Are you tired of navigating life's storms without a compass? Picture this: You're out at sea, the waves are crashing, and your ship is taking on water. But you're not afraid. Why? Because you've got the greatest secret weapon of all - faith in God and His word. This episode is a compass for your storm, guiding you towards faith and love. I share some of my personal experiences, discuss the timeless messages of the Bible, and explore the evolving roles of modern spiritual leaders.
Join me as we dissect faith, love, and forgiveness, and how these principles can help you navigate the journey of life. My hope is that you walk away with a fresh perspective, a renewed faith, and that in your toughest moments, you remember this conversation as it guides you towards the light.
Follow on Instagram & Facebook: @AndyBHoward
Buy the book on Amazon: www.amazon.com/When-Words-Dont-Come-Easy/dp/1955362084
Listen to the first chapter: soundcloud.com/andy-howard-788712319
Learn more at AndyHoward.com!
Are you tired of navigating life's storms without a compass? Picture this: You're out at sea, the waves are crashing, and your ship is taking on water. But you're not afraid. Why? Because you've got the greatest secret weapon of all - faith in God and His word. This episode is a compass for your storm, guiding you towards faith and love. I share some of my personal experiences, discuss the timeless messages of the Bible, and explore the evolving roles of modern spiritual leaders.
Join me as we dissect faith, love, and forgiveness, and how these principles can help you navigate the journey of life. My hope is that you walk away with a fresh perspective, a renewed faith, and that in your toughest moments, you remember this conversation as it guides you towards the light.
Follow on Instagram & Facebook: @AndyBHoward
Buy the book on Amazon: www.amazon.com/When-Words-Dont-Come-Easy/dp/1955362084
Listen to the first chapter: soundcloud.com/andy-howard-788712319
Learn more at AndyHoward.com!
What's up, my friends? I am back and we got a brand new edition of the when words don't come easy podcast coming up soon. Today, I am going to talk about the greatest, the greatest secret weapon you could ever have in your life. The greatest secret weapon I can't tell you now. You have to stick around to find it but it's something that Everybody can use and it's something that everybody can take advantage of. And it's absolutely Free. You have it with you right now. You don't even know you don't even know that how powerful it is, and you have it right now, and it's something we need to use, or we need to use a lot more. So if you want to find out more, you got to stick around after this. Welcome to the when words don't come easy podcast.
Speaker 1:My name is Amy Howard. Let me just say I'm so excited you join me Whether you're a long, long-time listener or someone who's been sticking around this journey for the whole year that the podcast has been out. That's so cool. We made it to one here. Maybe this is your first time. Maybe somebody loved you enough to send you this particular episode. Well, so cool. Thanks for thanks for joining in. I hope you'll stick around and just Be encouraged.
Speaker 1:This podcast is about hope. That's the bottom line. It's about hope, it's about encouragement and I hope you feel that Most of all, hope you feel loved, hope you feel valued, hope you feel important because you are, and this podcast is, it's a tool to get out God's love and just let people know that they're valued in that, no matter what you're facing. My story comes from a story of Depression and and brokenness and how God is redeemed, that he's turned it around. But I don't know what yours is. But I hope you do feel encouraged today and I hope you know that you are loved.
Speaker 1:I was reflecting this week. My daughter is in the hospital and if you've read the book free plug For when words don't come easy, it came out a year ago and I'm so grateful for it and for everything and all the doors it's open for me to share. To share a patent story. That's what it's all about. To share a patent story and the faithfulness of God and man. So many doors have opened. I've gotten to speak at conferences and Churches and youth camps and youth youth conventions and just really podcast all over the world. God is using her story. I'm so grateful for it and Even this week, I was reminded, did just at a hard time for us Can just be real with you, a very hard time.
Speaker 1:In fact. You may be facing a storm, you may be facing something very hard, and that's what this love, this I'm just gonna say lesson I was reminded of. A friend Used to drive me nuts Would always tell me when I would say you know I'm going through this, you know this is happening, this, this, this is happening. I am facing this and a bc, whatever. And he would just start laughing and Say that's wonderful, andy, that's wonderful.
Speaker 1:And every time I just like wanted to Tose something at him, most times included a fist. I'm totally kidding. Never wanted to punch him, but I was like how can you start? Are you not listening to me as I pour my heart out to you? Are you not listening? Do you care? And he said that's beautiful, andy. Don't you see the lesson that God is teaching you through this? Don't you know how many other people may be facing this exact same thing right now? And it finally hit me.
Speaker 1:Yet it's not about me. There are so many lessons in life that we learned so that we can pass on the others and make, make it just a little bit easier. We're all on a journey, right, we are on this journey in each day. Each day we get a little bit further away, each day it gets a little bit harder, and I want to be very careful with what I'm saying here. It's because each day we're one day further away from when Jesus last lived on earth here, kind of like the telephone game. Over 2,000 years y'all this message has been going forward, but each time I think it gets a little more watered down that may not be the right word A little more confusing, just because the translation is like the telephone game. When you know, back when you were in kindergarten I don't know if you guys ever played that and they would whisper to the person on the right, and by the time it goes around the whole circle, the message changes completely. This message is a state intact. In fact, the Bible is still the number one bestseller out there, right after thousands of years, of all the books and all the other things. Because his word, his word never changes, his word never becomes void and I do believe with all my heart that the Lord, it's God-breed that's inspired and he has protected that. But what I'm saying with changes is, for instance, for example, I remember when I was a kid watching my mom and dad, my pastors.
Speaker 1:I'm a preacher's kid and I went to their church and they were the greatest. They were the greatest examples of what a pastor should look like, which almost made it hard to go out and find. Once I left home to find other pastors once we moved, you know areas and other things oh, wow, I didn't see that coming right. It's almost different now because I had that, what I would consider a perfect role model, what I thought a pastor was Nowadays. Some guys I'm 44 years old young man, I know I lived a few years, but nowadays it almost seems like that title of what a pastor is because man, my mom and dad were amazing and the pastors in our, our communities were all heroes I looked up to and just amazing men and women of faith and just not saying everybody was perfect. Nope, nobody decided heaven is perfect, but they all I don't know just the way their pursuit of the Lord was amazing, and nowadays it seems like anybody can wear the title pastor and so you have to be very, very careful is what I'm saying who you listen to and who you put your faith in so one, get it straight from the source, get into the word of God, get it, learn it, get it, get a heart for pursuing what, what Jesus spoke and what the Bible says.
Speaker 1:And that does not mean ignore all pastors, no, find you a good church, be, use your discernment. God has placed it inside you to follow the right people. If they're not pushing you closer to Jesus, if they're not teaching you from the word, find another church. Find the right fit for you, because you need a good, good church, bible-based church, in surrounding people in your life that are gonna help you get through this hard journey. That was free. That's not even what I was supposed to talk about. I think I just squirreled for a good five, 10 minutes.
Speaker 1:What I wanted to talk about is love Peyton has shown me, because she is going through one of, again, one of her biggest trials and she's at Children's Medical in Dallas right now facing a very scary condition and it's hard y'all. It is so hard watching her go through these things and every single time she has a procedure and I have to sign a waiver and they say you realize this and we have to tell you this. I'm sorry this, this. This could happen, but don't, don't worry, we don't. We don't see this happening, you know, but it could happen and it's just it reminds me of how scary and fragile life is. But then I look at her and she's just laughing and smiling and happy, and it reminded me that we should do everything in love, the greatest two commandments of the Bible. Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Love him with everything you have. Number two love your neighbors as yourself, and what's going to happen, no matter what. And that's the secret sauce, if you were looking for it from the teaser in the beginning of the podcast, that's it, man. Lead with love. Don't don't look for people. Don't look for uh, I don't know money, uh, goals, titles, any of that stuff. Lead with love and love covers Like you can do everything completely wrong, like by the, by the book, like I don't know what, whatever it is you're doing, if you're a leader and you're trying to lead your team and you're trying to be the perfect leader and you're like well, I went to the seminar and they taught me here this that was my nerdy voice, I don't know why I try to do that.
Speaker 1:Anyways, you go and you learn how to do something. You learn how to lead a team. If all else fails, lead with love, man. If they fill your heart in your love, they will connect with you. No matter, you have to have a little bit of common sense. Obviously you have to have a little bit of knowledge about whatever you're talking about, but they don't care if you get a, b or c wrong. If you're doing it with the right motives and you're loving people. That's where people connect with you. So if you need to lead, lead with love.
Speaker 1:And what I'm seeing so much happen is so much just division is happening, and it reminds me of John 10, 10 man, the thief comes to and I use this so much that you're probably tired of here in this verse. But this day and age I see it all around me that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I mean, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come that you can have life and have it to the fullest. What greater teaching do we need in this day and age? I look around and I see division coming at us, like left and right. Everywhere. The church is trying to be divided. Our, our country is trying to be divided, politics are being divided, everything it is cause. With division comes just this root for, for hatred. Really, that's what division is? It's hatred. We can't agree.
Speaker 1:So let's move on, let's go our way, let's do our thing. When, if we did everything in love, it would be so much easier not easier, that's the wrong word, sorry, wrong word. If, if anything, we're guaranteed in life, we're guaranteed heartaches and problems Sorry, problems. If you follow Jesus, you're guaranteed hard times. In fact, that's that's what it's Bible says. You can look it up. You will have hard times, you will face trials. It doesn't get easier just because you accept Christ. All it does is is it gives you somebody to take your problems to, and someone who's promised you he'll never leave you, he'll never forsake you. So here's my, my big for you today is that you will lead with love. Uh, that you will use forgiveness. Yes, it's so much more fun when someone wrongs you to even do this.
Speaker 1:Or is it just me? It's probably just me, hypothetically. Somebody wrongs you and you play it all out in your mind and it usually ends with you punching them in the face, totally kidding, kinda. Um, of course, I don't act on any of those things all the time I have. I can be a hundred percent honest with you. I always have.
Speaker 1:If you've read the book, you know I'm. I'm nothing if not raw and authentic. I try to be very vulnerable with with my whole life. I I try my best to lay it out there for you. I really do so. There have been times where I already said this. I wish I could have do overs nine times out of 10. It's always the people closest to me too. They get burned the worst, they get hurt the worst, and I am still learning. I already told you, 44 years old is still learning.
Speaker 1:So that's why I want to tell you this today, and don't a little extra helping of love on anything that you're doing. It makes everything, makes everything yeah, I'm so dry, please forgive me. It makes everything, everything better. It's everything, so, so much easier. Whether you have to give it doesn't mean you you don't ever have to like every good leader has to give some some hard news. Sometimes, if somebody is not doing their part you are running a business and they're not doing their part. It doesn't mean you just ignore what they're doing and you don't confront them on that. However, you can still teach. You can still help in a manner that's uh, that's cope with love, that's covered with love. Um, makes it easier to go down, easier to to re receive and to hear when it comes from a place of love rather than a look at me, I know it all and you need to learn from me. And so back to that other point forgive, like when, when the world is teaching division, division, division.
Speaker 1:Don't hold on to grudges when life is too short. That's what I was reminded of this week with with my baby girl. We don't know how long we have with her, we don't. That's just the truth, but every day I want to cherish it because life is short, and I hope you would do that too. I hope you will live every day with, with love that you would.
Speaker 1:The secret weapon will be that you will love people more than they deserve, that you will forgive people more than they deserve, cause the truth is, uh, I don't deserve to be loved or forgiven. You know, the Bible says even though, even when, even when we were still sinners, god's greatest example of love he gave his son. Even when we were still sinners, he gave his son to die for us so that we could have life and have it ever lasting. What an example. So, even when I have screwed up, even when I have felt they still love me, what if you looked through the lens of love, when you don't see your friend or your co-worker, or your business partner or your spouse? This works with every single relationship. You guys, you don't see them, uh, through a lens of hatred or bitterness, but you will forgive them, or that you will work with them, that you will see them through the lens of love, because here's what, uh, here's what forgiveness does, and I'm going to leave you with this. So this can be a shorter podcast than normal, but I'll leave you with this. This is what forgiveness does.
Speaker 1:Forgiveness is for you. It's not for the person who has wronged you, it's for you, cause, nine times out of 10, that person, they come, do a drive by, they hurt you, whatever. Maybe it's valid hurt, maybe you are a hundred percent innocent, and most times it's true that there are hurting people out there that just that just hurt people. So sometimes you catch a stray bullet just because someone is hurt and it hurts. You guys, it's not easy. Take it to God, give them, see them through the lens of love and try to slowly.
Speaker 1:If you will do this, I promise you, if you will do this, one person at a time, just in your little circle, your little circle will connect with all the people in your circle. Their circles will start. You will start seeing this thing spread like an outbreak, like a virus. Right, when we live with love, when we lead with love and this world needs love so bad. So I hope what I've tried to convey today has made sense and my prayer for you today is that you will, that you will lead with love. God bless you guys.
Speaker 1:Hey, I hope that was a blessing to you and if it was, we please share it with somebody. And here's my big ask for the day Will you give me a five star review on this podcast, if it's been a blessing to you? The more five star reviews I can get, the more people will see it and the more people it will help. Also, if you haven't got the book yet, you can get that at AndyHowardcom. It's available on Amazon as well. I will even read it for you on Audible and it's available on Kindle. But you can get it on Amazon Kindle, but you can get all that information. And if you would be willing or interested in having me come speak at your group at your event. I would love to connect with you. You can find out more information there at AndyHowardcom. But again, please know that it's all about love. It's all about going forward.
Speaker 1:If you'd like to hear more on this chapter, the book goes into a deeper, deeper conversation about that. It's called when Words Don't Come Easy, and I pray it's a blessing to you. God bless everybody. Thanks so much for tuning in. If this episode helped you in any way, it would mean the world to me If you would leave a review and share it with somebody else. Thanks so much. I'll catch you next time.