Welcome And Purpose

Chris Grainger 1:34

Welcome to The Line 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 your fun Friday member spotlight. Let's get into it. Okay. So scripture this week is actually in the book of Acts, chapter 20, verse 35. It says, everything and everything I did, I showed you by that, by this kind of hard work. We must help the weak. Remember the words that the Lord Jesus Himself said. It's more blessed to give than to receive. Guys, I unpacked that verse, that link in our spiritual kickoff episode. So go back in your podcast feed, you'll see it there. For you guys out there who have not joined a daily spiritual kickoff yet, what in the heck are you waiting on, guys? Like get on it now. Go to the linewithin.us, jump in that thing. We do daily teaching, Monday through Friday, just teaching the Bible, unpacking it, helping you simplify and apply God's word. It also gives you access to our prayer request space. And that is the most utilized area of the line, guys. So if you need prayer, we have a monthly uh every Monday we have a prayer call. We would love to be intentional about praying for you. And if you're in the continental U.S., we send you a free gift. You guys outside

Acts 20:35 And Daily Kickoff

Chris Grainger 2:36

the U.S., I got hit up the other day. So somebody from South Africa, they wanted a gift. I'm sorry. So if you're not in a continental U.S., we can't send it to you. But for you U.S. guys, we'd love to get that gift to you. So the linewithin.us is where you find that one. So, guys, it's a fun, it's gonna be a fun one. So we got our member Craig Harris in. Craig, what's going on today, big guy? How are you doing? I'm doing good. Good, brother. Good. I always call Craig Chipper Jones when I see him. He's got he's a big Braze fan and he kind of looks like Chipper, man. So that's great. He's had a pretty good year this year, bro.

Craig Harris 3:03

They're rolling. O'Conn is uh I think he's hit five home runs in four games. So uh we're healthy.

Chris Grainger 3:12

There you go, buddy. There you go. I know you're a big Georgia guy, man. So anything Georgia related, you're all about it. That's right. That's right. Go Dogs, go Braves, and go Falcons. There you go, man. The Falcons. That's a tough one. That's all right. That's all right. I'm gonna stick a little.

Craig Harris 3:32

That's right. You gotta stick with it. We might want to trade out and uh go with the Patriots or whoever's overall and want to stick with the Falcons.

Chris Grainger 3:39

There you go, man. There you go. Ride or die, bro. That's it. That's it. Well, man, we we love these episodes, Craig, because it gets our listeners just to get a chance to meet our awesome members. And for one, we'd love to hear just about your discipleship journey, man. How did you come to know Christ?

Craig Harris 3:55

I came to know Christ at uh there was a um evangelical Baptist Church up in Lithonia, Georgia. Um that was the the metro area back in the 80s. Uh anyway, it was um I followed my my best friends down the aisle when I was I don't know, eight, nine years old. Um pretty young, okay. Yeah, I was young. I was young. They um they did it. I thought it would be cool to do it, so I did it too. And uh, you know, you didn't I didn't know what I was getting into. You know, you know, you're giving your life over to Christ. Anyway, um Woman Hills was I would say they were contemporary before contemporary was cool. Like I said, this this was 83, 84, maybe. Um, you know, Third Day and Mercy Me, and especially anything like Elevation Church, none of that was around. Um, you know, but but it was pretty pretty new. And um the Lythonia and Conyer Stone Mountain area was was an area everybody was moving to get out of the city. Um so a lot of um I would say more contemporary people, you know, with a good idea. Yeah. Um so we m my point is is we had a a really large youth group, had a really good RA royal ambassador program. And, you know, by joining church there, I got plugged in in youth group, um, got plugged in RAs. My parents were heavily involved. I grew up in a really good family. Um my mom and dad were uh great people. My dad passed away when I was young,

Meet Craig And Georgia Sports

Craig Harris 5:41

but when I had him, he was a great father. My mom was a great mother, um, both godly people, and um I mean I grew up in a really good environment.

Chris Grainger 5:51

Um my dad was when did you when did you when did your dad die, man? How old were you?

Craig Harris 5:58

I'm 53, so that was 26 years ago. So I was what, 27? Okay. My math right. And hope I know I do math. Yeah. Um yeah, that was uh that was young for me because I had just gotten married, you know, and we I think Madison was two and Savannah had just been born. And you know, um man, and the gap between salvation and there, you know, was crazy, you know. Really? What happened? I mean my my dad so in I grew up in a in a in a fairly well-off uh I wouldn't say billionaire wealthy, but my dad designed the happy meal carton and designed the Coca-Cola fridge pack. So you can well imagine what kind of situation I grew up in financially. So we moved to Lake O'Connelly my freshman year and high school, which was a upper scale.

Chris Grainger 7:05

So let me clarify this though. You said he designed the Happy Meal Carton.

Craig Harris 7:09

Yeah, the Happy Meal Carton. So he was uh he was um a little bit by my dad. My dad was a a phenomenal linebacker, got a scholarship play football at Choice State. Um you know, this was the 50s, so he was trying to work and play football. It was hard. And he he he became a really good toolmaker while he was you know, he was trying to work, and and with that, he got a really good understanding of machining and uh CNC and you know he just got a really good concept of tool and dye, so he started designing his own tool and dies and standing dies.

Early Faith And Youth Group Roots

Craig Harris 7:46

And so, long story short, he developed a company called South South Southeastern Tool and Die Company, and he was one of the first to have a CNC laser plasma cutting machine. Um, he was one of the first to innovate the mill and the never die die, which was uh something like a millin machine die. Um anyway, with all that said, he was he was he was renowned for the hard carton for Marlboro. You know, they went from softbacks to hard cartons, so he'd made that tool to cut that die. The second tool he made was the happy mill carton, and the third famous tool, the one that he retired on, was the Coca-Cola Fridge Pack, which everybody has out now, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper. Yeah, you know. So, you know, he banked and and he sold the company when I was seventh and eighth grade, and then he retired and moved to the lake. And so I grew up a pretty entitled life. You know, my brother and sister are 11 years older than me. They they're they were getting the lights cut off, couldn't pay the water bill, and then five after I came up, we were going to Europe skiing. You know, I skied in Switzerland, Austria. Wow. Hunting in Quebec, and I you know, some of my my my brother and sister gave me a hard time for getting a spoiled bat. So that was uh that was a situation that kind of molded me. Um went to private school, you know, in my high school years. But the cool thing about that, my dad helped start a church in Greensboro on Lake O'Connor. Um He met a pastor in Greensboro, which is a small town in Georgia. And they they started in a they started in a fire station, fire station to a single wide, single wide to a double wide, double wide to uh that sanctuary sits anywhere from 500 to a thousand now on Lake O'Connie, which is a very prominent community. We're talking about Nick Sabin, Kirby Smart, um Carrie Underwood got married there. So he planted a really a really amazing situation. Sounds like it. But um when he died, he had over 30 people come to Christ at his funeral or through his funeral. Um so that's just kind of the environment I grew up. But but while that was going on, there was a pastor there named Stan Patterson and told my disciple, and he kind of helped mold my walk with God. Um I went to college and was you know Buckwall. He knew when I came home that I wasn't doing the right thing. And, you know, he'd be like, Craig, you know, I can see, I can see in your heart, I I just know you're not doing right, man. You you know, you you gotta and I wasn't. I mean, I was I was living one way down there and speaking another one. I'll be honest with you, you know, I'll I'll be discreet on my past, but it was nothing for me to smoke a joint and tell somebody about Jesus at a fraternity party or something, you know. Right. And even though my heart was right, I still wasn't living, you know, like I should. Right, yeah. Um and it's funny, all those guys I went to I went down the aisle back in, you know, back in Lyconia, Glenwood Hills, it was three of us, me, Ryan Center, and West Brelo, and we were all Buck Wild, and we all turned out I mean both of them are in the ministry now. Yeah, they're both in the ministry. They all got a bunch of kids like me. You know, it's funny because we were crazy and wild and now we're like, you know, through you know, they're sold out, yeah. That's what they do for a living. One's a Christian. Both of them are Christian counselors. Yeah, both of them have uh clinics up in North Georgia. But wow, okay. And then then the guys at Southern I was running crazy with, they're all in the ministry and devout Christians now. And so it was you know, you didn't see it happening, but God was, you know, he was molding our lives and you know, then I got married. Um Dad had dad had got sick. My freshman year, a southern, he had got cancer and he knew I was headed for trouble. He knew Jill, because I met Jill in high school at church. Um and he said, if you don't marry that girl, you're gonna you're gonna be in trouble. She's gonna she but she's the best decision you got right now. Right. I came home and and got my I got my life together and went back to school with my straight A's and did great, but he still knew that I needed something to keep in between the rails. So, and I was in love with you. I mean, I I didn't know I was in love, but I was. Right. I didn't know what what jewel I had, but he saw it. Obviously, he was a smart man, right? I mean the man could see um he had a great wisdom. And I married her. She was beautiful. I mean, it was good looking, she she uh she was good with kids, she um she was authentic, she was smart, she was I think she was good with money, she's good with money. I mean, um could cook, I mean she was a whole package, and uh but you don't see that when you're 25, 23 years old. At least But I married her and um that was another start of my salvation and journey and we were married we were married about 10 years and no six. And I still had a lot in my past I didn't let go of, a lot of partying, a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes, and the Holy Spirit shook me out here on the porch on a cold January day. I'll never forget. Uh I like I Georgia was playing Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. I remember every detail of it, and the Holy Spirit said, get right or you're gonna lose your family. And Jill had already made that mind, you know, she had already that was already in my ear, you know. She was getting divorced papers out. You know, she was gonna go to nursing school. She didn't need me anymore. And I knew that, like, she didn't need me, so because I was like, well, I work and you know, I make all the money, and she's not home with the kids. She has to have me. No, she didn't. No, she wasn't good, so that was over with. And I knew she didn't need me, so I turned

Success, Entitlement, And A Father’s Legacy

Craig Harris 14:26

my life around, did a hundred and eighty turn. Because you think like when you get saved, that was just like it, but it's not. That was really in 2006 where I really did a hundred and eighty degree turn in my life and said, This is this is where I'm gonna start. I want my wife to trust me. You know, quit BS her, and you know, that's really where so 20 years now I've been I've been flying pretty right. Perfect by no means, but I don't do the thing I did before 20 years ago. Um, but it's because I've had some rough patches between there and now. We went through a recession in 08, 09, 010. Had a change career path. Um and the recession was a really test because even though I was living obedient, just because you're obedient doesn't mean you ain't gonna have problems, right? Obedience doesn't guarantee a perfect life. And when that recession hit, I mean, I was in the mobile home business, and the mobile home business completely died in Georgia. And uh so I picked up a job here at Carbon Aerospace building uh 747 parts. The airplane business didn't get hurt, so they were building 747, they were building 787 parts, so I picked up the job doing that. But it was funny between there and then um we were running out of money because I took a 50% pay cut during the recession, and I was getting by on my mortgage and getting behind on everything, and uh about to lose the house, and I didn't want to lose a house. And I had a really nice garden spot out here, or still do. But uh I pray to God, I said, God, uh, you know, it's it's brick and mortar, it's your house. Um you know, but um I'm willing to give it up if this is what you want. If you want the house, if you won't provide any income, I can't pay for it, so I'm gonna lose it. But I I'll I'm I cried, I was tears because I love this place. We're out in the country, it's beautiful, it's great place to raise children. And he gave me an idea on that garden spot to grow a bunch of collard greens because I'd grown collard greens before, and my Latino workers love my collard greens. And so I sowed a bunch of seeds and thinned them out to a thousand heads. And starting about October when they started growing good and the frogs hit them, I started cutting them and selling them a dollar a head, and they were buying them like they were gold. Because they can afford a dollar or two a head. And I must have sold three or four thousand dollars of collard green. And um, that's how I got my orders caught up, and I bought the babies Christmas and I got my bills called up. So I tell people I man the Lord saved my house that year by growing collard green. By growing collard green. But that's when I became a man because my like my dad was dead, right? And my mama had got on drugs after my daddy died, and she spent up the fortune. I hate to say this, but because she's a good, she's a wonderful woman, but she messed up all the money when she got on drugs. So there was no money. There was nobody to call and no fallback plan. That's when the silver spoon got pulled out of my mouth. It wasn't nobody. And so I had to I had to figure out how to be a man real quick. Yeah. And you know, and when you uh you know, they say, well, you know, when you when a tough gets going, you'll find out who's tough or not. And I I wasn't gonna quit. And uh one thing my daddy taught me, even though he spoiled me, he he taught me to work and never quit. And he always and I tell for anybody that's listening, if you're a dad, it's important that you affirm your son. Yeah. Want to know that you're proud of him. Show him his strengths because when I played football, you would have thought I was Lawrence Taylor. I mean, he he made me think I was the greatest linebacker, greatest quarterback, greatest defensive tackle, greatest offensive guard, great opponent. I don't care what I was doing, he thought, man, I was great. And I think, you know, I think because he didn't have that growing up, yeah, he came from a really abusive situation, that he said, I'm not, I'm not gonna do this. I'm gonna raise my kid right. But he did spoil me a little bit. And uh, but uh but I you know another thing I learned from my dad right before he died, my dad was a big outdoors and big hunter, and he he uh he always said he wanted to die in Colorado or New Mexico or Utah hunting grizzly bears, you know. That's the way he wanted to die. Well, he got cancer and he went from a hundred two hundred pound man to a hundred and forty pound, hundred and thirty-pound man in a matter of six months, and just a terrible, terrible way to watch him die. But right before he died, I said I said, What what's important to know, Daddy? I mean you've done some pretty cool stuff, you've traveled the world and had some pretty good inventions. He said, If you ain't glorifying God and all you do, you're wasting time. And that was his last words to me. And uh I thought, you know, from a man that was a a man's man to say that and you know, that's stuck. That's stuck, and uh learned a lot from my dad. You know uh he never got to see my kids, never got to meet Sam, never got to see Sadie. And uh I think it's cool when you see Sadie and Sam and Savannah and Maddie. Especially like the little ones, like when they play sports and they concentrate, you can see my dad's face at all. It's just

The Warning That Sparked Repentance

Craig Harris 20:17

it's just crazy. You know, it's it's it's awesome. That legacy man, that's awesome, but uh Yeah, I'm I'm still I'm fifty-three years old, five kids, married thirty years, and uh I'm still growing as a Christian. I mean it's it's not it's not get saved, you gotta figure it out, and you know, you just wait to die. It's it's get saved, and that's when the party starts, right? That's it. But the younger you are when you get saved, the more runaway and and action you're gonna get. Right. That's that's God's plan.

Chris Grainger 20:57

That's right.

Craig Harris 20:58

He how he how God has that all figured out, I don't know if I'm gonna try to figure it out. I just know that's where I'm at in life, and I haven't quit I'm not gonna quit ministering to people and you know uh like I say I'm still still growing as a as a Christian man and got young I'm old and got young kids, so well being a that's all good though, but I mean God's put you in this place for a reason, and which I am curious talking about growing.

Chris Grainger 21:29

I mean, how did you even find the lion, Craig?

Craig Harris 21:32

So um I had a really successful uh property management. I had a lot of a lot of businesses going during COVID. I had an irrigation business, I had a property management business, I was working as an engineer full-time in the airspace community, and then Jill had the rustic daisy going. So we had four pretty hot pants going, and as we all know, the construction business was booming during COVID, so my irrigation business was I was farming that out. Anyway, uh I was so busy, and it wasn't a recession this time, it was a lack of managing businesses well, and so I started losing those businesses. And um, you know, if you don't do something one thing good, you'll do a lot of things bad, or like, you know, kind of halfway. That was my story. Anyway, I got I needed to be diligent. I needed to be more diligent, and I started this journey of diligence, and I went to the Bible lab and I said, I don't need devotional diligence. And that's when I found you had wrote a devotion, or somebody in the line wrote a devotional diligence, and that's where it started, about a year and a half ago, I guess. Yeah. And uh found the link to the lion and clicked on it. So this is cool, you know. And then I I don't know, I clicked on it, I think you called me the next day or two. I said, This guy called me and interested. And um that's kind of where my bless it with a lion started. And I've never I don't think I've really taken a break since then. No. Yeah. Even in the worst, 'cause I went through a real bad spell. My business got to the worst point, I guess, last spring when I called you and you know, you prayed for me and kinda walked me through that and I made it. Didn't die. Wasn't the worst thing in the world, but I think a lot of guys will get through a real hard spot and they kind of they wanna go isolate. Yeah. You need to whether it's the line or whether your men's group at church or whatever it may be. Um you know you you need to find something you know when you're in a in a bad spot. And I w I hope men don't find a line just because they're in trouble or something. Just find it 'cause they wanna find a group of guys that are on the same page. Yeah. You know how do you think has helped you the most so far, Bo? I I would say the line is a place where men can be as authentic as they can get. They can they it seems like there's a trust factor where when people come online they really feel like they can expose themselves and be transparent about some of their

Recession Pressure And Collard Greens Provision

Craig Harris 24:26

issues and they don't feel like they're judged. Um it's also a place if you continue to do the things that you're doing that's causing you problems, men will say, hey, this is probably why you're having issues. Yeah. You might want to you might want to reconsider some of the decisions you're making. I mean it's just like you Chris the other day when I decided to coach football he said hey you might want to pray with your wife about that. It's just a little note right it's it wasn't really like in your face or like hey you're an idiot for doing too many things. It's like hey just won't you and Jill get down on your knees about this and and see if this is where God takes you. And it was like since I got that note it was just this heaviness on my heart and the Holy Spirit said I'm speaking to you through the men that love you. My boss said Craig be careful all these men that love me they said Craig be careful because they know me. Like they they know who I am and they love me and they care about me. Like we know you love football. We know you're another about it but don't don't sacrifice your family for it. And I made a decision today as much as I want to coach I don't want to I don't want to lose my relationship with my wife and kids and that's that's what that is where the lion reinforces some really good Christian values as a husband and father. So I got it from the lion and I got it from my outside friends because I try to stay connected here in Millsville with golly guys. You know that's that's what I'm saying man. It's like dudes you gotta you gotta surround yourself in a church with what it's a lot. What you gotta get around good people who are gonna back you up you know and the choices you make as a as a father husband. I mean how many how many issues do we touch on in the line? We touch on pornography we touch on money we touch on health we touch on all the things that can derail a man. Right. It your finances will derail you your uh sexual decisions will derail you um I mean how you treat your life or just so many things that can do you know the the the enemy wants to destroy the family and the lion offers all this goodness to say hey you know we have thirty night Thursday night Bible study we have Friday Fords we have Lionel's Wednesday we have eight o'clock Saturday morning Bible study and I I rarely miss any of that stuff. Unfortunately I work in a situation where I can work and do that right some people can't praise the Lord I can do that. But even today I miss SKO so I was just I just put on my earphones and listen to it after the fact. Just put it on the background listen to it while I'm working not but I get you get some nuggets you know while you're you're looking at stuff so that's right and I have I'm not taking it all I'm not getting a whole package because I don't do the mastermind because I think it's a little pricey but um and I haven't been to a retreat yet but even even that I'm not getting that I'm still getting a whole lot for my buck. You know and you know and I I don't I don't wouldn't say this is something you pay for and you get it's just it's just a really the line's just a really it's just a blessing. It's a huge blessing. And I I've been in religious situations that were like too legalistic and really principle driven. Right. And uh I'm I'm I'm I'm leery or um I use discretion and people who lead things like this. Because I've I haven't been burnt but I I've seen some guys kind of mess up. Yeah. Yeah I've been in this a year and a half I haven't haven't seen or heard anything that makes me worry. Yeah. Well maybe there's enough guys that keep it in between keep it worse. I don't see more Yeah.

Chris Grainger 28:30

No we got some great leadership for sure and guys busted guys hand on it and maybe there's a listener credit who's out there now and they haven't taken a step I mean would you have a word of encouragement to him on checking check you know taking that first initial step to checking us out at some point I I wasn't even thinking about it.

Craig Harris 28:50

You don't you know you need a you need to jump on it it's not gonna hurt to try it out. You know it's it's made a um it's made a huge difference in my life and some of the decisions I made just like I said recently going back to the football decision that could have been a mayor's derailer if I hadn't if you hadn't reached out to some other buddy to say hey man you know um we love you and we want you to think about the choices you're making. It wasn't like I was about to go to a strip club or anything right I mean it's it's an it's a good thing to do. Coaching coaching kids is a great ministry. That's right. But you can ministry your way out of a marriage you know if you're making the right decisions and um so many things you know I'll you know to whoever's out there you can get on these SKOs and you can get on line lunch and you don't have to say a word and all you gotta do is listen and you're gonna learn something. You're gonna learn something and uh and I think I think the worst thing in life can happen to you not the worst but one of the bad things is to get around a bunch of yes men and the line ain't a bunch of yes men online.

Finding The Line And Honest Brotherhood

Craig Harris 30:06

So they're gonna shoot straight with you and they're not they're not afraid to share their opinions whether they're right or wrong. Right. That's why I mean you know that's what you gotta be you gotta be able to to not be afraid to say the wrong thing. That's right. Yeah and have that gross mindset for sure.

Chris Grainger 30:23

Yeah I think I think that's what one of the good things about a lot well you definitely make it better bro just by having your presence in it and it's an honor to have you with us and I appreciate it. I love it. I think this has been awesome and guys we're as we get to the end of this one Craig I got a couple of dad jokes I'm gonna run by you and and and also guys you know we always talk about a book of the week Mission Drift is the book this week uh check it out I think I did this one maybe three or four years ago but I got it got called back out to me by my mentor about two months ago and it's been uh instrumental as we try to look for the line on how we're growing in the future what is God how's God directing us and how do we stay true to the mission and and so if you guys are working out there and you maybe you have a business and you you want to stay locked in on on what God's calling you to it's a great resource. So just check it's called mission drift check it out and then I got a couple dad jokes I'm gonna run by Craig yeah so Craig you ready for a couple dad jokes man we'll fly swing them by you and see what you think. Let's do it all right you know why Mickey why did Mickey Mouse go to outer space man you know I have no idea he was looking for Pluto dude that's right that's right so that's that one and then uh how do meteors stay clean do you know how they stay clean I can't remember they shower they shower man they shower they shower okay which one do you like best what which which one lands for you I'm gonna go with Pluto Pluto can't go wrong with Pluto there you go guys so look we put these in the line every Friday guys so look if you want to listen if you want to vote on these put them in there if you want to give us dad jokes that we should consider putting on the show hey hit us up we like we'd love to get our dad jokes out there uh the question of week this week is where is God prompting you to serve but you've been hesitating guys you know God's calling you to it and and you're just giving him the old stiff arm to stiff with to stick with Craig's football analogies and stuff because he's a football guy you're that that that's disobedience man I'm telling you so take the first step it may not be easy you may not even think it's big but a small step of obedience and and what God's calling you to do can lead to some great things. So Craig anything else you got for us today bro go dogs. I know he was going to say that one I knew he was going to say that one it's been it's been awesome brother thank you for all you do and guys out there give us the rating and review share this stuff out fellas this is how we get the word out word word of mouth so just text this one out maybe to your you guys that are fellow Georgia fans you know share this one with a fellow Georgia fan and if you got buddies that are Florida fans send it to them just so you can dig at them. How about that? That's it. So guys the LionWithin dot us is where you find us at all our resources there. We'll see you next time and just keep unleashing the lion within if you're like me you don't need another book just sitting around collecting dust. What I enjoy is something to help guide me when my feet hit the ground in the morning. And that is why we put together unleashing the lion within if that's honest story, scripture you can apply and several steps to help you lead at home, at work, and everywhere in between so if you've been feeling stuck or scattered lately, you may find this resource encouraging.

Book Pick, Dad Jokes, And Next Steps

Chris Grainger 33:42

Read a few pages. Take one step and watch what God does with your obedience. Hey and if reading's tough for you right now no problem the book is also available in Audible version so you can listen on the go. So if this sounds interesting check out the lionwithin.us slash book or search for unleashing the line within directly on Amazon. So there's no pressure here just a resource that many guys are finding helpful. So grab the format that fits and take your next step.