In this email ...- FEATURE ARTICLE: Commit to Doing Something DAILY ... It's Easier That Way
- Give to Support Renewed Man and Renewed Leader
- Where This Content Comes From ... and how to get more
- What I Would Post on Social Media ... if I used it
- FIND OUT MORE ... (about me)
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- FEATURE ARTICLE: Commit to Doing Something DAILY ... It's Easier That Way
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One of the core principles of the Renewed Man program -- one that distinguishes it from most other
recovery or self-help programs -- is this: We challenge and equip you to do something DAILY. Most people build their recovery around something they do weekly -- like going to a group, or going to therapy. Don't misunderstand: of course
groups and therapy are really important. But I have come to believe that if they are not accompanied by DAILY work on yourself, daily reminders, daily connection to God and to your commitment to sobriety, growth, and wellbeing ... you will fail. Every day, find
a way to take in some kind of input / reminder of what you're wanting your life to be -- recovery principles. And then take some small, tangible action to move you towards your recovery goals. Do that today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and so on. Over time, you will
be AMAZED at how these small actions build on themselves and create exponential change. Here's a reminder from the Farnham Street
Newsletter about 'Doing Something Daily." Author Shane Parrish reminds us that this is actually EASIER than trying to do something once in a while. Here is something counterintuitive: it's easier to do
something daily rather than a few times a week. For example, last March, I started going to the gym. I told myself I would go three days a week. And that worked for a few weeks, but then I found myself slacking off. Since I was only going three days a week, it was easy to tell myself I
didn't have to go today - I could go tomorrow instead. As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy going to the gym, going tomorrow always sounded better than going today. Within a month, I stopped going to the gym altogether. I needed a new approach. One that didn't involve willpower. I made a rule to go to the gym every single day. And that subtle change made all the difference. Doing something every day turns desired behavior into default behavior. When willpower is lacking, routine takes over.
NEXT ACTION:Today's recovery action is to recommit yourself to strengthening your daily work on yourself -- taking just a few minutes (ideally in the morning, but any time
that works for you) to do some reading and a quick recovery task. Combine this with your daily spiritual practices -- like prayer, Bible study, and meditation. Taking 15 to 20 minutes a day is possible for any and every person. On any given day, it might not feel life changing. But these small
actions, over the course of months and years, bring profound positive change.
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2. Give a Tax Deductible Donation to Support Renewed Man and Renewed
Leader Would you like to support the work of Renewed Man? I'm excited to announce a partnership between Renewed Man, Renewed
Leader, and Bethel Church! Bethel Church is adopting these programs as supported ministries -- which means that you can give a tax-deductible donation to these ministries through Bethel. The money you donate can be used in one of three ways -- you can designate it for one of these purposes, or have it be available to whichever one
has the greatest need: - Renewed Man Tuition Support -- Help someone who wants to be part of Renewed Man, but is struggling to pay for the program. (There will always be a requirement that participants pay something, so that they have an investment in it. But your gift could help someone participate in the program who might not be able to do so otherwise.)
- Renewed Leader Tuition Support
-- Same as with Renewed Man, but this program is for church leaders who want and need support in order to stay emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy amidst the demands of ministry. Your gift could help a minister participate in this program.
- Renewed Ministries International -- This would help make it possible for me to bring this message -- of recovery, and/or healthy and sustainable leadership -- to overseas missionaries,
and to people in other countries who might otherwise not be able to afford to have me come and teach there. Thus far, I've brought this teaching to YWAM missionaries at various bases across the US, Thailand, and Switzerland, as well as teaching community development leaders in Guatemala. I hope to do more teaching like this in the future, but money is always tight for missionary organizations, and people in developing countries. Your gift would make such teaching much more workable for these
organizations.
All the money you give will go to support one of these causes: either direct tuition support, or travel costs for teaching. Once again, you can choose to designate your gift to a specific area. You can
send these donations to: Bethel Christian Reformed Church 8938 – 33rd Street Princeton, MN 55371 Make the check payable to "Bethel Christian Reformed Church" and put in the memo field that it's "For pastor Mark's Renewal Ministries". Please include a note along with the check clarifying this, and letting us know if you'd like the money designated for any one of the particular uses, or if it's available for whatever use is most needed currently. Thank you so much!
3. Where This Content Comes From ... and how to get more The content I use for these articles comes from the Renewed Man Program. Renewed Man is a systematic teaching and coaching series designed to help men grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually ... developing the essential character quality of "self-mastery." The program
centers around building self-control especially in the area of our sexuality -- an important issue today, given how pervasive erotic content is online. That said, the program is intentionally holistic, and the key principles it is based on deal with a variety of aspects of our lives. Even though this community is created
for men, the principles are universal -- women will benefit from these insights as well. That's why I share some of them in this newsletter..
Would you like to go "all in" and join the Renewed Man Boot Camp? It's a 12 Week Immersion in these principles. You'll get these daily teachings, a weekly video on one of the 12 Keys of Being a Renewed Man, and access to a support group and/or a coaching group that
I lead.
Find out more about the Renewed Man Program here.
4. What I Would Post on Social Media ... if I used it I came across this statistic from a recent study, and it was so alarming that I did a little math with it, and then put it into an image. The deceptive thing about how much we use our phones is that we're almost always doing multiple things -- we're on our phone at work, while waiting in line, using the restroom, even watching TV. It's crazy how much we're using them ...
I love our grandkids! AND ... when we're with my son and his family, I can't believe how much energy it all takes ...
I'm giving a talk in January to a church group about some of the teaching in this book -- specifically: dealing with overwhelm. Looking at the book again, I was gratified to feel like it's still helpful and valuable stuff. If you haven't read it yet,
you should :-)
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My name is Mark Brouwer, and I’m a spiritual teacher who serves as a pastor, writer, speaker, coach and mentor. You're receiving this because of our connection through church ministry or one of the renewal programs I lead.
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