New from Kyle Idleman: Gods at War: The Battle for Your Heart

Had a chance this weekend to review Gods at War: The Battle for Your Heart that Will Define Your Life, the latest from Kyle Idleman and City on a Hill Studio.  They’ve delivered several of the most compelling DVD-driven studies (H20, The Easter Experience, Not a Fan).

Gods at War takes a shot at an important topic.  Idolatry.  And while we may only rarely come across a “graven image,” all of us wrestle with what Idleman refers to as the “countless gods passionately at war for the throne of our heart.”  Gods of love, gods of money, gods of pleasure, and gods of power are the focus.

DVD-driven, this is a 6 session study with lasting implications.  Featuring the teaching of Kyle Idleman, the DVD sessions are engaging and definitely hold the participant’s attention.  Along with the teaching segment, every session also includes a series of reflections on the personal journeys of a recurring set of fellow strugglers.  “Real people, telling real stories” repeatedly create a very compelling and haunting storyline.

The leader’s guide provides both the preparation resources and the session ideas needed to take the group time from audience to participant.  Opening discussion questions help set up the video and a thoughtfully designed guide for follow up conversation will help group members begin to personally engage in the topic.  In addition, a carefully crafted prayer segment should help members begin to wrestle with application.

To fully participate, every member will need a Combat Journal (sticking with the battle and war metaphor).  Although the journal includes a place to jot down notes and ideas from the DVD segment, it is really designed to be used between group meetings and over the next weeks and months as the attack on false gods continues.  Part 1 of the journal includes daily exercises for the 6 week study; a guided experience that will keep the conversation fresh.  Part 2 of the journal takes the study beyond a 6 week experience and guides an ongoing campaign against the idolatry at the heart of our struggles.

Gods at War has all the ingredients of a study that ought to be included on your recommended list.  If there is a challenge here, it is that the study is fairly leader dependent.  With the right leader (or the right group chemistry) this could be a trajectory altering experience.  Groups with less capable leaders will probably find the subject matter provocative…but perhaps too risky to fully engage.  I’ll be adding Gods at War to my recommended list and looking for ways to equip leaders to take advantage of a very compelling study.