PointTaken

Today we're bringing you part two of our series "How to Make Decisions and Never Look Back." After the show, check out our new video content on the FBMMedia YouTube Channel.

Happy New Year, PointTaken family! We have several updates in today's show. There are a lot of new things we're planning for 2022.  Check out the new FBMMedia YouTube Channel. We'll be posting video from the past few months there on an ongoing basis. 

Merry Christmas, PointTaken family! Today, Tom share's a short excerpt from Max Lucado's book, "God Came Near." After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Today Tom and Matt discuss the most influential characters of Christmas and the impact they've had upon their spiritual development.

Christmas is about God becoming a man to rescue us from our sin and rebellion. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone." —Isaiah 9:2 ESV

For some, the Christmas season can be full of stress and pain. Today Tom disucsses how to naviagte suffering during the holidays in order to reach a place of hope.

In this week's episode, Tom provides some practical ways we can further lean into gratitude this Thanksgiving holiday.

This week, Tom discusses the important things leaders must do to gain credibility with the teams they lead.

We tend to lead scattered lives burdened by many urgent things that clamor for our attention to our day to day commitments. Today, Tom gives us direction on how to lift our heads above the chaos to regain our perspective on one thing. After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Today Tom discusses the reality of faith in our lives and shows how it permeates every aspect of our living.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Is there a way to redeem the observance of Halloween? As Christians, we should constantly strive to bring the culture of God's Kingdom to every platform we're given. Halloween is no different, and there are practical things you can do on this holiday to communicate the sweetness of Jesus to your neighbors.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Where do you turn when the stressers of life press in from every side? Today, Tom encourages us to find comfort in God's word. He has asked us to take on His yoke, and in return He promises rest.

How you do anything is how you do everything. Today, Tom and Matt sit down to talk about how to pursue excellence in all areas of life.

This week, Tom and Matt discuss two important stages of parenthood. Every parent should embrace each stage, but it's important they come in the correct order. After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review

Today, Tom and Matt review Skye Jethani's book on the Sermon on the Mount called, "What if Jesus was Serious?" After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Today we end our 3-part series on emotions by discussing the often hidden emotion of jealousy. After the show, please consider leaving us a rating and review on the podcasting platform of your choice.

Last week we started a new series called Emotions by discussing the unhealthy role fear plays in our decision making. This week we turn our attention to anger and look at how destructive this emotion can be when expressed outside the bounds of Godly wisdom. The video for this show is not yet available; however, check back here soon to find the link!

This week Tom and Matt start at 3-part series on emotions by discussing the emotion of fear. After the show, please consider leaving us a rating and review on the podcasting platform of your choice. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a review on Stitcher

Today, Tom provides 4 facts that should shape our perspective on work: Your work is to be viewed as a gift. Your work and your worth are not the same. Your work is a platform to honor God. Your relationships are more important than your work.

In today's show, we're discussing the topic of fatherhood. Throughout our conversation, Tom provides three ways fathers can make a legacy-sized impact in the lives of their kids.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Within our current context, marriage has been downgraded to the realm of subjective, personal indulgence. However, when we start to search out the scriptures we find that the biblical authors had something much more robust and concrete when they communicate God's design for marriage.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review. 

Today's episode is all about friendship and Tom has a great framework to help us identify the quality of friends we currently have.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

Today, Tom explores the idea that our lives are shaped by what we say 'yes' and 'no' to. Throughout the conversation, he provides two things to which we should always say yes, and two things to which we should always say no.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

Today, Tom talks about the importance of remembering, and highlights the tools God has given us to do so. After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review on the podcast.

This week we turn our focus to the subject of success. The culture around us tells us to pursue our ideal selves at the expense of everything else. Scripture, as it always does, flips the status quo on its head and says to pursue God at the expense of ourselves. As we do, we'll start to see three things that will be required as we pursue life His way.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

If you've listened to the show for a while now, you've picked up on the importance of clear communication, affirmation, and shared values when it comes to general effectiveness in life. Today, Tom will frame all of these attributes within the context of the family.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

Today we continue part two of our series on Grace. If you missed part one, you can listen here: https://pointtaken.libsyn.com/episode-143-grace-part-1 You might also be interested in listening to our episode called "The Grace Test" from November 2018: https://pointtaken.libsyn.com/episode-11-the-grace-test 

Grace allows you to experience a reality that you have no ability to create on your own. We talk about this in-depth in today's episode and discuss how to be cheerful distributers of underserved merit to others.  After the show, head over to the podcasting platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

The past few weeks we've been discussing the power that lies within our words. In the last episode, we talked about how life can flow from our words. They have the potential to draw out hope and inspiration from other people. Today, we examine the other hand and discover how destructive unbridled words can truly be. Gossip destroys relationships. Consequently, God's word has a lot of warning we should heed as we reflect on the words we allow ourselves to use.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast.   

In this week's episode, we continue the discussion on "words" by turning our attention to life-giving words. Tom provides three types of life-giving words every person needs to hear.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

It's interesting, as you read through scripture, it doesn't take long to discover that God has a lot to say about our words. And He should, because our words are a clear indicator of what is in our hearts. Since we have a good Father who is concerned about what is taking root in our hearts, it shouldn't surprise us that He gives clear guidance on how to deal with the fruit of our hearts, which is our words. Today Tom discusses the importance of our words and gives some clear guidance on how to tame our tongues.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

Today we turn our attention the topic of comfort. As modern people living in a developed and increasingly automated world, we are quite familiar with the concept of comfort. Our physical surroundings are saturated with tools and tech that facilitate our comfort. And it’s a rich blessing. However, as familiar as we are with comfort in our physical surroundings, we’re often distant from the presence of comfort within our souls. We walk around empty and broken because we don’t tap into the source of Christ and draw abundantly from the soul-comfort He offers. Today, Tom’s going to give us three ways we can reverse this course and find lasting comfort in God’s presence. After the show, be sure to head over to the listening platform of your choice and leave us a rating and review.

Christians believe in the power of prayer, but too few engage in the discipline to ever see the Lord's guidance in their day-to-day circumstances. Today, we discuss an Old Testament character whose prayer habit put his life in danger. Through his example, we can learn to have a more consistent and engaging prayer life.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and a review on the podcast. 

Having a healthy, life-giving family culture is essential to long-term effectiveness in leadership. Today, Tom walks through several tips on how to invest in one of the most important components of leadership—our family life.

Our minds are maleable; much more than we tend to assume. And they will often take the shape of the molds (or influences) to which we expose them. Knowing that, one of the best things we can do to promote spiritual health is to take care of the things that shape our minds. Today, Tom discusses the supreme mind shaper—memorizing scripture—and discusses strategies for locking away more of God's word into your long-term membory.

Today we bring you an episode from Mother's Day 2019 when we sat down with Rhonda and Mackenzie to discuss the joys and challenges of motherhood.

Approach your relationships like this and you're destined for failure. Tom discusses this doomed approach today, and gives us direciton on how we can avoid some major relational pitfalls.

Last week we discussed some of the important markers of healthy relationships. Today, we dive into one of the most important tools for ensuring long-term relational health—tough love. It's not pleasant. In fact, most people avoide it at all cost. However, the distance between superficiality and intimacy is often only bridged by tough love.

Is your love growing, plateaued or dying? Today, Tom gives us several characteristics to consider when evaluating the state of our love.

Today's show is all about leadership! There are four key competencies all leaders must possess to be effective. Using the world real, R.E.A.L., Tom walks us through each competency and gives us a few pointers on how to grow.

Few things are more valuable than your character. Today, Tom provides direction on how to build godly character in a culture intent on destroying it.

What would be possible if you were able to connect more deeply in your relationships? What would happen at home? How about at the office? Today, Tom gives us 5 ways to understand people better that can open the door to deeper and richer relationships.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

Today, we continue part two of our mini-series on grief. At the end of the show, Tom and Rhonda provide some helpful resources to navigate the turbulent emotions surrounding the grieving process.

Grief is an unavoidable reality of life. And it affects everyone differently. The next two episodes we'll dive deeper into the subject and talk about how to walk through grief in a way that is healthy.

In the final episode of the "Asking the Right Questions" series, Tom discusses how to choose wise counselors when making big decisions.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

Today we continue with part two of the series "Asking the Right Questions." Intuition is a good skill to possess; however, when it comes to making life-altering decisions, it shouldn't be the only source of guidance.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

How do you react to tough decisions? Are you impulsive, trying to hurry through, or indecisive, delaying necessary action? Today, Tom challenges us to navigate big decisions by asking the right questions.

What does an Old Testament, minor prophet have to say about leadership? Well, quite a lot. And today Tom is going to walk us through how to shape our hearts, as leaders, around Micah's exhortation to the nation of Israel.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast. 

We're ending out our 12 Cries series by discussing the need for advice. Your kids are crying for your counsel. While how you give advice will evolve as your kids grow up, the truth is they never outgrow the need for your support and encouragement.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast.   

Your kids want to change the culture. To do so they’re going to need an arsenal of spiritual disciplines that will equip them to make disciples within their most important contexts—their communities, industries, and homes.

Have you ever considered choosing one word to define the focus of your attention for an entire year? This is a practice Tom has encouraged for years, and today he's going to talk about the benefits that await those who take on the challenge.  After the show, head over to Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave us a rating and review on the podcast.