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

Many of my thoughts in recent months have been consumed by the level of influence that we dads have in our children’s lives and future.

My favorite term for this is “father power” which is from Todd Wilson’s book by that title, Father Power.

We dads wield a power — a level of influence — in our children’s lives that very few of us have much understanding of or are taking advantage of.

How do I know this is true?

Because I look at the amount of time we spend at our work, hobbies, tv, sports, Internet browsing, and our other interests compared to the amount of time we spend with our children.

The harsh reality is that we practice daily what we truly value. All the rest is just talk.

That is why I created a resource website for dads at www.DadResources.com

I want you as a dad to know about and have access to the very best resources available on fatherhood so you can maximize your father power in your family and effectively influence your sons and daughters with your values and faith while they are still at home with you.

And because you model fatherhood to your sons, when they become dads one day, they will be able to look back at how you raised them and have that as a very positive, healthy example.

Bookmark www.DadResources.com right now as your “go-to” site for dad resources.

And help spread the word about this resource site by telling other dads you know about www.DadResources.com.

If a particular resource has significantly impacted your life as a dad that isn’t already on this site, please let me know.

by Joey Watkins

Something that really bothers me is the never-ending blame placed on our “evil culture” for the struggles, failures, pressures, and negative influence on the “younger generation” today.

Of course it’s easy to see the sin and degradation in the world, point our finger, and place the blame “out there.”

But the truth of the matter is that evil and godless culture have been around ever since the Old Testament cities of Babel, Sodom, and Gomorrah. And they will continue to exist into the future.

Instead, let us admit our own failure as parents to fully turn our hearts to our children and personally raise them, bless them, affirm them, and model to them how to overcome “the world” and learn the ways of God, His power, and His instructions for life — not “outsource” this responsibility to a local church, youth group, youth pastor, school, other adults, or youth programs.

As fathers, if our sons and daughters do not grow up to become passionate followers of Jesus Christ, full of faith, love, and bearing fruit for God’s Kingdom, then how dare we place any blame on anything or anyone else except ourselves.

Fellow Dad, God gave you and me the primary influence in our children’s lives.

Not television. Not the Internet. Not their friends. Not movies. Not music.

He gave that primary influence to US as their earthly fathers!

The power of our relationship with our sons and daughters is the strongest earthly influence and the most powerful earthly relationship in their lives. I pray this truth sinks deeply into your heart, your soul, and your spirit as it has gripped mine.

Invest your time, actions, money, and your words DAILY in your children’s lives. Don’t be so busy trying to “do good” out in the world that you miss the limited window of time you have to influence your own “next generation.”

Take maximum advantage of your “father power.”

Use it for God’s glory.

Make the most of it.

Seize the day. Every day.

You can do it. You have what it takes.

But don’t blame culture.

FamilyDads Resource

Father Power: Inspiring Every Dad To Be His Child’s Superhero

Fellow Dad, here’s a gripping thought I am reminded of regularly…

The way we are right now, day-in and day-out, is what we are modeling to our sons about how to be a dad.

In our actions, words, attitudes, priorities, habits, and character traits.

One day down the road, they too will become dads and have their own family. And they may read books on parenting, attend seminars and conferences, and even develop friendships with other fellow dads their own age and trade child-raising stories.

But let us be assured of this… Our sons are watching us… their own dad… every day!

What they are learning from our actions as we model fatherhood to them is going to influence their own fathering perhaps more than anything else.

Amazing thought isn’t it?!

Talk about influence!

Is your little guy learning…
- fatherhood means work comes before family
- fatherhood means lots of time in front of the television or Internet is justified for entertainment purposes
- fatherhood means sports are a high priority for happiness
- fatherhood means expecting Mom to do most of the work in the kitchen and house
- fatherhood means spiritual growth is pursued only through weekly attendance to a local church service

Or is your son learning…
- fatherhood means leading our family through daily acts of serving them
- fatherhood means our wife and children are a higher priority than hobbies and personal interests
- fatherhood means cheating our work regularly to spend time with our family
- fatherhood means consistent daily prayer time with our Heavenly Father
- fatherhood means taking the lead in daily reading scriptures out loud to our family
- fatherhood means being gentle and forgiving our children when they mess up or disappoint us

Remember, dad, he’s watching you… always watching you.

FamilyDads Resource

Choosing To Cheat: What Happens When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley