Every Dot Matters

This is the Truth Network of every man his life as it usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gates in life with a masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns. So how do we keep from losing heart while trying to find a way life feels more like a losing something worth dying for, grab your gear, a quest band of brothers will serve as the guys recall masculine journey masculine journey starts here now. I'm excited about a topic I don't say that every week, but I am excited about a topic is something that I know that somewhere in this half hour. Even though we talked about this topic. I will learn something.

Yeah Bob week we get out we get a bonus every week as we learn something sitting here as were talking about it so that's a bonus for us what we prepared. We talk about over and talk about the new guy Gary Texas where he takes it down and you invariably will learn something. Yet we constantly are come up with something new in here and there.

Actually on-air than we did in the room before he came in for sure and we forgot about it to say before I guess that's a trade-off to today's topic Dennis July kinda shirt little bit about what today's topic is you know we talked about going to boot camps a lot. I remember when the first boot camps I went to and they start talking about my place in the larger story and my first question was, what are you talking about because I really didn't get that at all. And as I was telling Sam recently were talking about that week we speak about Your Pl. in God's larger story with that that seems to leave. Still a lot of questions and I would sit here today with question sometimes about what does that really mean in our day-to-day lives does it mean that we live our lives differently because we understand were the larger story does it mean that I does it mean that we would do things differently on our walk in life does it mean there were more than just a little blip on the radar screen in fairly insignificant in that larger story says a lot of questions. I think that we's we seek and we go to God to and I just thought it would be good to talk about that today for a little while when I first went to my first boot camp is really kinda open to the larger story.

Quite honestly, I knew some of the stories that they share the other were there his life before us.

There's life after us. But I really appreciated when John wrote in wild at heart that you know life comes at us like we come to Lily 45 minutes late. When something important going on but you don't really know all the players and all the things that's happening. That's what most of life seems like most the time is just trying to catch hold of what's going on in life you know and what the larger story does. It gives us perspective. You know that there was a battle raging on before we ever got here right and it's only days we live our lives like there's not even a battle out there all the Scriptures full of warning us about the battle in appellate is a quite a bit in Ephesians. Lots of the places it's all about spiritual warfare, and a lot of that that larger stories living with a larger perspective.

Yes, one of the clips I wanted to share to get us started. I guess everybody in the world has probably seen Forrest Gump by now at least once this scene is when a Lieut. Dan was confronting Gump when they got to the hospital when they when they were coming out of the Vietnam War and forested saved Lieut. Dan but Lieut. Dan was not happy about that at all because he felt like forested messed with his destiny, so it talks a lot about how someone may see their life in a smaller way you listen to me. We all have a destiny just happens.

It's all part of my dying out there with my men. But now nothing but simple break. You know what it's like not to be able to use your life. Yes to what I sent you seated me.

I had a destiny I was supposed to die in the field with Connor destiny you understand what I'm saying Gump. This wasn't supposed to happen, not to me. I had was Lieut. Dan Taylor, you still give me now doing now nothing thinking about the larger story at the moment if you were sitting in a room with Lieut. the what would your immediate thoughts be you because he's acting like his life completely overwrite it because he lost both of his legs at the knees. I think in he pretty much figured life was over. He had a I don't know if you remember now, but there was a little part in their earlier I think were he had a family history of guys get killed in the war that served in these different wars that they showed so he's like he's like my life is over and now I have to keep living it when I should've just died out there on the battlefield. He thought that they Gump had basically messed up everything as forces. Destiny was concern which I think happens to us a lot.

Sometimes I think of her sitting there with with Lieut. Dan. I know my thoughts would be. We are life's not over the so much more.

You can go do it. Maybe there's some good. You can use this come from this and I think that even though I'm not the biggest fan of force, however, that I do like that scene and I do like the fact that the one that is complaining to his is a guy in the movie the couldn't use his legs. Yes, you know, when he was younger. If you haven't seen Gump sorry but you go watch it known he has to learn how to walk.

He's got his own type of a handicap that is dealing with known he has to learn to overcome it. And so the one guy that is kinda complainant to is Artie walking issues.

Jim so to speak, and I think the other thing that happens around and we may see this when you start to get another glance as he had some he had some rough spots.

After that, but ultimately he ended up having a pretty good life you got married, came to Gump's wedding when he married – and not forget the girl the Jennings to Jenny how could you forget Ginny, but his life turned out a lot different because there was, he might've had a destiny was different than what he was saying there was a bigger there was a larger story and that's very hard for us to see because we are all mired in what we see in the mirror every day. What were going through so inherently talking about death right the Bible talks about death in different way. But it's death to self.

That's very hard.

We can't do it. We can't died ourselves totally weird. Just human. We we do something or somebody else we think about the larger story I put you guys before me.

You put me before you within.

Oh yeah, I do guy go to a selfish act and I like about myself again where my out what was me and we constantly are in that battle that's that battle behind the scenes that we don't see it just keeps happening and we have to have each other as a band of brothers to help us see that any telling you guys of done that for me so much and it's so wonderful and I can't help but I'm currently reading Luke and passions going through John right now only so were in the gospel heavy and I just laugh all the time because Peter just cracks me up because he never gets anything other than the one question you say I am and he says you are the Christ. Other than that he gets everything wrong all the time and they argue about who's the greatest and we may live with Jesus and they don't know they don't get it feel it's okay for us not to get it. I remember years ago when I went to Christian counselor and he assigned me he said I want you to do something I want you to go home and read everything you can find about Peter and the Bible. What I came back and I said so what you trying to say is I'm as stupid as he is, because it yeah that's all you got out of all of it and he was walking along their but he wasn't seeing the larger story and yet Jesus is its rock.

Have there is hope will want to get to this other clip before we go to break his it's a different perspective. You got Lieut. Dan's which I had my destiny cast before I was even really born you know if I come in this world as a boy and I like my dad did. I might die like my grandpa did in war you know and so from his little time he's littlest that's been his belief. It seems like his whole life.

I will note this was set up this other clip and we can go ahead and play it clear the cookie that was a movie that I haven't seen yet. I have to confess is about a guy named David Gale the scene that I like, though he was at philosophy professors what it looks like he was talking to the students about life in general and what really what he got to was that you know we have these fantasies and these goals and these things that we may be looking for. Not even a guy or girl and but when it comes down to it we never get that really satisfied because once that goes away. Then it's that it's nothing so we have time to go through all that, I think we do little bit over the other. Ultimately come back so it is registered to Ms. before breaks will have you set that up briefly and after break but this holds perspective of larger story. When you think about it for minute what would Lieut. Dan's life been like if Forrest wasn't there because forces a difference maker in the movie the Dan's life.

He never judged and he is loving through all his weird behavior through all of his brokenness in on so you look at things okay will forces of leased and Dan's case was in the larger story uses leavening through it you know and and for us. You know we talked about the larger story it's getting away will have to deal with small story items we have to deal with bills that have to be paid in the gotta be paid.

We have a bill to pay rent. We will pay the light bill. Things like that we get the food on the table.

All those types of things and those are real issues. We can also fill our life with just the smallness of those if you want no matter how much I struggle at times in the past.

Somehow I always had food yeah when you talk about force in the way that that was looked at. Two if you think about it in the movie all the things he did, but all Forrest ever was doing was putting 1 foot in front of the other and doing the next thing. In most cases, if not all, it was the next right thing in those things would become big and I think sometimes we hear larger story.

We think why I have to have this grand place in the scheme of things and you and I were talking about it before the show.

What were talking about is a group how sometimes it's just that one guy that the Lord wants you to work with and deal with, and that's a part of the larger story, but we don't see it or we miss it because we think it's supposed to be some grand thing that we are doing. When God is using us to do the next thing a lot of times what may be the next right thing and that's our part in the larger stories to do that thing in the may just be with that one person and they just be with that one thing may make all the difference in the world anonymously for generations to come. Speaking of things and make a difference who register for the camp and I know we talked about that a lot, but I can promise you got something special. Therefore, it is a masculine journey radio.org to register now November 7-10 Robert Gilmore here and you know I developed a real soft for my pillow.

You been waiting for the lowest price ever offered on my pillow. It's arrived with their patented interlock fill system American-made guaranteed not to go flat. And believe me I've had mine for over five years now and it hasn't fully machine washable six day moneyback guarantee and a simple four question filling process right now get a two pack of my pillow premiums for only $69.99. That's right, only 3499 per pillow which is the lowest price ever offered on radio or TV now 1-800-942-9613. Use the promo code get truth@mypillow.com you to have a soft spot for my pillow. It only $34.99 a pillow 6998 for to call 800-942-9613 or go to my pillow.com and don't forget use that promo code get truth is, assuming that my son Eli talked about ways you can help support Lily smiled@amazon.com is information that go to Facebook.com where you can click the donate button waking into masculine radio.org once again the mouse PO Box 550 927285 what God does journey radio closed off each person who spoke kind of chipped away at this feeling I was having to wait this mask. I was hiding behind atoms movie from when he's driving up in the mountains, probably because he's driving up in the Blue Ridge Mountains which is my home, but the lyrics there really got me because George Harrison was saying, tell me what is my life without your love. Tell me, who am I without you and I think at that time in his life. He really wasn't talking about a woman he was talking about a God not not convinced that George knew the true God.

Necessarily, he had become very spiritual, but what he was talking about is what is my life without your love without you around so it's kind of this journey that were on in this larger story and I thought that's why those leaders pretty relevant to our topic before we went to break Dennis you were mentioning in on. We talked a little bit about in Lieut. Dan's life for us only big picture item was to love Lieut. and make a difference in his life.

Generations from then on, or affected is to point in the movie goes on has a family, all that kind of stuff.

Yeah right you know, and so we can never downplay it. Another way of looking at larger story versus smaller story, a member is a new parent getting so frustrated when my kids would act up in a restaurant in on. I think it's the end of the world who know you know it was judging me and in my reactions to my kids were noise what they should have been right.

If I would've lived with the larger story perspective and that her had that at that point would realize it's more important.

Yes, I may have to say something, may have to discipline with them, but the more important thing of making sure they know how much I love them their whole life. How proud I am of them.

That's the larger story that's the bigger thing right you know you want them to. When they leave you.

You know they go off on their own have the confidence of the parents love them deeply believed in him, knowing I don't think they had at that time in the restaurant of this 20 times in the restaurant really would've made that big a difference, but I could do a lot of damage during this time.

Yeah and seen your relationship with your two sons. In particular, I think they got that message. Last, get a workout everyday and have larger story perspective of what's going to split the second clip you'd set up a little bit wintry this gal is shortening he's he's teaching a philosophy class. What is really getting at and listen to this and see if you get that.

I think what he's trying to get out is it's maybe it's more about the journey than the ultimate destination. What is it that you fantasize about world peace thought so you fantasize about for a Nobel Peace Prize on MTV music awards is about meeting some genius hunk, ostensibly bad but secretly simmering with noble passion you did like Tom's point fantasies have to be unrealistic because the moment the second that you get what you seek.

You don't you can't want it anymore. In order to continue to exist desire must have its objects perpetually absent. It's not the that you want. It's the fantasy of so desire supports crazy fantasies. I this is what Pascal means when he says that we are only truly happy daydreaming about future-or why we say the sweeter kill or careful what you wish for. Not because you'll get it because you're doomed not wanted once you do so, the lesson of the con is living by your once will never make you happy. What it means to be fully human is to strive to live by ideas and ideals and not to measure your life by what you've attained in terms of your desires, but those small moments of integrity, compassion, rationality, even self-sacrifice, because in the end the only way that we can measure the significance of our own lives is by valuing the lives of other what is it not have philosophy 101 and I can tell you that I believe with Steve Martin once said, you know one philosophy classes not to mess you up for the rest your life if you pay attention to all of it, but what he was getting at.

There was kind of interesting.

I thought because he was even talking about how we often see things in a worldly way in our lives we had these fantasies are these dreams and I had a younger about a heaven, having a woman that was a beautiful woman are having this job or having this car and all these things in it. What I was hearing their is what we often get in place and in the world. If we become too much of the world where that becomes our drive and it never really satisfies us and I think it never really satisfies us oftentimes because it's not a larger story.

It's what's in the here and now and what we can have in the here and now in his Harold was talking about while ago were not backing up and seeing that bigger picture of loving your sons or me loving my daughter when our marriage split up and letting her know that she was a love child even though she was a product of the broken marriage. There's different things. It seemed very small to us only one week when we look at them up close and then we come back Harold and we see a much different picture was talking about what I thought was a beautiful illustration of that from the movie urged Bueller's day off their end of art gallery and stand back away from this picture hanging on the wall you see this beautiful landscape and they keep moving closer and closer to the point where you say that it's not a painting with strokes, but of dots, individual dots and their separated and I think that when the devil gets us to look at the picture it will when were too close to we see how small and insignificant.

We are, but if we back off and we say that we are a part of a larger story and a necessary part because you start removing the dots no longer have a picture and so the larger story is something that we are part of and we need to choose the act accordingly.

To me that's the beauty of the larger story, but another thing that happens with me.

Actually, Cato has a great book titled it's not about me.

I got reminded of that constantly, but my sweetheart when I would start getting aggravated. Traffic suits say it's not about you.

Which is true, it's about what we can do that God needs for us today because he has a plan for all of us know touch on the fact that having passions are God-given right, it's just what are those passions are we chasing worldly passions are we chasing godly passions as God does put things in her heart that are very important. He he lays a foundation of something in us that we want to go do because I know it's the right thing to go do and it's uniquely different. Each one of us in an Internet illustration that painting in each one of those dots you could say, well, what happens if you pull this one that out will part of the pictures gone down never be replaced as none of them are identical. I have an example something happened to me a couple months ago that just blew me away.

You know, I've yeah I had passions for music for broadcasting for doing different things we talked about that. I think some last week, but I want all these things and I was getting these things when I was younger, the cars in the suits and everything that went with it, but was terribly unhappy most of the time when he came down to it, as you know I'm on the radio a place in Christian music every day at a golf guy call me a couple months ago. In the afternoon. He said Dennis you don't know me but I listen to you every day sit at his came out of Brenner Children's Hospital. I got a teen up there this going through some issues with cancer were not sure how it's going to be and I just wanted to call you because I listen to you every day and I'm just so encourage your so positive and I've heard your story about you having the stroke and surviving the stroke and what God did for you and he said I just need it. I just needed some positive, encouraging information coming to me this afternoon so I turned on the radio knives listening to you was that blew me away and I don't say that is an egotistical think I was almost on the floor crying because I thought that's it. It's just reaching that one guy that says I need to hear something positive today and you do that and that's why listen to you in all that stuff that happened before with me that just got me to be able to do this and it just it just floored me and I get this off the first time that's happened and it blows me away when you see that part of any think God you to have me here for a reason. I just didn't get it for so long because it's such a knucklehead at times, but it was it was so positive and that's what I love about that clip that you displayed in Jesus Christ as the antithesis of the philosophy behind that clip velocity says oh it's about the chase and all this other stuff. Once you get it. You don't want it right is exactly the opposite were all chasing after him and everything else is gonna come up short until you get Christ. Once you have Christ all you do is one more more and more and you can't get enough and us that are in Christ understand that. And boy do we just want that for everybody else and assist in all people wonder why as Christians are out there talking and saying and doing the things that we do to try to bring people to crisis because we know how wonderful we have it in Christ. And it's not just the chase. It is the destination getting Jesus Christ is what it's all about, because then your whole life. After that is going to be a different journey that is doing to be a completely different story. So it hasn't been ever one belonging.

You've got that you've stayed completely satisfied with you and say wow I've really arrived my life complete.

Now that I got this house. I got this car. I got this CD or whatever it was, you know it it doesn't it doesn't last.

It's not fruitful and there's nothing wrong with wanting things assist the perspective it's living with the kingdom perspective in II think I know all you guys really well. I think without a doubt each of you would rather have somebody stand up and the time that you know you to give your eulogy and talk about how you made a huge impact in their life more than you want anything else said, you know that maybe I'm wrong but I think that God puts us in those situations. If we can just help one person or how honoring is that God allows us to do it. You know Dennis I know for you party your story coming from the mission and how cool would that be free of God in had somebody in mind that he partnered you with the it allowed you to be a part of making the difference. Yeah, just being able to go back there when you really look at it humbling that was in and non-something that at 2030 years ago. If you said you end up at the Winston-Salem rescue Mission.

I was civilly nuts man unless I'm talking to somebody or something, but there for a reason and it might've been the help they got a set and we just barely scratch the surface on this topic like we do lots of links and so they revisited next week. We may not. Whatever God lays on her heart for what I do want to learn your heart is two things one asked God to show you how often the enemy tries to flee out of the picture into the smaller story and fight the fight. This week and try to see God what you have four minutes on the big picture. What is the use of person you want to work with you. Call me to love differently this week and go do that because that's going to make the difference is what is life talk to talk with you next week excited to find out what the topic is when you do masking duty radio.org to register for the