{"id":304282,"date":"2016-12-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/life-lessons\/"},"modified":"2016-12-06T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T17:00:00","slug":"life-lessons","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/life-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What lessons have you learned in life? Jon Gauger gleaned the wisdom of some beloved Christian leaders: Tony Evans, Anne Graham Lotz, Ravi Zacharias, and others.<\/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\/fl2016-12-06.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"26.42M","filesize_raw":"27707223","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[6145,6143,6144,6146,5685,6147,5591,5442],"podcast_series":[8179],"cwp_profile":[3525],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304282","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-do-it-all-over-again","tag-facing-regrets","tag-how-would-you-do-things-different","tag-lesson-learned","tag-lessons-learned-in-life","tag-lessons-learnt","tag-life-lessons","tag-memories","podcast_series-if-i-could-do-it-all-again","cwp_profile-jon-gauger","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\/304282\/life-lessons","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304282\/life-lessons","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=\"l19qLGYPhK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/life-lessons\/\">Life Lessons<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/life-lessons\/embed\/#?secret=l19qLGYPhK\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Life Lessons&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"l19qLGYPhK\" 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":"What lessons have you learned in life? Jon Gauger gleaned the wisdom of some beloved Christian leaders: Tony Evans, Anne Graham Lotz, Ravi Zacharias, and others.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-12-06.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Ask anyone who has lived any length of time and that person will undoubtedly be able to admit to regrets in life. Jon Gauger recently had an opportunity to ask a number of well-known people about their greatest regrets.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> We talked to about 28 or 29 fairly well-known Christians. All of the answers were varied, and interesting, and challenging; and yet no single question that we asked garnered more of the same kind of response than this question\u2014people said, \u201cMore time with family\u2014I wish I had spent more time.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, December 6t<sup>h<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. So how might you do your life differently if you could do it all over again? We\u2019ll explore that and other topics with a number of different guests today. Stay with us.\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\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So Bob, do you have an unforgettable life lesson?\u2014I mean, just off the top here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Off the top here\u2014unforgettable life lesson? If you\u2019re having dinner at The Cheesecake Factory<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, do not pass up dessert. That would be my unforgettable life lesson.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Why am I not surprised that it would involve food <em>and<\/em> The Cheesecake Factory? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014The Cheesecake Factory. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019m going to call The Cheesecake Factory. [Laughter] I\u2019m going to demand some donations from them for <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> because they\u2019ve gotten a bunch\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> A number of plugs? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> They have gotten a bunch. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOf course, Jon Gauger joins us again on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. You would have no way of knowing the number of times. The reason is Bob has eaten at\u2014count them\u2014<em>90<\/em> different\u2014no; not 9\u2014not 90 restaurants total\u2014but 90 <em>different<\/em> locations. \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> Actually, I\u2019ve added a few since I gave you that number\u2014so\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That was last weekend. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been on the road\u2014what can I say?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Jon is\u2014we\u2019ll get to that question in just a moment. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tJon has been married to Diana since 1983. They have two adult children \/ five grandchildren. He serves with Moody Radio, and he has written a book, <em>If I Could Do It All Over Again<\/em>. Where in the world did you come up with this?\u2014because the questions are great\u2014what spawned this?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> I think the idea began way, way, way back. Things about time have always messed with me. When I was a Sunday school kid, I heard the story of Joshua in the tenth chapter of Joshua\u2014so the \u201csun stood still,\u201d and the \u201cmoon stopped until the nation avenged itself on its enemies.\u201d That\u2019s just <em>grabbed<\/em> my attention\u2014things with time have always just kind of wrapped their tentacles around me. \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\tYou know, you think about movies like <em>Groundhog Day<\/em> or maybe some of our listeners would have seen <em>The Age of Adaline<\/em>\u2014films that mess with your mind because time is so linear. But you think of heaven, where time is no more. You think of an old hymn, <em>When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder<\/em>: \u201cWhen the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat got me thinking and then this whole idea of mistakes\/regrets: \u201cWhat are we to do with them?\u201d and \u201cThose that we listen to on a daily basis on the radio; the authors that we read; the musicians that we hear\u2014do they have failures like mine? What do they do with their failures?\u201d So all this issue of time, mistakes, and heaven led to this little book, <em>If I Could Do It All Over Again<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I like the book; because you paint some Christian heroes, warts and all.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014with clay feet; absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; and frankly, we all have it. I don\u2019t care how talented Michael W. Smith is or how good of a preacher Tony Evans is. You\u2019ve captured some of his flaws here. \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\tIt\u2019s not to celebrate the flaws but it\u2019s to let others know that he is where he is today because he was able to move past some things that he regrets.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You mention Tony Evans\u2014he was one of the people you talked to, Jon, as you were working on this book. You asked him about unforgettable life lessons, and this is what he shared with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tony Evans <\/strong>[Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> The power of grace\u2014that grace can do for me what I can never do for myself. We are so self-sufficient that we will often trump what God wants to do with our own will. Maybe we will be to some degree successful; but it is success with frustration, and irritation, and aggravation\u2014whereas through grace \/ that is what God does for us\u2014He lets things flow, and they flow very naturally, and without stressing. I would have leaned more on that than rather trying to force stuff to happen. I would allow what God provides to make it happen.\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<strong>\u00a0<\/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>Jon:<\/strong> You know, he talks about letting things happen \/ letting God let those things happen instead of forcing them to happen. I relate to that. I don\u2019t know about you guys; but I\u2019m a bit of a driver\/a doer. This issue of grace has been a <em>lifelong<\/em> thing for me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I was on a plane the other day, and it was late. There was a guy behind me, who was just chilling. He says: \u201cHey, everybody, relax! You\u2019re not in control anyway.\u201d [Laughter] You know, I kind of laughed about that; because I thought: \u201cYou know what? You\u2019re exactly right. We are not in control. It is absolutely a phantom of our imagination to think we really control anything. We don\u2019t control our next breath.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> You mention plane rides\u2014coming down here to your studios in Little Rock, I sat next to Mel Blackaby, son of Henry Blackaby, who did the <em>Experiencing God<\/em> series\u2014what a great conversation with him. I\u2019m in the middle. Next to me is a lady, who has flopped across her lap, the most <em>enormous<\/em> date-planning book I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. \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\tNow, mind you, I\u2019m not trying to look; but you\u2019re kind of jammed into these seats. She was fiddling around with her pencil with past dates\u2014dates that had already gone by\u2014erasing\/marking. I\u2019m sure she had a legitimate reason for doing what she was doing, but it struck me: \u201cIsn\u2019t that a picture of how we live an awful lot of life?\u2014fiddling around with dates long past \/ days gone\u2014wishing for an eraser, wishing we could rewrite, trying to figure out what to do with those days past.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019m looking over the names of those you asked this question of\u2014an unforgettable life lesson. I\u2019m thinking about Anne Graham Lotz, who is the daughter of Billy Graham. I just wonder what an unforgettable life lesson for her would be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Anne Graham Lotz<\/strong> [Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> When I was 17, I was at a training institute in California. I felt very bound by what other people expected of me \/ thought I should be. \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\tIn fact, I got taken to task by people who\u2014I wasn\u2019t what they expected Billy Graham\u2019s daughter to be\u2014so they were very unhappy with me. Somebody spoke to me and said, \u201cAnne,\u201d\u2014and I was very bound by that\u2014and they said: \u201cYou\u2019re looking at God through a prism. It\u2019s affected by all these other peoples\u2019 opinions of who God is \/ who you ought to be. You need to just look at God directly.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFrom that point on, from that summer of my 17<sup>th <\/sup>year, I made the decision to live my life to please an audience of one\u2014that I would live my life to please God. I knew that if He was pleased, my parents would be \/ my grandparents would be\u2014the people I cared most about would be pleased with me. Some people wouldn\u2019t be pleased, but you can\u2019t please everybody anyway. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat has helped me enormously\u2014when I\u2019ve been on platforms in front of large audiences, or a television camera, or just going to the grocery store, or just living within the confines of my home\u2014I live my life, 24\/7, in utter devotion to please the Lord. I\u2019m not saying I please Him all the time, but that\u2019s my aim.\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\t<strong>\u00a0<\/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>Dennis:<\/strong> Think about it Bob\u2014if you were Billy Graham\u2019s son \/ or a female listener, if you were Billy Graham\u2019s daughter\u2014do you think people would have some expectations?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Do you think Franklin ran away because of that? I mean, he was a rebel for a period of his life; because he didn\u2019t want to live with those expectations.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right; what a great lesson. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m looking here at the next one\u2014Gary Chapman.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Another North Carolinian. We\u2019re going to hear two North Carolina accents in a row.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; people are going to get used to it. They\u2019re going to have a southern drawl after listening to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. I wonder if Gary Chapman\u2019s life lesson had anything to do with love languages.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> That might be the title of his book, but it didn\u2019t have a whole lot to do with his answer\u2014listen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary Chapman <\/strong>[Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> I think the biggest lesson I have learned through life, and one that I continue to be aware of, is where Jesus said in the gospel of John, \u201cWithout Me you can do nothing.\u201d \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\tI remember when I graduated from college\u2014I pretty much had the idea: \u201cI\u2019m a college graduate. I can do whatever needs to be done\u2014turn me loose!\u201d My first assignment was working on a folder in a print shop. For two weeks, I gave it everything I had for eight hours a day; and I could not get that folder to work. In my devotional time that morning, I read John 15:5\u2014I think that\u2019s the reference\u2014\u201dWithout Me you can do nothing.\u201d I just said, \u201cGod without You, I can\u2019t run even a dumb folder.\u201d I have never forgotten that lesson\u2014that apart from God, I can do nothing.\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 lesson learned, and it applies to a lot more than folders\u2014it applies to everything in our lives. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think you\u2019d be interested at how Pastor Michael Easley responded to this question, because it had to do with the subject of marriage and holding the institution of marriage in high regard. \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\tHere\u2019s Michael.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael Easley<\/strong> [Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> One of the stories I tell\u2014and each time I tell it, I\u2019m right back there in 1980\u2014in this doctor\u2019s home in Nacogdoches, Texas. Cindy and I had been married just a few months. We were invited to this party at this man\u2019s house. Most of the people I didn\u2019t know. We\u2019re talking around the island of food, and someone asked about us. I said, \u201cWe just got married.\u201d I made some quip about, \u201cYou know, I guess if it doesn\u2019t work out, we could always get a divorce.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis doctor, who was hosting the dinner party or whatever, said, \u201cHey, Michael, can I talk to you for just a minute?\u201d \u201cSure Doc!\u201d We walked back to his office, and he closed the door. He got within my personal space, like an inch away from my nose\u2014and his eyes were aflame and his temples were bulging\u2014he said, \u201cDon\u2019t you ever, ever joke or tease about divorce <em>again<\/em>!\u201d He just laid into me. \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\tI said, \u201cOkay, Doc; I got it.\u201d He said: \u201cNo; you don\u2019t! You don\u2019t use those words <em>ever<\/em> again!\u201d I heard it\u2014I can tell you, 34-plus years later\u2014I still remember it. I\u2019ve often said, \u201cI wish there were a lot more doctors like that that got in a lot more young couple\u2019s faces, and yelled at them, and said those kind of words: \u2018This is not a joking matter.\u2019\u201d\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>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019m smiling real big right now, because I couldn\u2019t agree with him more.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019d have gotten into his face if you had heard him say that; wouldn\u2019t you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I would have hoped\u2014hoped. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I can see your veins bulging.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; I mean, some people may feel like that\u2019s out of line; but I think that, more than likely, that doc may have had a relationship with Michael, enough so that he could pull him aside and speak to him straight. I wonder today if there aren\u2019t some life lessons that other people are missing because we aren\u2019t courageous enough to confront them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> Think of the life lesson that ended up for Michael and his wife Cindy, who now counsel young couples\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\u2014who, now, they coach them in life settings and they mentor. It wasn\u2019t just a one-time experience for them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You probed with people you talked to on the subject of things that, if they could do it all over again\u2014things they\u2019d spend less time doing and things they\u2019d spend more time doing. I thought, \u201cI wish you hadn\u2019t asked Tim Keller\u2014the pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church\u2014that question; because his answer was kind of convicting.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tim Keller <\/strong>[Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> Certainly, surfing the internet, without a doubt, because there\u2019s a hundred other things that would be better\u2014more time with my wife, more time praying and meditating, more time reading. I do think the internet is a friend of information but the enemy of thought. In other words, it\u2019s great at snippets of information; but it does <em>not<\/em> help you think \/ it does <em>not<\/em> help you reason out. In fact, the more you\u2019re online\u2014I can see that. The more you\u2019re online, the less patient you are with sustained reasoning and with longer narratives. \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\tIt actually does not make you more able to think things out. So that\u2019s one thing I\u2019d do certainly less of.\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> I wish he could have tightened his answer up a little bit more there. He was kind of going on too long\u2014\u201cno sustained thought\u201d\u2014I\u2019ve tried \/ that\u2019s\u2014I\u2014I\u2014I\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> There\u2019s a reason why that was convicting for Bob; no question about it. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> His point\u2019s well-taken because the internet is a great tool; but I\u2019ve gotten caught in what we call a \u201cYouTube loop.\u201d Did you ever get caught in a YouTube loop? This is where I\u2019ll see a YouTube video\u2014and it\u2019s a 1965 performance of <em>Mrs. Brown, You\u2019ve Got A Lovely Daughter<\/em> by Herman\u2019s Hermits. Well, I love that song; so I\u2019ll watch the video. Well, right alongside, they give you six other videos that they say you ought to watch. I go: \u201cThe Mamas &amp; the Papas! I haven\u2019t seen The Mamas &amp; the Papas in years!\u201d All of a sudden, it\u2019s two hours later; and I\u2019ve just watched the greatest hits of the \u201850s and the \u201860s all over again.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And I\u2019ll be trying to go to sleep in my bed, about 10 miles away from Bob\u2019s home\u2014[Laughter]\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>Bob:<\/strong> You can hear me singing! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>No; no. There\u2019ll be a little buzz on my computer, because Bob\u2019s sending me The Mamas &amp; the Papas. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, speaking of records, you asked Michael W. Smith what he would spend less time doing. His answer had to do with music too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael W. Smith <\/strong>[Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> I\u2019d probably just be less concerned about: \u201cAre we selling records?\u201d and \u201cHow many did we sell this week?\u201d and that sort of immature thing of trying to be recognized \/ trying to be accepted. It\u2019s amazing how you can get in that rut; and then, you base your whole life on what people think about you. There\u2019s really only one person that we need to be worried about what He thinks and be concerned about\u2014and that\u2019s Abba. We should be completely secure in that, and I just found myself not. Again, I think that\u2019s just growing up and learning. Yes; I would be less concerned about sitting in that audience, and waiting and wondering: \u201cAre they calling your name for the Grammy?\u201d\u2014and if they didn\u2019t call it, you got upset. [Laughter]\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\tIt\u2019s just those kinds of things, where you just wish you were a little bit more mature.\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> It\u2019s never happened to me. Anything like that ever happened to you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019ve never been nominated for a Grammy\u2014I wouldn\u2019t know! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> There is good reason for that! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, I think what he\u2019s talking about, though, is: \u201cWhom are you trying to please?\u201d You know, that goes back to the answers to a lot of these questions\u2014is: \u201cWhom are you living for? Is it for God and what He wants you to be and to do, or are you living for yourself or for other people?\u201d That can be nearly as enslaving as being enslaved to yourself.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> But the flip side of the question, \u201cWhat would you spend less time doing?\u201d is \u201cWhat would you spend more time doing?\u201d You asked Josh McDowell about that; and like a lot of us, he said, \u201cI\u2019d spend more time focused on family.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Josh McDowell <\/strong>[Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> I have made over 19,000 airplane flights and 2,300 hotel rooms. \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\tNow, one\u2014I just wish I could have been with my family more. Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2014I\u2019m satisfied with where my family is and my relationship with them and their relationship with the Lord\u2014but I would say more time with my family. What I\u2019m trying to learn from that now\u2014is my grandchildren. Several months ago, I realized my grandchildren need me as much as my children needed me. I haven\u2019t been that available to them like I should be; so I\u2019m trying to bring some changes about in my life and ministry. So one thing to do over again\u2014it would be family, because I think the fountain of life comes out of a family based in Christ.\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>Jon:<\/strong> You know, Dennis and Bob, we talked to about 28 or 29 fairly well-known Christians in this book. All of the answers were varied, and interesting, and challenging; and yet no single question that we asked garnered more of the same kind of response than this question. \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\tJust to a person, people said, \u201cMore time with family\u2014I wish I had spent more time.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Of course, you\u2019ve heard people say that, \u201cNo one, on his deathbed, says, \u2018I wish I\u2019d spent more time at the office.\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> Best-selling author and pastor emeritus, Erwin Lutzer of the Moody Church in Chicago was one of the most transparent guests that we talked to\u2014sat in his study\u2014and he just unloaded things that were rather revealing in a way that weren\u2019t particularly proud moments, I\u2019m sure. I certainly salute him for that courage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the stories he tells is of his daughter sending him a letter when she was in high school\/college. She was frustrated with her dad\u2019s extraordinary fascination with studies of Martin Luther. She said to him in this letter, \u201cDad, I\u2019m sorry; but I cannot compete with your study of Luther.\u201d She went on to say some other things; and Pastor Lutzer said: \u201cThis was like a bucket of ice water on my head. I realized, at that moment, I needed to make some changes.\u201d \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\tAnd he did\u2014to his credit.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You know, you did get a little different answer to the question from Ravi Zacharias. He didn\u2019t go immediately to family\u2014he talked about the importance of taking faith seriously, early.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ravi Zacharias <\/strong>[Recording]<strong>:<\/strong> I think what I would probably say is to the young: \u201cTake life seriously, early. Don\u2019t wait until the strength of youth has gone by.\u201d I guess that would be Solomon\u2019s words too\u2014you know, \u201c...in the days of thy youth.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe sometimes underestimate the strength of youth in the right direction. We think of it as all that we can do in warfare, and all that we can do in athleticism, and all that we can do in endurance, and all that we can do in physical strength. Don\u2019t underestimate the shaping of the soul, early in life; because I think the sooner you get on track with where God wants you to be, the more beautiful that journey will become because you harness disciplines. \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\tUltimately, it\u2019s the disciplines of life that bring you the joys for which you were created. That\u2019s why David says how much he learned to love the law\u2014it was for his benefit. To the young, I would say, \u201cTake yourself more seriously early; because I think that, as a young man or a young woman, the disciplines you take will be wonderful and enduring in the joys you reap in the years to come.\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> Well, if you\u2019re not a young man or a young woman, no time like the present to start taking spiritual disciplines seriously, and growing in grace, and growing in your relationship with Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; I\u2019m just thinking how Jesus summarized the Old Testament and New Testament\u2014He said, \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d The common word there is \u201clove.\u201d \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\tIt\u2019s interesting what Ravi said. I think paying attention to your soul, your kids\u2019 souls, and the soul of your marriage: \u201cAre you spiritually growing? Are you fulfilling the mission God has for you?\u201d I think we underestimate today how much trouble we are in, as a nation, because we have not been attentive to our souls. As a result, our morality is slipping \/ our value of human beings is slipping. We\u2019re reaping the weeds that we\u2019ve been sowing for decades. It\u2019s time, I think, to go back to what Ravi talked about and pay attention to your soul when you\u2019re a young person. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Good news here\u2014and Jon you realize this as you were going through this\u2014is we can begin the recalibration today. If there are things we say, \u201cWell, I wish I\u2019d done less of this,\u201d or \u201cI wish I\u2019d done more of this,\u201d\u2014okay; you can\u2019t fix yesterday, but you can decide to do more of the things today that you wish you\u2019d done yesterday and do less of the things. \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\tSo: \u201cNo YouTube tonight for me. I\u2019m not watching any \u201860s videos on YouTube at all tonight.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jon:<\/strong> Studying some Latin perhaps? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We\u2019ll see. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> What are you going to do tomorrow night though, Bob?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019m leaving my options open for tomorrow night. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me encourage listeners\u2014we have copies of Jon Gauger\u2019s book, <em>If I Could Do It All Over Again<\/em>. Great answers to some pretty good questions that Jon has posed\u2014people like Tim Keller, and Michael W. Smith, and Anne Graham Lotz, Tony Evans, Joni Eareckson Tada, Ravi Zacharias, and others who spoke to those questions. Jon has put the answers in his book. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGo to FamilyLifeToday.com to order the book, <em>If I Could Do It All Over Again<\/em>. Or call 1-800-FL-TODAY and order over the phone. Again, the phone number is 1-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201dF\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\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr go online to order <em>If I Could Do It All Over Again<\/em>\u2014our website is FamilyLifeToday.com.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow do you remember what you were doing ten years ago today? Well, this is the day that Alex and Christy Cole, who live in Lenoir, North Carolina, got married. \u201cHappy anniversary!\u201d to the Coles as they celebrate their tenth anniversary today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere, at FamilyLife, we think anniversaries matter\u2014we think they are a big deal. That\u2019s because we are the Proud Sponsor of Anniversaries<sup>\u2122<\/sup> as we seek to provide practical biblical help and hope. We are grateful for those of you who partner with us in this effort. Here, during the month of December, your donation is not only critically needed, but there\u2019s a great opportunity that we have for your donation to be tripled. Our December Matching-Gift Monitor, Michelle Hill, is back with us again today. Hello Michelle. Give us an update on how we\u2019re doing toward the matching gift; will you?\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>Michelle:<\/strong> I\u2019d be happy to. Bob, as of today we have received three hundred thirty one thousand three hundred forty dollars donated toward our matching gift total of one and quarter million dollars\u2026so we\u2019re excited about where we are so far, but we still have a lot of opportunity ahead of us, and we need to hear from more listeners\u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Let me remind listeners\u2014when you make a donation today, whatever amount you donate is going to be tripled. We hope you will consider being as generous as you can possibly be this month as you make a yearend contribution to support this ministry. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com and donate online, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate over the phone. You can also mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. It will still be tripled if you do that. Our mailing address is PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223.\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\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to continue to hear from Jon Gauger and from some of the people he talked to recently, asking some pretty compelling questions about life, and regrets, and choices, and decisions, and wisdom. We\u2019ll hear from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth tomorrow, along with Joe Stowell, and Michael Card, and Gary Chapman, and Josh McDowell. Hope you can tune in for all of that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll 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 of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\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> 2016 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\/304282","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=304282"}],"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=304282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304282"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=304282"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=304282"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=304282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}