“As Usual”
This Week’s Quick Hits:
3 Quotes:
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Tony Robbins
“You get what you settle for.” – Thelma and Louise
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T. S. Eliot
1 Question:
February is our shortest month. Who officially set the number of days for the month? (Answer below)
“Loving Your Spouse Even When You Do Not Feel Like It”
Listen:
February brings Valentine's Day, which most of us do a pretty good job of celebrating. What about warming up the other days this month in the smaller, everyday interactions with your spouse? Join Lindsay and me to talk about bringing warmth, gentleness, and sweetness into your marriage every single day.
Watch:
What about adding something really special to your Valentine’s Day this year? The Awesome Marriage “Online Marriage Retreat” features great speakers like Debra Fileta, J. Parker, Laura Taggert, Jim Burns, Toni Nieuwhof, Scott & Vanessa Martindale, myself and so many more covering topics that will take your marriage to a whole new level. You can watch the sessions on demand in the comfort of your home, then talk over the follow up questions together to help you get the most out of each session.
Because you are a Dispatch Subscriber, you can get 10% off with the code AWESOMEMARRIAGE10. Here is the link to sign up!
App Store:
I’ve gone to the app store to find a new entertainment app or one that will help me grow as a person, only to end up clicking out of the store, overwhelmed by all the apps. It can be confusing. Plus, I don’t want to spend time or money on something I may not like. That’s why I am adding this new area to the Dispatch. It won’t be here every week but when I find an app that I really like I will pass that on to you. Here is App Number One!
Tim Mackie and Jon Collins have created an app I cannot get enough of. The combination of Tim’s biblical knowledge and Jon’s passion for visual storytelling makes this app amazing. The Bible is read as a unified story helping us see the larger story every time we read it. You will love the graphics, illustrations, and animation. I rate this 5 out of 5 stars!
Insights:
“As Usual”
We all have our own habits. Some of my daily habits like a morning quiet time, working out, brushing my teeth, and praying with Nancy make every day and my overall life better. Other daily habits are not as helpful.
Eating the same thing for lunch every day is convenient and takes the thought process out of the picture, but I soon get burned out on whatever I am eating and find myself back at square one. Then there are the habits that are downright destructive to us and our marriages, which include pornography, flirting with anyone other than our spouse, drinking too much, and endlessly binging Netflix.
In the book of Daniel, we meet Daniel, a teenager that has been displaced with his people from their homeland. They are now living in Babylon in captivity under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. The King issues an order saying that Daniel’s people are not allowed to worship their God. The penalty for breaking this law was being thrown into a den of angry, hungry, lions. Ouch!
What was Daniel’s response? We find it in the eighth chapter of the book. “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
Praying to God is easy for me. No one tells me that I can or cannot. It is not illegal. From praying, I grow closer to God and gain a clearer picture of the plan He has for my life. It is also a way to honor and worship God. I think Daniel looked at prayer in much the same way that I do and also received the benefits of prayer.
The difference between me praying and Daniel praying was that den of lions! The lions were a reality for Daniel, but his longing to please and serve God trumped their threat. He prayed the day the law prohibiting prayer was signed and kept praying everyday after. It was his “as usual.”
All of the above got me thinking. What if there was a lion’s den in my life? What if someone told me that I would die if I continued praying to God? Would my daily habit of praying continue? Would people say, “when Kim was faced with death, he prayed as usual” or “he caved in the face of danger”? What about you?
Next Steps:
What are your “good” daily habits?
What daily habits need to change because they are not good for you?
Is there anything that would keep your relationship with God from being as usual?
What do you need to do to overcome that “thing?”
Answer to 1 Question:
1. Julius Caesar