Category Archives: Dad Toolbox

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DeliberateDads Polo Shirt Winners!

Congratulations go out to the two winners of the DeliberateDads polo shirts!

DeliberateDads Polo Winners

Last week, I hosted a give-away of polo shirts, embroidered with the DeliberateDads logo, on both DeliberateDads.com and here at JeffRandleman.com, celebrating the launch of DeliberateDads.com!

Today, I have the honor to announce and congratulate one winning commenter from each site.

Here they are:

From DeliberateDads.com… Ted Warren!

From JeffRandleman.com… David Sparks!

Both winners will be contacted and notified. As soon as I have their shirt sizes, I will place an order for the shirts, and they will be shipped as soon as they are completed.

Thanks for entering, and congratulations!

Congratulations to the two winners of the DeliberateDads polo shirts! Enjoy!

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New Dad Resource: Deliberate Dads! And A Give-Away!

I am excited to finally announce a new project I’ve been working on! This new resource is a ministry opportunity that I hope and pray will be an excellent tool for dads.

Announcing… DeliberateDads.com!

I want to share with you a little bit of my vision, and the history of how it came about. I also want to give one luck person a DeliberateDads shirt. More on that in a minute.

DeliberateDads Banner

Some History

This has been a long and arduous road.

It all started a few months ago.

Last summer, while at camp, I witnessed a man bringing his son to check him in. The entire time he was there with his son, more than an hour, I saw him speak to his son only one time. The rest of the time, his phone was stuck to his ear and he was chatting amicably with someone else the entire time, completely ignoring his son. His only words to his son were when his son failed to pass his swim test. The dad’s response was “You’d better pass it tomorrow.” The phone went back to his ear, and he left.

That really bothered me. His son was in my cabin, and it was obvious he was starved for attention; we had a few rough issues with him during the week because of that. But once we got past that, he had a great week!

But the image of that dad completely ignoring his son was etched permanently into my mind. I just didn’t know how I could help him.

Just a few weeks later, I saw a blog post by John Saddington about the niche he saw for good dad blogs.

That post stuck in my mind and wouldn’t leave. All kinds of ideas started popping into my head, unsolicited. After a couple of weeks, I decided to check into some details.

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New Dad Resource Coming Soon!

Not too long ago, I started a series called The Dad Toolbox. Shortly after that, I shared how God was laying on my heart to do something more than just a few blog posts about being a great dad.

The Dad Toolbox

After a few more details that needed to get ironed out than I expected, that resource is finally just about ready to unveil.

And so, on December 1, come check out what God has laid on my heart to do. Make sure you don’t miss it; there will be some pretty cool give-aways as well!

I’m really excited about it, and I can see God doing some amazing things through this opportunity. In fact, some of those things have already begun.

As I stated before, this will be an online ministry resource that will help dads become great dads. I want to see dads step up to the plate in the lives of their kids. I want to see dads become intentional and deliberate in becoming the best dad that they can be.

This resource will offer articles and resources that can help dads become better dads, to become great dads. I will share what I’ve found to be effective in my journey as a dad. I will review resources that have helped me, and provide links to purchase resources that I find to be excellent.

On December 1, come take a look and see what’s been going on in my head for the past few months.

Stay tuned! On December 1, check out the new resource for dads!

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New Dad Resource Coming Soon!

This is part of the The Dad Toolbox series, providing tools and resources to be a great dad. Read more from the series!

There are certain things in life that are worth being passionate about.

One of those things is become an all star dad to my children. I believe that the calling to be, not just a dad, but a great dad is one of the top three calls God places in a man’s life, with only our calling to be God’s child and the call to be a great husband ranking higher in our list of priorities.

Father and Son on the Beach

God’s design places us in families. Every one of us has a mother. Each of us has a father. God wired us to be a part of a family unit.

Certainly, there are people who aren’t part of a family. Maybe they’ve passed away. Maybe there is some relational estrangement. Or even abandonment. But the fact remains, God designed us to be in relationships with other people, and the pattern he created is the family unit.

God has placed us in these specific families for a purpose. We should receive the love and attention that we need relationally here. And we should give love and attention in return. Regardless of what our job or career may be, I think our first level of ministry is within the family atmosphere. And I think dads are a critical element to the successful family.

Sadly, many kids in our world today are growing up without any great family relationships, especially from their fathers. Their father may be gone, leaving them in a single parent home. Or maybe their father is there, but he’s disengaged from his children.

Either way, as a youth minister, this grieves me.

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Being An Intentional Dad

This is part of the The Dad Toolbox series, providing tools and resources to be a great dad. Read more from the series!

If I had to place my finger on the one crucial element that it takes to be a great dad, it would be the idea of intentionality.

In order to be a great dad, you have to be focused on being a great dad. You have to be intentional.

Intentionality Bullseye

It’s too easy to just go with the flow, to stay in the rut.

For example, the other day I came home from the church where I work. It had been a long day. I had got a lot accomplished: planning our youth ministry fall kick-off, adding some elements to the church website that I administrate, and a bunch of other stuff. And, since I use a standing desk, my feet were feeling pretty tired.

My usual routine is to come home, kick off my shoes, and relax for a little while. And by relax, I really mean that I don’t relax, because with five kids, and another on the way, there is no such thing as relaxation. My one year old girl was in my lap, showing me the oatmeal on her shirt. My ten year old daughter was asking me something about her science book. And in the midst of this, within moments of walking in the door, this conversation happened:

Titus (my eight year old son): Dad, can we go find a geocache?

Me: Hi, Titus.

Titus: Dad, can we go find one?

Me: Hi, Titus.

Titus: Oh… Hi! Now can we go find a geocache?

Jadon (my three year old son): Can I go find a zeocass too?

And so, I loaded up my two boys, and off we went to find a couple of “zeocasses”. We found two, and got rained on.

But here’s the thing: both my boys absolutely loved it, and the fact that I took them geocaching in the rain showed them that I value them.

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The Four P’s Of Dadhood – The Next Two P’s

This is part of the The Dad Toolbox series, providing tools and resources to be a great dad. Read more from the series!

Last week, we took a look at the first two P’s of dadhood. We saw that practice and patience are necessary elements to building a legacy as a great dad to your kids. The only way to get better at this dad thing is to do it over and over. But don’t get discouraged, be patient.

P Block - Credit: Jennifer Marr

There are two more aspects to be considered though. While the first two P’s were somewhat simple, these next two P’s take us deeper into our training as dads.

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The 4 P’s Of Dadhood – The First Two P’s

This is part of the The Dad Toolbox series, providing tools and resources to be a great dad. Read more from the series!

It doesn’t take a whole lot to be a father.

Biologically speaking, that is…

The truth is, just about any man can be a father. But to be a great father… Well, that’s a whole different picture.

P Block - Credit: Jennifer Marr

I’m not going to tell you that I have it all figured out. I know just how often I fail as a dad. Those moments are very apparent to me.

But, as the father of five kids, and a sixth one on the way, I have found a few things to be crucial elements in becoming a successful dad.

First, let’s define the term “successful”. For me, to be a success as a father means that my kids know, without a doubt, that I love them. It means that I give them the tools they will need to be successful themselves, no matter what they strive for. It means that I build in them character, and model it in my own life. It means that I teach them how to stand strong in their faith, becoming a man or a woman that rests solidly upon God, in every area of their lives.

The key to helping my children become what I want them to become, what God wants them to become, is to model those qualities myself. And that’s no easy task.

Over the last thirteen years, I’ve identified at least four key components of successful dad-hood. These four characteristics are necessary to develop in my own life, as I become the dad God created me to be. And they are necessary in my life as I strive to raise my kids in a Godly fashion, helping them become the persons that God created them to be.