AuthorDino Katsiametis

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“Let the word of the Lord dwell in you richly”.- Colossians 3:16  This was something that was said on my show the other day by my guest James Perry the CEO of Alliance Portfolio and it has been bouncing around in my head ever since.  I really recommend you listen to the show because James did such a great job of analyzing what that means as well as dissecting other phrases living in the Word.  I want to share this one in particular because it touched us at God’s Men of Influence so deeply.

James started with the word “Let”.  What does the word let mean?  It means you have to be open to the word and willing to understand its lesson.  You can’t be resistant to it, you must let it in. Well what are you letting in?  You’re letting in the Word, which is the truth. Now, whose Word is it?  It’s the Word of the Lord that was spoken into creation.

It all made great sense and was very moving for me up until this point, but here’s the part that really made me want to share it with you. James talked next about what the word “dwell” means to him and he described it this way.  If you put a teabag in a cup of hot water for a second and then take it right out, the water is basically unchanged, but if you leave the teabag in the water for a few minutes and let it “dwell” there, pretty soon the water changes dramatically.  The water has a fragrance a taste and richness to it.  What a great way to look at it.

The thing that is most powerful to me about this is the idea that I can go back to the scriptures myself and breakdown each phrase in a similar way.  Think about the deeper understanding of the Word that we all have access to, merely by using this method of analysis.  I’m more excited than ever to pick up my Bible in the morning.

Be blessed, Be Joyous and Be Welcome at God’s Men of Influence.

Join us on Facebook for our daily devotionals and updates and please like our page. www.facebook.com/GodsMenOfInfluence

Help us spread the Word and please rate our show on itunes and leave comments for us. Tell us what insights you took from this episode.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Proverbs 11:24  One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want

One of the questions I ask on every show is “Do you Tithe?”  I’m happy to say that the answer every time has been yes and invariably starts a conversation that is fun and inspiring.  One of those conversations was with my guest Tony Lattimore.  Tony was emphatic about the true virtue of tithing, but admitted that it’s not always easy to do.  The story that made me really smile was when he said that his wife makes him Tithe 10% no matter what.  They were broke and he said “honey, I only made $50 in a personal training session?”  She replied immediately, “right…and $5.00 dollars goes to the church.”  So great!  (By the way, his wife has 8 children from a previous marriage and one with Tony)

The powerful thing is that Tony is absolutely convinced that tithing is one of the things that makes his success possible.  He has a thriving personal training business and along with giving 10% gross of everything the family makes, he, his wife and their 9 children are all intimately involved with their church.  Tony is a leader of the church and teaches a free training class to 80 plus members every Saturday.

While Tony’s story is not exactly typical, it is similar to how other families feel about tithing including mine.  This morning, I started to consider the true virtue of tithing.  What makes it so powerful?  There have been plenty of times it was difficult for me to see 10% of my income go out the door especially when my family could’ve really used it, but here’s the thing.  When I’m giving to others, it takes me out of my own head and reminds me that others need it much more than I do.  My family and I are incredibly blessed to be able to give what we can and the change in perspective almost immediately goes to work.  The day gets brighter and I begin to radiate that light rather than darkness of whatever my particular troubles were that day.   God changes my perspective by filling me with his light and it’s wonderful.

If you happen to be someone who doesn’t tithe because you feel as though you’re incapable or you just feel despair, I encourage you to give it a try.  It’s another chance to get closer to the Lord and it will change you forever.

Be blessed, Be joyous and Be welcome at God’s Men of Influence.

Join us on Facebook for our daily devotionals and updates and please like our page. www.facebook.com/GodsMenOfInfluence

Help us spread the Word and please rate our show on itunes and leave comments for us. Tell us what insights you took from this episode.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Something happened at Starbuck’s the other day that I just had to share.  After grabbing my surprisingly strong coffee, I did something out of character for me and decided to sit down.  A few minutes went by before a young guy in a suit too big to be his, sat down next to me looking pretty depressed.  For whatever reason I had to ask what was wrong.  (not exactly normal for me to stick my nose into a stranger’s business)   His answer made me laugh, he said “I’m so sick of sales”.

“Really,” I replied.  “What’re you selling?”

“Ad space for a magazine…and no one’s buying.”

“OK” I said “pitch me.”  God knows what I was thinking, this was going to make me really late for a meeting, but I really wanted to help.  My new young friend smiled and went into his pitch and proceeded to completely turn me off from ever thinking about advertising in his magazine.  When he was through, I simply asked “How does all that apply to my business?”  He was about to start talking so I stopped him and followed up with “Do you have any idea what my business is?”  He looked at me very awkwardly and I knew I had made my point.

“You would not be buying from me would you?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“No I would not,” I replied.

Then he said, “I’m sorry what do you do?”

I laughed and told him I was a mortgage broker and a radio host.  This got his attention and he asked about my radio show.  I told him about my first show Money Matters With Dino which was a financial show.  I said I wanted to help people get educated about business and finance.  Then I told him about God’s Men of Influence and said I wanted to help men become better men through their relationship with God.

Then he said something that really surprised me and let me know that I was getting through to him.  “So you’re just trying to help people.”

“Yes, I am…and I think people are willing to listen because they know it’s real.  I wake up blessed every day and get to talk about my experiences and faith and hear stories from other men who have transformed their life through God.”   Then I told him if he was willing to look at sales through the desire to truly help people and get to know them so that he could solve their problems, the rest would take care of itself.

We talked a while longer and I told him more of my story and he left saying he was excited about listening to the show and said smiling that he never thought that God could help him with sales.

I didn’t get the sense that he was terribly religious at the beginning of our conversation, but I think he’s very open to the Word now and that made me feel incredible.  The Lord really does work in mysterious ways.

Be blessed, Be joyous and Be welcome at God’s Men of Influence.

Join us on Facebook for our daily devotionals and updates and please like our page. www.facebook.com/GodsMenOfInfluence

Help us spread the Word and please rate our show on itunes and leave comments for us. Tell us what insights you took from this episode.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I was told once long ago that if you’re not growing together, you’re growing apart.  Since then, that advice has rattled around in the back of my mind and always seems to pop up just when I need it the most.  When I consider my marriage I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.  The Lord has blessed me so much in my life, but no blessing is greater than my wife Lindsey and my children.  We have a wonderful relationship, filled with love, fun and teamwork.  Of course, we’re not perfect and therefore we fight.  It’s at these times that I remember that phrase “if you’re not growing together, you’re growing apart.”

Arguments are a part of marriage; there’s just no getting around it, from time to time you will disagree and a few of those times it will get pretty heated.  The trick is to remember how much you love your spouse and that no matter what you both ultimately decide, his or her opinion is just as valid as yours.  After all, I’d appreciate it if she would understand where I was coming from, it’s only fair that I do the same.  An example is when I begin to get consumed with work.  It’s easy for me to justify staying later and later at the office, because I’m trying so hard to provide for my family; why can’t she see that?  On the other hand, she’s exhausted from taking care of our family all day long, misses me and would like some help at night.  How can that upset me…after a really deep breath and a very needed change of perspective?  So a compromise is reached. A compromise; that by the way, benefits me anyway because honestly, I’d rather spend more time with my family anyway.

Now if reason truly escapes me and I get stuck in my own stubborn righteousness, I ask God for guidance.  Inspiration comes quickly then.  When I think about my marriage as a true blessing, I realize that to do anything other than compromise and make it work, would be to be ungrateful of the Lords gift.  Once that becomes clear, I am unburdened of my frustration and gratitude and joy fill me once again.  I love my wife and I love my marriage and with God’s help I am convinced it will stand the test of time.

Be blessed, Be Joyous and Be welcome at God’s Men of Influence.

Join us on Facebook for our daily devotionals and updates and please like our page. www.facebook.com/GodsMenOfInfluence

Help us spread the Word and please rate our show on itunes and leave comments for us. Tell us what insights you took from this episode.