There is an old saying that “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” A rather crude way of saying that men are mainly driven by their appetite. There is some truth there. I found that to be so recently in attending a Dad’s meeting at the Pennsylvania home schooling convention. The men (Dad’s) were invited to come listen to Steve Demme that morning at 9:00 a.m. to talk about “Loving Your Family Well.” In so doing, they would enjoy the additional treat of donuts in their morning. It worked…the men showed up. Interestingly, none of the other sessions during the entire conference offered food. There may be some interesting potential for this phenomenon about Dads. I think a new political party called “Dads for Donuts” has real potential. Think of the rally’s that would attract men for miles around. No lack of sponsors with the major chains, Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, as well as the small operators jumping on board. I’ll bet “Georges Donuts” in my neighborhood would even want a piece of the action. A real opportunity for the astute politician to get men involved in their campaign. The secret key here, however, are the donuts.
The donuts brought many of the men that day, but Mr. Demme brought the real food. A testimony about the impact of God’s word in a man’s life in making him a better husband and father. Many insights were shared during his hour long discussion, but there were a couple of thoughts that stood out for me. The first one, is that as a Dad, I need to live out the greatest commandment. To love God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. (Luke 10:27) Only in doing so can I learn to know God and to grow in knowing His love. It is knowing how much God loves me that helps me to know how I am to love others. A parallel is seen here in the book of Ephesians 5 in the discourse on marriage. As a husband, I am to love my wife as Christ loves the church. Growing in learning how Christ loves the church will help me in fulfilling how I can love my wife well.
The second thought was in regard to the importance of my words, spoken and written. As a husband and father, God has placed me in authority over my family. (Ephesians 5:23) As the leader, my words matter. Far greater than I understand even at the best of times. I can use words to build up my family or I can use words to tear them down. As a husband and dad, my words matter more than the words of others outside the family. My words will have greater impact in building up our family or they will do even greater harm to tear it down. God has given me the responsibility to use words to build up my family. (II Corinthians 13:10) Failure here has consequences.
This Dads and Donuts message was well worth the time for the dads who attended. Mr. Demme is transparent in sharing his imperfections as well as candid in sharing his journey in seeking to grow to be more like Jesus in leading his family. So download this message at the link below. Then stop by your local donut shop this Saturday while listening. You will be glad you did.
Join the Sons of Decision email community! We'll keep you updated on blog posts, event dates, discipleship resources, shop sales and more!
KIRK THOMSEN
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
The Bane of Grumbling
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…
A Time for Planning
“Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established.” There is an implication in Scripture that we make plans. God’s ideas are always best. The world has even picked up on it. New Year’s resolutions are prolific as the calendar flips to a new year. Planning happens at the beginning of a new school year, the planting season for a farmer and at the beginning of a new business cycle. Planning falls into one of the characteristics of a prudent man…
Well Driven Nails
The phrase, “well-driven nails” is a visual illustration with which most people can identify. As a child, I experimented with a hammer and nails in seeking to build a tree house. And I soon discovered…
The Importance of Vision
An old boss of mine used to say, “Pick a lane and get in it.” That saying of his would generally surface when our organization had researched and analyzed a decision a bit too long. The organization needs to move forward. A decision must be made. That is true…
The Great Omission
Our sins of commission can tend to dominate our focus. Those things that are obvious…
The Teaching Dad
The Scriptures provide clear direction for us Dads with regard to the teaching of our children. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9) It’s not optional, it’s a given. The reality of that command, however, can be daunting to the new Dad. The modern world around us…
That was encouraging. God bless you, Brother Kirk.