Recently I had a convo with my son concerning his "working" knowledge of the Bible and realized that there's a gap in what I hoped he knew and what he actually knows... So, as normal - in re-evaluating how I do, what I do, and with what consistency I do certain things as a dad - sharing what I am trying to strategically do with my kids, and now being more on purpose with what we are discussing with consistency during those moments.

Part 2 of the interview with Steve Schwarz about parenting and the great influences of great parents we both had during our time working together in ministry.

Talking with my boy Steve Schwarz - aka "Lt. Dan" - Steve has two kids under the age of 8 and has the depth of parenting knowledge of one who has been a grandparent for 3 decades. This is part 1 of our 2 part series chatting it up about raising kids. 

Entering the dating phase of your daughter's life? We are... Each new phase of life for our daughter is a learning phase for me as a parent. Since none of us got a true guidebook to parenting when we left the hospitals with our kids, we are left to figure it out, rely on what we learned from those who raised us, and basically do our best. So... I'm here sharing once again my own "do my best" as we enter this unique time in life that is often spoken of with fear, dread or the "clean the shotgun" stories. 

I listed to the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast done by Christianity Today - all 10 episodes in about a week. Sharing my review of the podcast plus my takeaways from the hours I spent listening. It is well worth the listen... I think it can be found on any of the podcast platforms. 

Talking with my boy Preston Daniel and discussing early fatherhood, what he's learned in the last 24 months of being a dad... Preston is one of the most intentional humans I know. He love his wife, his son and is passionate about passing down the lessons of life he's learned and being the best dad he can be.

There is a time and a place to throw a punch. There are moments, they are few and far between, but they exist. As a man there will likely be some point in your life when that moment comes and I personally would like to have appropriately prepared my son for that time. Not only do I want him to recognize that it has come to that, but also be prepared to act accordingly and to be able to recognize when that moment hasn’t arrived and be able to steer a situation away from punches if at all possible.

Sharing my thoughts on parenting teen daughters. Raising a young woman during her teenage years can be a challenge. I use this at times as an audio journal to help evaluate how I am doing as a dad, how's she responding to me as a father and making sure I'm on track for where we are trying to take her. 

Praying for your kids doesn't haver to be a 30 minute ordeal every day. Not that you shouldn't sit down with consistency and discuss with Jesus your thoughts, desires, hopes, fears, etc... about your children with God. But it doesn't always have to be that. Over the last few years I've tried to find what I can and will be consistent with, and then practice that day after day after day... sharing my quick thoughts on what I do and what works well for me. 

I find myself way too often at dinner or during family movie time, or game night, or whatever it is event when I should be engaged with my family and instead I'm glued to my phone...Whether that's just a self control thing, a planned out thing or where I need a sponsor to be accountable to on when I turn my phone off or when I'm making sure to get all things done...

Sharing quick tips on creatively creating moments with your kids. Any time I intentionally create a moment or moments, it reminds me to be present. It helps me be "all in" in that moment to not only maximize my influence there, but to also cherish that moment... because we only get so many of them. 

The time we spend as fathers when our children are in our home - is by far the most important 2 decades of our lives. A dad sets the trajectory of the life of their kids and is the most influential figure they will have. That's not to say that no one else has influence, can care for, raise, etc... but our dads have a unique voice into our life... one that no one else has - so we have to maximize that time we have with them at home. I share from my own stories, experiences, mistakes, what i'm learning, etc... In all honesty this podcast helps me audibly journal through those experiences and help slow things down for me to coach me as I navigate the years raising my kids to be adults.