SMALLEY INSTITUTE

“This is your life on autopilot: half-awake, frustrated, disconnected from yourself and those around you. Of course you need and want to “be there” for your children, your spouse, and your co-workers, but your inner voice can’t help but cry out, “There has to be a better way!”

How do you get yourself off autopilot so you can really live? It all starts by shifting your focus. The key is to become aware of your feelings, habits, patterns, and general “busyness” so that you can learn to mindfully step outside yourself the moment you notice you’re engaging in your usual autopilot behavior.” Toni Parker, Ph.D.

Distraction of the Day:

Do you remember our wedding day? What stands out to you almost 24 years later? If you thought our wedding day was unforgettable, wait till you hear how Danielle Colley’s wedding day went!

Honoring News of the Day

The Gwinnett community in Georgia has been mourning the loss of Officer Antwan...

You know when God does something so unexpected in your life, you can’t help but fall down flat on your face thankful and overwhelmed by how much God loves you? That happened to me on Sunday and it involved an addiction, the death of my father and a jacket.

Coming up on today’s show:

1. Miracles
2. Power
3. And total fulfillment in your life no matter what is going on around you

Distraction of the Day:

Twitter has once again reached out into the ethos to discover the answer to: What did you have 20 years ago that you don’t have today? Insanity ensues.

Leave a review and subscribe to the podcast.

Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review.

“even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you...

Today we’ve got 14 interesting facts about hugs and why they matter so much to every single important relationship in your life.

Distraction of the Day:

I’m actually a little nervous for the distraction of the day. But at the end of this show I’m going to show Amy a personally selected, tirelessly researched conglomeration of horribly awkward hugs...and my winning picture of the most awkward hug could get me in trouble. So I went ahead and found a video that will make everything ok again.

Leave a review and subscribe to the podcast.

Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review.

The following facts about hugs provided by Psychology Today and Useless Daily (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/oxytocin | https://www.uselessdaily.com/news/12-interesting-facts-about-hugs/#ixzz5XInVP1Tc)

1. Hugs release oxytocin: a powerful hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It influences social interaction and sexual reproduction,...

Aaaaaaaand in this corner, we have Uncle Joey who’s had a little bit to drink and some strong opinions about the recent elections. Annnnnnnd in this corner we have our challenger Aunt Marge who feels the need to correct people about practically everything and is just itching for an opportunity to disagree. In this epic clash of opinions who, Amy, will win in this holiday battle royale?

Amy: Um, I don’t really think anyone wins?

Michael: *sarcastic* But there’s always a winner!

Amy: No, I don’t think so. Really in these family battles no one wins and everyone just feels kinda awkward.

Michael: So what you’re saying is engaging in family drama doesn't actually fix anything and just creates more tension? Huh, who knew?

Amy: So today we are going see how engaging in family drama isn't really helpful and how we, as Christ followers, should be seeking to de-escalate conflict instead of provoke it.

Michael: And we’re going to teach you a method that can...

Folks it’s the holiday season and while our children are getting more and more excited about Christmas and toys parents are already starting to dread the 10 hour drive across country that the in-laws finally guilted them into making this year. If you find yourself stressed about traveling with your crazy family this year then stay tuned for some helpful tips on how to wrangle all those strong personalities into one unified goal.

What in the world did a superintendent of a school district do to get fired behind the bleachers at school? Find out at the end of today’s show.

Leave a review and subscribe to the podcast.

Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review that we will air on the show.

Pay attention and be aware of your personality styles when it comes to your holiday travels this year.

The traveling Lion

• Needs to know the goal and direction
• Allow opportunities to help schedule or plan travel

The traveling Otter

• Just make it fun!
• Make sure...

We have a great question from one of you today! It’s a newly married listener, but this guy is already on track to being an amazing husband unless he ignores my advice today.  I’ve got something for those of you who are strong at heart and have a steal stomach. Let’s just say you’ll never want to eat sushi again!

Pursue Oneness: 7 key strategies to the relationship of your dreams

Leave a review and subscribe to the podcast.

Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review.

Newly married, when my wife comes home and is frustrated with her job and negative. How do I validate her without getting discouraged myself.
Just wants to validate and get her to a better place.  But make sure you are not assuming responsibility for your wife’s feelings.  At the end of the day you can’t make her be ok and you need to be ok with that.

“Very negative at times”

Love your heart! Sometimes our intentions are really good...

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” -- Marie Curie

Words cause fear. "socialistic," "neo-fascist," "immigrant invasion," "racist." The votes are in and this is going to be the first ever politically motivated podcast of my life...and I’m still not going to get into politics. Today we are going to explore how seeking understanding can actually help eliminate fear.

Amy..are you willing to earn $100 an hour at a job? I need you to accept or reject this job before you even hear about it. Do you want the job? Now stay tuned till the end of this podcast to hear if Amy made a wise choice or turned down something spectacular.

Why does understanding help us eliminate fear?  The more you know the more you build up confidence.  Knowledge really is power, but it is the process of seeking understanding that’s the key.

The most important thing you need to understand after...

"It's the sin we don't struggle with that we tend to vilify most." That's just one of the great lines from Preston Sprinkle and my latest interview. Preston and I get into the topic of how to love someone well you don't agree with and what does it look like from a biblical perspective. You don't want to miss this episode because every one of us has someone in our life we could love better. Of course, I end up oversharing about my own issues, thankfully Preston is a kind man!

You need to check out Preston and his two main ministries:

https://www.prestonsprinkle.com

https://www.centerforfaith.com

Equipping Christian leaders, churches and organizations to engage questions about faith, sexuality & gender with theological faithfulness and courageous love.

Today we are taking a question that was asked of me by one of you: the question is “What if your spouse doesn’t respond when you ask what is wrong?” Well, to get the answer to that question you’ll just have to keep listening!

And for the distraction of the day. Something insane happened recently to a baggage handler for one of the major airlines. I’m giving Amy a multiple choice test you’ll wanna hear.

Subscribe and leave a review. Also, if you have a question and you want your voice heard on our podcast, then call and leave us a voicemail on our Podcast Voicemail Hotline at (903) 392-0975 and I’ll give you a free membership to our site that’s worth $250!

Question from a listener: “What if your spouse doesn't respond when you ask what is wrong?”

Not responding could be the result of:

• Being annoyed by the question, because it is asked too much
• Your spouse doesn’t feel “safe” enough to answer the question...

In 1994, the year we got married, two Americans were invited by the Russian Department of Education to come and teach morals and ethics in the public schools. They were even allowed to teach biblical stories and principles. When they shared the Christmas story at an orphanage of about 100 boys and girls who’d been abandoned, abused and left in the care of the government...one little boy named Misha changed the story of Jesus’ birth in a way you won’t believe! In fact, it’s the inspiration for today’s five ways you can become someone’s favorite person!

Near the end of this podcast, I’ve got yet another ridiculous story for you. This one is about chickens. All I can say is, come on people!

Upcoming Event: I’ll be doing a Church Marriage Strategy training for West End Assembly of God in Richmond VA November 11th through the 13th.

Resource: Pursue Oneness: 7 strategies to help you build the relationship of your dreams.

Don't forget to ...