Episode Description:

Author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin encourages her readers to select a one-word theme for the year, like “upgrade,” “free,” or “simplify.” You can read more here.  Picking up on her theme, I remember times I have chosen a Bible verse and claimed it as a focus verse for either a new calendar year or a new year after my birthday. For Bible-reading people, you too might want to identify one verse or passage, and “claim” it for your new year. For people who don’t read the Bible? For them, or anyone else, you can also choose a theme– one-word or longer–to make an organizing principle for your new year.

Last year my slogan was “Focus.” Take a listen to hear Scott’s theme slogan for 2018, and pick one yourself! And this doesn’t just work for an individual. A couple, family, church, business, club..anyone can claim a key verse or slogan. 

Word of the Day: claim (noun, verb) to state that something is yours; a statement or assertion that something is true

Question of the Day: Have you claimed a Bible verse or slogan for 2018? If not, what’s holding you back?

Listen Here

Check your listening ability:

1. Why do they say the longest distance in the world is 18 inches?

 

2. What does it mean to “tie up loose ends?”

A. This is said to someone when to let them know their shoes are untied

B. This means to finish or complete your to-do list

C. This is a phrase used in knitting.

D. This was first used when a surgeon was indicted for malpractice because he had not known how to complete the surgery.

 

3.  What was the point Mr. Dreyer was trying to drive a stake into for this podcast?

 

4. Which of the below idioms or illusions is NOT one found in the Bible (that Mr. Dreyer mentioned)?

A. blind leading the blind

B. old as the hills

C. carved in stone

D. rally the troops

 

5. In Germany, Mr. Dreyer’s S.A.D., ___________________, was heightened by these five factors: 1) _____ 2) _____ 3)_____ 4)_____ 5)_____.

 

6. Which of the following is a evidence that the United States does NOT have complete separation of church and state?

A. “In God We Trust” is found on currency and Bible verses are often read at presidential inaugurations.

B. Replicas and lists of the Ten Commandments have been removed from government buildings.

C. If a case arises in the Supreme Court that is not referenced in the Constitution, they base their decision in biblical evidence.

D. Following the moment of silence and pledge of allegiance in public schools, teachers lead students in the Lord’s prayer.

 

7. T/F The Iron Curtain is a symbolic and invisible division of Europe during the Cold War.

 

8. Yugoslavia is now made of six countries. Which of the lists below correctly includes three of these modern nations?

A. Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia

B. Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Hungary

C. Macedonia, Sloakia, Czech Republic 

 

9. There are more __________________ in China than there are _______________ in the United States!

 

10. What’s a way to quickly read through the book of Proverbs? Whose shoes will you be following in if you do this?

 

Answer Key:

1. That is the distsance between the brain and the heart. They are saying that you can learn as much as you want but to reach the heart, you must change behavior and apply knowledge.

2. B. This means to finish or complete your to-do list

3. He wanted people to use a Bible verse or slogan for their new year to effect positive change in their lives.

4. D. rally the troops

5. seasonal affective disorder; 1) the cold winter 2) homesickness 3) culture shock 4) language barrier 5) spiritual darkness of Germany

6. A. “In God We Trust” is found on currency and Bible verses are often read at presidential inaugurations.

7. F. The Iron Curtain was a tangible boundary fortified with floodlights, guards, concrete barriers, mines, and guard dogs.

8. A. Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia

9. English learners; people

10. Read one chapter of Proverbs each day. Since there are 31 chapters, you will finish in a month. Abraham Lincoln

 

***************

Do you want to improve your listening ability? Contact Scott today to see what class you can take to improve that skill!

Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at lifeapppodcast@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.