Monday Morning Men
There’s more access to Bible teaching today than ever before.
But knowing the truth and living it out are two different things.
Monday Morning Men is a practical Bible study podcast designed to help men move beyond information and into application.
Each episode is simple:
A short teaching, followed by one important question:
How do I apply this on Monday?
Have questions, prayer requests, topics you'd like us to cover? Shoot us an email at info@mondaymorningmen.com
Monday Morning Men
Ep 016 | Duty or Delight? The Tension Every Christian Man Must Learn to Live In | Ft. Nathan Smith
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Every Christian man eventually runs into the same question:
Do I follow God because I have to... or because I want to?
In this episode, Josh and Thomas are joined by longtime pastor and friend Nathan Smith for the first-ever Monday Morning Men guest interview.
Nathan unpacks the tension between discipline and delight—why spiritual growth requires both, and why leaning too heavily toward either one can leave you burned out, discouraged, or spiritually stagnant.
Whether your walk with God feels like a grind or you've been waiting until you "feel close" to Him before pursuing Him, this conversation offers practical encouragement and biblical wisdom you can apply immediately.
In this episode:
- Why discipline alone eventually runs dry
- Why chasing feelings isn't enough
- The healthy tension every Christian should embrace
- How to avoid spiritual burnout
- Practical ways to deepen your quiet time
- The power of sharing what God is teaching you
- How accountability strengthens your walk with Christ
If this episode encouraged you, share it with another man who needs it.
Subscribe for weekly conversations helping men follow Jesus faithfully at home, at work, and everywhere in between.
#MondayMorningMen #ChristianMen #Faith #SpiritualGrowth #Discipline #DevotionalLife #BibleStudy #ChristianPodcast #BiblicalManhood #Jesus #Accountability #NathanSmith
There’s more access to Bible teaching today than ever before.
But knowing the truth and living it out are two different things.
Monday Morning Men is a practical Bible study podcast designed to help men move beyond information and into application.
Each episode is simple:
A short teaching, followed by one important question:
How do I apply this on Monday?
Introduction & First Guest Announcement
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Monday Morning Men podcast. My name is Josh Swart. I'm here with Thomas Dillinger. And for the first time ever, first guest. First guest on the Monday Morning Men podcast. Um, Thomas, why don't you give us an intro?
SPEAKER_02All right. So Nathan was my pastor for quite a few years. Um until I until you abandoned us. Yes. Which I knew he was my pastor too.
SPEAKER_01Well, see, consequently, that's right.
SPEAKER_02I I don't know how much you allowed your heart to be shepherded, but still he attempted to pastor Josh. Maybe for good reason. That's right. That's true. Uh no, I I've told you I said uh my kids I made a joke that Nathan abandoned us as a pastor. And it was obviously tongue in cheek. And all my kids at the dinner table, no joke, Josh went. Yeah. Yeah. It would seem like they were like, they would greet. They weren't even like joking. They were like, I know what it's awesome. But yes, first guests, we hope to
Why Faithfulness Matters More Than Platform
SPEAKER_02bring more as we as we kind of do this podcast. But one of the things that we've is important to us is that if we're walking true obedience, if we're trying to apply the scriptures throughout our daily week, that just because obviously Nathan is a great communicator, and if you ever get the opportunity to hear him preach, big fan, he does a really good job. But more than that, like it's the faithfulness that's behind the life. We want to see and we want to bring people on that are walking in obedience, that are practically following the scriptures. We love Jesus, and because we love him should flow obedience. Nathan is an exemplified this. It's not about he's written 20 books and he's spoken before thousands of people. That's not who we want to elevate. And it's great if that's what Nathan does with his life. Instead, we want to highlight he's been faithful to his wife. He's raising three children up in the, you know, and the godliness and love of Jesus. He was faithful to his church, he's faithful to serving his community. This is what we want to emulate. And so, if you guys, we've mentioned it before, if you don't have a partner or you don't have someone to either disciple or run alongside you or to be an example, it's not about their public lifestyle, but it's that personal lifestyle that we want to appreciate and highlight and emulate. So on that, man, Nathan. Wow, what an intro. Yes. I'm also gonna have a Venmo request for all the compliments I just gave him. Just to be personal, this is not this is not this was not a free, free session for him. But yeah, so on that, we want to hear what's on your heart. Give us some some scriptural things to challenge us through the week that we can apply. Yeah. So I'll turn it over to you.
SPEAKER_01Dude, so grateful. Guys, thanks. First of all, thanks for doing this podcast. Like it's helpful, it helps men. Uh, we need these kind of conversations. Uh, I don't
Duty vs. Delight in the Christian Life
SPEAKER_01know how much of what you just said uh I feel like I'm good at, uh, but I will say that.
SPEAKER_02We're having Kamsi on next week to clarify some of these.
SPEAKER_01Which is exciting, which is what a blessing. And she's stronger than I am. So amen. Um But yeah, so uh but I these are the the things I'm trying to lean into, right? Um I've heard someone talk about before about, you know, don't backslide, you know, if you're gonna stumble, stumble uphill. Um and so I'm stumbling up this hill, you know, trying my best. Um and it's a privilege. And so, man, just some of the thoughts that I had today for us and for the guys that'll be joining is this whole continuum, this tension between duty and delight as it relates to our engagement in spiritual disciplines, whether that's prayer, reading the word, whether that's church attendance, whether that's fasting. Um depending on where you are in your personality, right? Um, you can be more kind of duty driven, like we just got to get it done. No one's asking what you think about it, no one's asking what you feel about it. It's this is important, and we got to get it done. Okay. There's a value in that, right? Then there's the if you're on the other side of the continuum, which is a little more where I live, is kind of Disney World. You know what I'm saying? Where everything should, you should feel like doing it, you know, like you should want to, you should enjoy the presence of God. You should want. So I'm a recovering idealist, you know, so that's something you'll pick up if you haven't already, you know, that's something you'll pick up on. Um so I think too often in my conversations with men, we can be a little bit uh stuck on one side of the continuum or the other and just kind of dig in and say, but this is how it should be, right? Well, then life happens. And as a recovering idealist, right, what helps you recover is life takes tight takes place. Was it the great philosopher Mike Tyson that said everyone's got a plan until you get punched in the face? That's right. And I I just meant there's actually so much truth in that, right? You can have your regimen laid out and then somebody gets sick. They didn't ask your opinion on that, right? They didn't check your calendar. Um, or you can be like, it should be Disney World all the time, and you should just want to enjoy God's presence, but you do not, right? For whatever reason. We're not even trying to judge where that came from. So where you sit on that tension or in that continuum will define what happens next. And I just find too many people get derailed in that. So the the big thought I have for us today is um it's not a it's not a location, it's a tension. So I'm a musician, been a musician my whole life. Um, I get to kind of lean into that more in this season of my life right now. Um, but especially as a guitar player, what makes the music is the tension between what's called the nut of the guitar and the saddle. That space in between you tighten to a certain pitch, and that's what makes it sound right, right? The fact that it's being pulled on both ends is why it sounds good. And that tension has to be right. So I think too often we don't want the tension. We just want to pick. Look, quit whining, be a person that gets up and prays in the morning. No one's asking how you feel about it. Yeah, yeah. Or, you know, uh quit being such a grunt and let just trust the Lord, be led by the Holy Spirit, you know. Well, I'm here to tell you guys it's both and. Now, how do we get to that place? That's kind of maybe what we could kind of suss out together. But that's the big idea that I want to talk about because scripture says Matthew 16, Jesus says, uh, if anyone come after me, he must take up his cross, deny himself, and follow me. He's not really asking me what I think or feel about that, right? That's the challenge. But the Bible also says in the Psalms, hey, delight yourself in the Lord. He'll give you the desires of your heart. So which is it? And I'm just telling you, it's both and, right? And so how do we put that into our practice every day? How do we live that out? That's the Christian life journey. That's the challenge that is before us. Um, so share a quick story unless you want to comment on any of that or correct my feelings already. I'm so sorry. Oh, yeah, what's about to happen? Sorry, sorry that you invited me that's we knew it was a prerequisite of you.
SPEAKER_02A story was coming.
SPEAKER_01Well, dude, this I live for the stories, right? Um, so mid-1900s, kind of late 1960s by this point, uh, small island nation in the Pacific Ocean called Nauru. Uh, I've never been there. I would like to go. If you guys would like to send me on a reconnaissance mission, I can come. Amen. Uh so um at the time, late 1960s, um, their phosphate deposits on the island, which is super small, were found to be worth a whole lot. Long story short, they let mining companies come in and dig out the phosphates, which are super helpful for like agricultural products, right? Incredibly valuable, especially in this time in life. So in a short amount of time, and I'm I'm compressing the story for our time's sake, short amount of time, they find that because of their phosphate deposits, they now have become, at this point, either the first or second wealthiest nation on the planet per capita, GDP per capita, okay? Small population, tons of money in the mid-mid-1900s. Um, well, that sounds great to them, right? And so they just go on a spending spree and do all kinds of stuff and invest in projects all over the world and whatever else. All the while the phosphate deposits, which are finite, are being dug up, sold, dug up, sold, dug up, sold, and then they're gone, right? So why do I tell that story? They went from being the number one or number two most wealthy nation per capita in the world in the late 1960s, early 1970s, to now it's the least visited nation on the planet. They can't even sustain their own population. I don't say that to shame them. They're a proud people, probably a beautiful country. That's just the reality of what their leadership brought about. And why do I tell that story? Well, instead of recognizing the continuum of the duty and the delight, you still had to steward this thing. Yeah. Because the reason you're able to enjoy this wealth is because this was available to you and it stewarded it. And if you just kind of lock in on one or the other, you lose both, right? And so um I just think too often as men, we can just say, Well, that's not my personality. I'm not the guy that can just grind it out. I I need to feel like I'm drawn to something. Or uh I'm not the guy that feels anything. I just need to grind it out. And I'm just telling you, those tools are helpful in a season, but if you don't develop both and realize there's a tension between that you're supposed to be living in, because some days it's the duty that will carry you through when you don't feel like praying, when you don't feel like fasting, when you don't feel like gathering your kids together and blessing them or whatever, um, it will pull you through. And there's other days when you need to recognize okay, good for you. You're on the 400-day streak of reading your Bible. Could you repeat back to me anything you read that meant anything to you? Right. And I'm not saying that to like jab anybody, but if you cannot, that 400-day streak isn't doing as much as it could be doing for you, right? So um, so with that concept, how do we live that out? And I would love to hear your thoughts, kind of kind of pinging back on some of the ideas I just said, then I'll share some. But where do you find yourself on that continuum? And do you see the benefit, or do you find the struggle in, you know, I just lock and load and go with it, or I just wait till I feel like it? Have you ever felt guilty about that? How about that?
SPEAKER_02I think for me, I'm I'm a German at heart and we put our head down
Josh & Thomas Share Their Own Struggles
SPEAKER_02and we're grinders. Yeah. Like it's just the mentality. And if you've ever been to that country, that entire nation operates that way. I mean, there's a reason there, just like productivity is everything.
SPEAKER_01And it's incredible.
SPEAKER_02And it is incredible. There are, there are, but it, but it is a duty, and there's a sense of there's a lack of delight. So for me, it's not, I have those pockets, but it's probably less than I would prefer from just a grinders is the mentality.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I I feel like I'm definitely more duty. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And it may just be this season of life, like mid-30s, family, business, like tons of responsibility. I feel like I'm drowning most of the time. Right. And like it's probably 70, 80% duty, but then there's like that 20 to 30 percent where it's like it may be a week of delight, and you're like, man, this is amazing. My morning time is awesome. Yes. But I wouldn't get there if I didn't have the duty on a consistent basis. Yes. So that's where probably where I'm at.
SPEAKER_01Well, and I think that can help fuel the duty, right? Yeah. When it's like, ah, I actually feel like I've connected with the Lord. I feel better. I feel like I have a sense of God's presence in my life. Yeah. And I think that's how it should feed. And so again, I'm on the other side of the spectrum. Bro, I'm a stare out the window, you know, dream up an idea, you know, play my guitar for hours. That is home base for me, you know, um, which is why I'm 30 pounds overweight. You guys look amazing. Right. So you're you're so, but the I that's just where I come from. Right. That is amazing, but it won't sustain you. The duty will sustain you, but you can get in a rut. And then you can say, but God, I did all this stuff. And he's like, I never knew you.
Why You Need Both Discipline and Delight
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01So the problem is we ask the question, which is it? And I'm here to like destroy that. It's not a which is it. It's both and, you know. And so we got to continue to be tightening that tension. So I would just say to the guys that are watching this that feel like I try to read the Bible, I get nothing out of it. Well, first of all, I believe it's a spiritual discipline. So your spirit is being enriched whether you feel like you're getting something out of it or not. Yeah. But I would say it sure is more enjoyable and can sustain you longer if you actually feel like you're getting something out of it. So it's not wrong to ask the Lord, hey God, I am going to try to show up. I'm gonna do the best I can to show up. Would you reveal yourself to me? And if we just like that little small practical tool of just ask him, I think sometimes when we get into duty mode, um, we can just do it because we're supposed to. And there is value in that, right? The problem is if we don't invite the Lord into that, we will have done something and he wasn't even invited. Yeah. Um, and so if you'll ask him, then he may be able to show you. And the way you litmus test that is is there anything I can say today, from whether it's my time in the word or the time that I was praying for my family in the morning, or hey, I chose to fast. Um, is there anything that I can say I got away I I could take away from it that I could share with somebody else? If there's nothing there, then I would just say, man, maybe spend an extra few minutes, or just ask that question, Lord, would you give me at least one thing that I could offer to somebody else? Because if you didn't feel the delight in that discipline, you will when you get a chance to share it with someone else. And it brings value to that. Does that make sense at all? Yeah. Because I just think uh if we're not careful, we just kind of end up on one or the other. The flip side is unless I'm feeling it, I don't do it. Unless I I don't really feel close to the Lord right now, and so I'm not going to fast or pray or read the word or put much effort in because I don't feel it. Well, you're not always gonna feel it. And this is coming from a feeler, right? You're just not going to. I don't care who you are. And if you do, you're strange. You know what I'm saying? Like there's that's it's just not human, you know? You're not always going to feel it. Uh, and that's where the duty will sustain you until you do feel it again, right? So I just want to kind of blow up the one or the other, because for the longest time I've talked to, if we have two people, I've talked to both guys. Right. And one thinks the other's a loser. You know what I'm saying? Right? Because they're like, well, you just are in your feelings too much. Well, you don't have a soul. You know, and so then I mean, just and unfortunately, then we just entrench ourselves and we get nowhere. We don't unify. No, I I need people that are grinders to help me when I just don't feel it. That's helpful to me. Yeah. And you know what? For those that are grinders that are just getting after it, when they're just tired and exhausted, it's nice to have someone that's feeling something to be like, dude, the Lord is so good. It's worth it. And so that tension is important. You're gonna manage it for the rest of your life. And I say embrace it, don't judge it. Wherever you find yourself, you come from one end, awesome. You come from the other, great. You need both, and it's a skill you need to develop. So that's my big idea. You've got to develop that skill. Accept both, don't judge it, and allow yourself to be made by it.
SPEAKER_02Do you think one of the tests that you have an
Is Burnout a Sign of Spiritual Imbalance?
SPEAKER_02imbalance in one of those areas is burnout? Whether it's like I have not felt God, so I, you know, like you said, I'm not gonna do it today, or you know, I've been grinding and I'm I'm getting no fulfillment. Is burnout one of the unfortunate side effects to being imbalanced in that, you think?
SPEAKER_01I I I think it absolutely plays a role. And what does that manifest like? Uh, because you can be burned out and still doing it. Right? That you you just have to stay checked in, you know, and that's why I say if you can't to it's the simplest litmus test in the world. Do you have anything that you can give to somebody else as a result of your time? Now, I don't mean you have to deliver a sermon, that's not what I'm talking about. But is there a takeaway? Is there something that, like, man, I actually even it's just I just feel more alive. Well, to be able to offer that to somebody and say, man, sounds like it's really been a really difficult business season for you. Man, I just want to encourage you. I spent some time with the Lord this morning. I don't know that I got a whole lot out of what I read. I just feel more alive than I did. And man, I just want to encourage you, just get in God's word. That that is something tangible to offer, you know? When you can't, when you don't have anything, when there's nothing that you could offer to somebody else, I just wonder how I'm not questioning your spirituality or relationship with God. I'm just wondering how alive you are in it, you know. Um, and so, and then this is the value of getting around other people. You because you both are wired a certain way, you know. My wife is very much that way. She is disciplined, that's why she can run marathons, you know. She is disciplined. And I and I would just say, kind of as a side, that's kind of the middle ground. Uh I'll finish my thought and come back to that. Because she's so disciplined and can be very duty driven, when I'm not feeling
Moving from Duty to Discipline to Delight
SPEAKER_01it, she can help me stay in it. And because she's so disciplined and duty driven, when she's just doing things because you're supposed to do it, I can bring a bit of spark and life to it and remind us that it's more than just rote task. Life is good, God is good, you know. Let's enjoy him. I think if if there's that tension, it goes from duty to discipline to delight. I wish I could tell you this is a three-step process and you can just live there for the rest of your life. I just don't think you can. I think you will find yourself in those. But if it's simply just do it because you're supposed to, I would just say that's duty. Discipline is I see the value of it and I'm choosing it because I see the benefit, as opposed to I'm just supposed to. I see the value and benefit in it. So I'm going to set my alarm. So I'm going to get a reading plan or whatever's going to help me stay on track. That way it'll end in I feel the nearness of the Lord. I feel like I have tangible things I can offer my children, co-workers, my wife, because of that time in the Lord's presence. Um, I wish I could say you live there. You probably won't. You may come back to heaven and just grind it out and be choose that discipline. Or you may just have to show up and you don't feel like it. One is not wrong. I just think we're gonna exist in that tent in that tension and we just have to allow that to happen.
SPEAKER_02Well, I think I think even as a culture, I mean, we have this like mentality, this like Greco-Roman myth of romantic love, even when it comes to Jesus or our family, and it's just not reality. It's not reality. No, and understanding what that is. Okay, so for this week, for guys, like obviously, you sounds like one of the things that could be applied is just even surrounding yourself with guys that are of a different perspective, seek them out to keep each other accountable in that. Are you enjoying it? Are you full of joy? Yeah. I mean, there is a sense of like, is this even making you happy? That's a valid question.
SPEAKER_01I mean, we and we should ask that question. We should ask that question.
SPEAKER_02We should ask that question. Uh, so so you would say this week something that they the guys could do would be apply this, find someone that you know can keep you accountable on the on the personal level. Let's say you don't have it, or you maybe you're doing that and they're trying, but what are some things like as a duty guy? One tip that you would say, work on this this week, here's how you can do it. And if you're a you know, delight person, how do you stay disciplined? Which is one thing that they could apply for the next six days as they work this out.
SPEAKER_01If you find yourself that you're more a duty person, first of all, I'm so proud of you. Like I mean that. That's not facetious. Like God designed you that way. There is tremendous value in that. So my first encouragement is don't despise it. Don't despise it. Because we can look at the other side and say, man, they're doing cartwheels with Jesus and I don't feel any of that. You know, like so don't despise the way you're wired. God did it on purpose, right? Don't despise it. But then recognize, okay, what is something I have tangible I can offer somebody else? If you can't answer that question, then I'm proud of you for being consistent, but you're not having anything you can offer. So then ask the Lord. God, but by the time I finish this, and again, we're I'm talking a lot about kind of quiet time devotion, but it goes to all the spiritual disciplines. You know, there was a season where I fasted every Monday for two years. That's when I'm going to fast. There were times I felt like I had great breakthrough. There were times I was just hungry and angry. Okay. Yeah. That was just the truth. Yeah. But I did it, right? And that really pressed on that whole delight portion because sometimes it was not delightful, you know? But I will say there is a place in fasting that is delightful because there's a nearness that you do not get any other way. I'm sorry, you just don't. But if you're duty driven, what is one tangible thing I can offer somebody else? Not a sermon, not, but it really could be a verse from the time you read that day. When you go on a treasure hunt with Jesus that's for your benefit, but it's for someone else as well, that stirs up some delight. Yeah. It really does. Yeah, I agree. So that will help you, you know. It's kind of like my tip with read my tip with reading a book or reading the Bible. Have a pen in your hand because it means I'm expecting to find something, right? Yeah. If you go out in the woods with a shovel, you're gonna dig a hole. I'm just telling you, you know, right, because you have it, you know. So if you have a pen, there's something in here I need to underline
Practical Steps for Both Personality Types
SPEAKER_01that'll give you something you can offer. Um, that'd be my first thought on that.
SPEAKER_02And then as a as a delightful person, you know, maybe some self-discipline issues there. Were you speaking to me specifically? Yeah, I was honestly wanting to see some improvement real quick from you. But uh, like, is it is it find someone to keep you accountable or set just like a goal that you're looking for even that week? Like, hey, I'm gonna maybe I struggle reading my Bible every single day. I'm gonna set it as an appointment calendar in my outlook or whatever it is, and I'm gonna set that. Is that just a a normal easy way for some guys to do this?
SPEAKER_01It's a great next step. Again, it starts with don't despise yourself. Don't despise yourself. Yourself. And I've struggled with that at different times. Because it almost feels like almost like kind of the guy profile is to be a little more grind and get it done. That's just not the way I'm wired. It's just not, you know. So then, first of all, don't despise yourself. Because if you despise yourself, you'll try to shut that thing off and it's a gift that God gave you, right? Amen. That's good. But then don't despise the other. Okay. So it starts with not despising yourself. Don't despise the other. Because if you despise the other, why would I ever want to develop discipline in my life? Right. Because those people are, well, that's that's judgment on your part, right? So don't do that. Uh and don't despise setting a rhythm, getting a reading, getting a prayer list, and just saying, I'm going to pray through these things. And then, hey, if you miss the appointment, just do it before the day's over. Don't be like, I'm I'm I'm an idiot. I can't keep a schedule. Okay, well, it's still today. Okay. You miss the 6:30 a.m. prayer time. Well, you can still pray today, you know? Yeah. And there's accomplishment in knowing that you've done it, uh, and don't despise it. As simple as that is, if we can turn the dis the despisal, if that's a word, of ourselves or of other people in their skill set, it'll open you up to realize, ah, there's a beautiful tension here that creates some really pretty music when we allow for it. So that's that's what I would say.
SPEAKER_00You have thoughts? No, I love the structure of that. Because I do I I feel like I find myself in seasons where I'm like, I don't feel it.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00I'm discouraged. Yes. And it's just like duty just getting it done, right? But even as a guy in the like the duty discipline category, I need structure to that to be able to sustain that the prayer lists. The the great tip with had just having a pen in my hand, right? That goes basic. That basic, yeah. So like even being able to take that discipline to the next level is super encouraging.
SPEAKER_02I would I would argue too that that that it's while you may not be a delight guy, that it is evidence of a healthy, duty, discipline lifestyle, and it's also gonna be a good kind of just gauge of where your relationship is with Christ. We're gonna all go through seasons where it's dry. Yes. But uh my mom always says this just said, and since these are grown men listening to this, she's always says, you know, sex is not the basis of a marriage, but it is the fruit of a healthy marriage. Yes. There's an intimacy there. And
Applying This at Home & With Others
SPEAKER_02not that there aren't seasons where my wife and I are just like we're in a grind season, it's a rough season, but there should be pockets of intimacy with Christ that should be there. So that's a that's that's a good tension. So I think for this week, if you're listening to this, first have some self-awareness of engage your heart to see where you are. Maybe self-diagnose who you are. Maybe you don't know, or maybe you are aware and you're like, I am that delight guy. And I, you know, I do appreciate the intimate aspect, which is beautiful, but maybe you struggle with some self-discipline. Yeah, find that, get some accountability, and the vice versa, if you're more like me and you're a grinder, like you said, find some pockets where you can actually give something else to someone, to someone else. Hopefully, you found a either a person to disciple, someone's discipling you. We've talked about this in the past. One of the great ways, even in family worship and family discipleship, this will help you to kind of elevate your game, even with your connect, you know, your connection with God, because it's going to force you to give some of that. Yes. There are practical tools out there for you guys to process. But any other thoughts before we wrap it up?
SPEAKER_00I think it'd be great to do to find somebody who is like the opposite. Get on the same reading plan. Wow with notes. I like and then you convene, you know, once a week or every few days. Yeah. And it's like, hey, what did you get out of the last few days? One, one, holding each other accountable, but two, the difference in perspectives that each people would be able to offer. I think that'd be a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_02Basically, Josh and Overlaid have breakfast with you every single day. That's actually what I came to ask for.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I came to ask for that. I'll just say this, Thomas, good because we're talking about family discipleship. Um, your your spouse and your kids are going to be like you in some ways and very different than you in other ways. That's true. So you embracing this tension as not good, bad, as you're doing it the right way, you're doing it the wrong way, but recognizing, ah, because you may have a child that is completely opposite than you, yeah. You're not going to be able to meet them where they are if you've pre-decided you're just weird. Right. Or you're not trying hard enough. Yeah. Right. We just have to be we have to be sober about that. Um, so it's just finding that, ah, no, you're different. There's a beauty in that. Let's harness the beauty. Let's just add the other. Oh, you're you're a grinder. That there's so much beauty in this. Let's add the other. And if you don't feel like you have all that to offer, that's so awesome. The Holy Spirit does. So let's just invite him in. Um, and I do think, man, just have something to share with somebody. And I have found this last thing I'll say, I have found this to be true. When you are in a dry season or you feel like you're just in rote discipline, there's so much value in that. But when you could say, when I end this time, I'm gonna text three people and just share whatever it is that you can that you can. It was a verse, it was something God told me. It's an encouraging word. I thought about this, it reminded me of this person. I read this thing in the Bible, it reminded me of Thomas. I'm just gonna send it to him. Yeah, I'm not gonna give the preface, hey, I was fasting. Hey, man, I just I see this in you and I really value that. Yeah, just having that to do, all of a sudden will turn that delight on a little bit more in your time with the Lord. It's like it it produces something that helps people. So that would be my encouragement.
SPEAKER_02That sounds like a great way to end it. You want to wrap us up, close us out?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's good. Nathan, thank you for coming
Final Challenge: Don't Walk Alone
SPEAKER_00on. Yes, thank you for having me. Guys, I hope you were encouraged by what you heard today. Uh, we those are great practical tips. I mean, if you're on the feeling side, just getting some sort of a reading plan, some disciplines there. And then if you're on the disciplines plan, finding that one thing that you can take away to be able to encourage somebody else with. Those are all just fantastic ways that we can help elevate our devotion time uh relationship with the Lord. Share this with somebody. Uh please do this in community. Don't do this alone. It's gonna be so much more beneficial to you if you're finding somebody else to walk this out with. Um with that, we'll see you guys next week.