If you have a son, grandson, work with boys, teach a boys Bible study, or know another dad who has boys, then this message is for you…

As part of the transition to manhood, boys desperately need their dads or other adult men in their lives to teach them about work, and to develop healthy attitudes toward work and a willingness to work for God’s glory.

The best way to do this is apprenticeship, where a boy “shadows” his dad or other adult men and learns about work and character by example.

An excellent resource I am using to teach my own sons about work is “Created For Work: Practical Insights For Young Men.”

The author, a dad himself and a carpenter by trade, tells inspiring stories from his own life and work — real-world stories that fascinate boys.

He uses these stories along with Scripture to reveal truths about diligence, initiative, honesty, promptness, responsibility, and many more aspects of character and work ethic.

Two of my sons favorite chapters are “Dirt” and “The Donut Race.” “Dirt” is about a guy who never lets dirt get in the way of completing his work. “The Donut Race” is about two boys who race each other to a donut shop one morning before school. One boy obeys the traffic laws, while the other one speeds. It’s an effective and humorous lesson on haste and also teaches how hasty people miss God because God is never in a hurry.

Having personally read this book with my own son when he was 8, and now re-reading it again with him at age 10, I give “Created For Work” two thumbs up as an excellent way for dads to spend quality time with their sons as well as impress on their minds key character qualities about work through reading together fun “guy-stories” and discussing the questions at the end of each chapter.

If you have a son, grandson, or know a boy or group of boys between the ages of 8 and 16, this book is highly recommended as an interactive resource. It is also an excellent gift idea for a boy or dad!

Learn More or Order This Resource

by Joey Watkins, Thursday, August 14, 2008

Outside of the Bible, what book has most impacted you in your role as a dad?

For me, that question is very easy to answer. My wife and children would quickly agree with my answer because immediately after I read this particular book, they began seeing a very noticeable change in my choices, my actions, the time I spent with them, the things we did together as a family, and other evidences of major impact. And this book’s impact has not diminished.

Outside of the Bible, the book that has most impacted me in my role as a dad is Father Power by Todd Wilson.

Below is a short portion from Chapter 1. If you have not read this book, I of course highly recommend doing so… very soon. It will change your life… and your family.

"Guess what an adult believes about God whose earthly father was always gone on business or too busy at the office? He or she believes God cares very little about his life. He can be reached if something big comes up, but he’s uninvolved in the daily aspects of life."

"On the flip side, if a father communicates love and acceptance, his children will grow up believing God loves them. They will be able to succeed and fail without fear. They will turn to their heavenly Father and trust Him, because they were able to turn to their earthly father and trust him."

"They won’t struggle with accepting God’s love. It will come as naturally as a hug from dad."

"Why? Is it because they have a great grasp on their theology and doctrines of God? NO! They will view God in that way because their father taught them to, whether intentionally or not."

"That’s Father Power with a capital P. That’s the power you wield. It affects not only your children, but your children’s children and their children as well."

"How you wield the power will affect the way your great grandchildren view God. Your influence ripples across generations to come. Wow! Awesome! Incredible! And, really, really scary!"

"Dad, I can’t overstate the extent of your power. What your children will one day become is largely dependent on you. What they believe or don’t believe about God will come from you. The little words you say or don’t say will be cherished or bitterly remembered forever."

"Why? …Father Power."

"God has laid upon fathers the responsibility of transmitting His truth to the world, one child at a time."

"Am I diminishing the power of God’s written Word? NO! Am I saying that people can’t get saved without the aid of another human being? No! What I am saying is that your incredible influence as a dad is the single greatest means of assuring that future generations will follow God. Getting the right men into politics or fighting for religious freedom isn’t the key. The key to turing this country around and even the world is through father power."

R E S O U R C E   for   D A D S

Father Power

by Todd Wilson

Being a dad is the coolest, yet most demanding, thankless, overwhelming job on the planet. It is also the most important job you will ever… I mean EVER have.

by Joey Watkins

Today’s message is dedicated to all dads everywhere who have children still living at home. I pray this message will penetrate our hearts and impact our actions.

As tempting and overwhelming as it is, we must not let our work consume us. It is so passively easy to get wrapped up in our work, be absorbed in thoughts and actions to get our work done, take on more projects, try to bring closure to existing projects, focus our effort and energy on our work, and give constant attention to our job/career/business to generate more income or because our identity, purpose, or calling are falsely tied to our work.

All at the expense of our family… our wives and children. They crave time with us. They desperately need our time. They need us to simply spend time with them. Often. Daily.

They need our influence. They need relationship with us. And this cannot happen if our work consumes us.

Are our wives and children not the most important people on earth in our lives?

Do we not cherish them greater than everyone else?

Let us then be committed as dads to prioritize them. Every day. Not just on the weekends when we “unwind” from our work.

“But my work is my sacrifice for my family and my way of providing for them.”

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 15:22 that “…to obey is better than sacrifices.” God has called each of us dads to obey Him and His Word in raising our children and loving our wives. And that involves our TIME and proactive involvement in their lives.

As a husband and dad with 4 young children, I constantly remind myself of this message. I pray it stays at the top of your thoughts too.

R E S O U R C E S   for   D A D S

With only 24 hours in a day, we dads simply cannot fit everything in — work, family, hobbies, fitness, house chores, yard work, socializing, sleep. And what we choose to cheat reveals our true values, regardless of what we think our values are. When you choose to leave work an hour earlier, miss a round of golf, or let the dishes sit while you spend time with your child, you make your family feel valued and you communicate their priority to you. Best-selling author Andy Stanley shares from having spent hundreds of hours with men and women who have cheated their work for the sake of career goals. Strangely enough, the solution is similar to the problem. Both involve cheating! This book is a highly recommended FamilyDads resource. Learn More and Order