Welcome And Hebrews 12:11

Chris Grainger 1:43

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. Spiritual kickoff time. Let's get into it. Okay. So the scripture of the week this week is Hebrews 12, 11. Okay. It says for the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Beautiful verse, guys. Now we got to see how we can simplify and apply it to our life. Again, spiritual kickoff. We love doing these podcasts. And we also do a spiritual kickoff Monday through Friday at The Lion Within Us. So if you enjoy the spiritual kickoff episodes on the show each week, we know a lot of you guys do. Hey, check out a live, unedited, unfiltered, raw. We mess up, we stumble, but we just have a lot of fun with it. And it's called the Daily Spiritual Kickoff or Daily SKO. It's a free way we try to serve at The Lion Within Us. You can head over to thelionwithin.us, start your daily spiritual kickoff experience right now. Go ahead and get that going. It also gets you access to our prayer request space. We have a weekly prayer call. You're invited into that. We'd love to pray for you and just know how we can serve you. And just walk, be just walk with you, just be a small part of your discipleship journey. So again, fun ways we do this at the at the Lion Within is called a daily spiritual kickoff. And now it even comes with a free gift. So it's just a way that we want to extend even more of encouragement to you. So again, the lionwithin.us, now's a great time to get started with that. Okay. All right. Now, as we look at this scripture, we need to first of all know where is the book of Hebrews. Okay, we don't take anything for granted at the Lion. So it is New Testament. Uh, it's after Philemon, it's before James. So it's towards the back of your Bible, okay? It's not going to be towards the front where with your gospels and Acts and Romans and all that stuff. It's going to be getting closer to towards the back end of the New Testament. All right. So for this week, we're going to be talking about digging into one of the plans I wrote. Called, I'm just a guy raising a son. All right. And so look, you may be like, well, Chris, I don't have a son. Well, that's okay. You know, maybe you have a daughter. Well, a lot, some these things definitely cross-pollinate. Okay. So there's things that would you consider there. But you're around, you have opportunities for a lot of Timothy's in our life, right? People who are coming up and we want to just walk with them. So this resonates. But for this particular SKO, we're thinking about this verse between discipline and why we need to lean into it now versus you know just trying to be a friend. I want I was thinking about the whole idea of being a dad first and a friend later. Okay. And I know that's not very popular in the world we live in, but the line between a father and a friend can be very difficult to navigate when you're raising a boy. Okay. Now thank the Lord, my dad showed me this firsthand. Okay, so I I got a I see a really great example of how you can faithfully walk this out. Uh, and when you walk this out, it bears tremendous fruit. Okay. Because when I was growing up, buddy, there was never any question about who was the leader of my home. It wasn't, it was him, my my dad, he was it. Uh, but at the same time, it never felt like a dictatorship, right? Uh I I watched my mom respect him as a man, and in turn, he treated her with love and compassion and and and and and just care. And that was something that just it shaped who I was. And looking back, I can remember moments when when he stopped my plants, right? And at the time, I didn't feel very loving because I was doing just what I wanted to do. And and but I tell you what, he showed me it over and over and over. He was always looking out for my best. And I was thinking I was thinking back to the local ball field we had there in my town, Clarksville, Virginia, right? It's a little small town in the southern part of Virginia. And so and it was a little ball field there, and so many of those lessons that just they just played out. Uh, it was just a just a perfect little park. You know, I could still smell the hot dogs and the hamburgers and and playing cut ball back in the T-ball field and and just laughing in the dugout. Like back in the OG day, like we had a legit dugout. It was dugout in the ground. And uh man, it was just pretty cool when you're a kid and you get to play under lights, you know. And uh, it just felt like you were pitching in a big league stadium. And and my dad, he was always for as far back as I can remember, he was a head coach. He coached. Um, many parents saw practices and games as like, uh, great, this is free babysitting, right? But that was not how he approached it. He's like, you know what? These are opportunities that pour into me and my brother uh with everything he had. And I watched him, bro. Like he he studied, I look back now, he studied books, he ordered VHS tapes. Now, if you don't know what a VHS is, you know, God bless you and your ministry, Google it. I guarantee you'll you'll get an idea what a VHS is. But I remember never once did I feel like I had an advantage in playing time or treatment over any of my teammates because that just ain't how he rolled. Right? He was the coach, but that did not give me an advantage over my teammates in any way. And and there were nights, you know, in the on the baseball field where I struggle. I'd be on the mound, I couldn't get a strike to save my life. And and and I'd get rattled or just get in my head, and he'd make that slow walk towards the mound. And uh I'd start pleading my case, Daddy, please, man. Give me one more. But if his mind was set and he knew it was best for the team, uh, that reliever would come in and take over. And looking back now, I know it was hard for him to pull me, just as hard as it was for me to accept it. Okay. And as being a dad for a while now, I've been a dad for almost 16 years. Um, I get it. I get it. And it's it's nice when my decisions align with my kids' desires. The reality is it just doesn't happen that much. And it, I mean, it does, I'm not gonna say it never happens, but it does, it rarely happens. And I recognize that the call that God has placed on my life as a father means setting aside any desire I have to be liked or to be their friend. You know, I'll I'll I'd be nice if that happens, but that can't be the goal. And there will be a time for that transition. And I I remember for me with with my dad when that moment happened, right? Um it was a it was around probably about the towards the end of my college, maybe senior year. Uh he's still dad. He'll always be dad, right? Uh, but we entered a new chapter where the primary training was complete that he was set to do for me, and then we could move into friendship. And now he's still just one of just the dearest people in my life. I love him to death. And and I remember out there on the deck, we had a cigar and just everything just kind of shifted. It just it just changed a little. And you know, I still respect him, right? I still honor him. I I definitely want to do all that that the Bible says, but it changed. And and my encouragement to you, as we're just sharing this story, is don't buy what the world sells you, okay? Uh the primary calling that we have as men is to be our son's father above all else, right? That's going to cause friction, okay? It's going to spark some tempers. But the alternative, which is a young man that's unrestrained or and and convinced that the world revolves around him, man, that to me, that's just far worse. It's far worse. And it strikes me that if I make decisions based on momentary ease at home, I risk creating a friendship with my son when I should be establishing boundaries with that with that little young man as a father. But if I allow that friction to accept and accept the tempers and hold firm these boundaries, I won't just be setting standards for our home. I'll be shaping that young man that can function in a world, in the world rather, and preparing him for a way towards hopefully a lifelong friendship when that time is right. But this scripture in Hebrews just reminds us over and over and over to take the prudent path, right? Because we're going to enjoy the harvest, but it's going to be later. And there's going to be plenty of time to be his friend, right? But for now, I got to be his dad. You know, and this is a personal one for me to write and to think about. Because I got this little boy who's three years old, and he looks at me and I can see it in his eyes. Like, I'm his hero. And it's the same way I looked at my dad. Still look at my dad that way. He's my hero. And but and that's a heavy weight, but I have to lean it, lean into it. I have to own it. And I can't, you know, try to dismiss what God's called me to do when it gets hard, right? When I when I need to stand firm and show him and guide him and give him that discipline. It's kind of like the old horse analogy I talk about all the time. Like a broke horse, bro, that that broke horse can do so much more. It's so much more powerful than an understrained wild horse, right? And a broke horse can can can um bring in about 10 wild ones. I'm just telling you, same happens with our with our young men. We're not trying to to take anything that God has taken out of them. No, we're supposed to guide and direct them and and and mold them and point them towards him first and foremost, but doing it in a loving manner. And sometimes that means, you know, we gotta we gotta tell them no. We gotta step in and do what's best for them. And that can be hard. So if you're a dad and you're listening to this right now, and maybe you're encouraged by go back to scripture like this. I mean, we we take scripture like this for a reason because we want to take, let God's word be the ultimate guiding light. And the question that you want to maybe think about is when when have you chosen hard over popular? And look, bro, I'm telling I'm not saying this stuff is easy. It's so much easier to just be the popular guy. Like just be the one who's like go to flow with no friction. That is not biblical. That is not what we're called to do. And we have to lean into the power of the Holy Spirit to understand what God is calling us to do from time to time, right? I mean, that's that has to be our ultimate guide. And if you don't have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, then you miss it. And that's why we want to make sure if you're listening to the lion and you've been called to be a dad, man, that's what an incredible honor that is. If you're being called to be a dad of a son, like I can't even express how big a deal that is right now in the world we live in, to not abdicate that responsibility, but to lean into it. But also, if we're gonna guide and direct them in the ways of the Lord and point them to him, he's gotta be out pointing, he's gotta be guiding you. That means you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you don't have that, then I would just encourage you to think about that. Like, what have you been waiting on? Why at this point? You know, you feel like God, He has handpicked you to be this young man's dad, right? He you're you're qualified. You may not feel it, but he he doesn't he doesn't call to qualify, he qualifies to call. You've been called to this role. Now you need him to guide you so that he will ultimately be guiding him, right? He'll it is it's he's gonna he's gonna work through you, and that's gonna show him that young man that you're that you're raising is gonna see that. But it only happens when you have that personal relationship with Jesus, and that that's recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a savior, right? And believing that Jesus is the Messiah and confessing him as Lord and Savior. So look, if you've never done that, now's a great time. I mean, seriously, you're for some reason you listen to the Pond, you're here, there's an opportunity to recognize that you know what, I he has called me to something greater, i.e., raising my son. And I want to do that his way. So I need to first follow him. Because if I follow him, then there's a the the opportunity is just gonna be exponential that your son is gonna follow him as well. So look, let's take the moment right now, just pray and ask Jesus into your life to be your Lord and Savior. Call on him. And if you call on him, he will answer. So, Father, just that one listener, maybe it's a young man, maybe he's a new dad, and uh he's trying to figure this stuff out, man. It is hard, Lord, and and uh we recognize that we can't do it without you. So I don't know, maybe there's just something in the simple way that he heard this verse today, or or my story, my reflection about my dad. And he's recognizing you know what? I need to turn my life over to Christ. I pray as he'd praise that prayer right now, you just flood him with peace, encouragement. Let never uh uh let him think for a second that you're not with him. And we know the evil one's gonna attack, but that's just what he does. But this man's gonna lean in, he's gonna step into the call, and he's gonna be the leader that you intend him to be. So, Lord, just put your arms around him and just thank you for the moving in the way that you have right now. In Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so look, you just accepted Christ. Touchdown. Let's go. All right. And look, if you're if you're new to that and you've already accepted Christ, and you just want to get a little bit of encouragement, shoot me a note. I'd love to hear from you. Man, I talk with guys all the time. My calendar stays booked out now. God has been moving in a mighty way at the lion. But serious, send me an email. We'll make something happen. It's Chris C H R I S at the LionWithin.us. I'd love to connect with you, just be able to be an encouragement to you, try to speak some life into you, just to hear, you know, just if just to have an ear. If you just want to chat, just to say hi. I'd love to do that. I got again, guys, pop on my calendar at this point. I stay booked out pretty regular, which is crazy. Uh God is moving in a mighty way, but I just I keep doing it because I notice what he's calling me to do. And if I can be an encouragement to you in any way, uh it would be an honor. So I'd love to hear from you, okay? Uh, other than that, come on Wednesday. We're gonna keep unpacking this idea of I'm just a uh a guy who's raising a son. And even if you don't have a son, there's things that you'll be able to pick up and learn from. Maybe you've passed that season of life. Come anyway, because there may be some reflections in what I talk about that you could pass on to the next generation or just be able to kind of fine-tune your language and to be precise when you do have that chance to speak into a young man's life who maybe is raising a son right now. Okay, so hope to see you there. But give us a rating and review, fellas. I mean, that does help big time if you want if you don't mind doing that. Uh, the big thing though, the lion within.us, is join the lion's den. I'm just gonna be at this point, we're just being unapologetic. Join the lion's den. It's a great way to get to be served. We're gonna serve you with so many events throughout the week, not to mention our support groups and all the different things that we do. But on top of that, it's a great way to just support the lion and what we do each and every week, from my by our Bible study plans to the podcast, uh, to the uh all the all the resources that we're building on a regular basis. Look, it's just a great way. So if the lion within us blesses you in any way and has been an encouragement to you, join the lion's den. It's a great way to give back. And look, we give you a free gift as well just for taking, just for being a supporter of what we do. We always want to give back. And it's a great way just to have communication. You're on the front end of when things go live. You're also on the front end of things that I write about before I write plans. I'm always going to the lion's den guys like, hey, what's the topic? What do we need to be writing about? What's important to you? So if you want to be able to be have be part of that conversation and have a piece of navigating the ship of the lion within us, go over start your lion within. It comes with a 30-day free trial. Guys, we're talking about low cost here. We're not we're not talking big cost here. We're talking very reasonable, just because we just want to uh your support would mean the world. So the lionwithin.us is where you find it, guys. All right, we'll see you next time, guys. Get after have a great day. Thanks for hanging with me. And I remember just keep unleashing the lion within. If there's one habit that can change a home, it's this when a husband prays with his wife, not because it's a magic formula, but because it recenters your marriage under God's authority and care. And let's be honest, a lot of guys want to do it, but most don't know how to start without it feeling awkward. Maybe you've tried it before and it felt forced, or maybe you've never tried it because you don't even know what to say. Or maybe you're thinking, man, I'm not a pastor, I'm just a guy. And that's why we created this guide. It's our how to pray with your wife. Simple guide. It's biblical, it's practical, and it's designed to help you start praying with your wife in a way that actually feels natural. So it's a five-section guide and it gives you a simple framework to get started. Okay, it makes sure everything is grounded in scripture, and it also has a powerful PDF that you can pull up whenever you need, especially when things get off, because they're gonna get off. That's normal. 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