709. Member Spotlight: Michael Dickson

A promotion falls through, the disappointment hits hard, and then comes the sentence many of us avoid: “God, I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m going to give you full control.” That’s where Michael Dickson’s story gets real, because trusting God’s timing isn’t a slogan when you’re trying to provide, lead your family, and keep your faith strong.

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Transcript

Welcome And Psalm 40

Chris Grainger 0:02

Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, let's get into it. Our member spotlight. But before we get to the awesome member scripture the week, you know that's so important. But so this week, it's actually three verses. It's Psalm 40 in the first three verses. And it says this, I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction out of the Maori bog and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see in fear and put their trust in the Lord. Fellas, I love those verses. They're powerful. I unpacked them in the spiritual kickoff episode. So go listen to that, fellas. Be encouraged by it. It's all about simplifying and applying God's word. I got my simplifying apply shirt on right now. This is what it's all about, guys. This is how we try to help you in your walk with Christ. Our last guest was an awesome guest because he was, remember, he was a pastor who went blind and it's an incredible testimony that he had. So go listen to that one, Pastor Chad. And other than that, fellas, we have awesome ways we serve you at the Lion Within Us, primarily with the daily SKO, where it happens Monday through Friday. I literally taught this morning out of Philemon. So look, this happens, this is our encouragement to you. And look, you also have access to our prayer request space. So if we can pray for you, we'd love to let you know how to do that. And every Monday, we have a prayer meeting, which this is a Monday when I'm recording. So we're gonna have a prayer meeting today. So I'm looking forward to that. So that's enough of that stuff, guys. The linewithin.us is where you find all that stuff. Let's get to why you're why you're here. So that's where my buddy, the brother in Christ. I mean, you talk about he's been around from the beginning, from the beginning, beginning, guys. So I'm looking forward to this one. Michael Dixon, what is going on, man? Good morning, man. Pleasure to be here. Always great to see you, Chris. Thanks, man. Oh man, it's I just we've been, I mean, seriously, when the Lions started, you were one of the first brothers that reached out and connected. And I and for the listeners, like, how did what when was that? What what got was I guess it was a podcast we got connected with, huh?

Michael Dickson 2:08

Yeah, man. I I I it's one of those moments in my life that I remember where I was, right? Smack dab in the middle of uh a road trip. I was in the backseat. So when my kids were little, I used to sit in the way back, help all the babies. And the fact that I was in the backseat tells me that I was probably,

How A Road Trip Sparked Connection

Michael Dickson 2:31

I mean, five, six years ago. I it it had to be the whenever this all got started, maybe even before that, and uh we were on a road trip, and I heard lying within us, and I was just looking for some encouragement, you know, just going through the day. Um, it's a seven-hour road trip, and we had been on the road for about 20 minutes. I remember right where I was, man. And I I heard it, and I don't even remember why, but I just I emailed you and and we started connecting, and I thought, how cool is this? This guy's got a podcast, and he ripped, he wrote me back right away, and then we just kind of started talking, and uh, and I I would listen, I would, I would take a walk at lunch every day, and I would listen to the interview on Wednesdays. Right. And that was my walk. I'd I'd take a walk or jog, whatever it was. I probably jogged back then. Now it's a walk, but uh it was the most encouraging thing that I had in my life at that point, man. And I was struggling just because I had little kids and I was a traveling dad, um, I was gone all the time, and and you know, I was just looking for little nuggets here and there. I needed a little bit of encouragement, and boy, this was not a little bit of encouragement that I was getting from this. So I dove right in. And, you know, I think I I was I was super active in the beginning, and I was I was, you know, talking with you a lot. And then as this started to get a little bit bigger and bigger, it got over my head because I know nothing about podcasts and technology and all that. But the thing that's kept me into it is since then I have started to lead small groups at my church and my community. Um, and this has been an anchor for all that. I mean, if I need a topic, if I need something, you know how it is, man. I call you, I text you, I'm like, hey, you know, what what's what's been done, what's coming up. Um, you know, we did that crazy cool family. That was a huge one for me. I still have something here on my desk. It's hope and confidence, and and I've got my my family. Uh this sits on my desk, man. There you go, brother. You remember that. But it's just stuff like that. It it you know, there there's there's always something for me to come back to uh here. And and I, you know, I I try and get on SKO's and you know, that's early, early in the morning, you know, cereal flinging around and all that stuff. So sometimes it's sitting on the couch, sometimes it's uh there on the kitchen table. But you know, the kids, kids need to see that no matter what's going on, I'm trying to get in the word and trying to get some encouragement to be a better dad, and this is the place to do it. Amen, brother. Amen.

Chris Grainger 5:16

And maybe take us back to, you know, because I'd love to hear this myself. I'm sure we we've talked about it in the past, but just your testimony in general. When when did you come to know Christ? What did that look like for you?

Michael Dickson 5:27

Yeah, so I was fortunate enough. Um, you know, I have a great grandfather that was a pastor in a Methodist church, grew up Methodist. Um, so faith has always been a big part of my family. Uh, but you know how it is in the beginning. As a kid, you're just you're you're getting told to go. Um, so I went, we went to the youth group. We had, you know, did some youth group stuff here and there, but um, I was big into baseball in the summer, and that was always when they did the trips. So I didn't really ever get to go on the trips, but it was always something everybody came back from youth group, uh, young life, those types of things. And um, you know, I always had this eagerness to to get involved in that stuff, and and everybody came back so refreshed from that. And um, but again, you know, just kept going to church, going to youth group, and was plugged in that way through my my family. Um, but

A Mom’s Legacy Of Discipleship

Michael Dickson 6:20

it was it was really, you know, after college, you know, you kind of go through the lull of of college and probably get distant a little bit more than I should have, and you know, just other things going on and kicking off a career after college, just too busy to focus on it. And now looking back, it's kind of silly to say, but you know, it wasn't a priority of mine. But um I had a son in 2015, my mom died in 2016, and that was really kind of what I I leaned in a lot because of those two, I say, events, but to me it was more about you know, this was a huge part of my mom's life. Uh and uh, you know, her legacy to me is the discipleship that I saw her lead. She took every advantage she possibly could to bring people to Christ, whether they were way, way, way far away or already in. She leaned in on that. And, you know, when she passed away, that was one of the things that I thought, man, you know, I I don't want that to just be something she did. I want that to be something that she absolutely pushes through me and and hopefully meet through my kids and wife and everybody we get in contact with.

Chris Grainger 7:38

So that was really when Was her dad was her dad the the pastor? Her grandpa. It was her grandpa, okay.

Michael Dickson 7:46

Yeah, yeah. So like my great grandfather. Your great grandfather, okay. Yeah, so it goes it goes pretty deep. And um, you know, and and I think that that was, you know, as I look back at family stuff on on her side, now as a father and now as a leader of my family, you know, it it's it's always been embedded in in that side of the family, and it's just always been part of our lives. Yeah. And and and so that was important to me. Um, you know, I I did not want her to be forgotten and not by just me. There were so many people she touched, and I thought, man, you know, that's what I've got to take away from this. And um, you know, I was baptized as a kid, um, you know, as a baby, um, but then I started going to a a different church. Um, actually right after she passed away, um, started going to a a different church. And that was the first time that I had ever been asked to be baptized by my choice. And I was a little conflicted by that. I said, alright, yeah, I've been baptized. And, you know, through a lot of a lot more mentorship and talk through that, I I decided to do it. And it was funny to me because I remember having that conversation with, you know, now one of my great friends, Jay Scott. He's a pastor at our church, um, outreach minister now. And um he said, your life will change. He said, I know you you're faithful now, and then you're a follower now. And he said, Your life will change immensely when you choose, and you're the one that makes that decision. So I did. I said, Well, I've got, you know, I I know Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and that's that's what I'm living for. So I went in and got baptized, and things that I had been praying for for years fell into place. I'd always wanted to be in a Bible study, never really had that come up. And now they're all over my life, smothering me. And that's what I love about it is small groups, men's groups. Um, just the way that my faith has continued that way. I've, you know, I I said that I was faithful, but now I'm in the word every day. There's some part of me that is trying to encourage people at work, trying to encourage the kids that I coach in sports. You know, there's just so much more about my life now. And I look back on that and I think that that was truly, you know, a pinpoint of another time where I just got deeper and deeper and then, you know, for for all things in the better for my life, it's been amazing. No doubt.

Chris Grainger 10:30

Well, and I mean, and it sounds like at some point too, you've kind of taken this role, this leadership role in the leading some of these groups to kind of walk us through how that evolution has looked for you. Because it obviously didn't start off there, but now I mean you're leaning in hard, brother.

Michael Dickson 10:45

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, I'm and and I'm not just saying this because I'm because I'm here right now. It was it was just the perfect timing of when I started getting involved in this. Because I'll be honest, the reason I didn't lead him was because I never felt like I knew more than the other guy. And it was intimidating to think about well, how am I gonna lead? So I was part of a by so right when COVID started was the first Bible study. We had our our our meet and greet for this Bible study was over Zoom. The first meeting was was uh virtual because COVID. Yeah. And you know, of course, you know, we we we ended up

Choosing Baptism As An Adult

Michael Dickson 11:25

meeting in person for it was a two-year, you had to commit for two years. That was the deal. It was can you can you meet uh monthly for two years? And I said, absolutely. And as we dove into that, I realized nobody cares how much you know, they just need other guys. Like it was a group of eight guys, guys in my community that some of them I thought had all of it together. I'm sure some of them thought I had a lot more together than I do. And you know, it's just one of those things where when you just break that down and you get together and you live a season of of two years of life together, especially that time of life, um you find out everything. You just find out that you know, nobody cares what you know, nobody, nobody has to be way more into it than you do. Just get in. Just get into it. And so when I kind of started to feel that urge, um toward the end of that, I thought, you know what, man, I can lead one of these. All I'm doing is out here just getting guys that think they need to check boxes or they need to have all their stuff together to get into one of these. So I just grabbed a group of guys that I know. We talk about life. I said, well, why don't we talk about life and talk about how much Jesus and how much the faithfulness in your life and that side of it's gonna change everything, not just sitting here lamenting about life and talking about kids and talking about sports and all that. Um it was right about the time that I was kind of getting to know you and really diving into the line. Um, and then my wife's aunt is a huge impact in getting this started. Um, you know, Meg Meeker, she she does some podcasts and she does a couple things with with books, and she was super encouraging in the beginning. As, you know, because I I kind of told her, I said, you know, how do you even get to the point of having the podcast and the book? She said, You just have to start. She's she was super encouraging saying, grab guys and get them in a circle and start talking about life, and it's amazing. And um, you know, I really dove into that. Um it excites me. Um, it it it it actually led to me taking two steps back in work. Um, you know, I had I had really been driven by work. And like I said in the beginning, I was traveling all over the place. And, you know, for what it's worth when you travel, I I think in the line of business I'm in, if you're willing to travel, you get paid more. And that was exciting to me to make good money. And and I'll never forget, man. I was sitting at a steak dinner, and I'd been at you know, a hundred of these things, and I looked around this table and I thought, I don't really care about any one of these people. Like, I have family at home, I have guys at home, I'm missing Bible studies, I'm missing small groups because I'm traveling, missing sports, my wife is you know having a harder time when I'm gone. And so, you know, I started to get this itch, like, what is um what is my

Learning To Lead Without Knowing

Michael Dickson 14:40

priority here? Like, yeah, my kids are 11, 9, and 6 now. And everybody tells you it's a blink of an eye and they're gone. And I finally started to listen to that. And I thought, you know what, man, if this is my priority to be around these kids and and show them the leader and the man that I am, what am I doing in Houston? What am I doing in Chicago? I'd be in Philadelphia. My wife would ask me how the weather is in Houston. I'm like, I'm not in Houston. And I thought, man, this is crazy. What am I doing? So, so now I have a job, same line of same, same industry, same company. I've just taken two steps back to not travel. Um, you know, was lucky enough to have good relationships, and I'm in a role now where I have more of an impact at work. Um, I lead five teams of people, and you know, believe me, they know I'm a Christian. And I'll never I'll never forget one of the interviews you did was talking with somebody and said, How many people at work know you're a Christian? I know you're a Christian on Sundays, and I know your friends know, but do people at work know? And that that I'll bet you that was probably maybe one of the first three interviews I ever heard. Yeah, I'll never forget that. So I make it a point. Um, you know, that they need to know why. Why am I so calm when things are hitting the fan? Why am I so encouraging when there's so much negativity around at work? Well, it's because I'm not in control of any of this, and I'm here for a short amount of time and I'm here to make everybody happier. You know, I always I always lived life that um you have all these impacts, and people either walk away feeling better that you were part of it, not being impacted that you were part of it, or feeling more negative that you were a part of it. And I thought, well, that's an easy decision for me. If I'm gonna have an interaction with somebody, I'm gonna make sure they feel better about that interaction that day. And I'm fortunate enough that work that's a lot of people. Um but my priority is not work. It's my family, it's my faith. Um, and those are the things I leaned into, and hopefully that's gonna serve me well, uh, you know, as as my kids grow up and my marriage continues to to you know be fruitful from some of the focus and intentionality of it. But it's a daily thing, man. It's it's not these aren't decisions that you just make and then check the box. It's uh it's a grind, but I'd rather grind there than somewhere I don't really want to be, you know. That's right. That's right.

Chris Grainger 17:16

I mean you're and you're doing such a great job with this. I mean, looking back, you know, making that decision wasn't easy. Curious from from your wife, how what what did that look like having a conversation with her that, hey honey, we may not be living on the same budget that we were before, but here's the things that I'm recognizing that I want to course correct. How did that go conversation go with her?

Michael Dickson 17:44

Yeah, there was a lot of hesitation from her in the beginning, just you know, I I mean, I do more of the financial stuff at the house anyway, and sure, you know, but she was a little reluctant in the beginning, you know. Um I think that you know, that big of a change for her was was scary. Um, you know, and and I can joke that it might have been scary that I'd be around a lot more rather than being the traveling guy, but um no, I you know it it it took a lot of discussions, and I I said, I said the same thing I'm saying here. I said, look, I I'm I'm not going to be the dad and the husband that I want to be if three days a week I'm not where I want to be. I don't want to be other places and I don't want to be missing all this stuff. And she had the aspect of, well, man, great, I'll take the help because when you're gone, it's tough getting three kids everywhere they need to be. Um, and you know, I I think that again, everything that I talked about was just, you know, I I told her I I went for a job and didn't get it. And I said it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me because that was two things happened. One, that was going

Reordering Priorities Away From Travel

Michael Dickson 19:00

to be an escalated traveling job. Ah, even more doubling down.

Chris Grainger 19:04

Yeah.

Michael Dickson 19:05

And when I didn't get it, it was honestly the first time that I sat in my seat and said, God, I don't know what you're doing right now, but you really made me want that job. You really made me feel like it was mine for the taking. You really led me down this path, and now you yanked it out from under me. I was in the final two people. I was sure I was gonna get it. And I'm not kidding you, man. I'm sitting in the same seat right now. I I I got the news. I started to tear up and I pushed my chair back and I said, God, I don't know what you're doing, but I'm gonna give you full control. And it was honestly the first time I had just gotten through the book, anxious for nothing. I read that on the plane, and I said, All right, I said, I don't know what this is, man, but this hurts, but I'm gonna just hand it over to you. And in that testimony, I have told that a thousand times because when you hand it over to God, it's going to be okay. He's obviously got a plan, and it's harder to do than it is to say. But I had to do it because I was broke. I was, I was, I was disheveled that I didn't get this job. And I I was I was in a fine spot. Like the job I had was great. Everything was good. Kids are healthy, my wife, our rent, our marriage was phenomenal, everything was good. And so I just took a step back, and in that moment, I think changed everything for me because I dove into the job that I had, and then everything else has followed, followed suit. And that was the one time, and now I know how easy it is to hand it over to God. I saw the impact that it has, that how hard it was, but now it's a lot easier, man. When something comes up, I'm like, all right, dude, here we are again. Love you, man. Right. Take me wherever you're leading me and just take my whole heart with it, not half my heart. Don't leave me, a little bit of question, take it all. And I think that was that was a couple years later that I was having these conversations with my wife, and I said, Look, I'm giving this over to God. I said, I hope you are too. And we talked about it, prayed about it. Um and it worked out. I mean, I couldn't, I mean, I can't even tell you how happy I am. And, you know, where where where money was important, it's not. I tell everybody, I tell my friends I had that office space moment. I kicked my cubicle off and just said, here I am. You know, I I'm I'm happier than I've ever been. Um, because priorities are in order. And I think that's the biggest thing getting them in order, letting God take over, fully believing that He's taking over and fully believing that He's got my best interests. And he's gonna handle this and take care of us. Um but again, it's a long journey to get there, man. That's right. You gotta dig in, but you got the right support system, the right resources, just like this, man. I I I can't tell you how impactful this is. And and even if guys are out there that feel like you have to be on every SKO or you have to listen to every interview, but it's just it it's there when you need it, man. Go back that's the best part about it. It's recording. Go find the one you need, dig in when you can. Don't feel bad when you don't. Yeah, just use the things like this, man, because they have a they have a huge impact, whether you think it's immediate or not, you know.

Chris Grainger 22:49

Well, it's also just encouraging to think about the impact you've made for your children and what they're seeing as a as a priority to their to their dad. I mean, they're looking for you for direction, and and I just man, it's just so incredible. And every time I talk to you, you just got this joy about you, you just got this light about you, and it's just a it's the Holy Spirit, man. You're just a spirit-driven dude. And it's just we need more of that. There are too many people out there, man. They're they're spirit animals, Eeyore. And it's like, no, bro. Like, come on now. Like, you just, I don't know, you have a way of of bringing a light to a situation. So I that it doesn't matter like if you were traveling or like now you got this job where you you're able to have a more time at home, you're gonna be successful wherever you are. I'm just so I'm thankful that the spirit led you to this role because now you can just bloom where you're planning, baby, and you're doing such a great job, man.

Michael Dickson 23:41

Thanks, man. Yeah, yeah. It's just fun. I mean, you know, we're we're here a short time, and there's a lot of negativity. There's a lot of a lot of strings pulling you in the wrong directions. And uh, you know, I I've I've I've been in a season of life where I was getting pulled by him where it was tough, and and they're they're tough to not focus on when it's front and center. But uh you know, I was blessed with three kids and a wonderful wife that you know loves the flaws and loves the good parts about me. And yeah, you know, I I think that um you know, just just some of the life that I've gone through with some some close deaths of, you know, I mean, my my wife doesn't have either of her parents. Um, I don't have my mom. And um you know, her her great her her grandparents just recently passed away. Um and then friends who pass, you know, I'm 43 now and people are dying that are my age. I mean, you know, so so when you see how how fragile this life really is and how short of a time it truly is, you just have to reframe it, refocus, and just try and do the best you can while you're here, because you could be gone tomorrow. And I know it's cliche to say, but if you truly believe it and live it, I have no reason to be down because there's a lot of good. Go find it. 100%, brother.

Chris Grainger 25:12

Well, what would you say, Michael, to a guy who's listening and maybe they listened to the lion, maybe they found us on the Bible app, you know, or the different ways that we try to connect with guys these days, man. It's it's it's really it's it's multi-tentacle now. So maybe a guy he's found us somehow and he's heard us talk about you know the the lion's den or maybe even masterminds or things or live events and things like that, but he hasn't taken a step. What what would be your encouragement to that guy?

Michael Dickson 25:41

I mean, I I would tell you, don't try and figure it out. I would say just sign up for it, put the SKO on your calendar, put the interviews on your calendar on Wednesdays and on Fridays, dive into the fun Friday stuff and um dig in. If if if you have it on your heart that you want to be in a group, there's no better group than one of these Bible studies and masterminds because you you'll spend too much time trying to fit it in. If you just dive in, you know, first Bible study I dove into, I think I missed eight of ten. I told uh I told Adam, I said, yeah, I'm so sorry. At nine o'clock on a Saturday, I thought was gonna be awesome, but it it it didn't work. But you know what it did? It got me in. And it got me to meet some people, and we chatted on the side throughout the week. Um, and and I would just tell you stop trying to figure it all out. Just jump in two feet first. You'll start to dabble in little things that you know you you you you you want to be all in. If I I'm just an I'm an all or nothing guy, and that's yeah, that was the problem for me. Right. But I've picked up so much stuff, man, and and same same as you know when I'm when I'm trying to tell somebody to go all in for Christ, stop trying to figure it out, stop trying to check all the boxes, you're not gonna do it. Just start to get involved, get in, and you'll find what fits, you know? You'll find it Monday morning at 8 a.m. or or every morning at 8 a.m. when those SKOs kick off. Just get on them. You pick up a nugget that

Handing Control To God For Real

Michael Dickson 27:30

sails you through your day, and then you can't wait to get up the next morning, pour a cup of coffee, and log in again and get on the next one. There you go. And then it just starts to become contagious. Then you want more and you keep being hungry for more and more and more. And you you you have a different ear at church when you're involved in stuff outside of church. Um you have a different frame of mind at work when you start your day in the word. And it's just all those little things. All of a sudden you look back and you're like, dude, I didn't check any boxes and look at me now. Flying high, doing all this. So I tell you all, just jump right in, man. Whatever you can make, make whatever you can stop and listen to and read, just do it, and it'll start to impact your life. And I'd say biggest thing is just if you're struggling with something, struggling with trying to figure it out, just stop and say, God, take control of this and figure this out for me. And I bet you, I bet you it'll be really good for you. Amen.

Chris Grainger 28:30

Amen, bro. Man, this has been awesome, dude. I do, I knew it was gonna be a great one. I'm so thankful for you. And you're you're one of our founders. I mean, we have a small group of founders. You're one of the founders that's forever grateful for what you did. You believed in us, but we didn't even know what we were doing. We still don't know what we're doing, we're just doing more of it, you know. Hey, you're doing you're you're doing what I just said.

Michael Dickson 28:52

Just jump in and do it, man. Don't try and figure it out first. And look, it's amazing.

Chris Grainger 28:56

It's absolutely amazing to see these. Amen, brother. Which kind of is funny. Our book of the week this week is called Blind Faith. I mean, it was just hey, just seeing God through darkness. I mean, just gotta jump in, gotta go, man. It's an incredible book this week. And I do, since you're a dad, and I know you run these by your kids from time to time and your wife, I got a couple of dad jokes for you, Michael. So if you want to play, I'm gonna see which one lands for you, okay? All right, you got it. So the first one is if a pig loses his voice, does it become disgruntled? I don't know. That that one didn't land too good. All right, so that that that's that one. All right, now second one is uh what is a guitar player's favorite Italian food? Do you know? No. A strumboli. There you go. I like that one. All right, so Michael's going with it. I'll take B this week. There you go, there you go. The second option is up this week. All right, guys. So that's it. Number one and number two, if a pig loses his voice, does it become disgruntled? And what is a guitar player's favorite Italian food? That'd be a strum boley, fellas. So look, we we put these polls out every Friday in the Lion's Den, by the way, guys. So that's part of what we do. You can vote, you can see who votes wrong. So obviously, this week, anybody who doesn't vote for two, they wrong they're wrong. You know, that's okay. We won't we won't judge them, we won't judge them, we'll just pray for them, you know. But uh no, our question a week, guys, is what are you struggling to trust God's timing right now? So if you're if you're really struggling with God's timing and what's going on in your life, you need a place, you need an outlet. The lion is here for you. So, Michael, from the bottom of my heart, brother, thank you, thank you, thank you. Is there anything else you'd like to share before we finish up today?

Michael Dickson 30:38

No, man, I just want to thank you, dude. You you have uh just changed lives across the country here, man. And to see the growth of this, to see all the people that you're bringing into this is amazing. And I know you're the most humble guy in the world, and you'll never say it. So I'm gonna say it for you. There are a lot of guys out here that are doing things better in their lives because you started this. And all the guys out there, man, just keep diving in and telling all your buddies about it because I tell everybody that I can send the links, send the info, get them to be here. This is one of the best things that ever happened to me. And I was in the back of a minivan on a seven-hour trip. So it happens in the weirdest and wildest spots. But man, when it happens, dude, it's life-changing. And this has truly been the springboard for a lot of the faith I have and just the confidence to go out and talk to guys. Um, because I thought I had to have it all figured out. I thought I needed to be the most knowledgeable in the room. And uh the the little things

Jump In And Find Your Fit

Michael Dickson 31:40

that you put out there for us, man, give us the confidence uh to do that. And I'm not I'm not kidding, man. You you you don't have any idea how many lives you've changed with this. So keep it up. Thank you. Keep it up, man.

Chris Grainger 31:52

Man, you're too kind. You're too kind. God gets all the glory and thank you for all those kind words, brother. And what Michael just mentioned, fellas, the Daily SKO, Lion's Den Matchman, the LionWithin.us, like just go to the website straight up. Just go there. Or you can open up the Bible app. I mean, open, we're such a great partner with the Bible app. Search for the Lion Within Us, follow the page. You'll get updated when the plans come out, fellas. And we're I'm trying to write about two a month. Don't always get two a month, but that's that's the cadence that I'm really striving for. So if you want to be encouraged by the plans on the Bible app, we'd love for you to follow us there as well. Okay, so guys, the landwithin.us again, Michael, it's been it's always an honor, brother. So thank you one more time. And guys, give us a rating and review if you don't mind. Hang out with us at the landwithin.us and this weekend as you head into the weekend, just keep on leashing. Oh, one more thing. I almost forgot. I can't believe I almost forgot this. Guys, this is coming out uh the day this comes out. If you listen to this, okay, if you're listening to it at this point, then you're locked in. Next Friday, Michael and I will be together at the 1613 conference in Ohio. Okay, so fellas, when this is coming out on the 10th of July next Friday, he and I will be together with our brother Mitch. You guys have heard Mitch on the podcast as well before. So if you want to come see us, come hang out with us, come find our booth. We'll have you sit up there at the 1613 conference. Pastor Jovi's gonna be there slaying it like he always does. But uh come see us. We'd love to see you. Uh give you a hug, give you a handshake, fist bump, and uh put a smile on your face. So, guys, I almost forgot that. I'm so glad I didn't. So, anyway, that's it, fellas. Have a great day and just keep on leashing and lion within. It's time to stop battling pornography, lust, and temptation alone. We're done sitting on the sidelines, seeing shame win, and hearing from guys that are fighting private wars with no backup. So we decided it's time to fight back. We have our sexual integrity

Dad Jokes Question And Final Thanks

Chris Grainger 33:55

support group, which is a confidential space inside the lion's den for men who are ready to step into the light and pursue real freedom. This isn't just for guys in crisis, by the way. It's for any man who's tired of the cycle, who's tired of living in secret, who's tired of saying this is gonna be the last time. Look, most guys don't need another app or some rules. They need some brothers to come alongside them to say you're not the only one. This doesn't define you. And freedom is possible. So look, inside our group, you're gonna find a confidential, judgment-free forum to engage and ask questions. You'll have honest conversations without commendation, and you'll also have a monthly call with a trusted guide. So look, this isn't just about stopping pornography, it's about becoming a man of integrity, a man aligned, a man who lives in freedom, not secrecy. And you don't have to clean your stuff up first to come. You just have to step in. So our sexual integrity support group is found inside the Lion's Den. And you can start that today with a 30 day free trial. So if you're ready to stop fighting alone and need that extra support, start your 30 day free trial right now at thelionwithin.us. That's thhelionwithin.us, and step inside the lion's den.