Something Old Something New

Epic Journey Podcast – Episode #28 - Make Every Day CountIn this episode of The Epic Journey Podcast, “Make Every Day Count,” Sonny and Cindy discuss the importance of making every day count in light of their recent loss of Sonny’s brother Bob. Our legacies are made little by little, moment by moment.Choose to speak life. Offer hope. And most of all, live with certainty about eternity.Bob left an incredible legacy and he prepared well ahead, by accepting Christ he was certain that his last breath on earth would lead to his first breath in heaven.Our time on earth is an uncertainty for all of us, but God has prepared a certain future, if we choose it.Life is short. Eternity is forever.Make every day count!Bob was good at that.-------Epic Journey Podcast #28 – Episode NotesOne of the things that we realize is that we know that each of you have your own story. That you have things going on in your families and other relationships as well that we don’t know about, and we hope that we can be an encouragement to you in whatever you might be going through.We titled this podcast “Make Every Day Count” because in times like these God will often use our pain and suffering for a purpose and also He will use our circumstances to reveal and remind us of His presence in our lives.Last Summer, my Brother Bob went for a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. This was shocking news really because out of all of us (myself, another brother and sister) we would all agree that he was probably the most healthy and active one. Not overweight, would run often if not everyday… I would say we really believed that if anybody would beat Cancer he would. Bob stayed pretty healthy during his fight and we were looking forward to the day he would be told he was in remission. He was traveling and enjoying his family and awaiting the arrival of twin girls that his oldest daughter was getting ready to have and enjoying his other two grandsons. He really has been living life to the full.He went into the hospital on the first Sunday in June and stayed for 5 days and through the power of prayer and hope and faith and surrounded by the love of his wife and children and grandchildren, brothers, sisters, mom, and friends, he was able to get discharged home on he and his wife's 33rd wedding anniversary. He was still very ill, but he was back home. Their faith and prayers got him there.He was able to go home because of them.It was awesome to see his kids rally together and they got everything ready for them to come home.Yea, it was so beautiful. They had decorated the house with rose petals and flowers and signs and candles and music and pictures. And they videotaped him coming in on a stretcher and he had asked them to get his wife long stem roses and he was able to call out her name, “Martha, Happy Anniversary” and he presented her with a single long stem rose. He smiled and they kissed and it was a beautiful moment. But it was one of those tear-jerker moments. Whew.So beautiful though.And in fact, their marriage and their life together had already been lived out in many beautiful moments. He never stopped His calling to watch over his wife, and to love her and cherish her in sickness and in health. It is a good reminder to recall our vows and live them out well just like Bob and Martha have.The other thing that happened in the hospital was when doctors and nurses came into the room, even if they delivered news that was difficult, they were asked by Bobs family if they could pray for them and they did. There were prayers for a husband that had lost his job, for a son that had autism, prayers to bring on more staff at the hospital, prayers for the physicians and for them to see healing and Gods miracles take place....

Epic Journey Podcast #27 – descriptionIn this episode, Secrets and Treasures, Sonny and Cindy revisit Gods’ invitation to seek His hidden secrets and treasures and the rewards WHEN you find them.God has a stash of valuable wisdom ready for you to apply to your life for your benefit.He knows just what you need and when you need it. Gods word is full of hidden treasures for you and is THE MOST powerful treasure you will ever find.Join us in this journey and quest for his hidden secrets and treasures.He has hidden them FOR you, not FROM you!-------Epic Journey Podcast #27 – Episode NotesGod has hidden treasures for you, and there is no greater treasure than finding Gods word and applying it to your life.God has a stash of valuable wisdom ready for you to find and He knows just what you need and when you need it. Apply these treasures of wisdom to your life, and you will live out His amazing plan.revelationcentral.com  sermon notes by Robert Pace about God giving us treasures… He writes this:“Several years ago, the Lord spoke to me from Isaiah 45, where God says, “I will give you the treasures of darkness and wealth stored in secret places.” And then he mentions two ideas that the Holy Spirit suggested from this verse. (1)   When God says he will “give us the treasures of darkness and wealth stored in secret places,” it means God wants to open your eyes to things that would otherwise remain unseen, so you can claim what would otherwise remain unclaimed. (2)    And #2, the question comes up in His mind, Where can I find these “treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places. (45:3)? Think about the answer: The “treasures of darkness” are stored in—of all places—darkness! And the “wealth of secret places” is hidden in—of all locations, secret places.” We can miss them if we’re not searching for them.These are hidden treasures that require acting in faith by seeking Him and His word in order to find them.In Colossians 2:2-3Paul is encouraging the Colossians, they were believers,That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery,And he goes on to reveal what Gods’ mystery is:That is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.Your hearts are valuable to Him and in Deuteronomy 26:18 it reminds you how valuable you are to Him.It says this:The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;You are His treasured possession. You are valuable to God. He claims you as His own and says you belong to me.Proverbs 3:13-15 reminds us of the benefits of wisdomHow blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold.She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.So you are reminded of how valuable your search for treasures is going to be.We hope you’ll get excited about the pursuit, and in knowing that it will lead you to great rewards for your life. We’re grateful for you and we’re praying for you,Sonny & Cindy Zentmeyer, 2B1 Life

Epic Journey Podcast #26 – Routines That Restore - Episode DescriptionIn this episode of the Epic Journey Podcast, Sonny and Cindy continue the series on the power of your words and discuss how your routines and the rhythms that God offers can restore your soul and breathe life into your heart, mind, soul and your relationships. They’ll discuss the importance of attending to your soul and breaking free from the automatic negative thoughts that can deplete you and cause division in your relationships.Join us!-------Neglecting our souls can disrupt our oneness and God will restore our souls – God doesn’t want us to seek relief. He wants us to be restored.Eldridge, John,2020.Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices For a World Gone Mad, Nashville,Tenn., Nelson Book Publishers.John Eldridge says this:“We may have neglected our soul’s need for beauty, we may have neglected our souls need for play. But I have reason to believe that unattended loss is a good place to start if you would recover and heal the vessel God wants to fill, if you would open up room in your life for him to meet you there…”Our lives can get so busy and distracted that we are experiencing that unattended loss. The pain that we are experiencing in our marriages sometimes is really our soul crying out longing to be filled. We make the mistake of assuming this is our spouses responsibility and it’s not!!!. Our souls can slowly, and subtlety become depleted, and our hearts hardened, and then we blame our spouse, our marriage, our work, our finances because we are seeking relief because something has to be responsible for this!!But blame only gives us temporary relief… like when we run away from an argument…there is a short-term reprieve but there’s no resolution of the problem and we remain distanced from each other. There is an enormous difference between relief and restoration. God doesn’t want us to seek relief, He wants us to be restored and reconnected…He wants our conflict resolved, our hearts softened, forgiveness both given and received, oneness with each other and with Him…fully restored.Neglecting our souls, can disrupt our oneness. We’re blocking that major artery through which God wants to connect us. We can make choices that not only affect our physical health but our spiritual health too.John Eldridge also talks about healing the soul and what he found in his own life to be helpful and what has been unhelpful. I want to share John Eldridges’ list with you because it may hit home with you and it helps us to realize that we do need to stop and consider the health of our own souls.I’ll start with his unhelpful list:Grocery stores. Television. Traffic. Draining people that live out of touch with their own soul, airports. The news, especially politics. Social media, your typical dose of movie violence Now his helpful list:Generous amounts of sunshine, everything living and green, long walks, lonesome country roads, swimming, beauty, music, water, friendly dogs, compassion, not expecting myself to produce the same level of work I normally accomplish in a day, yardwork, building a fence…John goes on to ask these questions:Now which cluster of the things I just named makes up most of your weekly routine? Do you begin to see more clearly how essential it is that we intentionally care for our neglected heart and soul?He’s talking about restoring our souls and our connection with God. There will be times our oneness is disrupted, and we need healing and restoration. God has a plan for that. God will restore our souls In Psalm 23:2-3 ESV God is leading us into nature and the wilderness to do just that… He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul. We need...

Epic Journey Podcast #25 – Heart to Heart In this episode, Sonny and Cindy share the most amazing download ever that you can implement immediately to impact your marriage. This will impact both of your hearts and the health of your WHOLE body. God’s word and wisdom reveals that the heart is the source of life and speaking words of life and truth and wisdom will affect the heart in an incredible way… the heart will thrive and give life and health!!!Join us! You don’t want to miss this one, which is Part 2 of our latest series.-------Edgar Garcia-Rill PhD, in Waking and the Reticular Activating System in Health and Disease, 2015But it explains that:The RAS controls sleep and waking and fight-or-flight responses. While this system provides signals that modulate our wake-sleep states, it also serves to help us respond to the world around us. For example, strong stimuli simultaneously activate ascending RAS projections to the thalamus and then the cortex and cause arousal and also activate descending projections that influence the spinal cord in the form of postural changes in tone resulting from the startle response, as well as trigger locomotor events in fight-or-flight responses.This speaks to becoming more attentive and ready for what’s coming. Heightened awareness- you’re either fighting or you are getting out of there!Sounds like some couples arguing doesn’t it! This part of your brain is attentive and there is preparation for what might be next. The body is alert and ready.During sleep, the same system is responsible for the relative lack of ascending sensory awareness during SWS, as well as the descending atonia of REM sleep.So, when we heighten our awareness of our words, just paying attention to them more, we’re going to position ourselves to respond differently to them.This awareness can really help you to pay attention in a new way and in a healthier way.Proverbs 4:20-27 has the headline in the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) The Straight Path. Biblegateway.com20 My son, pay attention to my words;listen closely to my sayings.21 Don’t lose sight of them;keep them within your heart.22 For they are life to those who find them,and health to one’s whole body.23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly,and don’t let your lips talk deviously.25 Let your eyes look forward;fix your gaze straight ahead.26 Carefully consider the path for your feet,and all your ways will be established.27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left;keep your feet away from evil.God gives him not only wisdom but also wealth and in 1 Kings 10:23 is says, ”King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.”Our words ultimately, if we listen to God’s word, which says from out of the mouth the heart speaks, Proverbs 27:3,Our words come out of our heart and are deposited into the heart of the listener.Our words become a “heart-to-heart talk.”A heart-to-heart download. We are downloading through our words directly from our heart into the heart of the listener.No wonder our words can injure. This is truly not what we desire or what we intend to...

Epic Journey Podcast Episode #24 – Words that Bear FruitIn this episode, Sonny and Cindy discuss the power of your words to bear fruit. When you dig into Gods’ word, you’ll find a lot of guidance, instruction, encouragement and benefits related to your words. There’s also a lot of responsibility to choose your words wisely and to benefit those that hear them. Much like cultivating a garden, our words will transform and bear good fruit if we begin with good seed, pull the weeds, and provide light and living water, truth and grace.When you tap into the potential and the power that your words have, you will begin to experience exponential benefits of bearing the fruit that God has for you, your marriage and your life!What if you could 30X, 60X, 100X your fruit!? Check this out:Mark 4:2020 "But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”Join us!-------Epic Journey Podcast #24 – Words that Bear Fruit – Episode NotesThe more you study about words and the power of your words, you will start connecting the dots that your words are a reflection of your beliefs and of what you are accepting and receiving into your heart and mind.Luke 6:45The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.So, begin listening and hearing yourself and ask yourself about the power of your words.Acknowledge the relationship with Christ as the origin, the WORD, the beginning.Then realize how your words come from Gods’ truth into your heart, into your mind and then are an expression of what you believe and when spoken will have power to bring good things into your life.If Christ dwells in you, then your words will be an expression of both grace and truth.Psalm 19:14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.Psalm 49:3My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.The goals of pleasing God, gaining wisdom, understanding each other…. These are great goals, and it is well worth the effort and patience you’ll need to just start the process of listening to your words and making the adjustments in your heart and mind that will help you tend to the garden, bear fruit, and speak life into each other.The Word Became Flesh1 John 1:1-5, 141 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.5 The light shines

Epic Journey Podcast #23 – Believe and Receive – Episode descriptionIn this episode, Sonny and Cindy reveal some of the challenges they had to depend on God for through examining and claiming their beliefs and faith. They also explore the benefits of belief that Christ is encouraging the disciples to embrace (as well as each of us) as He prepares them for His departure. Sonny and Cindy discuss the superpower available to each believer as you speak out and confess God’s word speaking life and belief without doubt into your marriage, your life, and whatever your situation.Join us and tap into your superpower!-------

EP #22 – Episode descriptionIn this episode, Something Old, Something New, Sonny and Cindy continue their discussion of the power that lies within shifting your mindset from old to new, from limited to limitless, from fixed to growth.Victories usually don’t happen overnight, and not only do they require endurance, but they will build your endurance.Tap into the new mindset, a growth mindset, that will get you where you want to go.In your life, in your marriage, and in your relationships!

Podcast Episode #21 – Manage Your Mindset – Episode descriptionIn our next Epic Journey Podcast episode, Sonny and Cindy discuss managing your mindset and the incredible impact that this can have in your life and marriage!You don’t even need your spouses’ permission or cooperation to do this!You’ll need God’s help because He’ll reveal to you your false beliefs if you ask Him to. Managing your mindset is POWERFUL and will change your marriage and change your life!Join us as we explore the connections between your beliefs, your mindset, and your decision-making ability. -------

Epic Journey Podcast #20 – Stepping Out of the BoatIn this episode, Stepping Out of the Boat, Sonny and Cindy discuss the power and role that our mindset has in both limiting and stretching our faith to new levels. They discuss the two mindsets of fixed and growth as described in the book by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., titled Mindset, How We Can learn to Fulfill Our Potential. They also discuss the back-to-back occurrences of the stories of the feeding of the five thousand and Peter walking on water from the book of Matthew. These stories teach us much of Christs’ work in giving the disciples, as well as each of us, opportunities and challenges that will take our faith to the commitment level to “step out of the boat,” and help our marriages continue to live out a plan that wins.-------Episode #20 Stepping Out of the Boat – Episode NotesIn this episode, Stepping Out of the Boat, Sonny and Cindy discuss the power and role that our mindset has in both limiting and stretching our faith to new levels. They discuss the two mindsets of fixed and growth as described in the book by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., titled Mindset, How We Can learn to Fulfill Our Potential. They also discuss the back-to-back occurrences of the stories of the feeding of the five thousand and Peter walking on water from the book of Matthew. These stories teach us much of Christs’ work in giving the disciples, as well as each of us, opportunities and challenges that will take our faith to the commitment level to “step out of the boat,” and help our marriages continue to live out a plan that wins.Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. Mindset, How We Can Learn To Fulfill Our Potential.https://www.shortform.com/blog/change-your-mindset/In the book, Carol describes two types of mindsets. A fixed mindset and a growth mindset. In an article we found from the Shortform Summary of “Mindset” it quotes this excerpt from her book:Your mind is constantly monitoring and interpreting what’s happening around you. Your mindset guides how you interpret things. A fixed mindset sets up a mental monologue focused on judging - you feel judged and you judge others. For instance, you might think, “this means I’m a failure,” “what a bunch of losers,” “I’ll never be good at handling money.”The excerpt continues, and says this: But you can change your mindset. Growth-oriented people don’t constantly judge themselves and others this way.Like people with fixed mindsets, they keep a running mental account of events and feelings, but their interpretations of what’s going on focus on learning and action. They think, “This situation is painful, but what can I learn to avoid repeating it?” and “How can I improve?”The fixed mindset hangs around, competing with the growth-oriented ways of thinking that you’re trying to adopt. But the growth mindset frees you from constantly judging yourself so you can be authentic and explore your full potential.Matthew 14:13-36 The Feeding of the Five Thousand and Walking on WaterHebrews 11:6 God reminds us of this:And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Psalm 37: 23-24A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and he takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord supports him with His hand.Psalm 31: 24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.Thanks for joining us!Sonny & Cindy

Epic Journey Podcast #19 – Next Level Faith – Episode descriptionIn this episode, Next Level Faith, Sonny and Cindy discuss the power of growing your faith to set the course of your marriage on a growth curve over your lifetime. They discuss the 7 Realities of Experiencing God from the book and small group study, Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King. God provides many opportunities to strengthen your faith and the 7 realities provides an amazing framework for this and to experience God in your marriage and in your life. -------Epic Journey Podcast #19 – Episode NotesIn this episode, Next Level Faith, Sonny and Cindy discuss the power of growing your faith to set the course of your marriage on a growth curve over your lifetime. They discuss the 7 Realities of Experiencing God from the book Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King and the framework it offers to learn how to grow your faith and experience God in your marriage and in your life. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude Kinghttps://blackaby.org/experiencing-god/The 7 Realities of experiencing God:God is always at work around you.God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and actionYou must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing. You come to know God by experiences as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. – John 16:7 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. – John 14:21 Matthew 13:54-58 54 And He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man acquire this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man acquire all these things?” 57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.Thanks for joining us!Sonny & Cindy Zentmeyer, 2B1 Life