Live Life Better - Exploring how faith, family, and business work together.

In this episode, I have the privilege of interviewing my friend Jackie Bledsoe.

He writes at his blog Growing Family Leaders.  I came across one of his blog posts a few months ago, and decided I had to ask him to share what it is exactly that a father needs to do to love his children.

The answer was surprising simple:  Love their mother.

Jackie went on to share not just what to do, but how to do it, through what he called "The 7 Rings of Marriage."  The 7 Rings of Marriage provide an outline of the seven stages that every marriage goes through.  It was incredibly helpful, especially as my wife and I prepare to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary in March!

Be sure to head over to Jackie's blog to learn more about being the best husband and father possible (I actually subscribed to his email list so that I would get updated every week).

I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it (I know you will)!

Question: What's one thing you can do to show love to your wife or husband?

Episode Resources

• Sign up to receive podcast updates in your inbox
• Jackie Bledsoe's blog, Twitter, and Facebook
• My producer's website

In this episode, I share the what we communicate by how we listen.

There are three types of listening:

1. Fake - Blatantly ignoring someone.
2. Passive - Driving in a car while listening to the radio; small talk in the doctor's office.
3. Active - Valentine's Day dinner with your spouse.

I quickly realized that how we listened showed how much or how little we valued them...

Passive listening = Low value

Active listening = High value

If there's one thing to learn, it's this:  Listen based on value, instead of volume.

Question: What's one thing you can start listening to today?

My friend isn't the only one who feels that way.

People write poems, sing songs, and spend their whole lives trying to make a difference.

In this episode, I share 5 ways to make a difference.

1. Realize Your Source of Significance
   1. Is it your job?
   2. Your spouse?
   3. Christ?
2. Start Where You Are
   1. Do what you can, where you can
   2. Do it now
3. Adjust Your Perspective
   1. Ever notice how good it feels to volunteer?  There's a shift that happens when we do that.
4. Be Honest About It
   1. Who gets the credit for making a difference?

 Question: How has someone made a difference in your life?

For the longest time, I've understood the death of Jesus on an intellectual level.  It never connected with me in my heart.  I could probably write a 15 page paper on the theological importance and implications of his death, but that's where it would stop.

Until I realized that there was something almost everyone can relate to:  the relationship between a parent and a child.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.  If I look at the death of Jesus (and who he died for) from the perspective of a parent, the answer to the question: "How much is your life worth?" is clear.

I save a little bit every month for my retirement.  I think most people do (or at least want to).  But I can't help to think of Matthew 6:19-20, when Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven."At the end of the episode, I leave the decision up to you.  But I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic after you listen.  Just leave your comment by going to www.philipdevine.com/17.Thank you for being a part of this podcast!

Resources:

• My producer, Justin Medley [website]
• Next Level [email sign-up]
• George Muller in "Delighted In God" [book]
• The Center For Biblical Spirituality [website]
• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life [book]
• Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year [PDF]

Now we can start our

In the midst of the busy Christmas season, we often hear “Jesus is the reason for the season.” But why is that?  It wasn’t just his birth that makes it significant.  It’s what his birth made possible that makes it so significant.  Think about it this way: Without his birth, he would’ve never died; without his death, he would’ve never been brought back to life; without his resurrection, we wouldn’t have eternal life.  I'll unpack this along with share what two words really will change how you view Christmas (hint: it's not Jesus Christ).

When I first got married, I thought it was enough to simply not get a divorce.  But almost 6 years later, I've come to the realization that faithfulness is the true definition of a successful marriage.  

In this episode, I not only share why you should have a successful marriage, but also 4 things you can do today to have a successful marriage.

1. Observe others with successful marriages (and surround yourself with them).
2. Listen to audio books together...start with these two.
   1. "The 5 Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman
   2. "I Promise" by Dr. Gary Smalley
3. Practice you learn.
4. Get counseling before it's too late...it's worth the investment.

[podcast]

While I was working out recently, I realized that there were three things I had to do to get a good workout.  And those three things were also essential to my productivity.

1. Come with a plan
2. Finish the task
3. Have the end in mind

Resources

• Check out my speaking page
• Mindmap Notes (PDF file)
• Justin Medley Music (website)
• The Top 5 Resources for Taking Your Life to the Next Level