{"id":304430,"date":"2017-03-22T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/cherish-as-protection\/"},"modified":"2017-03-22T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T15:00:00","slug":"cherish-as-protection","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/cherish-as-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherish as Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cherishing, begins with the desire to protect your spouse emotionally, physically, and spiritually.<\/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\/fl2017-03-22.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"24.76M","filesize_raw":"25963251","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2809,2082],"tags":[4658,4580,4657,2877,4659],"podcast_series":[7273],"cwp_profile":[3158],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304430","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commitment","category-communication","tag-affirming-each-other","tag-encouragement","tag-how-to-cherish-your-spouse","tag-marriage","tag-till-death-do-us-part","podcast_series-cherish","cwp_profile-gary-thomas","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\/304430\/cherish-as-protection","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304430\/cherish-as-protection","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=\"9mxXu9bxE5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/cherish-as-protection\/\">Cherish as Protection<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/cherish-as-protection\/embed\/#?secret=9mxXu9bxE5\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Cherish as Protection&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"9mxXu9bxE5\" 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":"Cherishing, begins with the desire to protect your spouse emotionally, physically, and spiritually.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-03-22.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Just how valuable is your spouse to you? Gary Thomas says one way you can tell is how well you protect each other in your marriage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> The more you protect someone, it builds a cherishing heart. If you have an original autograph from George Washington, you don\u2019t use it as a coaster. It you have a Rembrandt painting, you don\u2019t put a popsicle stick frame around it\u2014you protect it, you show it off, you put an alarm by it, and you insure it. The same thing as in your marriage, when you\u2019re protecting your spouse, that creates a heart that values your spouse.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Wednesday March 22<sup>nd<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey. I'm Bob Lepine. How safe does your spouse feel around you, not just physically safe, but emotionally safe? We\u2019ll talk more about that 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, talking this week about the whole idea of cherishing one another in marriage. \u201cCherish is a word I use to describe all the feelings that I have hiding here for you inside. You don\u2019t know how many\u201d\u2014oh, I\u2019m sorry. I was off on a song from The Association of the 1960s that came to mind.\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<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I am astounded at some of the things you remember. [Laughter] How many\u2014I\u2019m sure many of our listeners knew right away.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> [Singing] \u201cYou don\u2019t know how many times I wish that I could hold you,\u201d\u2014right? They were right there with me. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And I had a great place to go with this introduction of Gary Thomas, and I just lost it. Gary, welcome to the broadcast. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Thank you. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> How do you recover from that, Gary?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> It\u2019s a great song! It really is. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> [Laughing] It is a great song; isn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; it, it really is a great song. [Laughter] I still don\u2019t remember what I was going to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGary Thomas has written a book called <em>Cherish: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage. <\/em>\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\tI now remember what it was! Gary has written 18 books and is a teaching pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas\u2014married to Lisa for more than 30 years. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever asked this question of you. All of a sudden, I thought, \u201cI want to know his answer to this,\u201d\u2014it may or may not have anything to do with the title of your book, <em>Cherish. <\/em>\u201cWhat is the most courageous thing you have ever done in all your life, Gary?\u201d\u00a0 And courage is doing your duty in the face of fear. Have I asked you before?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know if you have. I think, for me, I grew up in a family where my dad worked at the same company, virtually, his entire his life \/ both of my brothers worked for that same company\u2014you got a job and you stayed there. So when I went off to be a self-employed writer and speaker, it just wasn\u2019t done in my family: \u201cIs this secure? Is this okay?\u201d I am so grateful and I cherish my wife for supporting it\u2014saying: \u201cGary, you need to do it. I think you can do it.\u201d \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\tI am so <em>thankful<\/em> for that; because I can\u2019t imagine life turning out better than it has, in all honesty. Becoming self-employed, without that secure employer\u2014I\u2019d say that\u2019s the most courageous thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> There\u2019s a lot of men, when I ask them that question\u2014it\u2019s not 25 percent, but it\u2019s a good percentage \/ it may be as much as 20 [percent]\u2014mention something about breaking away, in a respectful way, but doing something they feel called, or feel gifted, or sense they need to do and be their own man. I affirm your choice, as well, and let you know you are in good company with a lot of other courageous young men as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> If I could have <em>half<\/em> the character of my father, I\u2019d be a much better man. I was breaking from his example, but certainly not from his character\/faith.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I want to get on with the topic we are talking about today\u2014cherishing. \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\tI want to talk about a side of cherishing I don\u2019t ever remember anybody actually speaking into, and that\u2019s the idea that, when you cherish another person, you protect them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk about that. How have you seen cherishing being worked out in a marriage relationship to protect their spouse?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Here\u2019s a real life case with a couple I worked with, trying to help them adopt a cherishing marriage. They came in and they were late\u2014they were about eight minutes late. The husband said: \u201cJust so you know\u2014I was here five minutes early. Rosa was late.\u201d And Rosa said, \u201cThanks for throwing me under the bus.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI had been with them enough\u2014I said: \u201cYou know what? Let\u2019s deal with that.\u201d I said to the husband: \u201cYou know, five years from now, you might not even remember my name. Tonight, you go home with Rosa; and I go home to my wife. We\u2019re not going to think about each other; but right there, at that moment, you were worried that I might think less of you, assuming that I was going to be thinking about you after this session is over.\u201d I go: \u201cThat\u2019s an opportunity where you could have taken the bullet, so to speak: \u2018Look, Gary, I\u2019m sorry we were late.\u2019 Rosa would have heard that and said: \u2018Hey! He protected me.\u2019\u00a0\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<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cNow, she feels, in her words, like you threw her under the bus.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, Rosa was loving this; but then I had to turn to her and said: \u201cRosa, here is how you didn\u2019t cherish your husband. He can\u2019t help hate being late. The way his dad raised him\u2014it is painful for him to be late \/ it\u2019s a mark of disrespect. He\u2019ll never stop hating being late. When you decide you can get one more task done \/ you could do whatever you have to do, you can get this done and not give yourself time to arrive on time, it\u2019s going to hurt him. He can\u2019t [help] not be hurt. So the way you cherish himis say: \u2018I know it\u2019s important to him. I don\u2019t want him to face that pain; so I\u2019m going to make sure I get there on time.\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat was going on in their situation\u2014they weren\u2019t cherishing each other.He wasn\u2019t cherishing her to protect her. She wasn\u2019t protecting him\u2014his reputation \/ the pain he feels. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen I look at the greatest examples that I\u2019ve heard of a woman cherishing her husband, it goes back all the way to President Reagan. Some of us remember when an assassin tried to take President Reagan\u2019s life. He shot a devastator bullet, which is designed to explode upon impact. \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 hit Reagan\u2019s left side. They pushed him in; and at first, they didn\u2019t realize he was hit. Then they realize, some hours later, just how serious it was\u2014he came very close to dying. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe day after, Nancy Reagan was just beside herself. Everybody knew they had a close marriage. She had\u2014Billy Graham was there, Frank Sinatra and his wife was there, and then her pastor from her church in California was there. She kept telling them how guilty she felt. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d She said: \u201cI\u2019m almost always with Ronny; and when I\u2019m with him, I\u2019m at his left side. If I was there, he wouldn\u2019t have been hit.\u201d There\u2019s this silence in the room, as they realized, \u201cI wish I would\u2019ve been there, because then the bullet would have hit me and not my husband.\u201d <em>That\u2019s<\/em> cherishing your spouse \/ that is wanting to protect your spouse. When you\u2019re cherishing your spouse, you want to take that bullet, whether it\u2019s in a social situation or whether it\u2019s in a real-live situation, like that.\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>Bob:<\/strong> You know, what you\u2019re describing \/ what rings in my head is Philippians, Chapter 2, verses 3 and 4. I\u2019ve said to couples, for years: \u201cIf we could learn how to apply these two verses of Scripture in marriage, it would fix 90 percent of the marriage issues that I hear about.\u201d The verses say: \u201cDo nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility regard one another as more important than yourself. Don\u2019t merely look at for your own interest but also for the interest of others.\u201d Cherishing another person is to say: \u201cI\u2019m going to look out for your interests as more important than my own. I\u2019ll die to self in order to honor you.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> When we do that, it increases our love for our spouse. I remember, one time, Lisa and I were in a town in California. Lisa likes to research all the funky restaurants whenever we are going into a town. \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\tWe\u2019d been at lunch for a while\u2014she goes, \u201cLet\u2019s take a little walk.\u201d We were about a block-and-a-half away from the restaurant, and there was the loudest crash I\u2019d ever heard in my life. I just immediately went over Lisa, had her in front of me\u2014I just kind of covered her, and we just waited because: \u201cIs this an explosion? Is this a terrorist attack?\u201d\u2014you know, all the things you think of. It was just a construction accident about a block away\u2014a bunch of metal had fallen down. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLisa kind of looked up\u2014she goes, \u201cAw; you saved my life.\u201d I didn\u2019t save anything! There was absolutely no danger at all. But here\u2019s the thing\u2014I didn\u2019t have time to think \/ it\u2019s that split-second reaction. I heard something; and it was like: \u201cHow do I get Lisa out of here? How do I protect her?\u201d What it did\u2014the rest of the day, I just felt softer toward \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\ther \/ I felt more affection toward her. Even though she really wasn\u2019t really at risk, I thought: \u201cMan! I could have lost her.\u201d I think the more you protect someone, it builds a cherishing heart. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you have an original autograph from George Washington, you don\u2019t use it as a coaster. \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\tIt you have a Rembrandt painting, you don\u2019t put a popsicle stick frame around it\u2014you protect it, you show it off, you put an alarm by it, you insure it. The same thing as in your marriage, when you\u2019re protecting your spouse, that creates a heart that values your spouse. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019m holding in my hand something that causes a lot of problems in marriage. You mentioned it earlier\u2014it\u2019s being on time. You can\u2019t tell, because there\u2019s no other clock in the room; but if you were to take a careful look at my watch, Gary, you would see that it is ten minutes fast. Now what that is\u2014is that that\u2019s the influence of Coach Vince Lombardi, who had his watch set ten minutes fast. He believed in being places ahead of time\/early. I don\u2019t always do it, but this is my reminder to kind of stay ahead of things. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I married a woman who is an artist; okay?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> I can see where this is going!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Of course\u2014of course it is! But I want to underscore what you\u2019re saying\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\u2014a strength, like being on time, can become a negative in your marriage if you think it\u2019s more valuable than your spouse is. I haven\u2019t learned this perfectly\u2014but I don\u2019t throw my wife under the bus with other people, or even with her anymore, because I\u2019ve just\u2014I say: \u201cYou know what, Sweetheart? I\u2019m setting my watch early. We\u2019re going to leave early enough to anticipate the traffic and getting there on time.\u201d That, in essence, is doing what you\u2019re talking about. It\u2019s\u2014after four decades of marriage, I\u2019ve finally got it, Gary; but sometimes, it does take decades to learn how to love your spouse and protect them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You talk in your book about Kathy Ross, who\u2019s the wife of Dr. Hugh Ross, and what she did to cherish him, and really to protect him, and to help him excel in what God had called him to do; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Right; Dr. Hugh Ross is a Canadian American astrophysicist, just a <em>brilliant<\/em> man. \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\tHe spoke at Second Baptist in Houston, Texas. As he would answer these spontaneous questions\u2014this wasn\u2019t part of the prepared notes presentation\u2014people would just throw out these questions. He\u2019s pulling these figures out of his mind that makes all of us think, \u201cOkay; he has a different species of brain than I do\u201d; but he casually dropped how he scores up there on the autistic spectrum. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI had to get the back story\u2014I mean, how does this work? So when everybody was getting their autographs with Dr. Ross, afterwards, I went up to Kathy, his wife. She just told me this very inspiring story about seeing him when he was a post-doctoral student at Cal Tech. She saw that he had these great presentations \/ she saw that he had a great mind, but she also saw some of the autistic tendencies that was holding his ministry back. She made some helpful suggestions. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe prayed, from the time that she was a little girl, \u201cLord, I just want to help others come to know you.\u201d She saw the impact he was having: \u201cWell, maybe, I can help him out a bit.\u201d When he put a few of her tips into practice, he found out that it was helpful. He went to her again, \u201cOkay; tell me what I need to do.\u201d \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\u201cAlright; let\u2019s start with the haircut. Just go to somebody\u2014don\u2019t tell them how to cut \/ just tell them to make it normal. Go to Macy\u2019s, have them pick out your clothes; because plaids don\u2019t go with stripes, and your pants should cover your socks,\u201d\u2014and whatnot. She goes: \u201cAnd use personal illustrations. When you have these great biblical principles, use a personal illustration so somebody can relate.\u201d She said: \u201cHugh, this is really important\u2014when you\u2019re talking to people, look them in the eye. It makes a <em>huge<\/em> difference.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe literally took out a 3x5 card, and he\u2019s writing this down: \u201cOkay; haircut, clothes, and illustrations\u2014I\u2019ve given him that.\u201d Then, it just exploded his ministry \/ he began to see it take off. He went and got the normal haircut \/ he got the clothes. He said to Kathy, \u201cWith my work at Cal Tech, and my volunteering for the church, I only have one day off a week. Would you like to spend that one day getting to know each other?\u201d That was enough of an invitation to melt her heart. They ended up dating, and they\u2019ve been married ever since.\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\tHugh just has this <em>brilliant<\/em> mind that makes it seem ridiculous to not believe in God from science alone. He just really understands how it works. He has a really powerful ministry, and his website has this site\u2014[Reasons to Believe]\u2014If you don\u2019t believe and if you do believe. He really lays it out there to help people come to know the Lord through creation. Kathy believes that her life calling has been to help increase his ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe reason their marriage works\u2014I described what we talked about\u2014about the ballet is woman \/ about showcasing your spouse and supporting them\u2014and her eyes lit up, because it\u2019s been her life. By helping Hugh deal with these issues, he\u2019s had a far more impactful ministry. She believes that, through Hugh, she\u2019s reached far more people than she could have on her own. She never faults him for occasionally having those autistic tendencies show up. Hugh doesn\u2019t expect Kathy to have the brain of an astrophysicist. They understand each other\u2019s strengths \/ they understand each other\u2019s weaknesses. They cherish each other \/ they support each other. \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\tAn incredible work of God has been born by two people joining together and building each other up.\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<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> At the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, we have a principle that you just reminded me of\u2014it is that of receiving your spouse as God\u2019s gift to you. That\u2019s what she did with her husband, Hugh. She saw him for what he was\u2014a gift from God. She was there to compliment him in his strengths and in his weaknesses. As an act of her will, she chose to enter into a marriage that all of us have\u2014all of us have marriages that where we\u2019re marrying someone, who has strengths and weaknesses \/ plusses and minuses. If you can begin to think of it as a faith assignment to trust God with, it would make all the difference in the world. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You share a powerful illustration about cherishing in a story you tell about a resident?\u2014a med student? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Was he still in med school when this happened?\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<strong>Gary: <\/strong>He was\u2014he was just starting out. His name is Dr. Greg Bledsoe. He is\u2014actually, you should know him\u2014he\u2019s the Surgeon General of Arkansas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Oh, really?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t know Arkansas had a Surgeon General until he told me he was chosen for it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I met him! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> You have? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I have! I know him; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Great guy!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I wasn\u2019t connecting the two here\u2014it\u2019s the one and only; huh?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong> Yes; he told me the story about, when he was a young medical student, just doing rounds with the resident physician. He wasn\u2019t trained well enough to actually perform medicine\u2014he was really just at an observing stage. They went into one room, where a woman was there in her eighties\u2014a neuromuscular disease that left her in a wheelchair. She would sit at an angle \/ her mouth was agape. She would occasionally drool. All she could do was moan. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere was this eighty-something-old husband\u2014very spry, filled with energy, a lively kind of guy. Greg was struck, because usually it\u2019s the other way around\u2014 \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\t\u2014he says the wife is caring for an ailing husband\u2014but in this case, it was reversed. As a young man might say\u2014he knew all the care that would be required\u2014and he looked at this man and he said: \u201cI felt sorry for him. At this point in his life, he has to care for someone who needed this much care.\u201d Then he looked down at the sheet, and he saw her address and the husband\u2019s address. He realized she wasn\u2019t at a home\u2014he didn\u2019t pick her up on the way to the doctor\u2019s office\u2014he <em>was<\/em> her primary caregiver. Again, he found himself saying, as a young man might, \u201cPlease God, not me <em>ever<\/em>.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen the resident physician got a page, and so he had to leave. That left Greg alone with the husband and the wife. Greg was a little embarrassed\u2014there was nothing he could help with. He wasn\u2019t far enough along to actually treat. The husband kind of sensed the awkwardness. He broke the silence and said, \u201cShe\u2019s my fishing buddy, you know.\u201d \u201cSay what?\u201d \u201cYes; she\u2019s my fishing buddy. We set trout lines at that lake over there, two miles away. \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\u201cWe\u2019ve been fishin\u2019 all over. Yeah, this one here?\u2014she\u2019s my fishing buddy.\u201d He was <em>beaming<\/em> as he said this. Greg sat\u2014transfixed for ten minutes\u2014as he regaled him with story after story about what they\u2019d had in their life together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen the husband reached up and wiped a little drool off his wife\u2019s chin, Greg was sort of reminded of\u2014you know, for him, It wasn\u2019t any different than when she was a 20-year-old and they went out for ice cream. As a little act of flirtation, he was wiping a little ice cream off her chin\u2014he looked at her that way. After going through this moment, he said gone was any feeling of pity; instead, in its place, was envy. Here was a young man who envied this man that had this relationship with his wife. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere\u2019s a key point that I would make. Greg wasn\u2019t envious of him for loving her. When he was being faithful\u2014caring for her and serving her\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\u2014it actually made Greg feel sorry for him. But when he saw this husband <em>cherish<\/em> his wife\u2014to cherish a woman in her eighties, beset by disease, not even able to communicate, just moaning and drooling, with all the wrinkles\u2014when he saw a husband cherish <em>that<\/em> wife, that\u2019s when he envied him. That\u2019s the power of cherish.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLove is important\u2014we need to celebrate love \/ we need to proclaim love\u2014love needs to be the bedrock. We need to call each other to love. But there\u2019s something special that happens when we say: \u201cI want to take the next step. I want to cherish my spouse, not only what it does for us, but the way it can inspire the next generation.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s what your book does\u2014it inspires, I think, people to make cherish a part of their daily love and expression of love in marriage. I\u2019ve got one last assignment for you, Gary. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want Bob to tell people how they can get a copy of your book. \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\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI also want Bob to share with them about the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em>, because I think some folks may need to go to that. That may do wonders for their cherishing factor, if you know what I mean, Bob?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; I would think, for a husband to say to a wife tonight \/ or a wife to a husband: \u201cDo you know what would be fun?\u2014 would be for us to get away and have a weekend together\u2014nice hotel \/ going to one of the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> getaways. We\u2019ve talked about that. We\u2019ve just never carved out the time to do it. Why don\u2019t we look at our calendar?\u2014look at the map and see where these getaways are being held and make plans?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you can\u2019t do it in the next two or three months, start now planning for the fall and block out the weekend so that you\u2019re committed to a weekend together, as a couple, at a FamilyLife <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em>\u00a0 marriage getaway. You can get the information you need about where the getaways are happening, what weekends we are in which cities. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com for that information, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY if you have any questions\u2014 \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\t\u20141-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800, \u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in Life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d Again, you can find information online at FamilyLifeToday.com.There\u2019s also information about Gary Thomas\u2019s book, <em>Cherish<\/em>, available. You can order that from us online; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY, and we\u2019ll get a copy of the book out to you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I hope our listeners understand that we really do cherish <em>you<\/em> as well. We are humbled by the fact that you join us\u2014many of you \/ every day\u2014to listen to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. We are always encouraged by the notes we get from <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners, who say, \u201cGod used your ministry in a significant way in my life.\u201d Those notes come regularly here. It really is astounding how many people have written to us and shared the impact of this ministry on their marriage and on their family.\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\tYou stop and think, Dennis, about the number of legacies that have been preserved because of how God has used <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> in the lives of so many couples over the years. I just feel like we need to take a minute to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d to our Legacy Partners and to others who have contributed so that the scope of this ministry can expand. You are making it possible for <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> to be heard by more and more people every year. In fact, every dollar you invest in this ministry goes to expand the reach of FamilyLife and <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you can help with a donation today, we would be grateful for your support. In fact, we\u2019d love to express our thanks by sending you a set of Resurrection Eggs<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, a great tool to help share the story of Easter with your children or your grandchildren. It\u2019s our gift to you when you donate, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or when you call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate; or when you mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBox 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis\u2014\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<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, we\u2019re glad to have had Gary Thomas back with us. Gary, it\u2019s always a\u2014it\u2019s always a real treat to have you. You\u2019re real and we always have a lot of fun with you. I\u2019m sorry we can\u2019t put all of it on the air\u2014[Laughter]\u2014 that we have here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m going to give you the microphone and the privilege of cherishing your wife, verbally, with a tribute. Your wife is Lisa. You\u2019ve been married over three decades\u2014you have three children \/ adult children. I have the feeling Lisa will listen to this broadcast in Houston, Texas. Here\u2019s your opportunity to get one point. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And you\u2019ve been meditating on this for awhile\u2014you told us you\u2019ve been capturing, each day, things you cherish about Lisa. So, if she was here, and it was just you and her, what would you say to her?\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<strong>Gary: <\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLisa, when I think of you, I think of you having given heroic love and care to our family, with our kids\u2014the way that you basically made your life our life \/ the way that you have served us\u2014the way that you gave up a large slice of your life to educate them \/ to raise them up in the Lord. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI thank you for your love for God. I think of the mornings, just even this past week, when I wake up\u2014there you are, with your Bible in hand and those glasses on your nose now\u2014just the way that you have let God fill your heart. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI thank you for your care for me and your belief in me. I know I don\u2019t eat quite the way you want me to eat; but I was so touched the time when I heard you tell someone, \u201cLook, my calling in life is to help Gary live longer so he can keep doing what he does.\u201d I know that everything you do\u2014you\u2019re doing it because you really think, \u201cThis is what will help him.\u201d Thank you for putting up with me\u2014\u00a0 \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\u2014for dealing with the quirks\u2014for still respecting me, and loving me and cherishing me, even though you know my faults as no one else does. I can\u2019t imagine life without you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEarlier on, this week, I\u2019d been up, working for a couple of hours, and I heard you stir in the other room. I wish I could have captured and bottled just the stirring in my heart, that my favorite person in the world was now awake. I knew you were going to walk in and give me that sleepy hug and ask me how things are going. You have been a treasured partner in life, and I am so grateful for every one of those years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> <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> 2017 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\/304430","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=304430"}],"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=304430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304430"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=304430"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=304430"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=304430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}