The year was 1990. Gary Keesee was a husband, a dad to 3 children, a business owner, active in a local church, and in a lot of trouble. Gary and Drenda Keesee had TEN maxed out credit cards, three finance company loans, two car payments, unpaid medical bills, $14,000 in back taxes, and they even owed their parents $26,000.

Needless to say, their circumstances felt very overwhelming.

But Gary remembers the night when God revealed to him the solution to his financial problems.

When this happened, Gary and Drenda held hands and agreed in prayer that they would not use debt any longer but would trust God for their finances.

This was quite a commitment for them because they had been leaning to debt on a regular basis to make up shortages in their cash flow.

Gary began to study his Bible, searching for answers, and applying anything he learned. When he began walking in the principles God showed him, he and Drenda paid all of that debt off in two and a half years! He began paying cash for his cars, and was even able to pay cash for 55 acres of land that his family lives on today.

Gary and Drenda Keesee now have five children whom they homeschool, three businesses, pastor a growing church in Ohio called Faith Life Church, travel internationally speaking at conferences, air a television program called “Faith Life Now”, and a new book, Fixing The Money Thing by Gary Keesee, was just released in September on the Kingdom principles God has shown him in the area of finances.

Last month, my family and I attended Gary’s conference in Florida and were able to meet and spend some time with Gary Keesee and his wife Drenda. We are now personally applying what we learned in the area of finances and business so we can carry out God’s assignment for us and our family and be a blessing to many others.

Learn more about Gary’s new book, audios, videos, and the conference he teaches.

If you know another dad who is under financial stress (or anyone for that matter!), send them to this blog post to read Gary’s encouraging story.

Blessings to you and your family,
Joey Watkins
Founder, FamilyDads

P.S. – Gary Keesee’s resources are excellent, and are highly recommended if you know someone who is going through difficult times financially, or if your need greater provision to achieve a vision God has given you.

I predict it will be…
.

John Sidney McCain or Barack Hussein Obama.

Sorry to disappoint you.

Why not?

Because our hope is not in a man.

Our faith is not in a political leader.

And our peace is not in an earthly government.

Our hope, our peace, and our faith are in the all-powerful Creator of this earth on which we live… the Almighty God,
our eternal Father…

Who has preserved for us His Scriptures for our understanding of spiritual matters,

Who has given us His Son for our salvation and as our model for “Kingdom-focused” living,

Who has given us His Spirit for our guidance and comfort,

Who has given us our very lives through our parents, and

Who has given each of us our own precious family.

Regardless of who the next president is, or who the next batch of lawmakers are that run the government of
the United States of America…

We dads must continue to seek God first, to gain knowledge and understanding from Him, to read His Word and let Him speak to us often, to be led by His Spirit in our daily thoughts, decisions, and actions, and to continue to lead, love, serve, and disciple our family in the new political season we will find ourselves in.

For God is the only “change we can believe in.”

It is my daughter’s 8th birthday.

Slowly but surely, my little babydoll is growing into a young woman. A beautiful young woman both inside and out.

I kid her that I’m not letting her turn 8, but that she has to stay 7 for many more years.

She knows I’m having fun with her, and so she continuously reminds me that 8 is her new number.

But inside, I really do wish I could somehow press a “pause” button to keep my children from growing up so I can continue to cherish the few short years they are young.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, fellow dad.

But since there is no such button, we dads get to shoulder the ongoing challenges, responsibilities, adventures, pain, and joy of fatherhood as our children continue their growth upward toward adulthood.

Singer/songwriter Stephen Curtis Chapman has a song called “Cinderella” that is appropriate for me to hear today. He wrote it one night after getting his 4 year old daughters to bed and then reflecting on his 21 year old daughter who had since “left the nest” of living at home.

The music video for this song is so impactful, I decided to post it at the FamilyDads website.

If you have a daughter, you will appreciate its inspiring message.

Watch the music video here.

If you know other dads who have daughters, forward this link to them so they too can watch this music video and be reminded that one day the clock will strike midnight for them too, and their “Cinderella” will be gone.

Blessings to you and your family,
Joey Watkins
Founder, FamilyDads

P.S. – Need ideas for nurturing your relationship with your daughter? Click Here