On this episode of DadPOD you will hear my interview with Marquette Williams.  Marquette is a Hollywood filmmaker and his latest work is a documentary called, Fatherhood 101.  He interviewed 150 people about fatherhood, being a father, the impact of their fathers on their lives, good and bad dad stories.  The movie is scheduled to debut the week before Father’s Day in June.  He’s asking for help to get the film distributed as wide as possible.  More information about how you can see the film and/or help get this movie viewed.  

Marquette Williams/Fatherhood 101.

Marquette Williams filmed a documentary called Fatherhood 101.  The movie will hit the public scene the week before Father’s Day, June 2013.

Here’s a brief summary of the film from the page on Indie Gogo:

Over the past two years we have been able to interview over 150 fathers.  We have worked with several Fatherhood agencies and created an amazing documentary called Fatherhood 101.

My Name is Marquette Williams and I am the director of the documentary “Fatherhood 101,” but more importantly, I am a father. This documentary has been the most eye opening film I’ve ever been a part of. I will forever see my life- as a father- differently.  

“Fatherhood 101” explores the meaning of fatherhood by unveiling a multitude of compelling fatherhood philosophies. With the support of riveting statistics of hope and expert testimonials from case workers, lawmakers and agencies, the film examines the dissension between the vital role of fathers in children’s development and the current fatherhood landscape. We follow fathers from all sociocultural backgrounds – including celebrity fathers such as Alan Thicke, Christopher McDonald, Grant Hill, Lance Henriksen, Lee Daniels, Robert Davi, and Tyrese Gibson – as they reveal an intimate side of themselves. Share in their touching childhood stories involving their own fathers, the love and selflessness they continuously give their children, and the hardships they are challenged with as parents.

During the interview we discuss:

• Marquette growing up without his biological father who was a violent man.
• The impact of his step father on bringing Marquette up well and the importance of men stepping into younger men’s lives.
• The reasoning behind the making of this documentary–not a lifetime pursuit but one borne out of seeing a fatherhood conference and the impact it had on him.
• The power of a dad on the home and what he found from people as he gathered the information for this documentary.

I really found Marquette to be a fascinating man and think you’ll really like this interview.  Enjoy.

NEED A SLIDESHOW TO MUSIC TO MAKE A SPECIAL EVENT MEMORABLE?

 Have a BIG EVENT coming up in your life?  Let SLIDESHOW MEMORIES help you make the event a memory by creating a fun, creative and memorable slideshow (set to music if desired).  Find out more about packages and pricing (it’s really affordable) by sending an email to Jeff@slideshowmemories.org for more information (packages available, song choices, lead time to create, etc. JUST CLICK THIS LINK TO OPEN YOUR EMAIL

Information and Links related to todays Podcast:

1. Fatherhood 101 – Indiegogo.com/projects/fatherhood101; The documentary trailer and other information about the film and how you can be involved in helping get this message out to men around the country.
2. Courageous Dads simulcast on Father’s Day weekend–June 14.  Find out more about this event on my next DadPOD episode.

LIKE, SHARE, COMMENT, CONNECT

We hope you are enjoying the DadPOD, a podcast for guys like us, every day men and dads.  Until next DadPOD, thanks for listening.  

Please share this episode by sharing a Tweet to your followers (click the Twitter logo below), posting a link to your Facebook page or Pinterest, etc.

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Right Click to download the .mp3 version of this episode

Question or Feedback? Leave Me a Voicemail!

If you have a question you’d potentially like answered on the show, or just feedback in general (constructive criticism and praise is absolutely welcome!), feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the Send Voicemail red tab on the right of the page  to quickly and easily leave me a message. I’ll feature you and your question on the show!

Thank you all for checking out this session of the DadPOD podcast, and finally, if you haven’t done so already, I would love if you took a minute to leave a quick (and honest) rating and review of the show on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It would be extremely helpful!

Subscribe to iTunes and Make your review to help us gain recognition by clicking the button below:

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The post DadPOD 010: Fatherhood 101: A Documentary–An interview with Marquette Williams, filmmaker & writer appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

DadPad | Jeff Abramovitz | LifeWay June 14 Courageous Dads simulcast event

Sunday, June 14 could be an historic day in fatherhood.  Seldom have we seen fathers in a TV or movie role that don’t include their being depicted as a fool, oaf, unneeded or extraneous.  Events focus on activities but not always on what makes a father really COURAGEOUS.  A few years ago, the move COURAGEOUS came out and brought the need for Godly men and fathers in our homes across the nation.  We have a culture that is continually wanting to bury the whole idea of fatherhood (here is a link to an article in The Atlantic a couple of years ago espousing this idea: Are Fathers Necessary) .  Some say it’s passe, unnecessary and even harmful.  But, statistics (and our souls/gut) tell us something completely different.  Check out these statistics

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes
• 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (Source: Center for Disease Control)
• 80% of rapists come from fatherless homes (Source: Criminal Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26, 1978.)
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (Source: National Principals Report on the State of High Schools .)
• 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes (Source: Rainbows for all God`s Children.)
• 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home (Source: Fulton Co. Georgia jail populations, Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992)
• These statistics translate to mean that children from a fatherless home are:

5 times more likely to commit suicide
32 times more likely to run away
20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
Boys are 14 times more likely to commit rape
9 times more likely to drop out of high school
10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution
20 times more likely to end up in prison

Convincing enough for you?  

Eric Metaxas of BreakPoint has recorded a great BreakPoint piece (and transcribed it on their blog) to cite the need for fathers to become heroic, courageous fathers in their home.  Nothing can replace the impact a loving, intentional, caring father has on his home daily and for generations to come.  I strongly encourage you to listen and share his piece and then, register for the upcoming Father’s Day event, Courageous Dads that will be simulcast on June 14.  You can order it and watch it alone but wouldn’t it be better to get a bunch of guys together to have some food, fellowship and then watch this together at your church, a friends house or where ever you can gather!  Find out more at Courageousdads.com.  Let’s build a nation of heroic dads!

REGISTER HERE FOR THE JUNE 14th FATHERS DAY SIMULCAST – COURGEOUS DADS

The post Courageous Dads ARE Needed! Including link to Eric Metaxas BreakPoint piece-Be a Heroic Dad appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

Did you miss us last week?  I had so much going on I missed putting out last week’s questions for you to include in your legacy journal.  Hopefully, you used that as time to catch up on previous weeks that you may have missed.  How’s the journey going?  Have you enjoyed digging through the recesses of your memory on things you may not have thought about for years?  This week’s questions may conger up more of those kinds of memories—at least they did for me.  

Wondering what this is about?  Briefly, we started sharing some questions that are part of a book, A Father’s Legacy: Your Life Story in Your Own Words by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson publishing.  The book is simply a compilation of pages that are headed by questions about a dad’s life.  By recording the answers to these questions a father is leaving a more fully completed album of who he is to his children.  Most of us just don’t take the time to do these kinds of things.  Then, when we unexpectedly have to leave this world, we only leave memories.  But, if we take the time while we are here to share some intentional thoughts, historical accounts and things that we did, we leave a deeper legacy not only to our children but to their children and beyond.  Additionally, we get a chance to record the things we find are important and worth carrying forward.  Sometimes the questions are silly, funny or random.  But, many require a deeper level of response where we get that chance to leave some of the “fatherly advice” to our family.  

So, if this is your first visit, WELCOME.  It’s not all the DadPad shares on this blog but it’s our big project for the year to get men to write down their legacy.  Don’t worry if you missed previous posts.  You can go back to them at any time.  And, these questions are not in any critical order.  I’m simply breaking them into bite size chunks to help us keep up on moving it forward so we can complete it in a year.  Start today, then go back and finish it when you want to by just accessing the other posts.  Search on the category Leaving a Legacy to gather all the posts on one page.  To record your responses you can either purchase the book/journal A Father’s Legacy by clicking here or just take sheets of paper and put them in a binder.  You can always reprint them and put them into a nicer journal at some point.  The key is starting somewhere.  Ready for this week’s questions?  Here they are:

1. Did you ever go to a dance?  Tell me about it.
2. How often did your family go to church? What pastor or Sunday School teacher do you remember the most?  How did that person influence you?  What do you remember most about them?
3. Did your family attend family reunions?  What activities did everyone enjoy?  What was lame?  Tell me about your favorite cousins, aunts or uncles and what they did to make them your favorite(s).

That’s it for this week.  I’m so glad you are on this journey with me.  By the way, have you heard the DadPOD yet?  That’s my new podcast that is now a whopping 9 episodes old.  Each week I share some thoughts about fatherhood and manhood.  I have guests (recently had pastor/author Eric Mason on to discuss his new book, Manhood Restored) and sometimes just raise an issue that I’ve dealt with as a father of 3 kids.  If you haven’t heard it, you can find it on iTunes or find it right here on the DadPad.  Take a listen and let me know what you think.  

Until the next DadPad…have a blessed day.

The post Did you Dance, Dad? Leaving Your Legacy appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

On this episode of DadPOD you will go on a ride with me through the city of Little Rock.  I recorded it as I was driving (don’t worry, kept my eyes on the road all the time—no script .  Thought about taking you along as I thought about the value of our time, especially when we embark upon seasons like graduation and weddings.  I read the following quote yesterday: 

What frightens me is spending irreplaceable time in a headlong rush to an unworthy destination.  Roy H Williams (marketing expert)

LIVING WITH NO REGRETS

That’s pretty profound if you think about it a bit.  A lot to chew on.  Are you and I spending any or too much time chasing after things that we will find unworthy at the end of the day?  Bronnie Ware, an author and musician from Australia who also spent a lot of time with patients in their last week of life, wrote a blog post about the most common regrets patients they most con.  They became the theme of her book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying:  A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.  Here are the top 5 regrets she heard from people near death:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish I had let myself be happy.

It’s an interesting list, isn’t it?  3 of the 5 are related to how they spent their time (technically all 5 had something to do with the time they spent given the nature of the question but of the 5, 3 were directly influenced by what they spent their day to day activities doing.  So, as we go along day by day, we can live without those regrets by making sure we spend our time well while we can.  During my “drive-by ramblings” I share 4 things that you can do to help you make the most of your time with your kids.

1. Pray for them daily
2. Have fun with them often
3. Teach them but don’t punish them unduly.
4. Tell and Show them you love them unconditionally daily. 

Can you think of other things?  Share them as a comment, or click on the red tab to the right of this post (“Send Voice Message”) and share a voice message right from your computer or mobile device.  

 Have a BIG EVENT coming up in your life?  Let SLIDESHOW MEMORIES help you make the event a memory by creating a fun, creative and memorable slideshow (set to music if desired).  Find out more about packages and pricing (it’s really affordable) by sending an email to Jeff@slideshowmemories.org for more information (packages available, song choices, lead time to create, etc. JUST CLICK THIS LINK TO OPEN YOUR EMAIL

Information and Links related to todays Podcast:

1. Roy H. Williams – The Wizard of Ads.

2. FamilyLife – Stepping Up

3. The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

LIKE, SHARE, COMMENT, CONNECT

We hope you are enjoying the DadPOD, a podcast for guys like us, every day men and dads.  Until next DadPOD, thanks for listening.  

Please share this episode by sharing a Tweet to your followers (click the Twitter logo below), posting a link to your Facebook page or Pinterest, etc.

CLICK TO SHARE DADPOD WITH OTHERS ON TWITTER.

Right Click to download the .mp3 version of this episode

Question or Feedback? Leave Me a Voicemail!

If you have a question you’d potentially like answered on the show, or just feedback in general (constructive criticism and praise is absolutely welcome!), feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the Send Voicemail red tab on the right of the page  to quickly and easily leave me a message. I’ll feature you and your question on the show!

Thank you all for checking out this session of the DadPOD podcast, and finally, if you haven’t done so already, I would love if you took a minute to leave a quick (and honest) rating and review of the show on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It would be extremely helpful!

Subscribe to iTunes and Make your review to help us gain recognition by clicking the button below:

Download DadPOD from iTunes

The post DadPOD Episode 009: How Much is a Minute Worth? appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

My shelves are littered with books about manhood. More accurately, books about how to be better men of God. Most of them say much of the same thing from a little different perspective, the author’s view. But, most of them spend many of their pages discussing tactics to help us overcome the symptomatic problems we face as men; distortions and abuses of our sexuality, lack of commitment to our marriages, not being present physically or spiritually as a father in our homes, being disengaged from the church and other men in discipling relationships, pursuit of power and material things over relationships and a general abdication of our role as the spiritual leader of our homes.

You can just about lay that grid over most of the books about Godly manhood and have a pretty good chance you’d cover most of the contents of the book. And, quite honestly, Manhood Restored is similar in it’s content. But, there is one significant difference that I found as I dug deeper into the book. This book deals with the sickness, not just the symptoms. Just like putting filters on a computer will help you refrain from viewing pornography but won’t change your inner desire and propensity to want to see those images, many of these men’s books will give you a grid to view your life through and to highlight areas that need attention. But, if we aren’t changed from the inside, we’ll just go to another computer. Treating symptoms isn’t wrong, it’s just not enough.

The Premise

So, when I was asked to review a book about manhood I was hopeful but a little skeptical.  I’ve heard Eric preach before and he can “bring it”.  So, that gave me hope as well.  Then, when I read the testimonies my level of hope grew that this would not be “just another manhood book”.  In fact, when I read Matt Chandler state this in his foreword,

“Its (the book) bold, fearless, Scripture saturated, truth-telling pages might just be used by the Spirit of God to take you into a new season of fulfillment and maturity in your understanding what it means to be a man.”

my hope grew even more.  And, as I read this from Eric on the first page of the Introduction, 

“We need the gospel.  We need it more than books.  More than studies.  More than groups.  We need the life-giving identity-establishing, purpose-defining gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was now all in.  Eric didn’t disappoint and every page is “saturated” with God’s Word, precepts and purpose and then applied to a practical area of manhood in a way we can all relate.  He uses his knowledge as a pastor, his roles as a man, husband and father and his life experiences as a man who grew up in a challenging home, influenced by men who were not the model he wanted to be to give us a full picture of manhood, presented from the Gospel and then outward toward every area of his and our life as men.

This Book is a SHOT into the soul of men

Dr. Eric Mason has given each man a shot into his soul in Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole. When I thought about that word “shot” I first thought about a needle carrying a serum that treats our woundedness. Like a flu shot inoculates us against the anticipated flu strains, Manhood Restored also provides a truth serum to our souls as men. If we take it in and ingest it we have the truth we need to walk forward as men and the courage to face the potential hazards all around us.

But, the word, “shot”, can also be used as in a “gun shot”, a piercing piece of metal that tears up anything in it’s way. To some degree that is what Eric Mason does to every man that reads this. We are faced with our pain and guilt over not being the man we or God wants us to be. But, thankfully, the bullet wasn’t fatal and we have the opportunity to have Dr. Mason surgically enter our wounds to help us know how we can be restored back to wholeness. In fact, he says that not only can we be restored back to the way we were but God wants us to be better than we can imagine. That’s the kind of restoration I want as a man. But, with any restoration, there is a lot of tearing apart and detailed work that needs to be done and a lot of tender loving care along the way. Like a classic car being restored to it’s original state with shinier and healthier parts so we can be men restored back to a place where we once again experience the fullness of our relationship with God. And, what is the key?

The only hope we have to be restored men is through the message of hope found only in and through Jesus Christ, the God-Man as revealed in the Gospel, the Good News. Though most of the men’s books I mentioned above have plenty of scripture references to back up their points, most of them still leave you feeling as if you just need to follow three or four key bulleted points to get over the problems. Not this book. It starts in Genesis and leads us to Revelation, the ultimate end game for all of us.

The Book

The Book is broken into topics that he chooses carefully as areas of restoration. If we were cars it would be similar to Chapter 1, The Car and It’s history; Chapter 2-how cars have changed our lives and what would life be without them; Chapter 3: How to restore a car back to it’s original state, Chapters 4-8; Restoration of the body, the engine, the electrical system, the fuel system, etc. But, this isn’t about cars it’s about men. And, Eric Mason follows that kind of logical sequence to address the issues that wounded men and laid them bare before Almighty God and that require restoration so badly. Chapter 1 is about the life and death of manhood, i.e., how did we get here to this place of ‘manhood in disarray’?  Here’s the battle we face, 

“From Genesis 3 to the birth of Jesus, Satan has made it his business to destroy any attempts for manhood to be restored.  We see his efforts played out in the birth of Adam and Eve’s children…The pattern continued in Exodus when Pharaoh commanded that the Hebrew boys be killed in order to lower the number of threats of rebellion, since there were more Hebrews than Egyptians.”

Chapter 2 discusses the most significant impact of wounded manhood, daddy deprivation. The impact on families because of absent dads (physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally) is felt in every corner of society regardless of race, ethnicity or societal grouping.  This chapter spoke to my heart.  As the author of a blog called the DadPad, I see the impact fatherlessness has had on our culture over the past generation.  It’s devastating and destroying families.  I’m glad he set the tone with this chapter first and the ramifications of manhood lived out in the flesh, not by the Spirit.  In my years of being on staff with FamilyLife, I can’t think of a single factor that weighs more heavily in the destruction of the family than men not stepping up to be men.  This isn’t about man bashing.  It’s about men who haven’t taken the responsibility they were given by God but given back to the enemy by men in their abdication of leading, loving and living as men of God.  

In Chapter 3 he gets to the heart of the rest of the book. Because of the fall (Chapter 1) and the impact of our sin as portrayed in daddy deprivation (Chapter 2), there is only one place to go for help. It’s the same place we go as all of  humanity. The Sunday School answer: Jesus. Here Eric lays out the foundation for the rest of the book that he began in Chapter 1.  There, he says that it is in our image bearing that we are to find our response as men.  As an image bearer of God, the Creator, we were/are to reflect God’s heavenly image on earth.  Then, he points to the need for a Savior to restore us to that image. Eric spends the first part of the chapter taking us to class. He offers the theological foundation why Jesus, as fully God, is the divine image of manhood that we need to pursue. Then, he describes the characteristics of Jesus as fully man that brings Jesus out of the clouds and into our souls. As a man, Jesus met the same temptations we have faced giving us hope that we can do the same with a different outcome than we often experience.

Chapters 4-8 are the practical tools Eric provides for our key life segments. Worldview, sexuality, vision, family and Church are the segments he breaks down more completely. Each of the chapters has a plethora of great biblical references followed by practical implementation tools. He stayed true to the overall purpose of the book…presenting the case that it is the Gospel that makes men whole. Any effort we put forth in any of these areas (worldview, sexuality, vision, family and church) that is not built upon the truths given us by Jesus are valiant efforts but done in vain. And, they won’t work. Any of our effort done by our own will performed in our own strength will fail miserably. We’ve been given minds to use but our flesh will never win if not guided by the Spirit.

The Review

That’s what makes this book so powerful. It lays the foundation of the Gospel as the answer and even when talking practically to our current state as men, it never waivers from that truth.  It’s not PC nor does it pander to denominational influences.  It simply provides the gospel in its pure, unadulterated form and addresses most of the main issues we will have to face as men if we want to grow into manhood maturity as God designed.  

Despite all the books I have on my shelf about manhood, fatherhood, and related material, this one will get read a number of times. I highly recommend it to any man who wants to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ that impacts how he lives day to day in the world. If you want to be a better father, husband, friend and follower of Christ, then Manhood Restored is a great tool in your toolbox. And, I’m looking forward to looking at the DVD based group study materials that accompany the book.

CLICK HERE TO TWEET ABOUT THIS REVIEW TO YOUR FRIENDS.

Check out the video promotion of the Manhood Restored book from LifeWay here

Other Reviews of Manhood Restored to Read:

• Manhood Restored by Eric Mason by JT Cochran
• Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole by Eric Mason by Logan Gentry
• Eric’s own response to why he wrote the book on Ed Stetzer’s blog
• The Christian Post’s Review of Manhood Restored

The post A Review of Manhood Restored, New book by Dr. Eric Mason appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

In this episode of DadPOD (#8), I get the privilege of interviewing Dr. Eric Mason and discussing his new book, Manhood Restored – How the Gospel Makes Men Whole.  Dr. Mason is the pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, a multi-cultural church in the heart of the city.  In addition, to his role at Epiphany Fellowship he serves as President of Thriving,  A ministry dedicated to aiding ethnic minorities to be resourced and trained for ministry to the urban context.  Dr. Mason received his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM 2000) as well as a Doctorate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (DMin, May 2007).  I was first introduced (informally) to Eric when he was presented as a graduate of Fellowship Associates, a program affiliated with the church I attend in Little Rock, AR (Fellowship Bible Church) that prepares pastors for church planting in a rigorous one year program.

Eric is also a published author, having just released his new book, Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole.  I was asked to review the book by LifeWay / B&H Publishing and wanted to have this interview with Eric (check out my written review of Manhood Restored here).  He was gracious enough to come on the DadPOD and it was a very informative and enjoyable discussion.  I think you will also enjoy the interview.  During the interview we touch on the following topics:

• Why he wrote the book, Manhood Restored.
• Chapter 1: The Life and Death of Manhood:  We discuss how Genesis reveals why we have a manhood issue and also the prescription for what Godly manhood should look like.
• Chapter 2: Daddy Deprivation:  Eric tackles some pretty weighty issues as to how the problem of fatherlessness crosses racial and societal barriers and has the same destructive impact on every home that experiences it.
• Chapter 3: The Restorer of Manhood:  Is there anyone throughout history that we can look to and say, that’s what a Godly man should look like?  Eric answers that question and tells us that there is a model for us to follow.
• Chapter 4: Restored Worldview:  How we see the world has a powerful and profound impact on how we live.  We discuss how a biblical worldview differs from the other worldviews and why it’s important to understand those differences.
• Chapter 5: Restored Sexuality:  Is there any more volatile but necessary topic to discuss than the permissive, nonchalant  and redefining nature of our sexual culture?  From pornography to gratuitous sex we live in a society that promotes sex on demand and very rarely heightens the consequences of such attitudes.  For men to be restored, this is a must area to address.
• Chapter 6: Restored Vision
• Chapter 7: Restored Church
• Conclusion

Eric also mentioned the DVD Study series that accompanies his new book.  I’m excited to get it and add to my library of great men’s resources.Items and Resources (and related links) mentioned in this podcast:

And, I know Eric is active on Twitter so give him a shout out here and follow him

Items mentioned in this podcast include:

• Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole (Book)
• Manhood Restored: Study Guide/Leaders Kit
• Epiphany Fellowship
• Fatherless America by David Blankenhorn
• Fellowship Associates
• Dallas Theological Seminary
• Dr. Tony Evans
• Dr. Wayne Grudem
• Dr. John Piper

We hope you are enjoying the DadPOD, a podcast for men.  Until next DadPOD, thanks for listening.  

Please share this episode by sharing a Tweet to your followers (click the Twitter logo below), posting a link to your Facebook page or Pinterest, etc.

CLICK TO SHARE DADPOD WITH OTHERS ON TWITTER.

Right Click to download the .mp3 version of this episode

Question or Feedback? Leave Me a Voicemail!

If you have a question you’d potentially like answered on the show, or just feedback in general (constructive criticism and praise is absolutely welcome!), feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the Send Voicemail red tab on the right of the page  to quickly and easily leave me a message. I’ll feature you and your question on the show!

Thank you all for checking out this session of the DadPOD podcast, and finally, if you haven’t done so already, I would love if you took a minute to leave a quick (and honest) rating and review of the show on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It would be extremely helpful!

Subscribe to iTunes and Make your review to help us gain recognition by clicking the button below:

Download DadPOD from iTunes

The post DadPOD 008: Guest Dr. Eric Mason, Pastor & Author of New Book, Manhood Restored appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

Remember Sunday school growing up?  I don’t, really.  I went to church a few times as a kid but it was not part of our family ritual.  And, as I have shared in previous posts, my dad came over on Sunday’s to pick me up and that was our day together.  So, I only heard about Sunday school until we had kids of our own and we got that annual pastoral whuppin about volunteering in the Sunday school or there won’t be any.  And, sure enough, it was as I had imagined it would be and didn’t think he had changed much in the 30+ years since I was a kid and heard about it from my friends.  We told the typical bible stories like Jonah and the Whale, Noah’s Ark and David and Goliath.  We had biblical figures on a stick that moved across a feltboard as we shared the story.  And, to keep the little urchins happy until mom and dad picked them up we gave them animal crackers and other assorted snacks.  Got ‘em all sugared up just before we sent them back to mom and dad.  That’s my recollection of Sunday School and church when I was a kid.

On this week’s Legacy journaling project, we move into a new month.  If you’ve been following along, we are not into the third month of the project.  If this is the first time you’ve stopped by and haven’t heard anything about this, check out the first post on the Leaving a Legacy to your children project and that will help you get caught up.  Of course, you don’t have to jam all of the previous weeks questions into a few days.  There is freedom in this project to go at your own pace.  I’m just the tour guide.  Keep your hands and feet inside the trolley at all times, please.

Here is a quick link guide to each of the previous Legacy Project posts if you’re interested

- Week 1 Questions
- Week 2
– Week 3
– Week 4
– Week 5
– Week 6
– Week 7

And, here are the questions for this week, focusing on what you did for church and developing your faith when you were younger…:

• If you were to uncover an old toy box in your attic, what toys would you remember most fondly?  Why?
• How old were you when you understood that God loves you?  How did that affect your life?
• Describe a time in your life when you feel God led you in an unusual way?

Well, that’s it for another week.  I’m hoping that you are staying with it and creating something that will be a real gift to your family as you reveal some of the things about you they may not have ever known otherwise.  God’s best to you!

The post Of Jonah, Feltboards and Animal Crackers – Leaving a Legacy Project Wk 8 appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

On our last episode we played the first part of my interview with Jeremiah Holman, a 25 yr old fireman and a young man I’ve been mentoring for a few years.  Last time we we addressed some of the issues he faced as a young father, a man who’s struggled with lust and how he is conveying truth as a dad to his children.  On this episode we discuss some of the challenges he faces as a young father raising children in an increasingly sexually permissive culture.  I also asked him about how he intends on raising his children to be aware of the world and the traps but yet not have to get deeply rooted in it’s ways.  Raising kids with integrity in this culture is a challenge.  Finally, he shares some of the ways he’s handled a recent health scare and what it caused him to focus on as he considered the alternatives.

If you missed the first part of my interview with Jeremiah, check out DadPOD episode 007.

On our next episode, I will be interviewing pastor, Dr. Eric Mason.  Eric is the pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia and is definitely one of the nations most promising young pastors.  He is a great communicator and his tenacity for speaking biblical truth while being relevant and practical makes those who listen to him challenged to their soul.  He’s recently published a book, Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole.  I will be reviewing his book on the DadPad this week and look forward to interviewing Eric on our next DadPOD episode.  Don’t miss that one!

We hope you are enjoying the DadPOD, a podcast for men.  Until next DadPOD, thanks for listening.

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The post DadPOD Episode 007-Part 2: Interview with Jeremiah Holman appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

DadPOD Episode 007: Show Notes

In light of the horrible events of the last few weeks in the Boston bombings and the age of the alleged suspects of the bombings, it’s common to wonder what is going on in the minds of our youth these days.  Though the seemingly underlying issue behind the bombings is not related to the age of the perpetrators as much as to other more political and religious issues, we often look to the future with muted anticipation or even trepidation.  On one hand we see an increasing number of children growing up in single parent homes (26% in 2012, per study by WORLD magazine) but there is also an increasing awareness among young people that there are needs around the world and they are reaching out to help meet those needs in the area of water, hunger and sex-trafficking.  So, there is reason for concern over the future of our nation but there is also a sense of renewed hope as the youth that have embraced faith in Jesus Christ seem to have a deeper sense of commitment in their faith, mainly because they are being challenged in their faith much earlier and deeper than I recall we were in our youth.  Adversity breeds one of two types of people…those that flee or those that grow and are strengthened through the trials.  I am praying for the latter on this weeks DadPOD ( dad podcast ).

Interview with Jeremiah Holman

Why the discusion about our nations youth?  I had the chance to interview one of them.  Jeremiah Holman for this weeks DadPOD podcast.  Jeremiah is a 25 year old fireman in Little Rock and a friend of mine that I”ve had a chance to mentor the last few years.  This is the first of a two part interview with Jeremiah.  I split the interview into 2 parts to keep the podcast between 30-45 min each.  I think you’ll enjoy the discussion and get an insight into the maturity of a young man who you would think might be heading for disaster.  He had a child out of wedlock.  He got married at 20yrs old.  He didn’t go to college.  But, he is a bright young man is making some great choices as he tries to lead his family well.  We discussed:

• Making decisions about what to do with a child at such a young age and not being married
• Growing up without knowing his biological father
• Going against the societal norm of going to school and, after being discharged from the Air Force still fighting for a career that he wanted.  He didn’t give up or expect the government to take care of him.
• Dealing with the area of lust and pornography and how do you overcome that so that you honor yourself, your family and God

Other Podcast Highlights

• Overview of the movie Home Run opening weekend
• First segment of DadPOD RACE Tips.  RACE is an acronym for the four key characteristics of courageous manhood; R-Reject Passivity, A-Accept Responsibility, C-Courageously leads and E-Expects the greater reward (from God).  Idea will be to periodically provide areas of life where we can focus to keep improving in each of these key areas.  In this episode I talk about the need for us as dads to be intentional about monitoring our kids digital intake.  Even if we aren’t up to speed on all the latest and greatest technology, it’s incumbent upon us to be aware of the dangers while not overreacting or being ignorant.  I give some thoughts as to how you can do that in your family.

Links to items/organizations mentioned in this podcast

• Home Run Movie 
• Men’s Fraternity/Authentic Manhood

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The post DadPOD Episode 007: Interview with a young fireman; Home Run Movie update; RACE Moment appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair

Family.  Just the mention of that word will elicit warm, fond and joyful memories and thoughts or anger and pain.  There is no other word which has that kind of effect on our soul.  Family.  It’s where we are shaped and our earliest memories of life are deposited into our development bank account.  The impact of those early days on how we developed later in life is significant.  This is why the kinds of questions that we will answer in this weeks Leaving Your Legacy journal will either be fondly recalled or hard to bring to the surface of our minds. Last week we started with some questions about memories of our mother.  This weeks questions are all about our family memories.  Here are this weeks journal entries:

• What image of your father is the most striking in your memory?  Why that image?
• List one special memory about each of your brothers and sisters.
• Share your fathers attitude toward life and how that affected you.

This week, I thought I would actually share my replies to these questions as part of the blog post.

> My mom and dad divorced when I was three years old.  My mother remarried when I was eight.  My dad did pick me up every Sunday and I’d spend the day with him.  So, the image of my father is his driving up to our house on Sunday morning because I looked forward to that time and getting to spend it with my dad.  That’s an image I have of my dad for much of my childhood.  At the time I didn’t think it was a bad thing.  It was all I knew.  But, about 10 years ago I went through a period of real anger for all that my dad didn’t participate in during my life; baseball and soccer games, discussions about girls and dating, school and career discussions, help with the early years of my marriage, etc.  I have come to know that my dad grew up in a very difficult situation and that his childhood was anything but ideal.  It began to help me get through the anger and try to understand him as a boy and a man, just like me.  Fathers are held in almost a revered state by their children.  As a dad myself, I know I didn’t often think about the power I had just because I was a father.  Whether I understood it or not, I had it.  But, that is something that needs to be handed down from father to son.  It’s all part of becoming a man.

> I didn’t have any full brothers or sisters.  I had a step brother and two “half” sisters (from my mom and my step-dad).  I was 8 yrs older than my oldest sister.  I didn’t like my step brother at all.  I think I was jealous that when he came on the scene, I was no longer the only child.  My memories are vague but I remembered just being angry and taking that angry out on him.  In fact, after I became a Christian at the age of 17, I become very convicted of my past behavior and ultimately went to Tim (my step brother) and asked for his forgiveness.  He granted it.  As far as my sisters go, I remember a time when I went to Colorado and had dinner with my sister who had moved out there trying to figure out what she was going to do with her life.  It was one of the first times I remember having a deep discussion with her about anything.  My other sister had many more issues growing up and that impacted our relationship.  Eventually a number of years later, she became a Christian and, though there was still a lot for her to work through, she has become a much more joy filled person and the tangible difference in who she became after becoming a Christian is very evident.

> My dad had and has a pretty laid back approach to life.  He’s not been much for stretching himself.  But, he worked hard and faced adversity after the divorce from my mom.  I know I didn’t understand all of the circumstances he faced.  But he avoided ever telling me about the situation.  My life was so much different than my fathers that I find it hard to answer this question.  We are so diverse, religiously, politically and ideologically.  But, we love football and enjoy talking about technology.  I would say that as I saw his somewhat apathetic approach to investing himself in anything other than his own desires I was determined to not end up that same way. I don’t mean to sound demeaning toward my father but I just knew that I wanted to do more with my life than I saw my dad doing with his and that did have an impact on how I made decisions.

Well, that gives you a glimpse into how I would have replied in my Legacy journal this week.  How about you?  Are you staying current with the questions?  No worries if you haven’t.  Just start with this weeks questions and then you can keep going from here.  When we are done we will have an entire journal filled with our response to these kinds of questions and we will leave a little more of ourselves to our family when our days are over.  So, why don’t you join us!  Happy journaling!

The post Who’s Your Daddy…and Mama…and Brothers and Sistah’s appeared first on DadPad. Find out more about DadPad, please go to DadPad - A View From the "Not So" Easy Chair