This Week’s Quick Hits: 

This Week’s Quote:

Superman has been my favorite superhero my entire life, from George Reeves to Christopher Reeve, to Brandon Routh to Henry Cavill. Then there are the early ones such as Bud Collier and Kirk Alyn. My two favorites were George Reeves and Christopher Reeve. Over the years Superman has had some great quotes. Here are a few of my favorites.

• “No matter where you go in life there’s always going to be the one person that wants to bring you down, so stay strong and face your problems instead of running away.”

• “With great power comes great responsibility.” 

•  “Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first, the trust part comes later.”

• “What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that’s how I approached the part.” – Christopher Reeve

Here are 3 iPhone Trivia Questions:

1. Which iPhone is the best selling model of all time?

2. The first iPhone was not made by Apple.  Who made it?

3. What was Apple’s first cell phone called?

Did You Know?:

Did you know the Philadelphia Eagles' stadium once had a courtroom?

Veterans Stadium, where the Philadelphia Eagles once played, had a stadium courtroom and jail to handle the team's notoriously rowdy fans.

Using Social Media to Care and Build Trust

Awesome Marriage This Week: 

AM Podcast: Healthy Self / Healthy Marriage: Mind Your Marriage | Ep. 522

Our mental health impacts every part of life, so it’s no surprise it matters in marriage. Often we don’t tend to our mental health unless it is screaming out for our attention. But wherever you are today, we believe God desires for you to thrive in mental health. 

AM YouTube Channel: Steps to Deeper Communication In Marriage

Communication can connect us in amazing ways as husband and wife. It does not have to be complicated. Let’s look at some simple steps to make that happen.

AM YouVersion Plan: Fighting For Your Marriage

Join me in this five-day plan as we look into what it means for a couple to fight together for their marriage.

Dr. Kim’s Insights: 

As I take time off from writing during the month of August, I want to share some of my favorite Insights and Blogs from the past 12 years.  Enjoy!

I counseled a man in his mid-20s who had recently met a girl he was head over heels in love with. She had everything that he had ever dreamed of in a woman to spend the rest of his life with. There was only one problem, but it was huge! He had been wearing a mask since the day they met. He wanted to be who she wanted him to be instead of being himself. Now he was afraid to show her his real self. What if she did not like that person? His fear was that if he did not continue to wear his mask the relationship would end. 

When I was a junior in high school, my youth group performed a skit called “Masks.” Today masks are an everyday part of our lives. But the masks in this skit were very different. These were the kind that people wear to protect themselves or to hide. 

The skit’s dialogue haunted me. What masks did I wear? Who was I really? Was I who everyone at church saw me as? Or was I the guy who liked to party on Friday and Saturday night? Did my mask protect me or just let me pretend to be someone that I was not? It was such a simple skit but I remember it like it was last Sunday.  

Throughout my life there have been times I have put on a mask. Maybe it was to impress someone or to keep someone else from seeing the real me. Whatever the reasons were, none of them were healthy. What about you? What masks have you worn? Why did you wear them? What if you had not worn them?  

We wear masks because being vulnerable and transparent can be scary. With a mask, if someone does not like us, it is the mask they do not like and we can just change masks. If we are our real self and are vulnerable and transparent and they do not like us, that’s all we have. Yet that is exactly God’s plan. His plan is for each of us to be who He created us to be. 

Remember Genesis chapter 2? Remember Adam and Eve? Remember “naked and unashamed?” Being yourself and growing in your relationship with God is the perfect plan. What if you throw away your masks and let people see the real you? When you do that, I believe your relationships will be more genuine and much healthier and you will feel like the weight of the world was just lifted from your shoulders. 

Next Steps: 

• What is one mask that you are wearing now? Why?

• Will you take the risk today and throw that mask away forever?

iPhone Trivia Answers:

1. The iPhone 6 is Apple’s biggest selling iPhone of all time.

Since debuting in 2014, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have sold upward of 222 million handsets combined. Of the two, the iPhone 6 has sold more.

1. Apple registered the iphone.org web address in December 1999. But even that wasn’t early enough. Cisco had been using the name “iPhone” for its dual-mode cordless VoIP network phones since 1998.

In the end, Apple came to a (kinda, sorta) agreement with Cisco to use the iPhone name. And the iOS name, too. The deal certainly favored Apple more than it did Cisco.

1. The Rokr E1 was the first Apple-sanctioned cellphone. It wasn’t good.

Launched in September 2005 — two years before the first-generation iPhone — Apple and Motorola’s Rokr E1 was the first Apple-sanctioned cellphone to run iTunes.

This Week’s Quick Hits: 

This Week’s Quote:

Willie Nelson was born on April 29, 1933 during the Great Depression in Abbott, Texas and was raised by his grandparents. While still in high school, he sang and played guitar in The Texans, a band formed by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher. Willie is widely recognized as an American icon and one of my all time favorites. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 1915 he won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.

Willie has so many great quotes. Here are three of my favorites:

• Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.

• Be gentle with your words - you can't take them back.

• If you really want to get along with somebody, let them be themselves.

Let’s Look at  2000s Trivia Today:

1. Window XP was released in which year?

2. Which 2000 film gave thrice-nominated Aussie star Russell Crowe his first Best Actor Oscar?

3. Avatar is one of the highest grossing films of the 21st century. Who directed it?

4. In 2006, an album released in 1990 was still the top selling rap album of all-time. Who was it by?

5. In 2006, an album released in 1990 was still the top selling rap album of all-time. Who was it by?

Did You Know?

Did you know the official bird of Redondo Beach, California, is the Goodyear Blimp?

In 1983, the coastal city made the Goodyear Blimp their official city bird in anticipation of the 1984 summer Olympics. They even presented a plaque to a team from Goodyear Airship Operations to help celebrate the decision!

Your Thought Life and Your Marriage

Awesome Marriage This Week: 

AM Podcast: Healthy Self / Healthy Marriage: Emotional / Spiritual Health  Ep. 521

Spiritual and emotional health are really hard to separate - our emotional health or lack thereof impacts our spiritual health. If we aren’t in tune with our own heart, it will be really hard to let God go to work in our heart. How do we do this? Don’t miss this week’s podcast!

AM YouTube Channel: Creative Ways to Get Quality Time With Your Spouse

Deeper conversations seem to scare most men but learning great communication with your spouse is something she desires. Finding your touch points can help you make this connection.

AM YouVersion Plan: Three Questions For Wives

In this plan Awesome Marriage’s Content Director Lindsay Few asks you three important questions about being a wife and shares three practical ways to be an awesome one.

Dr. Kim’s Insights:  

The Enemy Tells Us Illicit Sex Is More fun. It Isn't. 

As I take time off from writing during the month of August, I want to share some of my favorite Insights and Blogs from the past 12 years. Enjoy!

“Your spring water is for you and you only, not to be passed around among strangers. Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man! Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose — don’t ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted! Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore? for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5:17-20‬ ‭MSG‬‬

King Solomon uses a fountain in this passage and in the book Song of Solomon when he refers to a woman’s sexuality. The first part of this passage paints a picture of sex in marriage. As a husband to Nancy, our sexual relationship is designed to be exclusive between the two of us. I am her warrior. I am there to protect her from harm and from others. It’s a role that I cherish.  King Solomon takes a no holds barred approach as he counsels men to enjoy our own wife’s beauty. She is as lovely as an angel and as beautiful as a rose, and to delight in our own wife is a life-long gift that we should never take for granted.   

Most scholars feel Solomon wrote this passage when he was middle aged. He wrote Song of Solomon as a young man, and that is reflected in his descriptions of pursuing his future wife and then embracing their sexual relationship in marriage. Here in Proverbs, Solomon seems to be passing on some of the wisdom he has gained over the years. It’s a 50-word textbook on sex in marriage. Solomon probably had more opportunities to talk to, learn from and understand women than any man who ever lived: Over the course of his life he had 300 wives and 900 concubines. That is a lot of women! Yet, in this passage, he shares his dream for one wife to be cherished for a lifetime.  

The last part of this verse affirms the reality that men can make stupid, impulsive decisions sexually that train Solomon’s wise counsel. Apparently, men have been trading the enduring intimacies of marriage for illicit sex for thousands of years. Which raises the question I ask every time I hear about a man having an affair. Why? Why would anyone trade sex as God designed it for sex the enemy throws in front of us? I think it's because we believe the lies of the enemy who tells us that this illicit sex will be more fun, more fufilling, more exciting and any of the myriad of “more” lies that he throws at us. The bottom line is that it isn't. No one is or ever has been designed to fulfill your sexual desires and needs like your wife. God designed her perfectly for you. Period.

So what do we do with this verse? First we all have to admit that we have vulnerabilities. If we don’t admit that, we let our guard down and we become a target with a flashing neon light on it. Second, we take any sexual option but our wife off the table forever! Finally, we write these 50 words from King Solomon on our hearts, and ask God’s help to live it out every day. Not only will you avoid the train wreck but you will be flying high with the angel God gave to you in marriage.

Next Steps: 

• How does ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5:17-20‬ ‭apply to your life?

• What are your vulnerabilities?

• What will you do to protect your marriage?

2000’2 Trivia Answers

1. 2001

2. Gladiator

3. James Csameron

4. M.C. Hammer

5. Blondie

This Week’s Quick Hits: 

This Week’s Quote:

Neil Armstrong was born on August 5,1930. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and as a  test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station with more than 900 flights during his career. He was the first astronaut to fly in space in 1966. In 1969, he was the first man to walk on the moon and was joined by Buzz Aldrin as they spent two and a half hours exploring the moon's surface. 

His most famous quote is, “This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

My favorite Neil Armstrong quote is, “It's a great thing for a man to walk on the moon. But it's a greater thing for God to walk on the earth.

True or False:

Here are five very random True or False questions.  The answers and more are below. 

1. Peanuts are not nuts!

2. The Big Apple is a nickname given to Washington D.C in 1971.

3. There is no snow on Minecraft.

4. The Mona Liza was stolen from the Louvre in 1911.

5. Light travels in a straight line.

Did You Know?:

Did you know the average U.S. household has 300,000 things in it?

According to recent reports, the average U.S. house has around 300,000 things in it. That is hard to get my mind around and I am not going to spend the weekend counting but it does make me stop and think. Are there things that I can get rid of? Maybe a shirt that I have not worn for five years or a technology item I had to have that I have only used twice in three years. What if I donated these and other things to someone or some organization that could really put them to good use? 

Awesome Marriage This Week: 

AM Podcast: Healthy Self / Healthy Marriage:  Why Does Physical Health Matter for Marriage?  Ep. 520 

Physical health is not about what size clothes you wear. It is about doing everything you can to be healthy and thus live a longer, healthier life with your spouse. Join Lindsay and me as we discuss this timely issue.

Sneak Preview here!

AM YouTube Channel: One Great Way For A Couple to End Their Day

We talk a lot about getting your day off to a great start but what about how you end your day? Does that make a difference in your marriage? If it does, how is the best way to do that? 

Sneak Preview here!

AM YouVersion Plan: 6 Prayers for Engaged Couples

What one thing makes the most difference in a marriage? Consistently praying together. Over our 52 years of marriage, Nancy and I have consistently prayed together, and it has made all the difference. This plan gives you simple prayers to pray together with your soon-to-be spouse, and helps you begin the habit of praying together. You’ll be amazed how God shows up! 

Dr. Kim’s Insights:

The Two-Fold Solution For Dealing with A Difficult Person

As I take time off from writing during the month of August, I want to share some of my favorite Insights and Blogs from the past 12 years. Enjoy!

Do you have a difficult person - or difficult people - in your life? Is that difficult person ever your spouse? 

If I am being honest, I can be the difficult person in my marriage. I can be short. I can be distant and unfocused. I can want alone time when Nancy wants quality time with me. I can also think at times that she is difficult. She can shut me out. She can give me her opinion when I have not asked for it. She, too, can be distant.  

If I were to ask your spouse if you are ever a difficult person, what would they say? What examples would they use to back this up? How would you answer this question if your spouse asked?  

At times all of us can be difficult. So what do we do about it? In our marriages, I think that there is only one answer. We must choose not to take it personally and refuse to be offended. Proverbs 19:11 in the Message says, “Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.” Look at the wisdom in those 15 words. If I am being difficult and Nancy says nothing, but instead she thinks, “he must have a lot on his mind,” or “I bet he has had a rough day,” then she can put it in perspective and not react negatively. The same would be true for me if she were being difficult. 

The solution is two-fold. First, hold your tongue. That way you say nothing that you may later regret. Second, do not take it personally. Refuse to be offended, forgive, and move on. It sounds simple but I know it can be difficult. Yet, when you choose that path, you win, your marriage wins, and it gives your spouse time to work through whatever is bothering them. It’s another thing you do that will give you an Awesome Marriage.

Next Steps: 

• When do you think that you are difficult in your marriage?

• When do you think your spouse is difficult?

• How can you apply Proverbs 19:11 in your marriage?

True / False Answers

1. True: Peanuts are legumes like lentils and peas. 

2. False: The name refers to New York City. It originated in the 1920s when John Fitz Gerald started a horse racing column called “Around the Big Apple.” 

3. False: Snow was added to Minecraft in 2010. It generates naturally in rare ice plains, spikes, and biomes.

4. True: It was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia who had worked at the Museum. The masterpiece was recovered two years later.

5. True: Light travels in a straight line until it meets an obstacle that can influence its angle.