Welcome to the Line Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who hungry to be the leaders God intend you to be. I’m your host, Chris Granger. Let’s jump in. All right, boys, this is your fun Friday episode. I’m excited to have you here. Before we go any further though, let’s get right into the scripture.

Scripture. This week is a very powerful verses and one Peter verse. Peter chapter three, verse 15, but in your hearts, revere Christ as. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. And my question to you, are you ready?

Somebody wants to ask you today and walk right up to you and say, now, why do you have this hope? Why are you following Jesus? What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do? You don’t know how to respond to that. Go listen to their spiritual kickoff. I spent a lot of time unpacking this verse give you some real simple.

Ways that you can apply this to your walk right now, today without, without too much work and that you can be ready. Cause we need to be ready to, to be, to stand on the word of God and to share the good news with others. Here’s a hint. You need to have some editors written in your heart. That means you need to get some of this Bible and knowledge down.

You get these verses written, understood, and, and, and cement it. I get It’s hard. It’s hard. The reason it’s hard is cuz Satan doesn’t, wants you to remember these Bible verses, but commit to it. Make it a priority, guys. It will happen. You just gotta make it a priority. Heck, you can remember songs from the ni from the eighties and nineties.

I know you can’t. We should be able to pull up God’s word in our hearts ever. We need it. Let’s go check out that spiritual kickoff. I really enjoyed doing that and this is just a great burst to unpack for you guys. Prayerfully, uh, you guys were able to grow. Now, if you missed the Meet episode this week, go back.

Bruce Miller brought, I mean, he brought his, the, his A game. It was awesome. It was a fun conversation with Bruce. Uh, he, he talks a lot about apologetics and this is what he does. He try, he’s always out there defending faith and, and he talks about the seven big questions, the seven big questions, searching for God, truth and purpose.

He really unpacks probably two, about three of the questions in depth with us. He talks significantly around why does God allow painting suffering? Because that’s a question he gets asked the most. His answers there guys are just phenomenal. It is really gives you a lot of insight and wisdom as you may be going through a, a season of life that this absolutely sucks right now.

Let’s just call it, it is what it is, right? Maybe it just sucks. You’re just looking, man, why am I having to deal with this? Why can’t anything ever go. Bruce gives some wonderful insights to that. So go check that out. He talks around around the Christianity road and is it too narrow? Cause you often hear that all the time.

You know, Jesus can’t be the only way. There’s gotta be another way going. Oh, and there’s reasons why Now. I really like how he talks about the reliability of the word, of the inherent word of God, how reliable it is, and how we can. And the research he has done to prove that out. So guys, I just think that relational, uh, conversation that we need to start having with each other to to, to grow in Christ is important.

And I love how he says, just run to your doubt. You run to it and you wrestle. You will find your faith. So pray that you guys enjoyed that conversation with Bruce. It was definitely one that I was very excited about. Just a great guy out of Texas, one of those old Texas guys. But it had a lot of fun with it and I’ll tell you, it was something that I learned a lot from.

I learned a lot from this book. I think we’re gonna try to make this book one of our, our feature books and we’re gonna go through it at, within the line within us, cuz it’s just a lot of truth here. But I think it’s important as a Christian. Have answers these seven questions. Let’s just wrestle with them together.

So hopefully enjoyed it. So let’s jump into our tips. You know, on Fun Friday, we’re gonna give you a health tip, a wealth tip, and a self tip. Guys, that’s the way we roll. Let’s jump right into our health tip and something I’ve been doing for years, but try intermittent fasting. Because it really gives you a, a, a multitude of health benefits from like thinking and memory to your heart health to just physical performance, diabetes, obesity, obesity, tissue health.

The benefits are real, guys. When you start looking at intermitent fasting, and it’s not a diet, let’s, let’s just clarify that first, almost. I’m not on a diet, it’s just the way I, it’s just basically the system that, that I use to tell us my body when it can eat. Okay. And it’s usually like an eight hour window.

Okay. So a lot of times for me, I’ve tried to do to 12 to eight now, where I struggle is usually I don’t start at 12. I start a bit later and i’s hardly just shut it off and usually it’s like nine or nine 30. So really it’s more like one to nine. Usually we’ll be where it lands, but basically is what you do.

Uh, you, you just lay out that determined window of when you’re gonna allow calories to come in. And trust me, it gets easier as you go. Okay? Because you can still have time in the morning if you have your coffee, just no creamer, right? You can’t have sugar and cream and all that stuff, but if you just have black coffee the way you should drink it, there you go.

You can still have that. So the hard part again, hu cutting it off when that time is up. During this time, you still need to focus on your c your, your calorie intake. Right? You doesn’t mean you can just eat whatever you want during the, the, that time period, but when it, when that time is there, you wanna have more substantial, usually more like a more substantial lunch, a more substantial dinner, uh, and you’re going.

And I always encourage you to try this out and see if it serves, because some guys can’t do it. They gotta have their breakfast. Okay, I totally get it. So if you can’t do it, fine, but give it a week and try. And it’s gonna take some time to adjust, but I guarantee you, if you, if you give it that chance for your stomach to adjust to it, you will.

And I’ll tell you for now, I don’t even think about breakfast. Like, I can sit down and watch my, my kids eat breakfast. Don’t even worry about it. You know, every now and then, do I eat breakfast? Do I eat breakfast? Yeah. You know, you can treat yourself every now and then. But for me, I personally just like saving the calories so I can have a better lunch and a ent and a better dinner.

To me, that just is what it’s about. Uh, so think about when you go. Previous generations, they didn’t just wake up and open a refrigerator, what’d they have to do? They had to go to work, find some food, some cases they’d have to go kill some food or do some gardening or things like that, right? So the whole idea, our bodies really designed this way to get up and move and get ac, get active before you start pouring food.

Then, so, you know, go back to some of those roots, hold on, hold off from adding those calories until your day gets a little bit further along and see how it serve. There’s your health tip guys, really try that. Intermittent fasting, there’s a lot of resources out there on it. Definitely want to consult your dietician or your, your doctor before you start anything from a health standpoint.

But this is one that I’ve been doing for quite a while and I enjoy it. Uh, and it’s, it’s just been something easy to do and just got that window. And there’s different windows that you can do. And this, I just happened to use an eight hour one. I know some guys do six hours, some guys do 12 hour, whatever that.

For you, but just, uh, talk to your doctor, see if it’s something worth, check it out and then lean into it Now for your wealth tip. Okay? I don’t want you guys to ever forget the power of a Roth. Seriously, the Roth is very, is something that you can easily use to build wealth. It’s a long-term investment strategy for building wealth that works for your retirement.

Okay? So to fund this, you’re gonna be using after tax income. That’s the big trick you need to remember. So this is after your taxes get pulled. You’ll be funding this with after tax dollars. However, what you have, your funds will, your growth, it grows tax free and the deductions are tax free too. That’s big time wins right there.

Okay, so their limits for this stuff, guys, right now with the time of this recording is $6,000 per year. Uh, that’s the ceiling you have and there, and, and, and that just needs to be factored in. Okay? So this is a great alternative investment vehicle. If you wanna put more towards retirement and get those tax advantages, and that’s worth exploring.

Now, I get it. Some of you guys may be, well, I’m a 401K guy. Okay, fine, be a 401K guy. But, but consider this one as well cuz the more you can store away and get ready more prepared, you’re gonna be for when that time comes, when you ready to step away and do do your retirement again. Retirement looks a lot of difference for a lot of different people.

For me, retirement is, is, is basically freedom. Freedom to be able to do what God has called me. At that moment. And to do that takes resources. So items like the raw is a great way, a tremendously great way to grow. Well, so lean into that one guys. Now for your self tip. I got this one from my old buddy, Don Manning.

I think it’s actually his wife who said this, but I thought this was just really good from, he Don’s from crazy cool family. For those who don’t remember, uh, go check out their stuff for sure. But if you talk to your kids when they’re five, they’ll talk to you when they’re. And that just stood out to me.

It just struck me as, as a really important thing because relationships matter and your, your relationship with your children is so, so critical, right? And it’s up to you guys to build it. So you gotta be intentional. You have to be intentional about building a relationship. If you are intentional, it will thrive.

I promise you, your kids right now, they need to know they can come to you anytime. Don’t miss that opportunity to have a meaningful conversation, fellas. Seriously, don’t miss it. Just, I get it. Sometimes they’re not, they’re not comfortable to have. It can be difficult, but don’t miss that opportunity to have a meaningful conversation.

And I’m gonna tell you one way that that really works for our family. And I just encourage you to do this. Family dinner time, that family dinner time. Make that time sacred. Make that time non-negotiable. No matter if you have softball, volleyball, basketball. Um, what else do we got going on? Oh, uh, drum practice.

I’m just naming some things that we have going on our house. Church, there’s always things that’s gonna pull you away, right? And some of these things are very good things, like the things that, uh, those things I just listed, none of them are inherently bad, but I, we, you need to prioritize. You know what, before any of that happens, we’re gonna be breaking bread together every.

Sometimes you may have to do it later. Sometimes you do have to go to that game first. But then you can get back together. Come back together and talk, okay? And talk to ’em. Cuz if you talk to ’em when they’re five, they’ll talk to you when you’re 15. And this is as, as someone who’s had getting ready to enter the teenage years.

It has been stressful, guys. I’m not gonna even lie to you, but I will tell you, I still know my oldest. If you’re listening to this girl, you know it. I hope you know how much your daddy love. And that line of communication is always there. She’ll check me in a minute, but she knows. I’ll check her too. She’s the one who checked me about my phone during, uh, family moving night.

And I’ll tell you what I, although I got checked hard by her in that she told me she did it. We have family moving light. Can you just not be on your phone? I know you’re trying to grow your community and you’re doing the things for the lion, but can you just be with us during that time? Although that hurt for me to hear, I needed to.

And I also told me one thing, if you and guys think about this, if your kids are that truthful with you, you’ve created a relationship in, in an environment where your kids feel safe enough to speak that way. And as she gets older, I’m watching her grow and develop. I miss, I pray I can keep that conduit very, very much there so that she can come to me and talk to me as things come up.

Relationships are gonna come up. Hard questions, particularly the, the, the generation that we’re raising now, guys, think about all, all the stuff they’re dealing with. We never even had to think about. I mean, just all the, the agendas that are being pushed on them, upon them. And guys, this stuff is real. To be able to have a co, uh, uh, relationship in place where you can serve your child and they feel safe coming to you as their, as their.

Their earthly father who absolutely loves them more than anything. You have to start having their conversations earlier and making sure that, that they understand, you know what, daddy cares and he’s gonna listen. So there you go, guys. There there your three tips. Your hell tip, well tip and self tip, your hell tip.

Get that intermittent fasting. Try that out your well tip. Do not forget about the Roth, please. Seriously, the Roth is a great vehicle and your self tip. Talk to ’em when they’re, They’ll talk to you when you’re 15. Promise you that now. The book of the week guys. No big surprise here. Books of the week, the Seven Big Questions, searching for God, truth and Purpose.

Now, Bruce B. Miller. So guys, highly encourage you to check this book out and I really enjoy, enjoyed reading it. There are a lot of questions here that that will get answered. There’s also some questions at the end of each chapter that. If you want to have like a, a, a study group or you wanna work through this, this is a resource that I highly recommend.

I’m so glad it’s on my shelf. It’s something we’ll be able to go to use within the line with Dennis, guys. So how, again, go check out the show notes. We’ll have a link there for you so that you can check that out and add it to your library today. So now let’s get to our dad jokes. All right, dad jokes this week.

Dad. Joke number one, grandma hates her new stair. She says it drives her up the wall. . There go guys. That’s number one. Number two, my obese parrot died today, but it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. So let us know which one lasts best. Guys, I think they’re both pretty good this week. Number one, grandma hates her new stair lift.

She says it drives her up the wall. Number two, my, my obese parrot died today. That’s a huge weight off my shoulders. So, I mean, again, eye rolls count guys. Let us know which one hits. And just keep, just hopefully you enjoy the way we’re trying to bring a little bit of light to your Friday to have you a little bit of of laughter.

We gotta have some light hearts going with all the darkness that’s around us. It’s okay to smile. It’s okay to hold your head high and have a little chuckle. Okay? Now a question in a week, we’ve talked about it all week, but where do you find your source of hope? Where do you find it? And so many guys, I know you, you got your hope and your finances, hope and your relationship.

Now you have. , uh, and, and, and food and alcohol, tobacco, whatever it is, right? You gonna have things that you just wanna chase after guys. All those things have their place. The place you need to have your hope is in the lordship of Jesus Christ. He needs to be it. He needs to be the sinner. If you make him Lord, not a teacher, make him, Lord, you know what I’m talking about.

Go back to listen to a spiritual kickoff. I talk about this where he’s not just a teacher, he needs to be. Right. The reverence we have for our, for our father. That’s important. That’s so important. So guys, again, share this stuff out. I pray that you would just seriously hit share. Send it out. Give us a rating and review.

Check it out. Check us out there. But go to the lion within.us. That’s the, the lion within. And join our community. I don’t know what you’re waiting on, guys. We’re in that thing every day. Guys are constantly pushing, pushing each other, growing together, growing towards Christ, always asking them hard questions, and then getting those questions answered.

In truth, guys, we’re We have meetings all the time, ways for you to engage. We have mastermind groups. If you’ve never been a part of a mastermind that comes with your me, You can join a mastermind group, you can jump on our Bible study. You can jump on our monthly live. Ask me anything. Well, we bring in guests from the show.

You can ask them questions directly. So think about that. You never interviewed anybody. We’ll give you a chance to do that right here on the line within us. You can submit your, your dad jokes and your your tips and things like that. And guys, we give you shouts shout outs on the show, right? We have our Bible study.

We even have a Saturday Bible study. Guys, we have all sorts of ways to help you grow. Be that leader God intends you to. But you can’t access any of it just by sitting there. You gotta take some action. So go to the line within us, hop into community, offer our 30 day free trial. Check it out for 30 days.

See if it serve you. See if you like, if, if it, if it’s something that fit and aligns to towards you and your goals as a Christian man, and then go from there. But you have nothing to lose. You have 30 days to try. So guys, I pray you come back next week, we have some more great conversations lined up for you, some more great content to hopefully help you keep growing, to be that leader God intends you to be.

So get after it again. Share this stuff out with others that makes all the difference in the world. And guys, thank you. Just wanna say thank you again for taking the time to be with us, to make us part of your day. And don’t take that for granted and I pray it keep serving you well. So have a great weekend, get after it and unleash the lion within.

Guys out hear all the time how we are isolated. We’re alone. We don’t feel like we have anybody we can talk to. And I’m here to tell you, we took action. The line within us, we started a community. And that thing is awesome. We have events happening all the time, and more importantly, we have guys connecting with each other every day.

And I’m talking about we’re building meaningful relationships, serving each. Accountability growth, and I know that’s what you’re looking for and it’s done. Guys, we’re all within the community itself. Every week we have lion lunches, we have bible studies, we have, uh, ask me anything events. We guys, this is, we have things, resources that we have built to serve you, to help you be the leader God intends you to be.

We’re offering right now a 30 day free. Jump in, check it out for a month, come to some events, see what it’s like. See if it serves you well. You have nothing to lose at this point. Check it out. I guarantee you guys, once you get in, you’re gonna find the resources that you need to help you keep growing.

Just that encouragement. Sometimes you just need that fellow brother coming alongside that’s just gonna be there and say, I got you, bro. And that’s what we. We have that and so much more. So go to the line within us, click on get a 30 day free trial and start today. And guys, I’ll see you inside the den.