Unlock the fullness of spiritual leadership with insights from Charles Martin, our esteemed guest author of "It Is Finished." As we explore the ultimate sacrifice in John 19:30, we're not just recounting biblical history; we're transforming how we live out our faith each day. Men of God, this episode promises to imbue your journey with the gravitas of Christ's final moments and their everlasting impact on your life. Gratitude brims within us as we reflect on the community's unwavering support, and we're eager to share the fruits of our labor that have ripened behind the scenes to nourish your soul.
As men, we navigate different seasons, seeking guidance to conquer obstacles while remaining steadfast. Discipleship Masterminds is the environment where you not only receive invaluable insights to overcome challenges but also gain profound guidance on the path to becoming the leader God uniquely designed you to be.
Unlock the fullness of spiritual leadership with insights from Charles Martin, our esteemed guest author of "It Is Finished." As we explore the ultimate sacrifice in John 19:30, we're not just recounting biblical history; we're transforming how we live out our faith each day. Men of God, this episode promises to imbue your journey with the gravitas of Christ's final moments and their everlasting impact on your life. Gratitude brims within us as we reflect on the community's unwavering support, and we're eager to share the fruits of our labor that have ripened behind the scenes to nourish your soul.
As men, we navigate different seasons, seeking guidance to conquer obstacles while remaining steadfast. Discipleship Masterminds is the environment where you not only receive invaluable insights to overcome challenges but also gain profound guidance on the path to becoming the leader God uniquely designed you to be.
Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, guys, it is your fun Friday time episode. I'm ready to get into it. Let's have a little bit of fun today, all right? So we're going to start off right with our scripture, because that's the most important thing of each and every Lion Within Us episode, and this week, or this episode, rather, geez, louise, I'm all over the place this morning. Lock in Chris.
Chris Grainger:
So this is scripture this week John 19,. Verse 30 says when he had received the drink, jesus said it is finished With that. He bowed his head and gave up his spirit and, guys, this is one of the most important verses, which they are all super critical, but this one right here just hits different, because we need to recognize one thing Jesus did die. He died on that cross. He paid the penalty for our sin by his death and we can't just gloss over that. We can't just say, oh, he passed out or he fainted or nothing. No, no, no, jesus died. Over that, we can't just say, oh, he passed out or he fainted or nothing. No, no, no, jesus died and we unpacked this scripture at length in the spiritual kickoff this week and then we also talked about it with our guest, charles Martin, as we talked about his book it Is Finished and how that pilgrimage that Christ took, from the moment he decided, okay, in heaven, I'm God, I'm in heaven, that I want to come on a rescue mission for us, from that moment to ultimately, 33 years later on the cross, how everything was done with intention. There's not a mistake, a single mistake that he ever made. This is all part of his divine plan and we need to recognize, when he says it is finished, that that is true. We don't vary from that. It is finished and we're so thankful for Christ, for what he did on the cross for us.
Chris Grainger:
I'm thankful as well for just for Charles, for being able to come in and share his story, his testimony, how God's moving in his life. It was just an incredible conversation with him I mean from an author who's wrote so many books in fiction to now how this process came together. And then, working with Pastor Joby, he gave us some insights there. He gave us hey, he's already the third book's already finished, they're getting ready to start working on the fourth book. It's just incredible to be able to get that type of feedback from him on that Just how God moved in his life when he was in Israel and the different trips, how God revealed different things. But that third trip was special. That third trip really started opening some eyes to Charles on some deeper truths and I'm blessed to be able to spend that time with him. Hopefully that conversation with him blesses you as well, because this is what the Lion Within is all about, guys being able to come bring some solid truths, some great insights, some great encouragement from others and just share it with you.
Chris Grainger:
Before we go much further in this Fun Friday episode, I just want to say thank you, guys. We get downloads every week. For some reason, you guys keep listening and I'm encouraged by it. The work wears you out. I'm just going to be honest what you see right now if you're listening to this or if you're watching this. This is the easier part recording this stuff, but there's a ton of work with running our community, the daily spiritual kickoffs, the social media, all the stuff, lining stuff up, scheduling. I just want to just ask for your prayers, just for strength, for wisdom.
Chris Grainger:
We've got a lot of things that we're trying to work on. Lots of ways we're trying to serve guys. I know a lot of. You just listen and that's cool. We thank you for listening and for the ones for the guys in the community who listen. Thank you, you guys have no idea what you mean to me. I'm encouraged, I'm blessed Every day I get to do this and what God's calling me to do, I just pray. I would just ask you to pray about if you've been a listener, if you've consumed some of our content in the past and you haven't taken the step to check out the community. I encourage you just to do that See how we could serve you. I promise you it's not full of junk. It's not something we're trying to push or sell stuff to you. It's not that at all. We just want to have a community of Christian men, when they're in, that serve each other and that help each other. And so, yeah, we put that, that, uh, that in place. There's a lot of work that goes into it. Uh, there's not ads or anything like that. Once you get into it, fellas, we're not again not trying to do, uh, turn this into, you know, big upsells and things like that. No, we just lay it out here's. Here's what we can offer, here's how we try to help, and if you haven't taken advantage of that yet, I just encourage you to check it out, because it's blessed me, it's blessed a lot of guys and we'd love to have you check it out. All right, so let's get right into it now.
Chris Grainger:
For our Fun Friday listeners, we do a tip each week around health, wealth and self. Okay, so that is health is your mind and body, wealth is career, and finance itself is being a stronger husband and stronger dad, and we always wrap these around, obviously around biblical truth. So, from the health tip this week, reading this book and thinking about you know what? What does it mean to to go to, to go to the Lord in prayer? Intentionally, do that. I just want to remind everyone out there that God is not a vending machine. He's not a vending machine.
Chris Grainger:
So if we want that deeper relationship through prayer or reading scripture or reflection, we've got to make sure we're seeking Him for the right reasons and we're seeking His will rather than ours, because this is not a transactional exchange that's going on right here, fellas, that we're just going. We need this to happen, so I'm going to go to the Lord in prayer. No, what God wants first and foremost is a genuine relationship with us. We're not asking our buddy to bar his car to go to town. No, we're asking for him to reveal his favors and we thank him for his blessings. We're asking for him to reveal his favors and we thank him for his blessings. We ask him for his wisdom, for his discernment, and we have to approach prayer with complete humility, trust. And then we also have to be open. We have to be open to God and ask Him for His wisdom, ask Him for that discernment, recognize that the things we've been asking for may not be the things that he wants for us, and be able to see that. And okay, I understand that what I've been asking for, lord, does not align to your will. I'm sorry, I'm going to repent from that and I just want to seek you.
Chris Grainger:
But if we're treating prayer as a, hey, I'll take a B2. Yep, that's right. That's a vending machine, that's the one I want. Here's my money. Give my prayer, I want my blessing. That's wrong. That's a wrong, wrong way to approach this. Fellas, he's a relational, relational God, again, face-to-face Adam with his creator. We remain his image. This is who God is. He wants to have that relationship with us, but we have to turn to him first. Let's just make sure we're going to prayer. We're seeking after him in prayer, which is great. I'm not trying to discourage you from praying. I just want to make sure we're praying the right way to him, with the right respect and reverence of who he is, and not treating this as a vending machine. We're trying to get a Snickers bar out of All right. Well, actually peeing on M&Ms. Anybody knows me knows that's what I'm going to be going with.
Chris Grainger:
Anyway, let's get it to the wealth tip. So how about this? I think there's someone out here that needs to hear this today you need to live within your means and avoid debt. I know this is a very simple message right here, very simple message, but Proverbs 22, 7, we talk about this all the time. The rich rule over the poor and the bar is the lender's slave. I'm telling you one thing this is happening, happening all around us, and if we live within our means and avoiding debt, that's going to give you the opportunity for financial freedom that so many people absolutely just dream about. But the reality is they're caught in this financial bondage instead they just are. Reality is they're caught in this financial bondage. Instead they just are, and they're not able to do the things that really they feel like God's calling them to do because of the bad stewardship decisions.
Chris Grainger:
And a lot of this stuff just starts with simple things, fellas like start having a budget, a budget that actually reflects your income, okay. So we need to understand this is a budget based off how much money I make and how much money are we spending. How much money are we giving and where are we saving. And there are your four buckets right there Giving. Actually, you're coming in, your expenses going out, you're giving and you're saving. Always start giving, though, okay, and then you start prioritizing those expenses, and once you start doing that, then you can start limiting some of that discretionary spending. But you won't know any of this stuff at all until you get it on paper, get it in writing, and then you can start having a strategic plan to starting addressing it. Maybe you need to get a financial advisor or something like that.
Chris Grainger:
I'm just telling you, if you take intentional steps around stewardship, there is something powerful that was going to start happening. I've been budgeting for years, so this was not my traditional practice. Okay, my traditional practice was how much is the payment? Oh yeah, I can make that, let's go. It's a shift, and the fundamental shift is around the mindset of stewardship, and a steward is a manager of someone else's property. That's it. So we're stewarding the finances that God has blessed us with. I don't own anything the farm we live on, the vehicles we drive none of this stuff do I own. It's all God's, and I recognize that he's given me the opportunity to steward, well, to use these things. Am I doing that in a way that honor and glorifies him? So this is a fundamental thing here.
Chris Grainger:
If you find yourself up against the eight ball every month, where there's too much month and not enough money, you're struggling. Finances are point of contention with you and your spouse. I'm just telling you you got to hit this head on. If you need help, I'm telling you we have ability to help guys in our community right now. We have several of us that are trained in coaching. We have programs, we have insights, we have tools and I want to help you out. So consider checking out our community, jump in on a 30-day free, come see how we can give you some resources, some encouragement there. There's lots of things out there that we've built. There's lots of wisdom within our community of believers that can help you. Okay, but live within your means and avoid that debt, all right.
Chris Grainger:
Now, self-tip this is going to be kind of an interesting one here, guys. I'm just going to share this one with you because I like being transparent with the listeners out there. So let's be all about it. Consider scheduling intimacy. Okay, this is for you married guys. If you guys aren't married, you can just fast forward through this part, but for you married guys. Consider scheduling intimacy, all right.
Chris Grainger:
So now here's what happened. We have a couples night every month at the line with Dennis. So every month we work with a group on covering intimacy. Go check out his podcast. Absolutely, love it. Shout out to my man, jd, and what we do. We get his community, we get the Lion community together and we have a couples night and we have feedback around whatever the couples want to talk about, whatever's out there and I'm not going to say which individual couple brought this up out whatever's out there, and I'm not going to say which individual couple brought this up, but the topic was hey, I think we could connect better if we were more intentional around scheduling intimacy and it led to a very just, a fruitful conversation.
Chris Grainger:
Guys were on one end, basically saying we don't want to schedule it. Girls are like you, better start scheduling it. And it was in the hearing. Both sides of the argument was really incredible. Here's really what it boiled down to Life gets busy, life gets stressful. This could be a strategy that helps you. First of all, it needs to be evaluated by you and your spouse, but it may help you get on the same page. Okay, so talk to your spouse, get feedback from her on this. Again, I was 100% against it until I really learned the reasons why from my wife and from others within the couples night. This is worth a conversation. I would just encourage you there. It's worth a conversation.
Chris Grainger:
Okay, if you want to connect with your spouse intimately and who doesn't? Let's just be real. Sometimes you got to develop systems. Sometimes you just got to address okay, the evil one wants us to be at each other and not be connected, and he's going to keep us busy and so tired. We're never going to be able to have that true connection and sometimes just put it on your calendar. Okay, this is Wednesday, so this Wednesday and during this time. We are going to commit to coming together at this time, husband and wife, under the covenant of marriage, and have that intimacy.
Chris Grainger:
So, guys, I'm telling you this could be something. If you haven't considered adding this into into your relationship, don't just go out and say tonight is happening. I'm telling you get ready. No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying have a conversation with her and then see if you can come up with a schedule. Sometimes it does help just to just to be on the same page and you never know, you and your spouse may have this conversation. You hear this like no, that's not for us, that's fine, that's okay.
Chris Grainger:
Yeah, these are tips to help you as a leader of your home, as a part of your marriage. You want to make sure you're doing all you can to sure that up, to strengthen that marriage, and this is why we do these tips. Okay, all right, fellas, there are your three tips your health, wealth and self. So number one hey, god is not a vending machine. Let's make sure we're not treating him that way. Number two you need to make sure you're a good steward and living within your means, and that means also avoiding that personal debt as much as often as you can and that that the self tip schedule, that intimacy. Get it on a calendar. I do happen to know some people put it on there as laundry or different words. They actually put it on the calendar. Whatever you need to do, put it on there and that could give you something to look forward to. All right Now.
Chris Grainger:
Book of the Week Surprise, surprise, surprise, but this is it right here, charles Martin, it Is Finished. A 40-Day Pilgrimage Back to the Cross. Absolutely love this book. Just really enjoyed meeting Charles. Just a great guy. Be sure to check out the book of the week, page fellas.
Chris Grainger:
This is where we push all the well. Not, we don't push, we provide all of the different books that we read each week that we recommend. This is one for sure. It's against the 40 days of devotional. It's kind of set the way this thing is laid out. It's meant to get to where you could take a cup of coffee and by the time you finish that cup of coffee you've got the day done. So it's not like a super quick hit where you're going to read this thing in like a minute, but 10, 15 minutes. You'll read it. You'll think about the scriptures. He has some great insights in there and it's going to just for me. I'm really looking forward for me and my wife to sit down and go through some through this together. I just blitzed through it getting ready for the interview because the book shows up a few days before the interview and I just had to really hammer on it, but I'm looking forward to go back through it, spending some time. There's lots of deep reflection, thoughts, for sure, and this is one a hundred percent needs to be part of your library. It just really does. There's lots of good things, lots of good truths that you can come back to it. Okay, All right, guys, let's get into our dad jokes, our dad jokes of the week this week.
Chris Grainger:
So, dad joke number one I was arrested for drinking battery acid, but I wasn't charged. Number one, and then number two what do you call a sleepy relative? Well, that's easy, that's a napkin. So so let me know which one you like, fellas, I was arrested for drinking battery acid, but I wasn't charged. And what do you call a sleepy relative? A napkin. So again, if you have a, an eye roll, a sigh oh, I can't believe you said that that. Hey, you know, those jokes are working. Also, if you have an eye roll, a sigh oh, I can't believe you said that. Hey, you know those jokes are working.
Chris Grainger:
Also, if you have a dad joke you want us to use support at thelinewithinus, send us that dad joke in. I'd love to use it on the show. I'll give you a shout out. We're even sending you some free resources for helping us out, so I'd love to get that to you, okay? So again, support at the line within that US, which leads us to our question of the week what will you do with this man, jesus?
Chris Grainger:
And this is a super important question that each of us has to answer, and the answer to this question is so vital, just vitally critical to to where we're going to spend eternity. And if you have any questions on how you answer this, that's outside of. I tell you what he is the Lord of my life. I encourage you, I implore you, I beg you, reach out Support at thelinewithinus. Let's talk. I want to be able to connect with you, I want to be able to hear you out, I want to be able to help point you to the truth and I just want to just show you not a bunch of Bible verses and trying to hit you with a bunch of theology. No, I just want to talk to you about what Christ has done in my life for me and hopefully just encourage you what he could do for you. But it takes that first step of obedience. So if you have any questions on what you want to do with this man named Jesus, I encourage you to reach out. That's what it's all about, okay.
Chris Grainger:
So anyway, fellas, thank you so much for listening to the Lion with Dennis. I can't emphasize enough what it means to me that you, we have downloads, we have people watching on the YouTube channel, we have people listening and downloading our YouVersion devotionals. All this stuff just blows me away. The work is hard. I'm just going to be honest. This is hard work. Even one does not want this work to go easy. Many days he wins. It does not go easy. I just want to thank you for the notes of encouragement For those that reach out. You'll never know how much you pick me up and how much of a bright spot to my day that you provide, and I just simply want to say thank you. Thank you for that.
Chris Grainger:
Head over to thelionwithinus. You can connect with me there. You can connect with the things we're doing there. We have lots of free resources on the website as well. We have lots of. We have two really great courses that are free. One's a 30 days to unleash your line within, and one of them is a seven day course to being a more ethical business leader, using the Bible as the basis. So we gave a lot of effort into both of those and I'm hopefully they'll encourage you. The feedback's been great on both. So I know that, from what I'm hearing, people are really enjoying those and I'm hopefully they'll encourage you. The feedback's been great on both. So I know that, from what I'm hearing, people are really enjoying those. So I just want to encourage you to check that stuff out.
Chris Grainger:
So again, that's the lion. Don't forget the V-T-H-E lionwithinus. Check out all our resources there. Our community you can start your 30-day free trial on the community. You can see all the information we have about our Summit Leadership Development. We have tons of videos on that page as well.
Chris Grainger:
So, again, thelionwithinus is where you can connect with us there directly. Obviously, we have our own podcast and all that stuff there, but we'd love for you guys to check that out, and we even have some swag If you guys are looking for hats and shirts and stuff like that for a lion that you want to support and just kind of get help with the brand recognition out there. I'd be honored for you to check that out. We do have a few Never Retreat t-shirts left not many. We have a few left, so we'll have some limited sizes. So check that out on the website too.
Chris Grainger:
Okay, all right, guys, we'll get after it. Have a great day. Looking forward to seeing you next week Prayer. Looking forward to seeing you next week Prayerfully. Good, little Willard and Creek don't rise, hopefully. Enjoyed this week hanging out with Charles Martin, and it is finished. Thank you again.
Chris Grainger:
Share this stuff out with others Again. Ratings and reviews do help, for sure. And then check us out on YouTube. That's the. That's really where we spend the most of the time YouTube, instagram as well Facebook. We're in all the places that you want to be. If you want some encouragement coming to your feed, go like, go follow, go subscribe all those things right, and we'll be right there for you week in, week out, prayerfully, daily, weekend, daily, in and out, to just give you that encouragement, that hope that you need, because I want you to be the leader God intends you to be, fellas. That's really what this is all about. All right, so now you know what's coming, it's time for you to get out and unleash the lion with it.
Chris Grainger:
If you're a man who's looking for greater spiritual guidance into how to become a better leader, finding resources that you can trust and then implement can be daunting. For me personally, I thought it was a lost cause and I decided to take the action, knowing that I wasn't alone. It was because of this wide gap that we created our line within this community, and the areas that we're helping Christian men grow are incredible. For instance, we've built ways for guys to lean in and grow through fun events like our daily spiritual kickoff, where you get that much needed boost directly from God's word, our Bible studies that always focus on how to discern and apply what we learn, and even our amazing form where you can speak your mind without fear of getting shut down or judged by the extreme rules of modern day social media. On top of all that, we know that many men won't help overcoming issues and becoming stronger in many different areas. That's why we created several mastermind groups where the iron truly sharpens the iron.
Chris Grainger:
Our community is about having a growth, mindset, accountability, intentionality and transparency. In other words, just leave fake you at home and come to community just as you are. I fully believe what we feel. I see the impact it's making on men right now and I would love to have you check it out. So start your very own 30-day free trial today to see how we can help you be a better leader. So if you're ready to take that first step, head over to thelinewithinus and get started. Your journey begins here. Visit thelinewithinus and I'll see you inside the den.
