Tag Archives: Dad

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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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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.

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12 Ways To Be A Great Dad (Or Mom)

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

My family is getting larger.

We are expecting our next child in January 2013.

My Family Walking

But with children comes responsibility. That seems so obvious, but so many dads have missed that somehow.

Let me say it again: With children comes responsibility.

A few weeks ago, I took some kids, including one of my daughters, to church camp. I watched a dad arrive with his son, unload the luggage, register, and then leave, all without taking his phone from his ear. The only time he even spoke to his son was after he failed his swim test. He pulled the phone away and growled “You’d better pass it tomorrow!”

As I got to know this boy throughout the week, it quickly became apparent that this was pretty normal in his life. He craved attention from the faculty, especially the men. From that one moment, it was easy to see that this boy had a father, but he didn’t have a dad. This man is failing his son, and he probably doesn’t even know it.

This is an area in my life where I do not want to be passive. I do not want to fail in this. In order to be a great father, I must be active and take the initiative in the lives of my kids.

I must be intentional.

And that means I must continually reinforce to them that they are one of my top priorities.

Here are some things I’ve found helpful in communicating that to my children.

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The Dad Toolbox

The Dad Toolbox

There’s an epidemic in America.

It’s true. Look around.

Father’s are failing to be the Dad their kids need them to be.

Some father’s just don’t care.

Others don’t know how.

And still others are just clueless.

My desire to to be a great Dad. I want my kids to know without a doubt that I love them. I want my kids to feel valued and encouraged by me. I want my kids to have a solid relationship with me all of their lives. And I want to teach and model to my kids how to have a solid relationship with God.

But that won’t happen unless I am intentional about making it happen.

And as I learn and grow in this area, I want to share that information with other dads.