Chris Grainger: 1:01

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's fun Friday time. Let's get right into it. You may have to do another week. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Chris Grainger: 1:13

So let's look at our scripture of the week. This week, scripture of the week has been 2 Corinthians 5.20. It says we are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. So, guys, spend a lot of time on the spiritual kickoff episode, as well as the meat episode for this week. For the last two in your podcast feed, unpacking the idea of what is an ambassador and why does it even matter? You know, which is really, really, really is an interesting concept so far as we're representing someone else. And for the primary theme of the week, we started talking about understanding what that calling is and why that identity is important. Then we start talking about how do we live that calling out boldly you know, not just some meek little dude, no, like boldly. How do we boldly live out being an ambassador? What does that look like? And then why should we embrace this so-called heavenly citizenship that we've been given. And, guys, we kind of we wrapped up the episode, the last episode, talking about declaring his praises as his chosen people. So hopefully you got a chance to listen to it. Hopefully I'm encouraged that not encouraged I'm hopefully that I've brought some thoughts to your mind this week, some reflections on what are you doing to be that ambassador for Christ. So, anyway, love to get your feedback on.

Chris Grainger: 2:36

Again, this was a Bible study that we wrote on the YouVersion Bible reading plan. So if you're on the Bible app, you can open that up. You can follow the Lion Within us right there on the Bible app directly. You can even connect with me as well as a friend on the Bible app. And now, when we read these Bible studies together, you can comment and plug in and come play along. So how about that? All right. So, guys, again, thelionwithinus is where you get all that along. So how about that? All right. So, guys, again, the linewithinus is where you get all that stuff.

Chris Grainger: 3:05

So now for our fun Friday. We're going to get into our health, wealth and self tip. We do those every fun Friday. Health is how do we build stronger minds and bodies like take care of these vessels that God's given us Wealth is how do we be better stewards of our finances and our careers? Making those better financial decisions, and then self is improving. As a husband and as a father, we know that's important. So how do we do it? We've got to have some insights. We try to give you some reflections, some thoughts, some ideas each and every week on the Fun Friday and just go with it All. Right.

Chris Grainger: 3:37

Now for the health tip. Think about the word we talk about. Ambassador, excuse me, this week, live with intentional integrity. Okay, that integrity is so important Because, as we think about our physical and our mental health, that's a reflection of our stewardship that God has given us to take care of these bodies. So if we're an ambassador for Christ, right. Think about that for a second.

Chris Grainger: 4:02

We're called to demonstrate discipline and care in all areas of our life, and our body is a big one. So if we're living with intentional integrity, that means committing to daily habits that both nurture our physical body as well as our mental well-being, right. So maybe you need to settle some realistic fitness goals and start working out for a half hour a day, whatever it may be. Or maybe you need to balance your diet with foods that energize you and stop overindulging in unhealthy choices. I'm not saying never make them, I'm just saying don't live there. And then it's time to take care of our mental renewal, like reading scripture, writing in our journals, having some quiet time every day of reflection, because if we maintain that healthy mind and body, we're not only honor God but we inspire others to our example of discipline and devotion. And as disciples of Christ, this should be such a big deal. So start thinking about. If people are looking at you today, are they seeing you live your life with intentional integrity to steward what God's given you? I know that's hard to think about. It really is. It's not an easy proposition to run over your mind. I'm just here to tell you as Christians, man, we should be setting the standard. We should.

Chris Grainger: 5:27

I just got back from a 5K ruck and Did I want to go? No, for this one I really didn't want to go, but I know it's important. I know it's important to maintain. I know it's important to take care of the body. I know it's important for a mindset as well. So I don't know what that thing is for you. For me it's getting outside. I have to be outside, running, rucking, lifting weights, it doesn't matter, I just want to be outside. But whatever it is for you, find it, understand it. Then lean into it. All right. Now, work Again. All these tips. I'm trying to keep these tips around the idea of being that ambassador for Christ this week.

Chris Grainger: 6:05

Right, the tip, from a wealth standpoint, is working with excellence and purpose. That work excellence is so important because work shouldn't just be a mean for an ends fellas Work excellence is so important because work shouldn't just be a mean for an ends fellas. Work is an opportunity we have each and every day to honor and glorify God and represent his kingdom wherever we are. And, as an ambassador, if we approach our jobs with excellence, regardless if we're the CEO or the janitor, it doesn't matter If you're building that team, serving customers or managing a household. Do your work unto the Lord. Colossians 3.23 tells us. And then we have to start finding areas where we can improve. Right, and don't think that you can't. I'm telling you.

Chris Grainger: 6:46

A common trap people get into is they think they've mastered something. No, no, no, there's always room for improvement. It could be better time management, you could have better relationships at work, or there may be something that you just need to streamline. Why do you keep doing it this way? If you're doing A, b, c, d, e, f, g, what can you do to cut out B and C? How can you streamline processes, how you do this stuff? A lot of times you should seek feedback from others and be willing to listen. Have some mentors speaking into your life that are refining your skills.

Chris Grainger: 7:16

But when we review our career as an opportunity to do God's work, man, our integrity and our diligence to that become the testimony of God's presence in our life. Now I'm telling you, when you start demonstrating professionalism and have that servant heart type of attitude, man, I don't care where you are Work, ball, field, church, doesn't matter. You're honoring and glorifying God and it's going to open doors to meaningful connections and witnessing opportunities. So that excellence in our work, purpose in our work, should be reflective every day. As an ambassador, that's what it's all about.

Chris Grainger: 7:59

All right now, from a sales standpoint, better, husband and father, think about how you, as an ambassador in your home, can prioritize some one-on-one time. I'm talking about intentional, uninterrupted time with your spouse or your children. That can transform things, fellas, and deepen trust, because you are an ambassador for Christ. Think about this for a second. This is a heavy one. You're an ambassador for Christ in your family. Man, I don't like that one because I think about how, what things my family get to see. They're not seeing an ambassador for Christ at all times. And let's think about what that could look like for you, as you are an ambassador for Christ in your family. It may look like a regular occurring date night for you and your spouse, or some quiet time talking about actual dreams or life goals With kids. It could be an opportunity to engage their interest. Maybe you're helping with homework or just playing ball in the backyard or just simply for hey, trust me, teenage daughters here just listening, just listening.

Chris Grainger: 9:06

But the trick is, during these moments you have to be fully present, and these days it's hard, hard. The phone, the distractions, all these things pull us away from giving them our undivided attention. But I'm telling you, the guys, if you lean into this, if you take intentional acts to build connection, to build that trust up and to foster it and to demonstrate God's love in tangible ways, it's going to move the needle in your home because your commitment here's the reality. Your commitment to investing in your family is not only going to strengthen those relationships, but it's going to start creating that potential for a legacy of love for generations to come. And, guys, that's what it's all about. We get it. We just get a blip, but the impact we have is huge, huge.

Chris Grainger: 9:57

All right, so there are your three tips, fellas. Let's make sure we just recap them real quickly. We had the health tip. Live with that intentional integrity Okay, intentional integrity, what does that look like? Wealth tip work with that excellence and purpose. I want you to do this. My prayer for today is think through the idea of excellence in your work. And the self-tip is how do you prioritize that one-on-one whether with your spouse or with your children, together, collectively, one-on-one, right?

Chris Grainger: 10:21

All right, the book of the week. I don't have the copy right here with me. I'm actually in the process of reading it, right? But it's called the Lion Tracker's Guide to Life by Boyd Vardy. It was recommended to me. I haven't finished working my way through it, but it's talking about navigation and not worrying, and it really works through some interesting tale of Boyd as a lion tracker through South Africa and the takeaways are really applicable to everyday life. I mean, obviously they're tracking lions, but the takeaways are more applicable for leaders as we lean today. So I'm looking forward to finish reading that book. If you've read that book, love to hear from you. It was recommended to me by someone who runs a ministry. They said it's a great book and I was like, oh, you know what, let's lean into it and give it a try. So we'll make that the book of the week this week.

Chris Grainger: 11:11

All right, so now for our dad jokes. Guys, we've got two dad jokes and hopefully you're going to join. These are more base, like not baseball, but sports, sports themed, if you will. It says why can't Cinderella play soccer? Hmm, cause she's always running from the ball. There you go, that's pretty good. Why doesn't Cinderella play soccer? Because she's always running away from the ball. Number two what do you call a pig who plays basketball? A pig who plays basketball? A ball hog man. I used to play with a few of those, man, they're not fun to play with. Anyway, number one and number two why can't Cinderella play soccer? Because she's always running away from the ball. Number two what do you call a pig who plays basketball? That's a ball hog. Fellas Again, if you like the dad jokes, if they get you an eye roll, mission accomplished. If you have a dad joke that we haven't used on the Lionwood Dennis, that you want us to use, send it to support at thelionwooddenus if we get that, and we'll give you a shout-out on the show as well as hook you up with some free swag for helping us out. How about that? All right, so now for your dad jokes of the week is what is? I'm sorry for your question of the week. We just did a dad jokes, chris, jeez, Louise.

Chris Grainger: 12:14

The question of the week is what does being an ambassador for Christ look like in your life? And hopefully we've gone through that enough this week now that you're thinking through how is being an ambassador reflective in the actions that you're taking? And the reality is you're the only one who can control that. You can't control what other people do. You can't control what other people in your church do. You can't control what other people in your small group do. You can't control what other people in the men's group do. No, no, no, but you can control you. How are you showing up and being reflective as an ambassador for Christ? And I'm telling you it's such a big doggone deal. So my prayer is that, as you leave here, as you cut this podcast off, maybe go on to the next one.

Chris Grainger: 12:51

Think about that word ambassador, and what are you representing? How is it showing up and what can you do to lean in more? So, guys, if you like this type of stuff, I'm telling you head over to the lionwithinus. Lean in more. So, guys, if you like this type of stuff, I'm telling you head over to the lion withinus. That's the lion withinus. Check out all the stuff we're building. We have tons and tons and tons of resources, guys, as a quick reminder, all our free tools. We have the articles, we have the Bible reading plans, we have the book of the week, we have the Christian leader assessment. We have tons and tons and tons of ways to serve, to help you grow, be a leader God intends you to be.

Chris Grainger: 13:24

And, by the way, fellas, head over to thelinewithinus, click on the offerings and then from there, you'll find different ways to join our community, get started, get plugged in and continue to grow as a leader. I know that you really, really strive to be and, again, at the end of the day, the Line Within Us is all about discipling leaders. That is what we're here for. Again, thelionwithinus is where you find all that stuff, guys, head over there. You can be a sponsor for someone else. You can also just be a monthly donor in support of the show. You have ways to sponsor, to donate, right there on the show. If you're looking for our old podcast, all of them are right there on the website as well, so you can go back and find any show that we have out there. You know I have hundreds and hundreds of them now at this point. Guys, go check that stuff out. I have all the resources there to serve you when you need it. So thank you so much for listening. I appreciate you guys hanging out for another week and remember, hopefully we'll see you. Well, we hope to. We'll see you. See you on Monday, good Lord willing, and remember, at the end of the day, keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 14:32

I don't know about you, but I used to find Mondays really rough.

Chris Grainger: 14:36

I would find myself trying to reset for work, trying to get my bearing on the family calendar, trying to find time for my own spiritual growth and development for my own spiritual growth and development, and often I found myself overwhelmed or just flatly ignoring aspects of my life that I know are meaningful to me.

Chris Grainger: 14:50

What I learned was that if I had immediate access to important and impactful spiritual topics and reflections to start my week well, after the allure of a Sunday sermon has passed, I would set my whole week up to be more meaningful and for the opportunity to make a true impact. If you think that getting such a boost would help your week to get started on the right foot, we would love for you to sign up for the Weekly Roar, which is our newsletter that is produced by the Lion Within Us. Each week will deliver a powerful reflection and practical steps to help you apply Scripture with clarity and purpose, all being rooted in light and truth. So in just a few minutes, we hope to arm you with insights for living out biblical leadership with confidence and strength, and maybe even have a little extra bounce in your step. If that sounds useful, head over to thelionwithinus slash ROAR to sign up today. That's thelionwithinus slash ROAR to get your weekly ROAR today.