Promise Keepers Marriage Event | The Naked Marriage Podcast | Dave and Ashley Willis

Hello and welcome back to the Naked Marriage Podcast. We have a bonus episode today and we have a very special guest, and Dave is going to tell you all about him.

Yeah, I'm super excited to be interviewing Chad Hennings for a number of reasons. Number one, I'm hoping to get some workout tips from him because he's built like one of the Avengers, like the Incredible Hulk or something. And so I'm hoping that afterwards he's going to give me the tips of how I can transform into, into being so buff. But that's not why we're here to talk to him today. We're here to talk really about how to, how to grow in our marriages and how to grow spiritually. But just a little bit about Chad. He graduated from the Air Force Academy. He faithfully, courageously served our nation. And thank you so much for, for your Service. Flew successfully 45 combat missions with the Air Force. And then after that, you know, most guys could just retire and say, well, I've accomplished plenty in my life.

This.

Then he went and played a full decade in the NFL and was awesome there for the Dallas Cowboys and has three super bowl rings, which that means together. Combined between the two of us, Chad and I have three super bowl championships to our name. And I'm excited about that. So played for the dynasty of the Cowboys back in the 90s. So fun to watch back then. His wife Tammy's got a son, Chase, a daughter Brenna. And we're here today talking to Chad because he's part of the board of Promise Keepers, one of the best Christian organizations in the world. Their events helped me in the past. It's an organization focused specifically on helping men become who they're made to be in Christ. And they're doing a free virtual event coming up on January 23rd. You can find out about it at promisekeepers.com marriage and it's going to be really a marriage focused event specifically to men. So, guys, if you're listening, this is for you. Ladies, if you're listening, get your man to tune into this episode and to tune in to this free event coming up, because this is going to help him become even more the man of God that he was created to be. Enough of me talking. Chad, welcome. Thanks for being here, David.

Thank you guys for having me on. And you mentioned the Avengers as opposed to Hulk. I was thinking more in the lines of Dr. Strange.

Okay, Dr. Strange. Yes.

You know, that's, whatever. Maybe back in the day I could translate to that or relate to that.

Dr. Strange. I can See some Captain America in here? Yeah, if I was one of the Avengers, I'm shaped more like the raccoon character in Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy, that's more. My size and build is more like the rodent. But we're thrilled that you're here and thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for what you're doing. So tell us about this event. What's the vision behind what's going to happen here in a couple of weeks?

Well, the event, one of the seven promises of a Promise Keeper that we've alluded to is the commitment to marriage and to be the husband that God is calling us to be, and the husband, the father, the friend, the man of God they're calling us to be. And to say that marriage today is under attack is an understatement. I'd also say just being a man today in our culture is under attack. Pre Covid and all this pandemic, I truly believe that we were in a pandemic of the isolated male guys drawing within themselves, within themselves, within a shell, to the fact that when they talk about toxic masculinity, they talk about aspects of, you know, treating masculinity as a virus. That's something that needs to be cured. What are we as the body of Christ? What is our message to men? And that's where Promise Keepers is stepping up to try to fill that role. If you were created with a specific purpose in mind, that is to, you know, to be a good steward of God's resources, and that is marriage, the sanctity of marriage. And that relationship is first and foremost, and unfortunately, during this time of isolation and pandemic, as we've gone through this whole stay at home period in certain states still being locked down. For one, if man is not healthy from self and their identity as to who they are in Christ, a lot of times that will allude to issues within the marriage itself, too, of bringing out domestic violence, you know, substance abuse, you know, continued addictions to pornography, and all the different things that hooks that the world puts into us in our flesh and draws us away from what we are called to be again as husbands.

Right.

So what Promise Keepers wants to do is to help draw guys out of their shell, even though this is a virtual event, to realize that they're will be thousands upon thousands of men around, not only the country, but the world that will be viewing them will be in prayer for them. That will lock them into community, even though it may be a virtual community, but get them into community and again to accept, to affirm, to hold us accountable as to who we are as men. So that's the intent of the event. But the event is not an end all, it's a catalyst, it's stemming to where you're going to get great content. You have the list of speakers, phenomenal speakers that are going to be on. It's going to be a fast paced event, you know, just a two hour event that will give guys motivation, content, resources as to where to go. We have an app on the Promise Keepers app. You can go to your, your itunes store or app store to download that again to provide studies, resources, community where they can lock arms with other guys in their local geographical area.

You know, I absolutely love it and I love it that it's specifically catered towards men. I think that's so good that it's just specifically catered towards men being men of God, being better husbands. And you know, he talked about the speakers. Just to give you all a little taste, we have two of our favorites, Jimmy Evans and Tim Ross who are speaking and they've been on this podcast. We love them. Chad himself is speaking. We have Dr. Gary Chapman, John Bevere, Al Robertson, Dr. Gary Rosberg, we have Jim Burgess, we have Samuel Rodriguez, Crawford Lauritz, and if I'm mispronouncing any of these names, please tell me Jared Lopes, Brad Stein, Victor Marks, and the list goes on and on. I mean it's just an amazing lineup of speakers and I just love that you all are taking the time to invest in men in this way. I think it's very powerful.

Again, well, it's much needed and I think very timely. And a lot of correspondence that we get from, you know, individuals around the country are A lot of it is from our wives. Sam, please. David, you could probably speak to that experience of what it was like to go to a Promise Keepers event, to be around other men, to have that mountaintop experience, but yet come down from that. And how do you translate that into the day to day aspect of honoring your wife, being the servant leader of your home? And that's. We're trying just to capitalize that. You know, this event is not an end all, but utilize it as a catalyst to continue that change in lifestyle if need be and to find resources to help so that we can continue to have those transparent relationships within the home.

Yeah, it's so important. And the mountaintop experience is something I think that we all could use right now. And all through scripture, God intentionally and strategically would allow his followers to Experience these key kind of mountaintop moments where they can take inventory of their life. They can get a clearer glimpse of what he's doing in their life and in their world and in their community and their role within it, so that they can come down from that mountain and live life differently based on what they had just experienced. And this Promise Keepers event will be that for you guys. If you'll tune in for just a few hours, these few hours could be transformative. I know the time I've spent at Promise Keepers events over the years, they have been that mountaintop experience for me, where I'll hold on to. Maybe it's just one thing that one of the speakers said, that God used to just speak to me directly and speak to me and say, dave, that's something I want you to go home and do differently. And if it's even just one thing that you go home and do differently as a result of what you're going to hear, then that one thing over time, that new habit could really change your marriage. It could change your heart, it could change your perspective in your life. But I think you're going to get a lot more than one thing. I mean, just knowing what I know about this lineup of speakers and all the prayer that's gone into this event, I expect God to do something really transformative in and through this event. And for all those who are going to tune in, and because of the, you know, the generous support of donors and folks around the world, this event is happening for free. This event is happening completely free of charge to remove any barrier, any excuse to keep you from tuning in. It's coming at great expense to others so that you can experience it for free. Because we want to serve you in this way. The folks at Promise Keepers want to serve you in this way. And so don't miss out on this. I think sometimes as guys, there's a little pride that creeps in, and it makes us feel like, you know, I don't need this. I'm good. I don't need anybody telling me what to do. You know, I'm good. But, guys, listen, that voice of pride is what holds us back from becoming the men we were created to be. It holds us back from experiencing all that God has for us. And so be humble enough to know that we all have more to learn, right? I mean, even the best athletes in the world still have coaches. You know, even the best athletes in the world, even the champions in the world, in whatever field, they're still learning and growing. And that's why they're so successful in all of us, in all parts of our life, in marriage, in fatherhood, those are the parts that matter most. We need to keep growing, we need to keep learning. And this is an event that's going to help you do that.

Amen. And that's. You allude to it, that since it is a virtual event, guys, you do have no excuse. I mean, you can view it, partake of it on your iPhone, on your whatever means of technology you want, in your own room by yourself. And it's not just for husbands. This is an opportunity for men. If you're divorced, if you're single, if you're a young man that wants to be married at some point in time, there are going to be some great resources and tools and techniques and content that will help us better. And David, I loved your analogy regarding when you mentioned about athletes. For me, as a former professional athlete, former fighter pilot, that living a life of excellence, it's not a destination you never arrive. It's a journey, it's a process, it's a way of life. And that's the same thing with marriage. I've been married going on almost 31 years of marriage. The end of this month. 31 years.

Congratulations.

That's an accomplishment. That's amazing.

But, you know, there's been those times where in all transparency and honesty, you know, I love my wife dearly, but there are times where we did not like each other and we butted heads, but, you know, we got through it because of the aspect of the commitment. And it was just through a lot of our stuff was trial and error. But if I, as a young married man, if I had access to this type of content and what we have, like with Jimmy Evans and with his stuff. I'm a big fan of Jimmy's, too. With marriage today, life would have been a lot easier, I think, with that, with just being how we relate as a husband and a wife.

Yeah, having the right information makes all the difference, you know, and when you're listening to guys who've been there, guys who've. You can learn from their mistakes instead of having to make that same mistake yourself. Sometimes God wired it up so that we don't have to figure everything out on our own. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, thou shalt figure it out, you know? But what he does is he gives us a roadmap for how to trust in him and how to lean on each other and learn. Learn from the experiences of others and learn from Scripture, learn from teachers who've Been where we are. And Promise Keepers event is a way to bring all that together, to tie in God's wisdom through the timeless truth of Scripture. And then the wisdom of these men who've walked through some of the situations maybe that you're walking through right now and, and the insights that they can share with you could potentially save you from making a lot of life changing mistakes and help put you on a path toward more wisdom. And again, the website where you can go to, to learn more about this and sign up is totally free event. It is promise keepers.com marriage and this virtual event is happening on January 23rd.

And I just want to say, husbands who are listening, there is nothing sexier than you taking the reins and taking initiative and saying, I'm going to go try to learn how to be a better man, how to be a better hus, how to be a better Christ follower. That is really sexy. Okay, you guys know we talk about this a lot on the podcast, so go ahead and do that and tell your wife, say, listen, I wanna take this time out so that I can, I can be with other men who are trying to follow Christ, who are trying to be better men, better husbands. And I wanna learn. And so, you know, on Saturday, January 23rd, I'm gonna do this virtual event. There is such power in that. And it's just her knowing that you're willing to take the time to do that and to invest in, in yourself and in the marriage is just amazing. So please go do that. And, and ladies, if you're listening and if you're watching your husband to do this, tell him it's free. You know, don't shame him or anything if he's like making excuses, but just say, listen, you know, I'm trying to work on myself here. I'm trying to be a better woman of God and a better wife. I think this thing would be awesome. It's free. You're going to learn from all these guys. Not, not men who say they have everything together or they lived a perfect life, but real men who've walked through real fires and you've come out the other side and who can teach you a lot of different things. And so definitely go to him and encourage him to do this.

Man. So I, I'm like her talking about how sexy it is. It's super sexy for me to sign up. Like I'm gonna sign up twice. Like I'm gonna sign up under my name and then an alias and I'm gonna watch it on two different screens. Oh my. Gosh And I'm gonna show you. I'm gonna like double dip. That's right. Double dip. Right? I know. I'm really looking forward to this, this event. So, Chad, thank you again for being here. You know, the floor is yours. What, what final words of wisdom do you want to give to, to, you know, to the men who are listening to the wives of those men, you know, and not only to have come to this event, but I know you've got such a heart for reaching and training and discipling and encouraging men. So anything that you'd like to share about this event specifically or potentially maybe for that guy that's listening and is disconnected from, you know, from meaningful relationships with other men? And I think most men honestly kind of live without the kind of community that God desires for us to have. And so just what, what encouragement or challenge would you like to give?

I would say that to the men out there that are listening. God created you with a specific purpose and calling on your life. We all have a very unique calling. We're called the body of Christ for a reason. We all have different responsibilities, strengths, etc. But one of the things he did not create you for was, to your point, to be in isolation. He created you to be in community. He created you to lean on the strength of others. There's that synergistic effect that one plus one now equals four, if not more. So with that, I'd use the metaphor. It's time to no longer be a spectator and stay on the bench. It's time to get off, get in the game and be active. Our culture, our country, our communities need men who are active, who are, who will say, if not me, then who? And it starts first and foremost with me. So men, get off the bench and get into the game.

I love it.

I love it too. And guys, this event is an easy step for you to get off the bench and get into the game. Because just by taking the step to watch this, by investing that time, by watching it with just an open heart and open mind for what God might want to speak to you through it, I really believe that this two hour investment of your time, and again, it's totally free. So your time is all you're investing. But that investment of time could bring a return on investment that is beyond what you could imagine. Because the wisdom that's going to be shared over those two hours really could change your life. So once again, the site is promisekeepers.com marriage. It is a free virtual event happening January 23rd. We want to thank Promise Keepers for what they've done to change my life and to change the lives of literally millions of other men and families all around the world. And, Chad, I want to thank you again for what you and your team are doing to make this possible. And I want to thank you for watching and listening to this episode. We appreciate you, and we'll look forward to seeing you here next time.