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In today\\u2019s program, I\\u2019m going to share three listener responses to recent episodes. I\\u2019m doing so because your words matter to me, and to our other listeners, as well. Keep listening, and you\\u2019ll pick up an idea or two to try with your relationships.

Be sure to stick around to the end to hear a story of how a listener applied what she heard in one of our recent shows that made a difference in her life.

But before we get into today\\u2019s episode, here\\u2019s what this podcast is all about.

Welcome to You Were Made for This

If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you\\u2019ve come to the right place. Here you\\u2019ll discover practical principles you can use to experience the life-giving relationships you were made for. I\\u2019m your host, John Certalic, award-winning author and relationship coach, here to help you find more joy in the relationships God designed for you.

A listener responds to \\u201cThe Underachievers Bible Reading Plan for 2023.\\u201d

The first listener response I\\u2019m sharing is in reference to episode 193, \\u201c The Underachievers Bible Reading Plan for 2023.\\u201d It comes from Randy, a listener from Pittsburgh. He writes:

\\u201cGood morning John,

I listened this morning to this week\\u2019s You Were Made for This. I appreciated how you described an approach to engaging with scripture. It reminded me of what I\\u2019ve been doing for the last year, since bringing Tiana into our family. (Tiana is their new family dog) As I am reading passages, I place a mark when I\\u2019ve completed a section. I also have my stack of prayer cards I use as my bookmark. \\u201c

Thanks for your feedback, Randy. I should add that in the show notes for that week\\u2019s episode, I included a photo of me reading the Bible, with our new cat, Father Patrick O\\u2019Malley, sitting on my lap. So I think that may have reminded Randy of doing the same thing with their dog. And good luck with your new pal, Randy!

Words matter in the Bible - Listen, rather than read them

Another listener, Darlene, also offered her take on the same episode about Bible reading. She offered a different approach that I will have to try. Darlene writes,

\\u201cThis is the second year I\\u2019ve been doing the Daily Audio Bible (DAB) with Brian, Jill, and their daughter, China Hardin. \\xa0Last year I decided to listen to the chronological reading with Jill and China. That was my first chronological experience. Very interesting. We didn\\u2019t get to the New Testament until October.

\\u201cThis year I am doing the read-through with Brian Hardin who reads portions of the OT, NT, PS, and PROV each day. \\xa0He is excellent with his brief overviews after each daily reading.\\xa0What I also like is that every week he reads from a different translation.

\\u201cI think I\\u2019ve read through the Bible once. It is a challenge not to get behind. The audio is great as I can play it each morning while getting ready.\\u201d

Thank you, Darlene, for your comments about reading the 66 books of the Bible in chronological order, and also for the idea of listening to an audio version of the Bible. I\\u2019ll have a link to the Daily Audio Bible near the end of the show notes. It includes a free app for your mobile device and a web player for your computer.

How words matter to this listener

The last listener feedback I\\u2019m sharing with you today comes from Rosy Scott in response to episode 192, \\u201cWord of the Year for 2023 - Read\\u201d

As I read her comments, you\\u2019ll see how words matter a great deal to her. Listen to the impact they had on her recently. Rosy writes,

\\u201cJohn,
\\u201cI really like the simplicity of your word of the year. In past years I\\u2019ve chosen a motivating word, but within months could not even remember what I had picked.

\\u201cI listened to this episode twice in the past two days and have landed on my own simple word for 2023. This year I am choosing \\u2018words\\u2019 for my own word of the year.

\\u201cWords are a renewable resource that cost me so little to share. When I am generous with them, they often brighten my own soul as much as the recipient.

\\u201cIt is surprising how often taking a chance and offering the gift of words brings a positive result far greater than the painless effort.

\\u201cWords have the power to give life and cause pain. I have experienced both this year and can testify that when I share words of kindness, there is no better medicine for my own wounds or loneliness.

Words matter with strangers

\\u201cJust this morning as I began a morning jog down a familiar street, an unexpected stranger waved. Then she called out to me with a smile \\u2018enjoy your run!\\u2019

\\u201cThose simple but generous words fueled me to stop two blocks later to talk for just a minute with another person I\\u2019ve occasionally seen walking her 3-legged dog for the last many months.

\\u201cThanks to words, both of us parted with smiles in our hearts as those easy sixty seconds, combined with some previously shared words, pointed us toward potential friendship.

\\u201cThanks to your words John, I am going to be more intentional about using words to connect with both strangers and friends.

\\u201cAnd thanks to lessons I learned the hard way in 2022, treat words with the healthy fear and respect they deserve.

\\u201cPerhaps 2023 will become my year to use words for healing and repair, instead of destruction which comes so much easier than I am often willing to admit. Until the damage has already been done.

\\u201cThank you for your generosity with words via your podcast and weekly email! Blessings to you in the coming year\\u2026\\u201d

And thank you, Rosy, for your beautifully written words. I love the examples you give of their power to bless people. May you, and the rest of us, hear kind, empowering, and compassionate WORDS spoken to us this year. And may we speak these same kinds of words ourselves to others who need to hear them.

Here\\u2019s the main takeaway I hope you remember from today\\u2019s episode

Words matter. Our words to others and their words to us. They have the power to bless or destroy. Be careful what we speak, hear, and read. Use them wisely and with care to bless others and ourselves. Treasure the truth we find in them.

Closing

Before we wrap up today\\u2019s show, if you\\u2019d like some input regarding a relationship question or issue you\\u2019re dealing with, I\\u2019d love to hear from you. Just go to the contact page on our website, johncertalic.com to let me know what\\u2019s on your mind. I\\u2019ll do my best to answer your question in a future episode.

In closing, I\\u2019d also love to hear any thoughts you have about today\\u2019s episode.
Just scroll down to the bottom of the show notes and enter them in
the Leave a Comment box.

I hope your thinking was stimulated by today\\u2019s show, to treasure the truth we find in the words we speak, and those we hear. Because words matter.

When you do this, it will help you experience the joy of relationships God designed for you. You Were Made for This, as you know by now.

Well, that\\u2019s it for today. If there\\u2019s someone in your life you think might like to hear what you just heard, please forward this episode on to them. Scroll down to the bottom of the show notes and click on one of the options in the yellow \\u201cShare This\\u201d bar.

And don\\u2019t forget to spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for them. And I\\u2019ll see you again next time. Goodbye for now.

Other episodes or resources related to today\\u2019s shows

Daily Audio Bible - https://dailyaudiobible.com/

Episode 139: Why Should I Listen to This Podcast?
Episode 021: The Most Important Relationship of All

Last week\\u2019s show

194: Martin Luther King, jr. - The Silence of Our Friends

All past and future episodes: JohnCertalic.com/podcast

Our Sponsor

You Were Made for This is sponsored by Caring for Others, a missionary care ministry. The generosity of people like you supports our ministry. It enables us to continue this weekly podcast and other services we provide to missionaries around the world.