{"id":300165,"date":"2018-03-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/slow-cooker-marriage\/"},"modified":"2024-10-07T22:41:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T02:41:21","slug":"slow-cooker-marriage","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/slow-cooker-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow Cooker Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bryan Loritts asserts that God&#8217;s &#8220;kitchen&#8221; for building marriages is not equipped with a microwave. God delights in putting us in &#8220;slow cooker&#8221; situations where we learn patience with our spouse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2018-03-06.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:31:14","filesize":"28.6M","filesize_raw":"29993147","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[10361,2822,2860],"tags":[4267,2877,4268,4269],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[8819],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-300165","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-busyness-and-stress","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-hardship-and-suffering","tag-being-patient-with-your-spouse","tag-marriage","tag-patience","tag-spiritual-maturity","cwp_profile-bryan-loritts","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/300165\/slow-cooker-marriage","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/300165\/slow-cooker-marriage","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"z5RhnC1zu6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/slow-cooker-marriage\/\">Slow Cooker Marriage<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/slow-cooker-marriage\/embed\/#?secret=z5RhnC1zu6\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Slow Cooker Marriage&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"z5RhnC1zu6\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Bryan Loritts asserts that God's \"kitchen\" for building marriages is not equipped with a microwave. God delights in putting us in \"slow cooker\" situations where we learn patience with our spouse.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2018-03-06.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, how are things going for you today in life \/ in your marriage? Bryan Loritts says, \u201cWe may not be able to fix all of our circumstances, but we can fix how we respond to them.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bryan:<\/strong> There are times when I\u2019m just in funky seasons in my marriage \/ in my life, and I\u2019ve got to let what I <em>know<\/em> about God to trump how I <em>feel<\/em>\u2014when I\u2019ve got to command my emotions to line up behind the <em>truth<\/em> of who God is. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, March 6<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. Could your attitude use a little adjusting today? Bryan Loritts says, \u201cRemember who God is.\u201d We\u2019ll hear more from him in just a minute. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Tuesday edition. We\u2019re going to hear a message today from\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> No; no\u2014we\u2019re going to hear some preaching today. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Good point! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I walked into the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> cruise, where we have our evening meetings. We have two sessions that are exactly the same one. I was walking in as a group was leaving. They said: \u201cMan! Bryan Loritts brought it! He brought it, brother!\u201d I sat in there, and I go, \u201cHe is, indeed, bringing it.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So, our listeners are going to have it brought to you as well today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I tweeted after the cruise\u2014actually, I just followed up to a tweet I saw\u2014Bryan had a very nice tweet with a picture of you and him, where he just talked about your influence in his life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That was very nice. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019ve been spending time with him every month for the last 15 years; right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s correct. By phone, we have a mentoring relationship. I\u2019m privileged to have put a brick or two on the wall in the building that Crawford and Karen Loritts built. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, I said, \u201cThis is one of the best young pastors in America today\u2014bar none.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Forget young\u2014just best! [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> He was a part of the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise, which just completed a few weeks ago. We wanted you to hear his message today; but we also wanted you to know that, if you\u2019ve thought about being on one of these cruises, you need to get in touch with us quickly. We\u2019re more than 70-percent booked for next year. We wanted to make sure that <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners had an opportunity to join us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, I talked to a guy on the cruise this year, Dennis, and he said\u2014he said: \u201cMy wife and I had been having this conversation. She said, \u2018You know, we ought to do something more special for Valentine\u2019s Day than what we normally do.\u2019\u201d He said, \u201cWe go out for a meal; but she said, \u2018We\u2019re not making a big enough deal out of Valentine\u2019s Day.\u2019\u201d He said, \u201cThe next day, I hear you on the radio talking about the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise. I called, and I said, \u2018I think I\u2019ve got it.\u2019\u201d So, they were on the cruise this year. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt really is a great, weeklong getaway\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014great locations \/ nice setting\u2014but it\u2019s really all about having a week where you can relax and be poured into from God\u2019s Word. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I talked to a couple, who had gotten married about a year ago\u2014were on the cruise kind of celebrating their 14-month anniversary, coming out of being newly married. We also saw two couples stand up in front of the entire audience, who between them, had one hundred years of marriage\u2014two golden couples. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It was fantastic. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, the message we\u2019re going to hear today from Bryan Loritts comes from the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise that ended a few weeks ago. Again, if you\u2019d like to join us on the cruise in 2019, you can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, and the information is available there; or call us at 1-800-FL-TODAY, but do it quickly so that you can get a state room reserved and be with us next year. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis message is from the Book of James. It\u2019s all about how we need to practice patience\/long suffering in our marriage relationships. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Recorded Message] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bryan:<\/strong> James writes: \u201cBe patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being\u201d\u2014here\u2019s that word again\u2014\u201cpatient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also,\u201d\u2014verse 8\u2014\u201cbe patient.\u201d Think he is trying to make a point here. \u201cEstablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love this\u2014make a note of this phrase: \u201cDo not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained\u201d\u2014synonym for patience\u2014\u2018steadfast.\u2019\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00 <\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYou have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose\u201d\u2014the purpose\u2014\u201cof the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the most frustrating things that could ever happen to an oyster is to have lodged within the confines of its shell a little, tiny piece of sand. Ninety-nine point nine times out of one hundred, this oyster is readily able of locating this little grand of sand and expelling it from off its premises and going about the day\u2019s affairs; but now, there are those rare occasions, where try as this oyster may, it just can\u2019t get rid of this grain of sand. It does everything it knows it can do to remove it from its shells; but there are just, again, those rare occasions where it just can\u2019t seem to do it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s at this point where this oyster finds itself irritated. It just can\u2019t get out of this \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tsituation \/ it just can\u2019t get out of this circumstance; but it\u2019s at this moment where a beautiful thing happens. You all know where I\u2019m going with this. It\u2019s as if the oyster shrugs its shoulders\u2014as if oysters have shoulders\u2014you know what I\u2019m saying\u2014and figures to itself, \u201cIf I can\u2019t get rid of this situation and circumstance, I can maximize or make the most out of it.\u201d It finds this grain of sand and begins to coat it over, and over, and over again with a liquid substance that, ladies, when it hardens, you pay top dollar for\u2014it\u2019s a pearl. You do know, at the end of the day, all a pearl is\u2014is the fruit of a very <em>frustrated<\/em> oyster. [Laughter] If there was no irritation \/ if there was no frustration, there would be no pearls of great price.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod has sent me here this morning to encourage every marriage in the context of a very dark world and give hope. He wants your marriage to be that great trophy of His grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, \u201cWe are God\u2019s workmanship\u201d\u2014Greek word there, \u201c<em>poiema<\/em>,\u201d from which we get the English word, \u201cpoem,\u201d there. Psalm 139 talks about the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and He has created you <em>on<\/em> purpose and <em>for<\/em> a purpose. Your marriage is under His providence. He has either decreed or allowed\u2014you are together under His sovereignty\u2014and He has an all-points bulletin, both, on your life and on your marriage to be a pearl of great price. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe truth of the matter is\u2014here is our problem. Now, this is the un-American portion of this little exhortation this morning. Our problem is\u2014while we love the destination pearls, we just don\u2019t like the journey or the process. That\u2019s my problem! I want to get to where I\u2019m going quick, fast, [and] in a hurry; but if you could peruse God\u2019s kitchen, you would discover there are no microwaves\u2014only crockpots. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod looks at your marriage; and He says: \u201cI have got great plans for you; but in order to get you to a place of fall-off-the-bone blessing, I\u2019ve got to stick you in My crockpot and slow cook you and put you in situations where you can\u2019t change your spouse; put you in situations where your PhD or MBA can\u2019t get you out of; put you in situations where the amount of zeros in your bank account can\u2019t fix. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cI\u2019m going to allow your marriage to go through seasons, where you\u2019re going to have to lift up your eyes into the hills from which cometh your help, knowing that your help <em>only<\/em> comes from the Lord.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Audience:<\/strong> Amen! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bryan:<\/strong> \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to learn to trust Me and be patient.\u201d He\u2019s not suggesting \/ He\u2019s not recommending\u2014it\u2019s as if He is grabbing us by the collar \/ grabbing our marriages and saying, \u2018Be patient.\u2019\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, in Greek, it\u2019s the Greek word, \u201c<em>makrothumas<\/em>.\u201d That phrase, \u201cBe patient,\u201d in English is one word in the Greek\u2014it\u2019s <em>makrothumas<\/em>. <em>Makrothumas<\/em> is a compound word: <em>Makro <\/em>means long; and <em>Thumas<\/em>, from which we get the English word, \u201cthermometer\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014this instrument we use to measure heat or temperature\u2014means anger. Literally\u2014I love this\u2014be patient means to be in a situation where you are <em>long<\/em> towards anger. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou don\u2019t learn patience when your spouse is being compliant. You don\u2019t learn patience when your kids are being compliant. You don\u2019t learn patience when the job and career are going well. You don\u2019t learn patience when the health report is wonderful. You don\u2019t learn patience when the money is flowing in. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou only learn patience when one morning, you feel a lump on your breast. You only learn patience when there is too much month left at the end of the money. You only learn patience when you are in one of those unusual seasons of a high-frequency of marital realignment sessions\u2014okay; arguments. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou only learn patience when you figured\u2014when you said, \u201cI do,\u201d\u2014you could have kids on your own timetable; and here it is\u2014years or decades later\u2014and you\u2019re dealing with a barren womb and a broken heart. It is against this backdrop that James says, \u201c<em>Makrothumas<\/em>\u201d\u2014\u201cBe patient.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cOkay, Bryan; I understand what you\u2019re saying. You kind of overstated your case here, but I need something practical. What exactly does patience look like?\u201d In verse 7, James says\u2014to us as individuals \/ in our marriages\u2014whatever your context may be\u2014\u201cIf you want to know a great picture of patience,\u201d\u2014he says\u2014\u201clook to the farmer. He says in the middle of verse 7, \u201cSee how the farmer\u201d\u2014here it is\u2014\u201cwaits\u201d\u2014waits\/waits\u2014\u201cfor the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and the late rains.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNo farmer goes to his barren field before harvest season\u2014looks at his barren field, then, up to God and says, \u201cGod, in the name of Jesus, I command corn;\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014 [Laughter]\u2014\u201cwaiting on You, God; waiting.\u201d That\u2019s not how that works. Instead\u2014you understand how this works\u2014this farmer goes to his field. He plows, and plows, and plows, and cultivates, and cultivates, and cultivates, and sows, and sows, and sows\u2014back-breaking work, sun up to sun down, day in to day out, week in to week out\u2014but he does all that, knowing that unless God sends the rain, his labor is in vain. The farmer understands that patience is <em>never<\/em> passive resignation; but it is <em>always<\/em> active participation. It is me doing my part, waiting on God to do His part, understanding that unless God sends the rain, I labor in vain. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt is <em>active<\/em> participation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe biblical example of this is Paul. Did you realize much of Paul\u2019s ministry takes place in a crockpot?\u2014it\u2019s called jail. Paul writes a series of letters from jail\u2014a situation he can\u2019t change \/ a situation he can\u2019t get out of\u2014but whenever Paul goes to jail, if you\u2019ll notice, the first thing he does is he asks for a pen and some papyrus, and he writes churches. In each of these letters, we see him doing something else\u2014he prays. In each of these letters, he tells them, \u201cI want you to know I\u2019m praying for you.\u201d He writes, and he prays; and he writes, and he prays; and he writes, and he prays. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, to the Philippians we see him do something else. He says, \u201cThanks for praying for me; but I want you to know, since I\u2019ve been in jail, the gospel has gone on forth throughout the whole Praetorian Guard. In other words, Paul realizes: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cHere I am, chained to these guardsmen. They aren\u2019t going anywhere \/ I\u2019m not going anywhere\u2014so we\u2019re stuck together. I might as well tell you about Christ.\u201d Paul refuses to throw a pity party\u2014he says: \u201cI\u2019m here. I\u2019m going to make the most of the crockpot.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tKorie and I are going to be celebrating 19 years of marriage coming July. [Applause] There have been\u2014like any other marriage\u2014there have been great seasons and not-so-great seasons. We\u2019re learning that one of the best things we bring to our marriage and family\u2014one of the best parenting techniques \/ the best husband-ing techniques \/ the best wife-ing techniques\u2014we could ever have is just to wife\/husband\/parent from our needs. It\u2019s to realize: \u201cGod, we are <em>not<\/em> in control. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWe do all we can\u2014we go to the conferences \/ we read the books\u2014we do everything we can; but God, unless You\u201d\u2014[we are] like the farmers\u2014\u201csend the rain, we can\u2019t get to where You have us. We are dependent upon You.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn the midst of a crockpot, James just kind of slides this in here\u2014he says, \u201cOh, by the way\u201d\u2014verse 9\u2014\u201cas you\u2019re waiting, do not grumble.\u201d Wow. Here\u2019s James\u2014he\u2019s writing to the Jewish diaspora\u2014it is ethnic Jews, who have since come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I promise you\u2014when they see the word, \u201cgrumble,\u201d their mind takes them back to the days of their ancestors, who leave Egypt, headed to the promised land\u2014what was supposed to be a six-week journey turns into a forty-year debacle. Why?\u2014grumble, grumble, grumble, murmur, murmur, murmur. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod says: \u201cYou know what? If you want to grumble, murmur, and complain, I\u2019m going to add 39 years and 46 weeks to your journey.\u201d But what delays them?\u2014their attitude. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI wonder how many marriages God is saying to this morning: \u201cYou should have been on the next chapter \/ you should have been in the next season; but instead of you trusting Me, you murmured, grumbled, and complained.\u201d God gets ticked at our grumbling. Why? The same reason we get ticked when our kids grumble at us; because when we grumble, we fundamentally say, \u201cGod, we know better than You.\u201d Grumbling, murmuring, complaining unleashes an <em>assault<\/em> on the sovereignty of God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tJames says, \u201cDon\u2019t grumble.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, what do I do when I find myself in my marriage \/ in my own personal life\u2014when I\u2019m in the crockpot and I\u2019m in this season\u2014I\u2019m waiting on God, and it\u2019s something that I can\u2019t control? Maybe, I\u2019m waiting on Him to do something in my spouse\u2019s life \/ I\u2019m waiting on Him to do something, maybe, when it comes to kids or the ability to have kids. Whatever it may be, what do I do? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tVerse 10\u2014James says, as we close, \u201cAs an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.\u201d If you are struggling with patience, James says: \u201cSit with the prophets\u201d\u2014prophets like Ezekiel\u2014I love this. God showed up to Ezekiel and says, \u201cEzekiel, My people just don\u2019t understand how much I love them \/ how much I don\u2019t change,\u201d\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014it\u2019s what theologians call the immutability of God\u2014\u201chow I\u2019m patient with My people. So, here\u2019s what I want you to do, Ezekiel. I want to use you as My divine show-and-tell. I want you to lay on your left side, stripped down naked, leave your loin cloth on\u2014390 days\u2014don\u2019t move, because I don\u2019t move with my people. I\u2019m patient.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBy the way, do you realize you\u2019re here today because of the patience of God? God, of course, then, comes to number 23 of patience\u2014his name is Job. Talk about a guy who knows what sitting in the crockpot looks like. Here\u2019s a guy who loses all of his money, all of his businesses, loses his kids, goes to a funeral with ten caskets\u2014each casket holding one of his kids\u2014has a wife chirruping in his ear, saying, \u201cJust curse God and die.\u201d Then, he would say, later on, \u201cI know my Redeemer lives.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know what\u2019s interesting? Job teaches us that, when going through life\u2019s difficulties, always let what you <em>know<\/em> trump how you <em>feel<\/em>. There are times when I\u2019m just in funky seasons in my marriage \/ in my life, and I\u2019ve got to let what I <em>know<\/em> about God to trump how I <em>feel<\/em>\u2014when I\u2019ve got a command my emotions to line up behind the <em>truth<\/em> of who God is. Job says, \u201cI know my Redeemer lives\u201d\u2014patience. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFinally, he says, \u201cAnd you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI grew up down South. My mom was into something called cross-stitching. Anybody here cross-stitch?\u2014anybody here? Cross-stitching\u2014for the longest time, I thought it was the most ridiculous, annoying hobby in the world. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe reason why I thought that is because I used to always watch my momma cross-stitch as she would sit on the sofa. I would watch her cross-stitch while sitting at her feet, which means I saw things from the bottom up. If you watch it from the bottom up, all you see is dangling threads\u2014no rhythm, no rhyme, [and] no reason. It just looks like a whole bunch of chaos\u2014and forgive the Southern idiom\u2014but it just felt like Momma\u2019s cheese was going to slide off her cracker. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe would do this for <em>hours<\/em>. I remember, one day, going: \u201cMomma; momma, I don\u2019t understand. Why are you doing this? It doesn\u2019t make any sense. There doesn\u2019t seem to be any order\u2014no rhythm, no rhyme, [and] no reason.\u201d All of a sudden, Mom just smiled and patted on the sofa, next to her, and said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you sit down next to me?\u201d When I did, I now saw things from the top down. When I looked at it from the top down, I saw order, and rhythm, and reason. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe problem with life is the problem of <em>perspective<\/em>. Life in the crockpot\u2014it seems as if, we\u2019re looking at things from the bottom up, as if God\u2019s cheese has slid off His cracker; but God is saying to each and every person in here \/ each and every marriage in here\u2014\u201cIf you could sit down next to Me and see things from My vantage point, you would see that all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose. [Applause] You would see that He who began the good work in you will be faithful to complete it\u2014that what you are going through is not happenstance. I am up to something in your life \/ I am up to something in your marriage. All I\u2019m asking you is that in the meantime \/ in between time, you would be patient\u2014<em>makrothumas<\/em>. Trust Me. I\u2019m up to something.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great word from Bryan Loritts, the pastor at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, California, in the Bay area. He joined us recently onboard the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise. We all needed to hear his message that day. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I think a marriage needs outside stimulation to stay out of its ruts. There is a sign on the Alaskan Highway that says: \u201cChoose your rut carefully. You\u2019ll be in it for the next 200 miles.\u201d [Laughter] I think a lot of marriages get in a rut. The way you get out and stay out is\u2014you invest. You don\u2019t invest a nickel and hope to get a dollar out of your marriage. No; you have to invest liberally in your marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> cruise\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014with speakers like Bryan Loritts, and Alex Kendrick, and next year, Voddie Baucham\/Ron Deal\u2014I mean, we\u2019ve got some great speakers coming back. These are all folks that you can trust to come out of the Scriptures and will, indeed, stimulate you to love and good deeds in your marriage and in your family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, again, we wanted to make sure that all of you listening had an opportunity to join us on next year\u2019s <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise\u2014it\u2019s Valentine\u2019s week 2019. We\u2019ll be going to Honduras, to Belize, to Key West; and as we mentioned, about 70 percent of our cabins are already booked. So, if you\u2019re interested, now is the time to get in touch with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, our team has got a special offer they are making available until March 19<sup>th<\/sup>. If you want the lowest rates available, call, right now, 1-800-FL-TODAY and say, \u201cI\u2019d like more information about the cruise\u201d; or you can go online at FamilyLifeToday.com, and there is information available there. To get registered and to secure your cabin for the cruise next year, call 1-800-358-6329\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, what is it you would say you treasure most in life? Tomorrow, Paul David Tripp will be with us, and we\u2019re going to hear about how what we treasure most determines the quality of our marriage relationship. Hope you can tune in for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch. He got some help from our friend, Mark Ramey. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> of Little Rock, Arkansas; \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tA Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2018 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/300165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300165"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=300165"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=300165"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=300165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}