by Timothy Paul Jones

3 Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection

Why Is the Resurrection Good News?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Why do you think the resurrection continues to be questioned or dismissed in our culture?

2. Why is the resurrection not just one doctrine among many but central to the Christian faith? What would Christianity lose if the resurrection weren't true?

3. What evidence of Christ’s resurrection is particularly compelling to you?

4. Read 1 Corinthians 15 together. Paul says that if Christ hasn't been raised, our faith is futile—but if he has been raised, everything changes. As a result, what should change in

our view of suffering?

our courage in evangelism?

our fight against sin?

our hope in death?

5. How does the knowledge that Christ is alive and reigning without rival make a difference in your life right now?

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!

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To celebrate the first birthday of The Deep Dish, Courtney and Melissa welcome special surprise guests to answer tough questions sent in by listeners. They talk about the difference between shame and the Spirit's conviction, how to seek advice about a conflict without gossiping, how to sit with the tension of a biblical text, how to keep the Sabbath, and more. 

Resources Mentioned:

Remembering Death Teaches Us to Live

The Dish on Gossip

Becoming Good Stewards of Our Bodies

Conversations with God

When You Want to Change Your Husband

Related Resources:

Sabbath Rest (Disciplines of Devotion series) by Megan Hill

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin

Gospel Parenting During the Little Years

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!

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Courtney and Melissa discuss helpful practices they’ve used in their prayer lives, including developing regular rhythms, alternating prayer with Scripture reading, and incorporating confession of sin as a part of personal prayer. They talk about how to be faithful to a promise to pray for someone else and how to make prayer part of a friendship.
Rather than speaking from a place of prescriptive legalism, Melissa and Courtney speak with infectious enthusiasm about the possibilities of a rich and growing prayer life.
Resources Mentioned:
The Deep Dish: Conversations with God
Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days by Kay Arthur
5 Things to Pray for Your Kids by Melissa Kruger
5 Things to Pray for Your Spouse by Melissa Kruger
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
Parenting with Hope by Melissa Kruger
I’m Praying for You: 40 Days of Praying the Bible for Someone Who Is Suffering by Nancy Guthrie
Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans edited by Robert Elmer
Every Moment Holy series
Related Resources
Prayer (Disciplines of Devotion series) by Courtney Reissig
In Prayer, Structure Serves Spontaneity
7 Ways to Fight Distraction in Prayer
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Do you have a routine for prayer? When and where do you usually pray?
2. What strategies do you use to organize your prayer time and guard against distractions?
3. How has God used prayer to rightly orient you toward seeking his will above your own?
4. When have you struggled to persevere in prayer or to accept an answer to prayer?
5. What benefits have you experienced as a result of praying with others (family, friends, or ministry partners)?
6. What next step will you take in your practice of prayer? What do you want to start, stop, or continue doing?

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!

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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!

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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!

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