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 is your fun Friday episode, let's get right into it. Hey, you made it through another week, hallelujah, right.

Chris Grainger: 1:15

So our scripture of the week this week is in Luke, chapter 10, verse 41 to 42. It says Martha, martha, the Lord answered you are worried and upset about many things, but a few things are needed, or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her. Guys, we had a really good time unpacking that, the whole idea of margin this week. I love that story of Luke. Also, on our meat episode, we talked a lot about a couple of different proverbs and some practical ways to increase margin in your life, but the whole idea fellas this week is why margin is so important and scripture is just a beautiful guide for us as well to learn how to simplify and apply it to our life. So that spiritual kickoff episode I highly encourage you to go check that out, listen to it, particularly if you're like super busy and you always feel stressed out and you never know what to do next and it's like how am I going to ever just slow down? Go take some time, even while you're doing stuff maybe cutting grass or something Just throw it on, listen to it and then see what the Lord is going to reveal to you. You know, there's nothing earth shattering here, but just spending time in God's word, just letting it sit and just soak in and then reflection upon it. There's power in that, all right, so hopefully you guys enjoyed this week Again, everything we talk about on these solo weeks typically we do a solo week we're talking about insights from the Bible study plans that we write, that are on the YouVersion Bible app.

Chris Grainger: 2:37

So I highly encourage you to go check that stuff out on YouVersion. It's a great way to get connected with us. Okay, check that stuff out. On the new version it's a great way to get connected with us, okay, and so it's fun. The line withinus you can find all the different under free tools. You'll find the Bible studies and they're all right there. And again, the line withinus is how you connect with us for all our free tools, as well as our community and different things that we're building. So highly encourage you to check that out. All right now. Let Now, let's get into our fun Friday.

Chris Grainger: 2:59

So our fun Friday we do a health, wealth and a self-tip. Health is how do we build stronger minds and bodies. Wealth tip is how do we be the most effective and efficient stewards of our finances and our careers. And self-tip is we're all trying to grow, particularly being better husbands and fathers. So what can we do there? What's some practical ways to do that? These tips are again. They're simple, they're easy to follow, but they're also hopefully, hopefully good reminders for us as we're trying to be disciples of Christ.

Chris Grainger: 3:33

All right, the health tip is I want you to think about the fuel, the fuel that we have, that we put in our body and we need to use it wisely, because it's easy to overlook the role of nutrition. It's so easy, okay, but the truth is, what you put into your body directly impacts your energy, your focus and your resilience If you fuel it wisely and choose foods that nourish rather than drain you. Such a better decision making Now maybe it starts with starting to plan out your meals. Or you're prioritizing the whole foods, the nutrient dense options like proteins and vegetables and whole grains, and all the healthy fats, and you're kind of avoiding the over-reliance on the processed junk. Let's just face it it's all junk, right, and the processed stuff gives you a quick boost, but it's going to lead to those crashes. So maybe you need to start looking at some meal prep or planning those meals in advance, but they will help you when you have that busy life I know you all guys are busy. You got to have those healthy options and healthy hydration. You guys know I'm so big on this. It's such a big deal. A good rule of thumb is you can always aim for at least half your body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water, right. It's very simple to remember Because when you consistently nourish your body with the good wholesome fuel, you're better equipped to handle demands of leadership with clarity and with stamina. I'm telling you you create this margin and you're likely to. I know you guys are working on it, so we've been talking about it all week. Got to have a healthy body to take care of, all right. Now? Well, tip this is more of a career tip for you guys Simplify and delegate, because as leaders, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to do everything Right.

Chris Grainger: 5:29

But trying to shoulder every responsibility is going to burn your butt out and it's also inefficient. So simplifying and delegating isn't just smart, it's biblical, so far as stewardship of your time and energy. Start by finding the tasks that are essential for you that you must have to handle yourself, okay, and once you get that, then you can figure out where you can move next. Then you can start delegating some of these administrative duties or inviting your children. I'm telling you there's so different ways you can start bringing kids into tasks that you do at the home and letting them face more responsibility. Are they going to always do it right in the way you would do it right at the gate? No, but give them a chance to learn. But if you allow others to step in, you're not only creating margin for yourself, but you're empowering them to grow. At the same time and this is an intentional act, rather, this intentional act of delegation frees you to focus on the work that God has given you to do, because only you can do the work that God's given you to do, and it helps you lead with greater purpose. So there you go, guys. Have this margin, simplify and delegate.

Chris Grainger: 6:45

All right, now self-tip, just a good reminder for us here Be present in the small moments, because life, when we think about it, it's made up of the small. Life is made up of so many small, seemingly insignificant moments that have the greatest potential for connection. So what do we have to do? We have to be present in those moments, and that takes intentionality, it takes discipline, because we're the most distracted world out there, right, and I don't care if you're sharing a meal or driving your kids to school or just sitting on the couch with your family. Put away the distractions and give them your undivided attention. Eye contact, active listening, willingness to engage in conversation. All these things matter, no matter how mundane the topic, it shows some love and respect. So my three-year-old wants to talk to me about her little pink elephant that she carries around with her and tell me about everything that's happening there. I need to be there because these moments, although they're small, they build trust and intimacy over time. And I'm just telling you, just taking opportunities to pray for each other while you're driving, in the car or before you leave the house creates memories. But if you make the choice to be fully present, bro, you're showing your family that they're valued, that they're loved and you're reflecting the attentiveness that God calls us for every relationship. That's important, all right. So just be present in those small moments, guys. That's just three quick reminders for you Health, wealth, self. Fuel that body wisely, simplify and delegate. And be present in the small moments, all right.

Chris Grainger: 8:32

So our book of the week this week, guys, again, we didn't have an author on the show or anything like that this week, so I want to pull this one out. It's called King Me or anything like that this week. But I want to pull this one out. It's called King Me. It's by my buddy, michael Thompson. He wrote the Heart of a Warrior, but King Me, loving and Leading in a Wounded World, and so he gave me this book. He gave me a few copies. Actually, we're doing some giveaways on the book here pretty soon.

Chris Grainger: 8:53

It says this thing is really broken down into four different sections the heart of a king, the journey of a king, the glory of a king and the reign of a king. So as you start thinking through this again, I love Michael, this analogy here, this connection to us being kings, right, and we are called to this. Right. We're made in God's image. So we'll have a link in the show notes to this one for this book, fellas. It's a great ministry. They have it, zoe, love everything that they're doing. It's just a fun, a good read here. And I love the note. It says every man has a kingdom, not every king rules. Well, you can love that, love that. So go check out that book. King me guys Again, align with nus and if you click on free resources, you'll find our book of the week, uh, free tools, rather, you'll find our books a week of all the books that we offer, that we recommend each and every week.

Chris Grainger: 9:49

So if you're looking to build up your personal library, that's a great way to get started right there. Okay, we've got to get our dad jokes in. So, dad jokes, we've got two dad jokes. This week Got more sports-themed type dad jokes. Number one why are fish bad at basketball? Why would fish be bad at basketball? I don't know. Oh, because they're afraid of the net. Got it? There you go, fellas. Number one. Number two why can't a football team work in a bakery? Hmm, well, because they fumble on turnovers. There you go, fellas. Number one. Number two why are fish bad at basketball? Because they're afraid of the net. Why is a football team? Why can't a football team work in a bakery? Because they fumble the turnovers? So let us know which one you like best. Number one, number two Remember it's not about a laugh, it's about an eye roll.

Chris Grainger: 10:34

So if you get an eye roll, that totally counts. And if you get an eye roll, that totally counts. And if you have a dad joke that we should use at TheLionWithinus, send it to support at TheLionWithinus. If we use the dad joke, we'll hook you up with some free swag as a thank you and give you a shout out on the show, all right. So the whole question of the week this week, fellas, is what's robbing the market from your life? Hopefully, prayerfully. By now you know, you're starting to Recognize what some of those things are, what those thieves are. Now you have to go to work. You got to combat that. You got to get it out of your life so that you can lean in and do what God's calling you to do, all right. So thank you, guys, so much Again.

Chris Grainger: 11:07

The lion within that US is how you connect with us. With all the resources, all the different things that we're building, the words we're trying to equip you is all about discipling leaders. If you click over on the line with themus, you'll find free tools. You'll find our offerings, guys, so many different things we have there to build out our resources to help serve you wherever you're at. So my prayer is that you check it out. Maybe you check on a free tool, maybe you're ready to start and jump into our community because you know that you need to be around other Christian men and you just don't have very, have very much that in your life. Guys, this is what we built it for. We've got guys all over the United States and Canada who are leaning in, who are serving each other, who are helping each other grow to be disciples, and it's just, it's pretty awesome what's happening. So the line within that us is where you can get connected, to learn more. All right, you can support us by donating, or an even cooler way to support the show is to sponsor someone for a year to be inside our community. So if you know that guy in your life who maybe they're just getting started, they're having kids and they just graduated or they're getting married and you want to have some encourage them in their journey, a year inside the line within this community is a great way to offer as a blessing. Okay, so again, thelionwithinus, click on the support. You can find the sponsor option right there. All right, you guys have a great day. Thank you so much for listening this week. There's so many other shows you can listen to. I'm so blessed and honored that you listened to this one. Give us a rating and review if you get a chance and remember to keep unleashing the lion with it.

Chris Grainger: 12:50

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

Chris Grainger: 12:54

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 family calendar, trying to find time 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: 13:08

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, 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, we'll 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.