Melissa Kruger and Courtney Doctor talk with Vanessa Hawkins about the vital and beautiful role church should have in the life of every Christian. They discuss what keeps people from regular church attendance and how to move beyond church hurt. They talk about why your church attendance and involvement is not only necessary for your own spiritual growth, but for the other members of the body of Christ.Recommended Resources:Deep Discipleship by J. T. EnglishSighing on Sunday by Megan HillA Place to Belong by Megan HillWestminster Confession of Faith“Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee”Related Content:The Church Is Essential for DiscipleshipWant to Reach the Next Generation? Love the Church.5 Reasons to Keep Going to Church with Baby BrainLet’s Talk: Overcoming Church HurtDiscussion Questions:In what ways are you currently “showing up” (or not showing up) in your church community?What is most likely to keep you from showing up at church, either literally or figuratively?How have you experienced being known, loved, and cared for by the church?What has your participation in your church community taught you about God and what he values? What liturgies or traditions in your church are most meaningful to you?What encouragement would you offer someone who has been hurt by people within the church? If this is you, what has helped you persevere in seeing the church's beauty?What change or next step would you like to take regarding your engagement in your church? How can your discussion partners pray for you?
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36:03
Sacrificial Yeses and Necessary Nos: Discern the Difference
Courtney Doctor and Melissa Kruger discuss how to make decisions about using your time. They they talk about how to think of yourself with sober judgment, the wrong reasons to say “yes” and “no,” and how to recognize which callings in your life must be prioritized. Although there is no formula for determining when to say yes or no, there is always wisdom available from God when we ask for it!Recommended Resources:2 Timothy 4:6–18The Envy of Eve by Melissa KrugerWork Well with All Types of People (The Deep Dish - Episode 7)Related Content:Let’s Talk: Decision-MakingHow to Know When to Say NoMake It Your Ambition: Seven Godly Pursuits for the Next Generation by Jeremy WritebolHelp! I’m Afraid I Made the Wrong DecisionDiscussion Questions:What’s a situation in which you struggled to give a yes or no? What made that decision difficult?Do you tend to say yes or no more often? What usually motivates your yes or no?What might pursuing time with the Lord in order to have a “transformed mind” look like in your life right now? What might need to change in order for you to prioritize this?What situations has God used in your life to reveal your unique giftings?In what ways do you experience tension between pursuing self-care/rest and sacrificial service? How can self-care and comfort become idols that influence our decision-making?How has God provided rest for you during seasons of sacrificial yeses? What sabbath practices help you find rest in the Lord?
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42:36
Married for Good
Courtney Doctor, Melissa Kruger, Vanessa Hawkins, and Jen Wilkin have each been married for more than 25 years.In this conversation, they talk about how marriage was different from what they expected, what practices have strengthened their marriage through life's ebbs and flows, and they debunk some of the worst marriage advice they’ve heard. Recommended Resources:Single, Dating, Engaged, Married by Ben StuartSacred Marriage by Gary ThomasRelated Content:Growing Your Marriage While Having Young KidsSustaining the Covenant of Marital LoveMarriage in Gospel FocusA Biblical View of MarriageDiscussion Questions:What does spending quality time together look like in this season of your lives? What is the best (or worst) piece of relationship advice you have received? What made it helpful or harmful?What strengths do you see in yourself and your spouse? How have those strengths balanced out areas of weakness in different seasons of your lives?Can you think of a way you would like to rearrange your priorities in order to strengthen your marriage (or your future marriage)?What “one another” commands come the easiest to you? Which are most difficult, and how might you seek to live those out increasingly?In what ways has God used your marriage to sanctify you?What do you want to pray for your spouse, marriage, or yourself based on what you have heard and discussed?
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49:57
Work Well with All Types of People
Melissa Kruger and Courtney Doctor talk with their colleague Ann Westrate about how understanding each others’ gifts has enhanced their work as a team. They talk about how much the Working Genius assessment helped them understand why what might be easy for one of them is hard for someone else. Understanding what different gifts are represented in a team can enhance morale and strengthen relationships. We all have gifts, but none of us have all the gifts.Recommended Resources:Growing Together by Melissa KrugerWorking Genius assessment Ann’s Recipe for Steak Soup Related Content:Let’s Talk: Spiritual GiftsFlourish in How God Has (and Has Not) Gifted YouThe Spiritual Gift You Don’t Notice Until It’s GoneDiscussion Questions:What gifts or abilities have others recognized or affirmed in you? How has God given you opportunities to use and develop those?While this episode focused on the Working Genius, there are many assessments available to help you understand the way you work and interact with others. If you have taken any, how have your results been helpful to you?In what ways have you struggled with envy of other peoples’ giftedness? How do you see your own strengths as an essential part of the body’s functioning? Where do you feel called to invest your talents in new ways (or to continue using them)?If you are a parent, how do you see your giftedness impact the way you serve your family in this season of life?Who in your work, church, or family needs to have their giftedness recognized and affirmed? How is God calling you to encourage that person or those people?
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36:28
Choosing Contentment
Courtney Doctor talks with Melissa Kruger, and Elizabeth Woodson about the true meaning of contentment and how to find it. They discuss how discontentment springs from the attitude of our hearts rather than our circumstances and will only be overcome by trusting God’s goodness. They talk about the enemies of contentment as well as how the psalms of lament show us that grieving is compatible with contentment. We can confess that God has withheld no good thing while also asking, “How long, O Lord?”Recommended Resources:Embrace Your Life by Elizabeth WoodsonThe Envy of Eve by Melissa KrugerRelated Content:Looking for Contentment? It’s Not What You ThinkWill God Provide for Your Needs?Your Church Needs Your ContentmentDiscover the Grace of LamentDiscussion Questions:In what areas of life do you struggle with comparison? How have you experienced comparison feeding feelings of discontentment?What regular practices help you continually remind yourself to find contentment in the “past certainty and future hope” God provides instead of your current circumstances? In what ways is this challenging for you as well?Can you think of an example in your life where God has made the “boundary lines” fall in pleasant places (Psalm 16:6 even if you didn’t immediately recognize it)? What past circumstance has taught you that what he has given (or withheld) is enough?What would it look like to “delight yourself in the Lord” in your current season of life?In what ways have you experienced God transforming your desires into what he desires?What current circumstance is God using as a “schoolroom” to teach you how to trust him more deeply?
The Deep Dish is a new podcast from TGC hosted by Melissa Kruger and Courtney Doctor that invites women into deep conversations about the deep truths of God. These discussions (which are always better served up with a slice of deep-dish pizza!) will equip women to engage in richer discipleship relationships in their local contexts. Tune in for warm conversations among friends—including special guests along the way—to dig deeper into God’s Word and explore how it applies to every area of our lives.
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