Chris Grainger: 1:22

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. So let's jump in, guys. I'm excited, let's go, go, go, fun Friday time. You finally made it to the end of the week, hallelujah, right. So now let's get started, the way we always do, and that's in God's Word.

Chris Grainger: 1:39

So the scripture of the week this week is in the book of Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 6. Just look at one Very simple Train up a child in the way they should go. When he is old, he will not depart from it. Very simple verse. You got lots and lots and lots of complexity in that right. So, yeah, go check out the spiritual kickoff episode If you want to have ideas on how to train up that child in the way they should go. I laid it out, took how to train up that child in a way they should go. I laid it out, took that scripture unpacked, it went deep.

Chris Grainger: 2:06

Also, if you got a chance and you didn't miss, if you missed the meat episode this week with Matt Wells, go check that out, because Matt basic dad stuff, some great stuff that he is building. He's built to really serve. You know Christian men and fathers out there who are trying to not outsource any of this stuff called fatherhood. He leaned into it when Matt talked about some of the heavy stuff. Guys, how do you raise your kids to understand who they are as a man or a woman of God built in God's image, the complexities of LGBTQ+ and what that brings to the Christian worldview, and how do we raise our kids to handle this and what do we do as dads to combat that? How about education? What does it look like from an education standpoint? Where should we be pointing our kids at, as they move into the future, of the next steps for them, as they grow and as they develop? He also talked about his loving mother and father and how he got to see how his dad absolutely loved his mom. Passionate loved his mother, and he always got to see how his dad absolutely loved his mom. Passionate loved his, his, his mother, and he always got to see his example firsthand of what that looks like and why that's important for Christian men. So guys, go back and check that episode out with with Matt. Will's absolutely just had a ton of fun working with him. He's a lot. He's a high energy guy for sure. Ton of fun working with him. He's a lot. He's a high energy guy, for sure, and I just I think you guys are going to really enjoy just everything that he stands for and the way that he presents it. I love that. Just a chance to connect with him was a lot of fun.

Chris Grainger: 3:36

All right, so now for a fun Friday guys. Let's get right into it. You know we're going to do our tips our health, wealth and ourself. So for you new listeners out there, the health tip is mind and body. How do we strengthen that? Ok, the wealth tip is being better stewards stewards, sorry, of our careers and our finances. God's going to bless us. How are we stewarding that? And a self-tip we're going to talk about how can we be, ultimately, the fathers and husbands that God is calling us to be? This is such a big deal because you can't outsource any of this stuff.

Chris Grainger: 4:08

All right, now for the health tip. This is something I personally do. So you know what? Try it, see how this works for you, but pound a half gallon of water and I mean right there within the first few hours of you being awake. Okay, if you're trying to get a gallon of water a day. It makes it easier if you just get that day started and think about this You've been sleeping for six hours, four hours, hopefully up to eight hours, and that's a long time for your body to go without water. So when you wake up you're naturally in a state of dehydration. So when you wake up, instead of the coffee and going to whatever the energy drinks, whatever you do, go straight to the water, replenish your hydration with water.

Chris Grainger: 4:52

So what I do? I have two half gallon jugs. I fill them both up at night and in the morning. The very first one, that's the first thing I do, is I pull that half gallon jug and I start hitting it and I'm doing what I. I do my workout when I do my runs, whatever it may be, but usually within the first two to three hours of me being up in the mornings that first half gallon is done. That's my hobby. And I still have another half gallon because to get to my gallon a day goal. But having that first one done just really puts me at a little bit more of a sense of ease and then I can just take my time with that second half gallon throughout the rest of the day.

Chris Grainger: 5:23

So if you're trying to increase your water intake. This is an easy way to do it. Guys, sometimes it's hard, I'm telling you. Sometimes I'll finish that I'll look at the clock and it's like eight o'clock in the morning, I'm not finished with that half gallon yet. I'll just pound it. I'll mentally say, nope, I'm going to do this right now. Just hit it, pound it, found it, get it done, and then you can move forward. All right, all right Now. So your wealth tip. This is basic, fundamental stuff, but it may not be for everybody out there.

Chris Grainger: 5:49

Okay, and I want you to think about this Put your tithing first. Now, if you prioritize your tithing and trust God, that's all I can tell you to do from a financial standpoint. That's going to do more for you than anything in this world. Most. That's all I can tell you to do from a financial standpoint. That's going to do more for you than anything in this world. Most of the time, people tithe and it's upside down, so what they think about tithing is okay. Here's how I'm going to do this, chris. I'm going to budget. I got my expenses, I got all the bills that I have to pay, I have to get done and at the end of all that, with what's done. Then I'll look and I'll see if I have some left I can give, because you know I got to take care of my stuff first. I'm here to tell you that it's going to. That's the way the evil one wants you to think. Flip that on its head. Okay, start off with. Okay, here's the income that God has blessed me with. All right, I'm going to give you that first 10, right now, lord, I'm just going you're the first set up our budget and we're just going to do the best we can and we know that you're going to provide.

Chris Grainger: 6:45

And, guys, I'm here to tell you, just that simple mindset of putting him first changes something. Changes something about the way you view money, about the way you view your finances, the way that you just look at your checking account, your banking account. Nowadays, when I look at all my accounts that we have the different, you know, you know how it is, guys. You have accounts and different. You have different accounts and different banks and things like that from money markets and different types of checking and credit cards, whatever it may be when you view it, because it's all his, it's his. I literally don't think I own a dime. It's all his money and that mindset. When you transfer that down to tithing, it can be such a big game changer for you. So if you're looking for that opportunity, how can you shift your budget to make more? Put God as a priority, put him first. Put him first and let the rest of the stuff just fall down. All right, there's your challenge. Now for the self-tip. This is a big one here Family devotions.

Chris Grainger: 7:50

You need to be leading these yourself. This could be daily, weekly, whatever it may be, whatever that rhythm looks like for you. Most families try to do this in the evening. Sometimes maybe you're a morning family, I don't know. You can try it in the morning. If you have breaks from school and stuff like that. You can make stuff you can have in the middle of the day. But this is how you grow spiritually together.

Chris Grainger: 8:12

Again, you cannot outsource raising your children. You can't do that. You are the spiritual leader of your home. There's no pastor out there in the world that can do that. I mean Matt. He's from Jacksonville, Florida. He goes to 1122. So Pastor Joby is their pastor. But Pastor Joby is not the spiritual leader of Matt's home. He is. I'm the spiritual leader of my home home and you have to be the spiritual leader of your home, and family devotions are a great way to get started and there's lots of family devotions out there. Now, there's lots of family devotions out there. But what you can do, go out there and find a resource that you are, because, depending on the age of your kids, you may want to look at one that's a little bit older for the older kids, for your teenagers, and things like that. And obviously, if you have toddlers or littles, you need to have something more age appropriate for them as well. But there are devotions out there. But if you can't get a devotion, let me encourage you Simply read God's word.

Chris Grainger: 9:08

Just read it and talk about it. If you don't have the answers, guess what? There's all sorts of stuff out there. With the internet, you can find answers, you can find commentary on that. But there's something beautiful about you. Know what? We're just going to open up to Joshua? We're just going to read the first chapter. Let's just talk about it. Let's just see. Well, chris, I don't know enough about it. They ask me questions. I don't know I get it. Go through the search together. Help them be part of the discovery process.

Chris Grainger: 9:38

There's beauty in that you don't think for a second that God's not going to return what you're doing. He's not going to bless that time. He absolutely will. You just have to give him that time. His word never returns void. We need to make sure that we're taking intentional steps. What does it say? Right here I got my book open and my Bible open to Joshua. It says the book of the law should not depart from your mouth. You should meditate it day and night so you may be careful according to all that's written in it, right and also, for then you will make your way prosperous and you will have success.

Chris Grainger: 10:12

So, fellas, I'm telling you, if you're looking for those opportunities to grow as a family, to have that success, to have that abundant blessing that he is pouring out for us, spend some time in the word together. I simply can't encourage you enough to do that. Quit thinking that programs or camps or all this you know, awanas, wednesday night, whatever the things are. Quit thinking that those things are what your children need the most. What they need the most is to see you, as their father, opening up God's word and just simply sharing with and talking about it. And how do you apply this to your life and if you need help with that kind of stuff, guys, again, this is the Lion Within Us community. This is what we do. We try to help guys just be more comfortable, more confident, more assured, so they can have these conversations, they can be the leaders God intends them to be at home. All right, so, guys, let's just recap those health, wealth and self-tip that health pound, that half gallon of water early in the morning, get that stuff done. Wealth tip put your tithing first. I highly, highly, highly encourage you guys to do that. And that self tip really lean into the family devotions and start doing them.

Chris Grainger: 11:21

Okay, now for our book of the week. I don't have a copy right here with me, but I've read this book, guys. It's called Please, sorry, thanks. We unpacked this at our children's youth trip, probably about two years ago trip. Probably about two years ago. It's a little bit older book. It's about Mark Batterson Love. The book Talks about those three areas in our life and how big as parents, if we can teach our kids those three fundamental items, the impact it will have on them as they grow forward.

Chris Grainger: 11:46

So obviously we're big on manners. As our family, we really try to emphasize that and try to just over and over and over. You can't tell a kid to say please, once, right, you have to. How many times? Two million, I don't know. You have to over, and over and over and over. But you also do this by letting them see you use these words. So how often are you using please or sorry? That's a big one for dads to think about. Or thank you, they need to see this, all right. So, guys, that's a big one for dads to think about. Or thank you, they need to see this. All right. So, guys, again, please start. Thanks. Go check out thelinewithinus book If you want to see all the books that we recommend each and every week. Guys, we have a whole laundry list of them there. We do some book giveaways from time to time. So go to thelinewithinus and you'll see all the different opportunities to maybe get you a copy of one of these books, all right.

Chris Grainger: 12:32

So our dad jokes. Our first dad joke this for this week is what do you call fake potatoes? Okay, fake potatoes. That's easy. That's imitators, now imitators. So there you go. Now the next one.

Chris Grainger: 12:45

I had a whole nother dad joke lined up, but then I had a conversation with Matt and he gave me one. We got off air. He's like use this, dad jokes, all right. So, matt, this is for you. Brother, it's what do you call a spider with eight eyes? I was like I don't know. And he says I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I rolls totally count when it comes to dad jokes. And if you get a little hmm from a 12 or 13-year-old daughter like me and Matt have, that's okay too.

Chris Grainger: 13:22

So your question of the week, this week, guys, is who is responsible for your child's spiritual growth? And if you come to that answer and you think about it and it comes back to anything besides you, I'm telling you, fellas, you're missing the boat, you're missing the opportunity. You are the one. You cannot outsource this. Quit trying to outsource this. Lean into what God's calling you to do. So that's my prayer, that's what I'm really emphasizing. Hopefully you guys will take this, move it forward.

Chris Grainger: 13:50

Go to thelinewithinus All our resources. Go to the lionwithinus All our resources. Go to the YouVersion Bible app. Open your Bible app up. If you have the YouVersion one, search for the lion within us. You'll see all our devotions out there to help you be the leader God intends you to be Again, the lionwithinus is how you connect with our community.

Chris Grainger: 14:05

All the stuff that we're doing our online community, where we have discipleship mastermind groups, we have couples night, couples night, we have lion lunches, we have Bible studies several times a week. Guys, we are building a place, a community, where Christian men can come together and not worry about being shut down or silenced. They can ask questions, they can grow, they can lean in, they can see a map of progression. Oh, here's where I am and how do I get to be unleashing that lion within? All right, here's the steps I need to take. We've laid it out, we have the details, we put in the work and we know and we believe that this is going to help. So, guys, thelionwithinus to get started today, all right. So have a great one, Get after, have a great weekend, stay cool out there, wherever you're at, enjoy your day and keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 15:00

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 Lion Within Us 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 have always focused on how to discern and apply what we learn, and even our amazing forum 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 iron.

Chris Grainger: 16:00

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.