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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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Coffee Break – 11.26.2012

Coffee Break

The Holdster – A small company in Burlington, Vermont, has created a way to turn any small canning jar into a travel mug. They’ve created the Holdster, a leather wrap, either with or without a handle, that can turn a jar into a coffee mug. This has officially been added to my wish list.

The Deepest View Of The Universe – Using over 2000 photos taken by Hubble’s cameras and stitched together, this image and video covers an extremely tiny portion of the night sky, and reveals just how incredibly crowded it is. Prepare for your mind to be blown!

12 Stats On The State Of Bookstores In America Today – As an avid reader and bibliophile, the state of bookstores in America intrigues me. While things aren’t as bad as many think, and perhaps smaller stores are making a comeback, the online and ebook industry has definitely made itself a niche in the market.

100 Abandoned Houses – I’m inspired by the creativity of others. Kevin Bauman has captured the state of a steadily declining suburb in Detroit. As sad as the circumstances may be, the beauty of his project is undeniable.

The Day My Dad Chopped Down An Idol – Sometimes when God transforms lives he does it in dramatic ways. Beverly Chao Berrus grew up in an idol and ancestor worship environment, and experienced a drastic life change when her parents accepted Christ. Her story is thought provoking.

How God Saved A Hardened Atheist – Hudson Taylor was one of the first missionaries to China, and lived there in the 1800s. But before he went, he had a job as a medical assistant. Even in this humble position, he still allowed God to use him to reach people with the message of Jesus. This story is powerful and inspiring.

Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish. – Jean de la Fontaine

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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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Memorize Scripture – Week 47

In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving, here’s another of my favorite passages on the topic.

This week’s passage is found in Psalm 95:2:

Psalm 95:2

As this Psalm indicates, a major part of a lifestyle of worship is gratitude. Thankfulness is a key element in the life of the Christian.

It saddens me that we tend to lose our focus on this during the holiday season. We hardly make it through a day dedicated to being thankful for God’s provision before we tackle the crowded stores in order to get more.

And our focus through the rest of the season wanders as well.

But this Psalm draws us back to our reason for being: worship of the one who created us and saved us.

So, even in the midst of a busy, crazy season, let’s strive to continually come before him with thanksgiving.

That will be a key element for my family’s celebrations this year.

What do you do to keep your focus on God, where it needs to be? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Fearless Living

My son is not afraid of heights.

I found this out a year or so ago when I took several of my children with our church’s children’s ministry to the City Museum in St. Louis for the day. They had a huge metal… thing outside that had tunnels and catwalks and places to climb and explore. It’s pretty hard to describe.

Metal Climbing Structure at City Museum

Titus climbed straight to the top area that was nothing more than a huge caged ball that was three or four stories above the ground. He camped out there for quite a while, loving every minute of it.

At that point, I had the idea for this post, capitalizing off of that event.

But I never got around to writing it. No particular reason kept me from it, I just had other topics that I wanted to cover, and this idea slid off my radar.

Until last weekend.

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Coffee Break – 11.19.2012

Coffee Break

Monday Mocca – This is a quick but well-done video done by students in Sweden. Great way to spice up your Monday morning.

Lagoons In The Brazil Desert – Every year, a desert in northeastern Brazil receives a rainy season. And, every year, the valleys in between the sand dunes fill with water, creating a stunningly beautiful landscape. And it looks like a lot of fun, too.

The 5 PM Quiz: George Costanza’s Resume – This is the first of two articles from MentalFloss.com. However this one was too good to pass up. One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Seinfeld. I’ve watched every episode numerous times. This quiz covers the myriad of jobs that George had, wanted to have, or made up during the nine years that the show ran. I scored 80% (I am ashamed…). How well will you score?

9 Things Invented For Military Use That You Now Encounter In Everyday Life – Have you ever wondered where something came from? Often, the technology that we take for granted every day was first developed with a military application in mind. I found these nine examples interesting. Some I knew, but others surprised me.

Did Jesus Turn Water Into Wine Or Grape Juice? – This is a question I get a lot, especially from teens. When Jesus turned the water into something else at the wedding party in Cana in Galilee, was it grape juice, unfermented wine, or regular wine? This article looks in depth at the issue, what it meant then, and how it applies today.

3 Benefits Of Praying with Your Wife – One of my passions in life is to be an excellent father. But in order for that to happen, I first need to be an excellent husband. Some Wise Guy gets straight to the point with these three things that you can gain in your marriage by praying with your spouse.

Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out. – Ancient Proverb