Word-Nerd alert! Today we are going to talk about phrases and colloquial expressions that take ahold of the public’s imagination and quickly become over-used. Some of these phrases are so prominent they find their way into the dictionary; some fall by the wayside and die a well-deserved death. (Aren’t you glad that everything isn’t “FIERCE” anymore? But it’s time for “literally” to go away. Like, literally.)

In one weekend, I heard the phrase “deep dive” about twenty times. I first noticed it while listening to a favorite podcast (Lou Mongello’s ‘Walt Disney World Radio’, an excellent insider’s information program done by a wonderfully enthusiastic recovering lawyer, who now devotes his career to helping people navigate all things Disney). Then I heard it several times while listening to NPR radio on the way to the airport. I heard it again on a news broadcast at the airport, then heard it from practically every speaker at the Orange Conference in Atlanta. There was so much deep diving, I got out of breath and nearly got the bends coming out of the weekend.

According to a delightful article on the Merriam Webster Dictionary’s website on “Words We are Watching” (who knew such a thing existed? My Word Nerd meter is registering a 10!), the phrase “Deep Dive” means this:

Deep dive has recently taken on the meaning of “a thorough examination of a subject or topic.” It currently is often found when describing a piece of journalism of a certain gravity or comprehensiveness.

Read it here

My prayer for these daily devotionals is that we would all have a chance to spend five minutes early in the day (or at bedtime…just make it decaf!) to have a cup of coffee, a moment of quiet, and a “deep dive” into God’s Word. I discovered during Lent that when I dove deep for forty days, I stayed a little deeper when I got out than I was when I got in. I think a lot of us just tickle our toes once a week or twice a month in the living water that is Christ, and hope that is enough. It isn’t.

This water we are navigating is LIFE. A full immersion baptism into the scriptures is what will get us through life’s crises and victories, life’s joys and sorrows, and is the only thing that can sustain us through diagnoses, divorce, destruction and death.

1 John 1:1-4 The Message (MSG)

“1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!”

This passage beautifully explains why we dive deep into God’s Word together here At Water’s Edge. I feel exactly the same way: my motive for writing is simply this; I want you to enjoy this, too. When we experience communion with with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and when we experience the Word of Life, it brings us JOY. And when we dive together, our joy is doubled.

Thank you for diving deep with me! I truly cherish every reader, and the time that we spend together every day.

Morning’s first light at Colington.

Have friends who need to take a swim? Just hit “share”, and the link will go out on your FaceBook or Twitter feed. Tell ’em to come on in…the water’s fine!