This Week’s Quick Hits: 

Awesome Marriage Online Men’s Retreat

Guys, do not miss this: Faithfull, our first Online Men’s Retreat. One of the great things about this retreat is that you can watch the sessions on your own time whenever it works best for you. Our line up of great speakers includes Jeff Zaugg, Jim Burns, Rich Millentree, Larry Hagner, David Cherry, Greg Gunn, Colby Taylor, Dan Lugis, Demario Tucker and myself. These amazing speakers will challenge, teach, and equip you to take the next steps to becoming who God created you to be. It all begins on June 15th, but registration is open today. See you there!

Cyber Security

Cyber security continues to evolve. Much of that can be attributed to new threat after new threat. Hackers are not going away, in fact they are becoming more proficient. It is interesting that the need for cyber security jobs is growing faster than other tech jobs. It is predicted that by 2025, 60% of organizations will use cybersecurity risk as a primary factor in deciding whether to conduct third-party transactions and business transactions. It is a challenging field but offers very nice six figure incomes. The opportunities to work in this area seem almost endless. (Thanks to research done by Nikita Duggal)

Interesting true facts:

• Here’s an experiment you can test at home: Lemons float, but limes sink. (Limes are denser than lemons.)

• Samsung tests their new phone’s durability with a butt-shaped robot. Since people stash their phone in their back pockets, Samsung created a robot shaped like a butt to “sit” on their phones to make sure they can take the pressure. Believe it or not, the robot even wears jeans.

• Kleenex tissues were originally intended for gas masks. During World War I there was a cotton shortage. The Kimberly-Clark company developed a thin cotton substitute, which the Army tried to use as a gas mask filter. The war ended before the material was ready to be used, so the company redeveloped it as facial tissue.

One Tough Trivia Question:

Before the Beatles were formed, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George 

Harrison were originally members of which group? (Answer below.)

This Week’s Quote:

Steve Jobs founded Apple in 1976 and was forced out in 1985. He returned as CEO in 1997. It was not until 2007 that the iPhone was released.

“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” - Steve Jobs

“How to Develop a Healthy Parenting Perspective”

Awesome Marriage This Week: 

AM Podcast: “The Right & Wrong Ways To Apologize To Your Spouse”

As Lindsay and I continue our summer podcast break, we share some of our best and most popular podcasts from the past. Being able to apologize to your spouse will grow your marriage. Why do so many of us struggle with this? Join us as we look into this issue.

AM YouTube Channel: “Money Saved” 

Very few of us have enough money in savings. That can cause stress in a marriage. Having no emergency fund when there is an emergency will cause a problem. Where will the money come from? Join me on the AM YouTube Channel for this week’s video!

AM YouVersion Plan: “The Sandwich Generation” 

Research estimates nearly half of adults are assisting a parent AND raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child. If that’s you, welcome to the club. In this plan, we meet a couple with two children at home plus a parent living with them. They felt God leading them to open their home to Kimberly’s dad. We’ll look at the challenges and blessings of this decision.

Dr. Kim’s Insights: 

Do You Go Alone Or Do You Invite God?

I love the daily devotional “New Morning Mercies” by Paul David Tripp. I look forward to reading it each morning and have learned so much from it this year. I recently read this: “...independent strength is a delusion. This means that your weakness is not the great danger to you that you think it is. Rather, the great danger is your delusion of strength, because if you think you’re strong, then you don’t seek the help that you desperately need from the One who is the ultimate source of strength of every kind.” 

It wasn’t that I had not heard something similar to this before because I had. What concerned me was how often I leave God on the sidelines and quarterback my life alone. I have what I think is a great idea and run with it. I don’t consult God until I hit a snag or remember that I never sought God to see if this idea was on His agenda for me. The consequences have been great ideas that flopped. It's not that I do not know better, because I do. It’s that at times, I still believe it is all about me.  

Superman has been my favorite superhero since I was six years old. Now I am not blaming Superman for my independence. They are still my choices and my decisions. But I really identified with Superman and his strengths and abilities. I even took it so far that I jumped off the roof of our home thinking I really might be able to fly. I couldn't and learned a valuable lesson about gravity and sprained ankles. 

Honestly, I think most guys go through a stage of feeling invincible and that we can conquer anything. Some of us stay in that space longer than others and some of us, like me, keep going in and out of that delusion. Today’s Insights is as much for me as it is for you. I like to be independent. But I am learning that when I try to be independent from God, there are all kinds of problems I get myself into. 

Being independent with God at my side is different. In fact I think it is the absolute, best version of independence. Remember when we first meet David in the Bible? This young boy; small in stature, kills the biggest and baddest Philistine there ever was. Right before launching the stone that killed Goliath, David says these words, “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!” (Proverbs 17:45-47) David had confidence and independence with God at his side. 

Would David have been able to kill Goliath in his own strength? I don’t think so, but with God he did the impossible. David was an independent young man with God at his side. Being independent with God allows us to stand up to the forces of the enemy. It allows us to lead our families. It allows us to be confident in everything we do because we are seeking God and He will always be with us. 

As you go through today, will you go alone or will you invite God to go with you? I have tried it both ways and know that being independent with God always works and being independent without God never does. We have a choice every day. What will you choose? 

Next Steps:

• What is an area of exercising your independence where you usually leave God out?

• What does being independent with God mean to you?

• How will you put God first in your independence?

One Tough Trivia Question Answer:

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison were originally members of The Quarrymen!

*Some links are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Every dollar made goes directly to the ministry of Awesome Marriage to help couples build awesome marriages. We only promote products we truly recommend.

This Week’s Quick Hits:

Awesome Marriage Online Men’s Retreat

Guys, do not miss this: Faithfull, our first Online Men’s Retreat. One of the great things about this retreat is that you can watch the sessions on your own time whenever it works best for you. There are 10 amazing speakers that will challenge you, teach you, and equip you to take the next steps to becoming who God created you to be. It all begins on June 15th, but registration is open now. See you there!

The Fourth Industrial Revolution

According to a recent World Economic Forum report, by 2025 nearly a third of the most important skill sets will be technology skills that are not currently considered imperative. This includes biometric technology, advanced robotics, virtual and augmented reality and much more. The term “The Great Resignation” is a part of post-pandemic culture. It began with people quitting their jobs and just doing nothing. The shift now seems to be people quitting their jobs to accept better positions and enter new areas of expertise. It looks like those who are willing to develop some of these new skill sets will have a bright future for themselves and their families.

Interesting True Facts:

• No other month in the year begins on the same day of the week as June.

• June has both the longest and the shortest days of the year, depending on where you’re standing! If you live in the northern hemisphere, June 21st is the longest day of the year, while if you live in the southern hemisphere, it is the shortest.

• June has several food-related holidays: June 2nd is National Rocky Road Day, June 3rd is National Chocolate Macaroon Day, June 7th is Chocolate Ice Cream Day.

One Tough Trivia Question:

• Which bone are babies born without? (Answer below)

This Week’s Quote:

During his career, Theodore Seuss Geisel published over 60 books, which spawned numerous adaptations including 11 television specials, five feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss

“Money Mistakes Couples Make”

Awesome Marriage This Week:

AM Podcast: “Sex: Embracing the Differences”

As Lindsay and I continue our break to plan future podcast episodes, we continue with some of our best and most popular podcasts from the past. What are the main differences between men and women regarding sex? How can we embrace those in a way that gives us a healthy sex life in our marriage? Join us for this episode!

AM YouTube Channel: “Money Spent” 

I have never talked to a couple who regretted creating and following a budget. In fact, they say it is one of the best decisions they made as a couple. Why do so many couples refuse to take that step? Join me on the AM YouTube Channel for this week’s video!

AM YouVersion Plan: “Praying Over Your Home” 

What is the best thing you can do for your marriage? Prayer. God is the only one who can ultimately change your hearts and your marriage for the better. Inviting Him to do those things is the best thing you can do for your marriage. In this plan, we will pray over five areas of your home, inviting God’s presence into those places.

Dr. Kim’s Insights: 

Leadership and The Cafeteria Rebellion

This morning during my workout I listened to my friend Carey Nieuwhof’s interview with Mark Miller, vice president of High Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A. Carey asked Mark when he first realized he was a leader. Mark responded with a story. Here’s my paraphrase of his response.

“When I was 10 my baseball coach told me I was going to be the catcher. I knew nothing about being a catcher so I went to the school library and checked out a book by one of the greatest catchers of all time, Johnny Bench. In the book, I learned that the catcher had to be a leader. He was the only one who could see the whole field. It’s up to him to lead the other players.” That is exactly what Mark went on to do.

“If Carey aked me the same question,” I wondered, “how would I answer?” One story came to my mind. My elementary school included kindergarten through sixth grade. By my sixth grade year, I had earned many privileges. I had earned a gold badge; the top honor of the Junior Police at our school. I earned the right to be one of only two people in the entire school besides the principal to operate the school projector. (A great perk since it also got me out of class numerous times.) As the oldest grade in the school, we were constantly told that we were to be good examples for the younger students. 

Yet, my greatest accomplishment was not something that everyone celebrated. In my sixth grade year we had a new cafeteria lady. The previous cafeteria lady had retired. We all loved her and her food was amazing. The new lady not so much. As students we grumbled among ourselves. We talked to the principal. We circulated a petition expressing our displeasure with the food. All of this work and nothing changed.  

After we returned from Christmas break and were still being served mostly, in my opinion, inedible food, I had a brilliant idea. I was going to organize a strike against the cafeteria! My plan was to quietly spread the word that on Friday every student would bring their lunch and no one would eat the cafeteria food. Brilliant. Right? I was amazed at how the idea spread among the students like a wildfire. The sixth graders were all in as were the fourth and fifth graders. By Thursday all the students seemed to know the plan. There were even kindergarten kids jumping on the bandwagon. The amazing thing was that everyone kept it a secret from the teachers and school administrators. The other amazing thing is that not one parent stepped up to squelch the rebellion.  

Finally, Friday came and I stood outside the school that morning wearing my gold Junior Police badge and watching student after student walk into school with a lunchbox or a brown paper bag containing their lunch for that day. It took about an hour for our Principal to figure out who organized the strike and I soon found myself in his office. I knew he really liked me and usually encouraged me, but I had no idea what today would hold. 

I relayed the progression of events through the year and told him since no one was paying attention to us, we decided to strike. As a consequence for leading the rebellion, the Principal banned me from recess for a week and had me turn in my hard earned gold badge. (Years later, he admitted that he was amazed that I could start this movement and that the other kids quickly jumped on board!)

Today, it is an honor to lead Awesome Marriage. I can look back over my life and see how God gave me opportunities to lead and then equipped me to do all he set in front of me. He prepared me my entire life for the role He has me in today. As you look back through your life so far, what has God been preparing you for? I believe God has a purpose for each of us and uses our life experiences to grow us and prepare us for the roles He has for us. I challenge you to spend some time in reflection and prayer. Ask God what purpose He has for you at this stage of your life and thank Him for how He has prepared you for what He wants you to do.

Next Steps:

• Prayerfully look at your life and all God has done and is doing to prepare you for the role He had for you. 

• Seek God’s wisdom and guidance in carrying out your role.

One Tough Trivia Question Answer:

• The kneecap

This Week’s Quick Hits: 

Awesome Marriage Online Men’s Retreat

Don’t miss your chance to sign up for the Awesome Marriage Online Men’s Retreat for only $39 during Early Bird registration, which ends May 31. You will hear 10 great speakers along with next steps to help you continue to grow into the man that God created you to be. It is online so you can watch at the time and place that works best for you. Here is the link for Early Bird Registration! (Bonus: use discount code DRKIM10 for an even bigger discount.)

Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT is the technology trend of connecting through WiFi. It is the “Internet of Things.” The internet has connected us as people but IoT connects our devices, cars, appliances and of course, our phones. We can already do things like lock our doors remotely and track our fitness on wearable devices. The future promises that by 2030 there will be around 50 billion of these IoT devices creating a massive web of interconnected devices. I cannot even imagine all the new jobs and careers that will come out of this mind blowing technology.

Interesting true facts that you might not know:

• In 1862, the King of Siam offered Abraham Lincoln many elephants on the grounds that “a Country as great as the United States should not be without elephants.” Lincoln politely declined.

• In 2015, a silver coin with Superman on the head side was made, which is legal tender in Canada. There were only 350,000 produced.

• It took the creator of the Rubik’s Cube, Erno Rubik, one month to solve the cube after creating it. As of June 2018, the world record was 4.22 seconds.

One Tough Trivia Question:

What was the ice cream cone invented for? (Answer below)

This Week’s Quote:

Henry James was an American-born British author and lived from 1843-1916. Many consider him to be the greatest novelist in the English language. In 1915, a year before he died, James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

“Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.” - Henry James

“My Way Or the Highway”

Awesome Marriage This Week: 

AM Podcast: “Making Your Spouse Comfortable in the Bedroom”

As Lindsay and I continue our break to plan future podcast episodes, we continue with some of our best and most popular podcasts from the past. Join us in this R rated podcast as we talk  about helping our spouse feel comfortable with sex and intimacy in the bedroom from taking our clothes off and being vulnerable during foreplay, to sex  and orgasm. Great sex depends a lot on how comfortable your spouse is in the bedroom.

AM YouTube Channel: “Juggling the Books” Are you a spender or a saver when it comes to money?  What about your spouse? DId you talk about money before you got married? Did either of you “juggle the boots” to keep the other in the dark concerning  family finances. Join me on the AM YouTube Channel for this week’s video!

AM YouVersion Plan: “One Foot Out The Door'' This five-day plan is an opportunity for marriages in any season to reflect on how the conversations and relationships around them can give life or death to their marriage. It is specifically written for the spouse who finds themselves struggling, and with one foot out the door.

Dr. Kim’s Insights: 

Being Un-offensive in an Offensive World

In Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth over 2,000 years ago he said, “I have become all things to all people.” As I read that this week a lot of things went through my mind.**  Was Paul saying that wherever he went, he compromised his beliefs for the people there? Was he saying that living a secular life, rather than a Christian life was okay? Is he telling us that when we are at church or around Christian people to act like a Christian and when we are around people who are not Christians we can act however we want? 

I believe the answer to each of these questions is “no.” So what does Paul mean? Here is my take.

Paul had a big job. He was to spread the gospel. He was to tell people about Jesus. He spoke to Romans, Greekls, Jewish leaders, and more. The message he was spreading was a threat to many people and a threat to their way of life. Paul had to figure out how to get the attention of the people in each of these different situations. 

For example, when he went to Rome, he mentioned that he was a Roman citizen, which not only kept him from being punished but gave him credibility. In Greece, he connected with the people by talking about their various gods and then telling them about the “Unknown God,” meaning our God. Among the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, he gained respect by pointing out his high level of education. For Paul, “being all things to all people” was his way of being a student of the people, connecting with them, and opening the door to the message God gave him to tell. 

Today in the United States, we have many different people with many different beliefs and ideas.  We are polarized in many ways. Our differences are more apparent than ever and that has led us to division. Differences are fine. People will always have differences and we need to be able to discuss them and understand each other. Division is a whole different story and we are seeing how destructive it can be. The question I have been thinking about is, “What would Paul do?” I think he would continue to do today what he did then, “become all things to all people.”  He would listen well to all people and value them as humans. He would be kind to all people. He would be sensitive to the different cultures and try to understand them. He would love like Jesus did. 

Becoming “all things to all people'' requires us to set aside our pride, to be humble, to be willing to let go of “our rights,” to meet people where they are, and most of all to do whatever Jesus asks us to do. It is a tall order but try looking at it this way.  What we are doing now is not working. So, why not give it a go?

Next Steps:

Take Paul’s words “I have become all things to all people” and lay that template over your marriage, your friends, and those that are difficult for you to understand.

One Tough Trivia Question Answer:

To hold flowers. A woman visiting the St. Louis Fair in July 1904 was given a bunch of flowers and an ice cream sandwich. She rolled the wafers of the ice cream sandwich into two cones: one to hold the flowers and one to hold the ice cream!

** Thanks to “Got Questions” for great information on this topic and to Andy Stanley for sparking my interest in this topic.