*photo courtesy of stockfreeimages.com
Fred Luter is the Pastor of The Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spoke last week at the D6 Conference in Dallas, TX and he absolutely ripped it up!
You gotta check out this story that he told…
It was the story of a man who, for years, had sent his family to church while he stayed home.
This Dad would stay home, watch the game and drink his beer.
One day, the man’s 12-year-old son announced he wasn’t going to church anymore.
When his son told him that, the dad blew up and said “yes son, you will be going to church with your mom.”
The son told him…
“No, I’m not going to church with mom…I’m going to hell with you.’”
Can you say ouch!! How do you respond to that??
If you look at Scripture, you will see that God’s design and desire from the very beginning was for men to lead. In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam work — a job and responsibility — before he ever gave him a wife. The challenge today is how do we encourage, push, motivate, catapult men to be the spiritual leaders of their homes.
5 WAYS DAD’S CAN LEAD THEIR FAMILIES
- Get Off Your Butt: Are you currently disconnected from Jesus? When I do not prioritize time in God’s Word and prayer I typically stay in decent spiritual shape. However, when I do not prioritize time in God’s Word and prayer for a couple of months or more…I spiritually slip, fall into old habits, my mind becomes warped and I am not capable of leading my family in God’s truth. Dad’s, are you spiritually slipping? If so, get off your butt, pull out God’s Word and read 1 chapter in the Book of John everyday for the next 21 days.
- Keep It Simple Stupid: You’re not going to change the world over night! I need all Dad’s to simply make 1 leadership move over the next 30 days. Make a commitment to attend church. Make a commitment to pray with your wife. Make a commitment to pray with your kids at night. Make a commitment to do a family mission trip to the local rescue mission. Make a commitment to take your daughter on a date. Keep it simple stupid and make 1 leadership commitment.
- Show Up: You will fail in this new quest of leading your family. You will get lazy, tired and down on yourself. When you fail, please remember to simply show up tomorrow. Don’t feel like praying today, show up and pray tomorrow. Don’t feel like reading God’s Word today., show up and read tomorrow. Blow it today, show up and start over tomorrow.
- Remember Commitment Trumps Skill: I absolutely love John Maxwell’s book 21 Indispensable Qualities Of A Leader. In this book he gives some amazing facts. I love these facts because it lets me know that an everyday, jacked up, screwed up dad like me can still make a difference.
More than 50% of all CEOs of Fortune 500companies had C or C- averages in college.
Nearly 75% of all U.S. Presidents were in the bottom half of their school classes
More than 50% of all millionaires and entrepreneurs never finished college
- Give Them A No Cell Phone Ball: If you haven’t seen this video, your kids NEED one of these. It will assure you prioritize your kids above your phone. WATCH IT HERE.
Ok dads…Which one of these do you need to focus on this week?
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