{"id":302405,"date":"2011-11-17T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-17T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/being-a-homebuilder-part-1\/"},"modified":"2011-11-17T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-11-17T17:00:00","slug":"being-a-homebuilder-part-1","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/being-a-homebuilder-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a HomeBuilder, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marriages and families today are in crisis.<\/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\/fl2011-11-17.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.83M","filesize_raw":"27082930","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2821],"tags":[5009,4828,4126],"podcast_series":[7840],"cwp_profile":[3048],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302405","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reaching-out","tag-family-ministry","tag-helping-others","tag-ministry","podcast_series-becoming-a-homebuilder","cwp_profile-dennis-rainey","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\/302405\/being-a-homebuilder-part-1","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302405\/being-a-homebuilder-part-1","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=\"iNbfpsImhc\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/being-a-homebuilder-part-1\/\">Being a HomeBuilder, Part 1<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/being-a-homebuilder-part-1\/embed\/#?secret=iNbfpsImhc\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Being a HomeBuilder, Part 1&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"iNbfpsImhc\" 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":"Marriages and families today are in crisis.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2011-11-17.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Have you looked at the moral decline that we\u2019re experiencing in our country with concern?\u00a0 Dennis Rainey believes we ought to.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Ladies and gentleman, we are headed in the direction of Europe, where Christianity has lost its saltiness, where it has no flavor.\u00a0 The question is, \u201cIs it eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die,\u201d and say, \u201cWell, you know what?\u00a0 We did all we could do\u201d; or are we going to stand up, take the Scriptures, and say, \u201cOver my dead body.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to do something about what is happening to this generation\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, November 17th.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife\u00ae, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Is there really something we can do that can have an impact on our culture?\u00a0 Dennis Rainey says there is.\u00a0 Stay tuned.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 Thanks for joining us on the Thursday edition.\u00a0 Well, I feel like today\u2019s program ought to come with some kind of warning label attached to it.\u00a0 Today\u2019s program could\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Has a little fire and passion.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2014could challenge you a little bit.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t interested in having your world rocked at all, you should probably see what\u2019s on the other station right about now.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, it\u2019s just a little bit of a challenge, Bob, because I believe today we are facing an urgent crisis around marriages and families.\u00a0 I just want to tell our listeners this is not a small potatoes deal; this is a gargantuan problem that we must address.\u00a0 It\u2019s not somebody else\u2019s problem.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got to figure out what we\u2019re going to do about this.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, I\u2019m coming to our listeners today to say, \u201cWhat\u2019s your part?\u00a0 Do you have a part in this?\u00a0 Is God calling you to be a part of this?\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you to listen for somebody else.\u00a0 Not all the listeners are going to have a specific part in all this, but I think there may be an assignment\u2014maybe for just every listener who is tuning in today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tell our listeners about the context for where you presented the message that they are going to hear today.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I was asked to speak at a local church here in Little Rock, my home church, where we helped start this back in 1977, a year after we started FamilyLife.\u00a0 It is a church of over 7,500 people.\u00a0 It started dozens of other churches around the country\u2014 Fellowship Bible Church.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey have come up with a group called SageWorks.\u00a0 What they are doing\u2014the leadership of the church is really coming up with a curriculum and a challenge for those who are 50 years and older to evaluate where they can plug in to what God is doing in this community and around the world.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 So, you\u2019re the sage they brought in this particular\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I was brought in to salt them down and to lay before them an opportunity to make a difference in the marriages and families in our neighborhoods, our community, our state, and, for that matter, around the world and to use their influence to be able to make a difference.\u00a0 I think it is going to take everybody\u2014all hands on deck\u2014everybody grabbing a tool and making a difference.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 But you don\u2019t have to be 50 or above to hear today\u2019s message; do you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You do not.\u00a0 I\u2019d welcome anybody who has got a heartbeat.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Alright.\u00a0 Well, here is Part One of a message from Dennis Rainey, where we are going to hear about how we can become HomeBuilders.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> [recorded message]\u00a0 Ephesians, Chapter 2, verse 10 is one of my favorite verses.\u00a0 It says, \u201cWe are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I\u2019m going to warn you about this message.\u00a0 I am fairly rabid about the subject we are talking about here because, ladies and gentleman, I believe our nation and a generation are at risk.\u00a0 We\u2019re not playing games here.\u00a0 The Devil of Hell is not playing Tiddlywinks\u00ae with our children and our grandchildren.\u00a0 He is out to destroy and divide them because he knows if he can kill the godly seed in its infancy, he can create a domino effect that goes on for generation after generation.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut there is the promise that righteousness will be delivered to a thousand generations; but I believe today\u2014the problem is so large that you and I are looking at in our culture\u2014that it transcends any parachurch organization, any media organization\u2014it is so big\u2014the only solution to the problem lies in the seats that you\u2019re sitting in.\u00a0 <em>You<\/em> have to be the solution to the problem.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf there has every been a time when followers of Christ needed to step up and engage in the battle of good versus evil, it is today.\u00a0 Seven-point-five million are now shacking up, a 13 percent increase in one year from last year.\u00a0 If that is not bad enough, we\u2019re told that 40 percent of all births are now to unwed mothers.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDo you know what the greatest predictor of incarceration is?\u2014a boy growing up in a fatherless home.\u00a0 Right now, as you and I sit here, four out of ten live births in Little Rock and in all 50 states are being born in homes where there is no father.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe question is, \u201cIs it eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die?\u201d\u00a0 We cash in our 401K\u2019s and say, \u201cWell, you know what?\u00a0 We did all we could do\u201d; or are we going to step up, take the Scriptures, and say, \u201cOver my dead body.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to do something about what is happening to this generation\u201d?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIsaiah, Chapter 59, beginning in verse nine all the way to verse 15:\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>Therefore, justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold darkness; and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em><em>We grope for the wall like the blind, we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em><em>We all growl like bears <\/em>[groaning at the weight of evil]....\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>We hope for justice, and there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em><em>For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing and denying the Lord, turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, it says: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>Justice is turned back, righteousness stands a far off for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em><em>Truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDo you get the picture of what is happening here?\u00a0 It says righteousness stands at a distance, just kind of shakes its head, and goes, \u201cWhatever.\u201d\u00a0 Meanwhile, it says truth has stumbled and has fallen flat on its face in the street.\u00a0 I believe truth has stumbled in the streets, and I believe today we are in the process as a Christian community of making ourselves a prey.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEdmund Burke said, \u201cAll that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.\u201d\u00a0 I believe the challenge today is for you and me, as we encounter evil and good in the marketplace, is to embrace that which is good and push back against that which is evil\u2014in a polite, respectful, with the love of Christ constraining us\u2014and to conquer the evil before it preys upon us and our children.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhy don\u2019t we engage?\u00a0 Why don\u2019t we step up more often and into the battle?\u00a0 Well, I can\u2019t answer for you; but I can answer for me.\u00a0 I can just tell you a little dialogue that goes around in my brain.\u00a0 Number one, the easiest thing to do is what?\u2014nothing.\u00a0 The easiest thing to do is nothing.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis has been a few years ago, as you might imagine; but my daughter, Laura, was about 13 years old at the time.\u00a0 I decided to take her out on a little shopping date.\u00a0 I took by boys hunting, and I took my girls on shopping dates.\u00a0 It was the equivalent of hunting for them.\u00a0 We went by one of\u2014what was one of our favorite stores, Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, right down here in the Park Plaza mall.\u00a0 Okay?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>We\u2019re walking in there.\u00a0 We walk in, and she finds a baby blue sweater that has Abercrombie &amp; Fitch across the front.\u00a0 She goes and tries it on.\u00a0 As she is trying it on, I lean against the counter, and I look back up to my left.\u00a0 There is a poster that is bigger than life-size of a completely naked teenage boy\u2014shot from behind, standing up in water right here to his legs, leaning up against a boat dock.\u00a0 I thought, \u201cI thought this was a clothing store.\u201d\u00a0 He had none on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, I asked to speak with the manager.\u00a0 The manager came over, and I didn\u2019t pull out my Bible.\u00a0 I just played the best card I could play with him, which was, \u201cI want you to know I\u2019m a really good customer.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got six kids.\u00a0 We spend a lot of money in here, and I like your stuff.\u00a0 You have great stuff, but I just want you to know\u2014I really do.\u00a0 This right here\u2014this offends me.\u201d\u00a0 To which the guy said, \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI said, \u201cBecause it is indecent.\u201d\u00a0 He looked back at me\u2014he was probably in his late 20\u2019s or early 30\u2019s.\u00a0 He said, \u201cI beg to differ with you, sir.\u00a0 There is nothing indecent about that.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I don\u2019t know what struck me, but it was just too good of a set\u2014to a spike at that point.\u00a0 I smiled\u2014I did\u2014I smiled, and I said, \u201cWell, if that is not indecent, then, I would like you to get into the same pose that this young man is.\u201d\u00a0 He looked like a deer in the headlights at that point.\u00a0 He thought for a moment, and he goes, \u201cUh-uh.\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cWell, it\u2019s a good thing you said, \u2018Uh-uh,\u2019 because if you\u2019d dropped your pants and got in that pose, I would had you arrested for indecent exposure.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI said, \u201cYou know, I understand you\u2019re not the cause of this, but I\u2019d like you\u2019d to take my name.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to ask that someone from your corporate office please get in touch with me.\u201d\u00a0 He looked back at me\u2014and I\u2019ll never forget this\u2014he said, \u201cSir, I can take your name, but I just want you to know our corporate office doesn\u2019t really care what you think.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI said, \u201cWell, you know what?\u00a0 I understand that.\u00a0 That is fair, but I want you to know that I\u2019ve got a lot of friends.\u00a0 Wherever I have the opportunity to talk about Abercrombie &amp; Fitch and your lack of morality and where you are taking our young people, I\u2019m going to tell the story.\u00a0 I figure I\u2019ve told somewhere around 9 to 10 million people now about that.\u00a0 (Laughter)\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I don\u2019t say it for your applause for what I did; okay?\u00a0 I say it to all of us, \u201cEasiest thing to do in those situations is to walk by it and do nothing.\u201d\u00a0 It does us no good if we play our Christian card, which they don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 They are not going to understand that, but they do understand when you start talking about your dollars and where you are going to spend them and about decency.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things I think we have to do as we move forward is we have to speak up.\u00a0 Listen to what Martin Luther King said, \u201cOur lives begin to end the day we are silent about the things that matter.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDoes America really have as many millions of people going to church every Sunday?\u00a0 Does it matter that these things are being promoted?\u00a0 I think it does.\u00a0 I just think the Christian community needs to be galvanized with a little backbone, where its wishbone currently is; and encourage them to step up and step into it\u2014graciously and with the love of Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe second reason I don\u2019t engage in the battle is\u2014I believe a lie\u2014and I\u2019ve heard this one on more than one occasion, \u201cGod could never use me.\u00a0 I\u2019m broken.\u00a0 I\u2019m a sinner.\u00a0 I\u2019ve failed.\u00a0 Who am I to say this?\u00a0 Who am I to speak into this situation?\u201d\u00a0 I will never forget here at Fellowship a number of years ago with Dan Jarrell leading Men\u2019s Fraternity.\u00a0 We talked about how God calls men through five steps.\u00a0 The last step, of which, is called patriarch.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI didn\u2019t feel competent to speak about that step; so, I invited Dr. Carl Wenger to come in and speak about being a patriarch.\u00a0 As Dr. Wenger was standing there, I said, \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cDr. Wenger, you\u2019ve been married over 60 years.\u00a0 Here you\u2019ve made an impact in the community.\u00a0 You\u2019ve built Ozark Conference Centers.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been a spiritual light.\u00a0 What, to you, is the most profound truth of what it means to be a spiritual patriarch in the community?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI will never forget what he said.\u00a0 He said, \u201cOh, that is easy, Dennis.\u00a0 It is that God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines.\u201d\u00a0 There is tremendous hope, for me, in that.\u00a0 What are we in the Christian community, but a bunch of crooked sticks, who in the power of the Holy Spirit, obedient to God\u2019s Word, can be used to draw straight lines.\u00a0 \u201cI could never make a difference.\u00a0 God could never use me.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe were in Dallas\/Ft. Worth.\u00a0 We were doing the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> \u00ae there.\u00a0 At the conference on Saturday afternoon, I spoke for five minutes.\u00a0 I said to that audience of 16 hundred people, \u201cI know that many of you are like me.\u00a0 You are a daddy.\u00a0 You are a grandfather\u2014some of you just getting started\u2014but you look at what\u2019s happening to the marriages in your family, in your neighborhood, in your community, in your church; and you are mad as a hornet.\u00a0 You are tired of taking it anymore.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYou\u2019d like to push back against evil, and you\u2019d like to do something to make a difference.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to ask you to give me 25 minutes of your time and come and find out how you can make a difference where you live.\u201d\u00a0 How many do you think came?\u2014990.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLadies and gentlemen, research has been done.\u00a0 The Accuser of the brethren is whispering in our ears, \u201cWe can\u2019t make a difference.\u201d\u00a0 He is telling you and me that:\u00a0 \u201cWe are no good; we are broken.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cGod could never use you.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cThe cause is too small.\u00a0 It\u2019s not worth the effort.\u00a0 Who am I to push back against this giant, evil empire?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m going to tell you something.\u00a0 I just sat in a room this past week with a Manhattan advertising agency that has just finished marketing research of Christians across the country.\u00a0 Do you know what they found?\u00a0 Fifty-four percent of all those who profess to be Christians and follow Christ are yearning for someone to send them.\u00a0 They are yearning for a cause and a commission to be sent\u2014to make a difference in their generation.\u00a0 Why aren\u2019t they doing it?\u00a0 I think they are like me.\u00a0 They are listening to the wrong voice.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 [end of recorded message]\u00a0 Well, we\u2019ve been listening to Part One of a message from Dennis Rainey calling men and women to become HomeBuilders.\u00a0 That\u2019s actually a term we\u2019re using around here to refer to people who get involved\u2014in fact, you\u2019ve kind of compared this to what Habitat for Humanity is doing in building physical houses.\u00a0 You want to see people grab some tools and build marriages and families.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Habitat called out to the lay community and said, \u201cWould you like to make a difference in those who need affordable housing?\u201d\u00a0 They stepped up, brought their hammers and their saws, and got some materials together.\u00a0 These people threw together some pretty nice looking homes.\u00a0 It is quite a system.\u00a0 All across the country, they are doing this for physical houses.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat I want to do is I want to see, not a volunteer force for FamilyLife, but a volunteer force of people all around the globe that number a million.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to see, in the next ten years, one million HomeBuilders who\u2019d say, \u201cGive me some tools, give me the resources, and give me the commission, the mandate, to make a difference where I live.\u201d\u00a0 Bob, it is happening.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs you know, the <em>Art of Marriage<\/em>\u00ae--now, there is more than 4,000 couples who have pulled and tugged on the kit that we\u2019ve put together to host a six-hour video conference in neighborhoods, churches, communities, businesses, and cities.\u00a0 I mean, there is some cool stuff happening here.\u00a0 There\u2019s\u2014conferences have come about from two couples all the way to 1,200 people.\u00a0 I mean, this is an opportunity to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ and wrap it around the family.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a Trojan horse.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can find a way into your neighbors\u2019 homes and lives around the issues of marriage and family because why do we get married?\u00a0 We don\u2019t get married to be miserable.\u00a0 We get married to have a meaningful life together, and raise a family, and to go the distance.\u00a0 You know what?\u00a0 People need help today to make that happen.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe Bible has the solutions; and FamilyLife has put together an array of tools\u2014of which, the <em>Art of Marriage<\/em> is just one, where you can make a difference in your neighborhood, your community, your church, your business, and your state.\u00a0 Just tell us how big a territory you want, and you have got it.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You\u2019re really okay if people want to use somebody else\u2019s tool\u2014if they want to use something from <em>Focus on the Family<\/em> or something from Paul David Tripp or\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Emerson Eggerichs got a great video resource on <em>Love and Respect<\/em>.\u00a0 Absolutely!\u00a0 The problem is not going to be solved by a single tool or a single organization; so, we have to work together.\u00a0 We have to find a way to work together to address this.\u00a0 The issue, though, Bob\u2014it is time for the masses in America\u2014those who go to church, who profess to follow Christ\u2014to do what happened in Nehemiah, Chapter 2, \u201cTo arise and build.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt is time for us to engage the Enemy because he is winning the battle in marriage after marriage down your street and across the nation.\u00a0 He is winning the battle in marriages and families, and we need to push back against evil.\u00a0 We need to take the Gospel and the truth of the Bible and equip people to make their marriage go the distance.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I hope some of our listeners, as they\u2019ve listened to your message today, have thought, \u201cI\u2019m ready.\u00a0 I hear what you are saying.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been talking about what we could do.\u00a0 We\u2019re looking for ways to step up.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGo to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, and look at some of the HomeBuilders tools we\u2019ve put in place over the last several months.\u00a0 These are tools that are designed for you to grab a hold of and start to put to use\u2014things like our <em>HomeBuilders<\/em> <em>Couples Series\u00ae<\/em>, a small group Bible studies; the <em>Art of Marriage,<\/em> that is an event that you can host in your community and your church.\u00a0 You can be the host couple.\u00a0 All you have to do is talk to the pastor and say, \u201cWe\u2019d like to do this,\u201d and get him to sign off on it.\u00a0 Then, pick a weekend and spread the word.\u00a0 Invite folks to join you for an <em>Art of Marriage<\/em> weekend.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, the <em>Art of Marriage<\/em> is now available in a Spanish version.\u00a0 It\u2019s completely subtitled on the screen.\u00a0 The workbooks are in Spanish as well.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got a lot of tools available.\u00a0 Go to FamilyLifeToday.com, look them over, and ask yourself the question, \u201cHow could we get involved in helping to strengthen marriages and families?\u201d\u00a0 Then, don\u2019t wait for somebody to come along and nudge you; consider this your nudge.\u00a0 Grab a tool and get in the game.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 We hope you\u2019ll stop by and look over what\u2019s available.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, of course, next week is Thanksgiving; and one of the things we are thankful for around here is listeners like you who get in touch with us from time to time and help support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> with a donation.\u00a0 We are listener-supported.\u00a0 Without your support, we could not continue the work of this daily radio program, our website, all of the resources that we make available.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, more than 65 percent of the money that we need to operate the ministry every year comes in from listeners like you who make donations to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 We appreciate your support.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis week, if you are able to help with a donation of any amount, we\u2019d like to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a copy of Barbara Rainey\u2019s devotional book called <em>Growing Together in Gratitude<\/em>.\u00a0 It is a book designed to be read aloud to the family\u2014short stories that focus on the need for thankfulness and cultivating a heart of gratitude.\u00a0 Along with the book, we will send you a Thanksgiving prayer card.\u00a0 Again, this our way of saying, \u201cThanks,\u201d for your support for the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAll you have to do, if you\u2019d like to receive a copy of the book, is go online at FamilyLifeToday.com; click on the button that says, \u201cI CARE\u201d.\u00a0 Then, make a donation.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be sure to send out a copy of Barbara\u2019s book to you, or call 1-800-FLTODAY\u2014 make a donation over the phone.\u00a0 When you do, just ask for a copy of the devotional book on gratitude.\u00a0 We\u2019re happy to send it out to you.\u00a0 We do appreciate your partnership with us.\u00a0 Thanks for your support of this ministry.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to be back to hear Part Two of Dennis\u2019 message on becoming a HomeBuilder\u2014what you can do to have an impact on your culture and to advance the work of the Kingdom.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot you can do, and we\u2019ll talk about it tomorrow.\u00a0 Hope you can join us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you.\u00a0 However, there is a cost to produce them for our website.\u00a0 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 \u00a9 2011 FamilyLife.\u00a0 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\/302405","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=302405"}],"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=302405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302405"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302405"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302405"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}