0:01

Welcome to Hanging Out with Jesus Podcast

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, where we equip the saints for ministry

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by bringing you tips , interviews

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, inspiration and information

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on living intentionally

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and daily in Christ . For

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more resources , including your free

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newsletter , visit HangingOutWithJesusPodcastcom

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or click the link in the

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show notes . Hi , I'm

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Lavita Brooks . I'm the author

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, bible Teacher , founder of the Me Project Academy

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and your host

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. Thanks for supporting this ministry

0:37

and reading and commenting

0:39

on the blog and whatever

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podcast platform you

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are listening to , because , then

0:46

, it makes this feel more like a conversation

0:48

. If this is your first

0:50

time listening in , welcome

0:53

. This is episode

0:55

83 . Our focus

0:57

is on how to live with intention

0:59

and do it daily . What

1:02

does that look like , feel

1:04

like ? Be like

1:06

Especially for believers

1:09

of Christ Jesus ? Well , that

1:11

more is coming up . Now

1:14

come walk with me

1:16

where we intentionally

1:18

and daily hang

1:20

out with Jesus . In

1:27

ministry news , I've

1:29

shared before the importance of supporting

1:32

organizations that impact your ministry

1:34

. Well , in my field of writing

1:37

, teaching and podcasting , the

1:39

NRB , that's , the National

1:41

Religious Broadcasters is

1:44

an important association because

1:46

it's an association of

1:49

and for Christian communicators

1:52

. They work to protect

1:54

the free speech rights of

1:56

their members by advocating their

1:59

rights in governmental , corporate

2:02

and media sectors , and

2:04

works to foster excellence

2:06

, integrity and accountability

2:09

in their membership by providing

2:12

networking , educational , ministry

2:14

and relational opportunities . Yeah

2:18

, that's a mouthful , isn't it ? But

2:21

in short , they equip , advocate and

2:23

encourage Christian communicators

2:25

. One of the things I

2:27

like about it is that it highlights

2:30

members who are being intentional

2:32

about what God has called them

2:34

to do , like last week

2:37

they highlighted Destiny

2:39

Yarbrough , the founder of Destiny

2:41

X , and she's an admission

2:44

of discipling

2:46

and empowering the next generation

2:49

of leaders . She

2:51

shares on the NRB members

2:54

news blog . This is what

2:56

she said ask questions

2:58

, listen , speak truth

3:00

, be kingdom-minded and

3:03

our delivery Engage

3:05

, impact , develop , focus

3:08

and impart our knowledge and

3:11

experience to the future leaders

3:13

coming up behind us . We

3:15

must focus on having courageous

3:18

conversations by sharing

3:20

truth with boldness and

3:22

substance . Saint

3:24

, no matter what ministry

3:26

you're in , having

3:28

courageous conversations by

3:31

sharing truth with boldness

3:33

and substance . That

3:35

should be one of the things that

3:37

you're doing . Although

3:40

her words are inspiring , they

3:43

are inspiring for all

3:46

ministry workers , because

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this is what we all

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should be doing reaching

3:53

the next generation , having

3:56

courageous conversations , sharing

3:59

the gospel , because

4:02

, after all , it's

4:04

about being an example of Christ

4:06

Jesus , but always

4:09

we

4:12

have to live with purpose and

4:16

live with that purpose daily

4:18

. You see Yarbrough's

4:21

ministry . Well

4:24

, it's taking her

4:26

overseas y'all . You

4:28

know , just think about what

4:30

God has called you to do and

4:33

if you truly put your heart into

4:35

it , possibilities

4:38

are endless . I've

4:40

included a link to NRB

4:42

and Destiny X in

4:45

the show . and

4:50

personal news says my

4:52

BFF and I . We

4:54

were talking about our schedules

4:56

, something we do quite

4:59

often lately , and

5:01

somewhere during that

5:03

conversation , lori

5:05

said living intentionally

5:08

. I'm

5:10

not sure what else was said after that , because

5:13

it opened up a

5:15

world of clarity in my head

5:17

and Lori's . You

5:19

see , saints , this is

5:21

why it's good to have blessed

5:24

full friends

5:26

. They can see things

5:28

you can , and God has a way of

5:30

using them to inspire you . Thank

5:33

you , Lori , again , for inspiring

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me to be me , and I pray that

5:37

I am also inspiring you

5:39

to be you . Saints , living

5:42

intentionally is what

5:44

this episode is about

5:46

. It's about doing it daily

5:49

. Saints , we

5:51

need to encourage each other as

5:54

we go along the way . Even if that's

5:56

a daily thing you

5:58

know what I'm saying A weekly thing . Take

6:00

some time today , take

6:02

some time almost every

6:05

day , and let someone

6:07

know that they came

6:10

across your mind and that

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you feel blessed

6:14

by knowing them or

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appreciative about something

6:20

that they did . Saints , you

6:22

never know what

6:24

God has in store for you

6:26

or someone else until

6:29

you take that first step

6:31

of faith . So

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, saints , take some time . Remember

6:37

. God has flashed across

6:40

your mind right now . Call them or

6:42

check up on them . Okay , now

6:49

Saints , let's dive into this

6:51

Lori inspired episode

6:53

on living intentionally . And

6:56

I like to add , daily

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. When

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I think of the word intentional , I'm

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talking about doing things on

7:06

purpose , deliberate , making

7:09

deliberate choices that

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reflect what and

7:14

or who is important

7:16

to you . Google

7:18

will agree to that definition

7:21

as well . Being

7:24

intentional helps you reach

7:26

goals , experience more

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clarity , be in

7:30

the present , increase

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your focus and commitment , maintain

7:36

a positive mindset

7:39

. Yeah , and

7:41

brings more purpose and

7:44

meaning to our lives . You

7:47

see , there's a big difference

7:49

between knowing where you

7:51

are going or flying

7:53

by the seat of your pants , versus

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being intently

7:58

focused on where you

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want to go and how

8:03

to get there . Let's

8:05

think about Jesus . Jesus

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knew that Calvary

8:09

was his mission , but

8:11

sitting at the right hand of the Father , well

8:14

, that was his reward for a job well

8:16

done . It's true , for

8:18

us , we have a mission

8:20

and a reward for

8:22

fulfilling that mission , hearing

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our Lord say well done

8:28

, my good and faithful servant . Glory

8:30

. Every

8:33

last one of us have a reason for being

8:35

born and a length of

8:37

time in which to complete

8:39

that mission . Therefore

8:42

, let's not waste time

8:44

. I read where Izzy

8:47

Victoria Odias

8:49

. She's

8:51

a self-care and personal

8:54

development advocate Please

8:56

forgive me for messing up her name . You

8:58

can find her name in the show notes

9:00

, but this is what I

9:03

read that she said work

9:05

on purpose , play

9:07

on purpose , rest

9:09

on purpose . Do

9:11

not let yourself or anyone

9:14

else waste your

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time . Saints

9:18

, we don't have time to waste

9:20

, nor do

9:24

we have time to overwork

9:27

ourselves . We

9:29

need balance . And how

9:31

do we obtain

9:33

that balance ? Well

9:35

, once again , saints , it's

9:38

spending time with the Lord

9:40

, planning daily

9:42

. Listen , have you ever

9:45

lost track of what you were

9:47

doing or

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your purpose for doing something ? What

9:53

about your passion or meaning for

9:55

doing it ? I

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know that when this happens to me , it's because

10:00

I'm overwhelmed , stressed out or

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irritated because I didn't eat

10:05

, because

10:07

I was so engrossed in trying to complete

10:10

something until I lost track of time

10:12

. I've learned to

10:14

deliberately plan my

10:16

month , my weeks and

10:18

days with the Lord

10:21

. Saints , establishing

10:23

routines and habits with your

10:25

purpose in mind , as you are conversing

10:28

with the Lord , can , will

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boost and increase your focus

10:35

, still enable

10:37

you to set achievable goals

10:40

, will put

10:42

meaning back into your life

10:44

. It'll also help you focus

10:47

on first things

10:49

first , with the next

10:51

thing waiting once

10:54

you finish the first thing . You

10:57

know ? Check out episode 81 . Cecil

11:00

Taylor has written

11:02

a book called the Next Thing that

11:05

kid . That will give you even more

11:07

clarity on what I'm talking about

11:09

when I say the

11:12

next thing and waiting . Now

11:14

, the key to executing your planning

11:16

time daily with the Lord is

11:19

to set boundaries . You

11:22

see , when I don't eat and plow

11:24

through just to finish something , I

11:27

become irritated . The

11:30

process becomes

11:32

frustrating and I don't do

11:34

my best work because it's

11:37

taking me longer than

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it should . So now I'm overwhelmed

11:41

because I'm taking

11:44

time from something else that I plan . Therefore

11:50

, you gotta set boundaries . Your

11:54

boundaries is you can

11:56

work within a block of time

11:58

or , depending on that day

12:00

, your day can be focused

12:03

on one particular

12:05

activity because you know it's

12:07

going to take a

12:09

long time for you to

12:12

complete it during that day . When

12:14

you do your planning , this

12:16

reduces the stress . I

12:18

know it does for me and for a lot of

12:20

other folks because when

12:23

you're less stressed , you're more

12:26

productive , you can produce more

12:28

, you have a focus and you

12:30

have a why and you move

12:32

towards accomplishing

12:34

it . You know one of the things that

12:36

I do as setting a boundary

12:38

is I don't answer my phone and

12:41

I really , really

12:43

want to stay focused

12:45

. I put that phone in another

12:47

room and

12:50

because I'm determined , determination

12:52

will kick in and it won't let

12:54

me get up unless I gotta go to the

12:57

bathroom . But I will not answer that phone . So

13:01

that's one of my boundaries Instant

13:04

waste time . Plan your work

13:06

time , your play time

13:08

, your retirement nap

13:11

time , bible study

13:13

with the Lord . It

13:16

makes sense to ask him . Spend

13:18

time with him while planning your

13:21

year , your quarter , your

13:23

month , your weeks , your days

13:25

, because he's the author

13:27

of your life . Yo

13:30

, it's not that intense

13:32

. Everything doesn't have to

13:34

take forever . That's

13:37

your thinking and putting too much

13:39

into it . And yet we

13:41

all know that not falling Christ

13:43

and doing our own thing

13:46

, well , that

13:48

results in stresses . That

13:51

takes away our peace , our joy , our

13:54

sanity . You know it gets

13:56

us all flustered . Let's

14:00

not travel down that path . But

14:03

if you have time to make

14:05

a pack adjustment by

14:09

planning your time dealing

14:11

with the Lord in order to live

14:13

life intentionally and on

14:15

purpose , without becoming overwhelmed

14:18

or losing your passion , so

14:21

take that time , spend

14:23

it with him so he can help you adjust

14:26

your path . Now . Colossians

14:28

, chapter 3 , verse 23 , reads

14:30

whatever you do , work

14:33

at it with all your heart as

14:35

working for the Lord , not

14:37

for human masters . Saint

14:40

, whatever ministry

14:42

you do , whether it's a 9 to 5

14:45

, being a grandmother washing your dishes

14:47

, office work , being

14:49

a big brother preaching , or

14:51

responding to that person

14:54

who cut you off while driving

14:56

, it's all ministry , because

14:59

it's all about whatever

15:01

you do as

15:03

working for the Lord . When

15:06

we drive , yes , yes

15:08

, we're working for the Lord . If

15:11

you got a Jesus sign anywhere

15:13

on your car , isn't that witnessing

15:15

? If you run

15:17

in a red light , are the

15:19

people in the car that knows that you're Christian

15:22

? I mean , okay

15:26

, so you

15:28

would say what I'm saying . We are in Christ

15:31

. Therefore , where we go , we

15:33

take Christ . What we say

15:36

, act like those facial expressions

15:38

, y'all attitude . You

15:41

see , all of that is reflected

15:43

back to Christ , because our

15:45

claim is to be in him . We're

15:48

covered by the blood of Jesus , born again to

15:50

live for him . So

15:52

whatever we do , it's

15:54

gonna reflect back on

15:56

him . Whatever we say , it's

15:59

gonna reflect back on him . All

16:02

right , you get my drift

16:05

, okay ? So this is

16:07

where living intentionally and daily

16:09

puts mark on you

16:11

, because it's here that you

16:13

fix in your head and clamp into your heart

16:15

Whatever you do going to

16:18

be done as unto the Lord . It's

16:20

here where you realize that your life

16:23

isn't in your hand , but that your

16:25

joy comes from the Lord . Your

16:27

peace is of God and

16:29

the joy of the Lord is your strength . It

16:31

is God who has good

16:33

plans for us and a future

16:36

that is prosperous , according to

16:38

Jeremiah 2911 . This

16:41

is why we intentionally plan with the Lord

16:43

, set goals and put boundaries

16:45

in place to keep us on track

16:48

. Remember

16:50

, if you are being intentional

16:53

, then you are remaining

16:55

in control of who or

16:58

what you allow into your

17:00

lives and when

17:02

. This

17:04

is why staying in God's word , praying

17:07

, spending time with him , meditating

17:10

on Scripture , listening to him , is

17:12

vital to living intentionally

17:15

and daily , because it comes

17:17

with wisdom , knowledge , understanding

17:20

and discernment . All of that

17:23

helps you stay focused on your

17:25

mission goals to

17:27

pursue , things to avoid

17:29

and the direction you

17:32

should be going . That brings

17:34

me to setting

17:36

goals . You

17:39

can plan your time daily , set

17:42

boundaries to ward off distractions

17:44

which kick you off , course , but

17:47

you also need to set

17:49

achievable goals in Christ

17:51

. Think about

17:54

it . Jesus

17:57

Christ's goal is being our

17:59

Savior . Now

18:01

think about how God planned

18:03

for Jesus to be born

18:05

and

18:07

what God said about him from

18:10

the Old Testament to

18:12

Jesus fulfilling it in the New Testament . Okay

18:16

, that's , that was some planning . But now

18:18

, god , he set some goals

18:20

too , cuz God

18:22

knew that he wanted to make

18:24

man . But

18:26

guess what ? He built an

18:28

entire bubble in

18:31

which he placed me . But

18:33

this bubble , he had to To

18:37

shape it and form it so

18:39

that he can commune

18:41

with man in it . I

18:44

mean that was a lot of planning , that

18:46

was whole . I mean he had to make the heavens

18:48

and earth . I mean he had to make other

18:51

creatures and some trees and stuff . I

18:53

mean he had to make some food . You know , I'm saying

18:56

God did a whole lot

18:58

, just so he can make a

19:00

man and a woman

19:02

to hang out with Things

19:04

. Think about it . God did some planning

19:07

, set

19:10

goals , because they give direction

19:13

and inspire us to move forward

19:15

. But whatever you do , do

19:17

it as unto the Lord . You know something's hate

19:19

. God

19:22

did all that planning and then he did all that

19:25

making and doing . But

19:28

you know , what I love Is

19:31

that God rested on the seventh day to

19:33

enjoy the fruits of his labor . How

19:36

many of us do that ? It's

19:40

like he stopped on

19:42

purpose , just

19:46

so he could enjoy

19:48

, hang out With

19:51

with all that he had accomplished

19:53

, mmm

19:56

, makes you think

19:58

if we're following Christ

20:00

, that's something that we should

20:02

be doing Now

20:06

. It makes you think about

20:08

the Old Testament , with

20:10

the Ten Commandant says make the

20:12

Sabbath day holy , mmm

20:15

. Then you think about Jesus

20:18

. Every time

20:20

it was it was his custom to go

20:23

away and Be alone

20:25

with the Lord . I'm

20:27

sorry , be alone . Be alone

20:29

with God Makes

20:32

you think about there's

20:34

something special about

20:37

resting , okay

20:42

, okay , and

20:44

enjoying it . All

20:46

right , just thought I throw that out , has , okay , just

20:49

thought I . So think

20:51

about that and think about how , how

20:54

precious it must be

20:56

to take time

20:58

to Simply

21:01

enjoy for

21:04

a day , the fruits

21:06

of your labor . So

21:09

I digress , so

21:12

let me . Let me go back here . I want to . I

21:14

just want to remind you to set goals

21:16

, because they give you direction and

21:18

they inspire you to move forward . But

21:21

whatever you do , do it as unto

21:23

the Lord . Make

21:25

sure you write them down

21:27

, because studies show that those

21:30

who write down their goal are

21:32

three times more successful than

21:34

those who don't . Lastly

21:37

, in order to make the goal meaningful

21:40

, include why

21:42

it's important to you . Doing

21:45

this is going to help you , help

21:47

with dedication Commitment

21:50

being consistent , and

21:53

it increases your chances of

21:55

accomplishing it . Now

21:59

, saints , don't try overdoing

22:02

it with the goals by making them

22:04

too strict or limited

22:06

, or Overthinking

22:09

it or Give

22:11

yourself some unrealistic deadline

22:13

. That's why I keep

22:15

saying to you to spend

22:18

time with the Lord daily , praying

22:20

over and talking through what

22:23

you need to do . That's

22:25

first thing . First

22:28

for that day , included

22:31

in my morning quiet time , is

22:34

reviewing my schedule for that

22:36

day . Sometimes the

22:40

Lord had me scratch some stuff out . I

22:43

have moved some stuff and

22:45

I had another day , but

22:47

guess what ? It's

22:49

? Because he knew what

22:51

was happening that day . I

22:54

didn't . I might have fussed and said that

22:56

don't make sense , but he

22:58

did so

23:01

. Living intentionally

23:03

and daily is

23:06

taking back the control over

23:09

your life and giving it into the

23:11

hands of Jesus so that together

23:14

you can live with purpose , fulfilling

23:17

the calling God's placed on

23:19

your life . Y'all

23:21

only God knows the hiccups

23:24

and surprises come in your way

23:26

, but it's the choices you

23:28

make that determine your destiny

23:30

. Living intentionally and

23:32

daily in Christ by planning

23:35

your time daily , establishing

23:38

boundaries , setting achievable

23:40

goals , are all accomplished

23:43

through spending time

23:45

with the Lord . Now

23:49

did you see why I'm always inviting

23:51

you to hang out with Jesus ? I

23:54

know I've shared a lot about

23:57

living intentionally and daily , but

23:59

also the importance

24:01

of spending time with Jesus

24:04

. Now , if you have

24:06

any questions about setting goals

24:08

, check out episode 74

24:11

. What setting

24:13

goals can do for you . Or

24:15

episode 71 , how

24:18

to use journaling to maintain your smart

24:20

goals . Or 69

24:23

, 13 prompts to goal

24:26

setting with Holy Spirit . And

24:29

for those of you who have questions about what is ministry

24:32

, check out episode 60

24:34

. Or my favorite one , 65

24:37

, which is titled Are

24:40

you Doing Too Much I

24:45

got that title from my little cousin

24:47

, naomi and

24:50

to planning your time daily , set

24:52

some boundaries , set

24:55

goals and achievable , but

24:59

in all of that , start

25:02

your conversation

25:05

with the Lord , Spend

25:08

time with Him as you're doing

25:10

all that and even

25:12

when you end it . Updates

25:18

from the Meeproject Academy . First

25:20

, thanks for those of you who know

25:23

what God's called you to do and

25:25

it's to turn your ministry into a business

25:27

. Well , I'm opening the fortified

25:30

coaching program in late September

25:32

. It's designed to help you

25:34

get started , organize

25:37

, motivated and

25:39

build up to go and

25:41

do what God's called you to do . This

25:43

is for believers who need help

25:45

starting their business and

25:47

for those who did start but

25:50

can't seem to get organized to

25:52

move it forward . Or

25:54

you have a business , but

25:57

simply need help getting

25:59

and maintaining your focus

26:01

. Well , it's

26:04

for you . So

26:07

click on the link in the show notes

26:09

to learn more about the fortified

26:11

coaching program , or go

26:13

to hangingoutwithjesuspodcastcom

26:15

. Now remember , you

26:18

need to get on

26:20

our newsletter to know

26:22

the opening day for the registration

26:25

. I've only spaced for 20 people

26:28

, so the sooner you register , the better

26:30

. The link to the newsletter

26:32

is in the show notes and on

26:34

the website . Now the second

26:36

thing that's happening in the Meeproject Academy

26:39

is for book lovers

26:41

. October is

26:43

Nuggets Book Club . It's

26:46

for anyone who enjoys reading

26:48

poetry or books . It

26:50

begins October 1st , but

26:52

registration will only be open for a short

26:55

time in September . It includes

26:57

some fun activities , including

26:59

a poetry slam and

27:02

book discussion , both on

27:04

Zoom . So more details about

27:06

that is also going to be in the newsletter

27:09

and on the websites or the show

27:11

note . So those two things are coming

27:13

your way from the Meeproject

27:16

Academy Nuggets

27:18

Book Club in early September and

27:20

fortified coaching program in

27:22

late September . Let's

27:25

pray Our

27:27

Father , the God who planned

27:29

the heavens and the earth . We

27:32

come to you in the name of our Lord and Savior , jesus

27:34

Christ . Thank

27:36

you , lord , for giving each and every

27:38

one of us a purpose for

27:41

being on this earth . Strengthen

27:44

us to do whatever you've called

27:46

us to do with all our heart

27:48

, and that our reason for doing it , our

27:51

why , is that it

27:53

will glorify you . Help

27:56

us to take time to live intentionally

27:59

and daily in Christ

28:02

. In Jesus' name we pray . Amen

28:05

and amen . Thanks

28:10

for listening . If you enjoyed this episode

28:13

, then please consider subscribing

28:15

to the podcast . Rating and

28:17

Reviewing it helps in moving

28:19

it forward to being heard by

28:22

more believers . Also

28:24

, if you haven't done so , get

28:26

our free twice a month newsletter

28:28

to keep up with new releases

28:30

of the podcast , registration

28:34

date for the fortified coaching program

28:36

, how to participate in the Nuggets

28:38

Book Club , monthly activities

28:40

on how to live intentionally and daily

28:43

in Christ , and so much more

28:45

. All this and more can be found

28:47

, including my contact information

28:49

on Hanging Out with Jesus Podcast

28:52

or the show notes . So

28:56

until we meet again

28:58

on the airways , intentionally

29:01

and daily , hang

29:04

out with Jesus , shalom

29:07

.