Thank you for all the men who came out today. There were 12 in attendance.

Paul Robbins shared a little of his story talking about when his father once saw some people rappelling down a mountainside. Paul’s father stopped the car and took Paul over to the men and asked if he could lead Paul through rappelling as well.

As Fathers we need to be able to:

• Be looking for and see opportunities to train our children
• Engage our children in these opportunities
• Use the opportunities to mentor and coach our children

As we think about Things That Fathers Do, we need to think about the following passage:

• We need to instill God’s word on our hearts
• We need to impress them on our children
• We need to talk about His Word when we sit
• We need to talk about His Word when we walk
• We need to talk about His Word when we lay down to sleep
• We need to talk about His Word when we wake up

Sacrificial Love (In Action)

For God so loved the World that HE GAVE (John 3:16)

As fathers we need to show love by actions. Love without action is not love. Let us love not in word or speech but with actions and truth (1 Jn 3:18).

Your normal routine is the bulk of your parenting. Do your routines show your love for your children? Do you schedule your priorities? Do you know what you are doing every week to move the needle with your children around each priority? Are your children a priority that make it to your action/planning list?

We Must Also Wait

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Cor 3:6-9)

We can take all the action we want, but God is the one who brings the growth. How are you leaning into God so that you are leaning into what He is doing in your children? Are you forming them in Christ by your words and actions, or are you deforming them?

Asking forgiveness and repair are also crucial to model to our children. We are sinners and fail as fathers. Thank God for grace.

Practical Summer Fathering By Paul

Paul shared how he created a plan to incentivize and create rules around screen time for his children (see pictures above).

He also shared how he made scratch off surprises for his children by creating circles on a piece of cardboard and then covering them with painters tape and then painting over them. His children excitedly uncovered special days with their family such as:

• $5 to spend at the dollar store
• Pelicans
• Snowcones
• Slip and Slide
• Chucky Cheese
• Go see spiderverse

Other Practices From Fathers

• Building an Outbuilding – Anything that gets them involved is quality time that sticks with them. Always trying to get them involved, get them involved in what you are doing as a Dad.
• One and One Time with Each Kid
• Special Trips for Milestones
  • 10 year old Trip.
  • 13 year old Trip
• Bible camp – Forgot bible and started reading every day
• Discovery bible
• Pray – “Give us a hunger for your word”
• Giving a star for doing good things. Enough stars enabled something good to happen.

Hope to see you this Friday!