When it comes to becoming a better father, this year has been extra tough. But, with all that’s been going on, we’ve added post after post—week by week. Where I come from, fence posts are important. Fence posts mark boundaries and provide safety. They keep varmints out and protect what should be protected.
With each new blog post, we’re adding another line of protection. Anger, lust, and other fatherhood challenges—we’re always concerned about whether the post-hole is deep enough—and—can the post withstand the elements? You get the idea.
We’ve been putting up a new weekly post for years now. With each post, we’re building something, firming something up, protecting something. It’s been fun walking back through all of our posts from this year and seeing which ones you leaned on the most.
Here are our most popular posts for 2020 for becoming a better father.
I’m listing these posts in order based on page views. Review closely in case you missed one. We dig a new post every week! Feel free to share your favorite posts as you review them.
Post #1: 10 essential books on how to be a godly husband and father.
It amazes me, guys will spend their lives studying their field of pursuits. But when it comes to reading about being a husband and father, they’ll say, “Meh, I got this.” The same person who doesn’t read these types of books is the same person who struggles with feeling like a failure as a husband and father. Stop struggling. Pick one of these books to read for 2021 on how to be a godly husband and father.
Post #2: The deadly sin of lust and how to eliminate it from your life.
Brother, our culture lies to us. And, it lies to us most with this sin. Culture says we can look but not touch. Scripture tells us if our eye causes us to sin, gouge it out. So what are we to do? How are we to live? I can tell you. Fight this sin. Start here with the deadly sin of lust and how to overcome it.
Post #3: Are you an angry dad? Two ways to overcome anger as a dad.
Do you have trouble with anger? We’ve talked to thousands of dads, one of the most common struggles we hear is about anger. Anger with our kids. Anger with our spouse. Can you relate? As Christians, God gives us the power to overcome our anger. Are you an angry dad? We walk through a key Scripture for finding anger’s antidote.
Post #4: 5 big rocks for how to be a man.
We call them the five “big rocks” for how to be a man. Like a well-balanced diet, these five things are quintessential for the godly man. But, why do we need to lead our sons on a journey into godly manhood? Won’t it happen on its own? No. It won’t. That’s what the world wants you to think. The world doesn’t care about godliness. Imagine a world where instead of your son being influenced by friends, TV, video games, music, and more—what if your son’s manhood was found in Christ’s model of manhood.
Post #5: The deadly sin of sloth and how to eliminate it from your life.
You would never call yourself lazy. But, would you call yourself intentional in all areas? Here’s the deal: read this post. Why? Because sloth is about more than laziness. I’m convinced that sloth is the sin of comfort. It’s as simple as the teen with a messy room and as complex as the workaholic so engulfed in his work that he’s unintentional at home. In this post, we examine the deadly sin of sloth and how to eliminate it from your life.
Post #6: The 10 greatest fatherhood challenges we must face [Infographic]
You are under attack, and the enemy comes at you in many different ways. Over the last few years, we’ve asked dads to share their greatest fatherhood challenges. We’ve collected and cataloged over 2,000 answers to this question. In this post, we lay out the challenges, the actual replies from dads—in their own words, and what you can do about it.
Post #7: The deadly sin of pride and how to eliminate it from your life.
There’s no greater time to be a sinner. You’re one click away from more than your father ever had to deal with. The world is there for the taking. There’s also no greater time to be a godly dad. Sure, sin lurks around every corner. But, wherever darkness is, God’s grace is there too. In this post, we examine the deadly sin of pride and how to eliminate it from your life.
Post #8: The deadly sin of gluttony and how to eliminate it from your life.
Food has been with us since the start of time. God creates Adam and Eve and then they bicker over fruit from a tree. We see from Scripture—like all other sins—gluttony kills. In this post, I examine the sin of gluttony, how it plays out as a dad, and how you can eliminate it.
Post #9: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? A Navy Seal’s answer might surprise you.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? You might never think being a dad and husband would be on the list. But, listen to this Navy Seal’s story. The water off the coast of Coronado, California can be as cool as the low 50’s. In these wet, cold temperatures is where Matt Hoetker (and others) lay for several minutes at a time as they complete Navy SEAL training. The goal of this particular exercise is to bring you to the brink of hypothermia. Sounds tough, huh?! But more difficult than fatherhood? Read about the full interview to find out what this Navy Seal thinks.
Post #10: 5 disciplines for how to be a godly man.
The end goal of the Christian life is to become the man God wants us to be. But do we really know how to be a godly man? We do this by allowing his vision, mission, purposes, and goals to shape our lives. One way we can lead men to this is through discipline. A discipline, or in our case “spiritual discipline,” is a training activity that helps to shape and mold character over an extended period of time that accelerates and focuses the process. Spiritual discipline is the “strict training” that Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 9:25. Find the five disciplines you can work on in this post.
Post #11: 3 ways to love your wife as Christ loved the church.
If you’re married, you’re called to love your wife as Christ loved the church. Why? Well, because God says so. And, you should want your marriage to be a picture of the Gospel. It is the key to having a joyful marriage. For this post, Kent Evans, founder of Manhood Journey, sat down with Brad Rhoads, founder of Grace Marriage. I took notes for you while watching the full interview. I’ll show you what you can do today to delight your wife, bring glory to God, and ensure your marriage is being built on the right foundation.
Post #12: Why it’s so difficult to pray with your wife but why you should do it anyway.
I love-hate this post. I love it because I know it’s important and true. I hate it because it steps on my toes! I needed this reminder about praying with my wife. Read this post. Read why it is so difficult to pray with your wife.
Post #13: The deadly sin of greed and how to eliminate it from your life.
Workaholism is an acceptable sin in our day. We know corporate America loves the sin of greed. Are things going well at work? Awesome, do ten percent better next quarter. More, more, more—that is all. But then, there’s Jesus. Jesus told a rich guy to sell all of his stuff and give it to the poor. So, what are we to do? In this post, I examine the sin of greed, how it plays out as a dad, and how you can eliminate it.
Post #14: Family retreat ideas: what you need to plan a great getaway.
Our job as dads is to help our kids rightly handle the Word of Truth. All the other stuff is great: student ministry, Christian school, preaching every Sunday—awesome—great resources—but the centerpiece is us teaching our kids—being disciples in our homes. Thus, the family retreat—to spend intentional time in God’s Word, as a family. This should be the point. You can accomplish this in several ways. Find our family retreat ideas.
Post #15: 26 qualifications of biblical fatherhood.
After a church training assignment to review the qualifications of an overseer/elder/shepherd from Scripture, I was struck by these 26 qualifications and how vital a standard we have to try and lead our families. After all, 1 Timothy 3:5 says, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?” So, what are the qualifications of Biblical fatherhood? Review the list in this post. It’s the calling of an overseer in the church. Think about it: the best image of biblical manhood is that of a shepherd. Shepherd is applied in Scripture to God, Jesus, kings, political leaders, and pastors. I don’t think I’m going theologically crazy to connect shepherding to biblical fatherhood.
Post #16: Christian marriage advice: value growth and change.
In this post, we look at two pieces of Christian marriage advice: accept that it is not perfect and desire to grow and change with your spouse. Marriage is not about getting YOUR way or making you happy. There’s more to the post, but you’re gonna have to read it.
Post #17: The deadly sin of anger and how to eliminate it from your life.
If all sin kills, anger is one of the most deadly. Let’s look at the deadly sin of anger. I examine what anger is, how it plays out in your life as a dad, and how to eliminate it from your life using some realistic strategies, Scripture, and prayer.
Post #18: The most important bible verse about fathers in the New Testament.
Do you know the most important bible verse about fathers in the New Testament? If you asked my kids, “Is your dad kind or angry?” Their honest answer would probably be, “Oh, our dad’s great, except for in the mornings before school and nights before bed—during those times he gets a pitchfork and turns red.” In this post, we’ll look at the single most important New Testament verse on biblical fatherhood and let it speak to us.
Post #19: The 3 P’s that define biblical leadership.
Everybody’s a leader these days. On social media, where “leadership gurus” abound, you simply say you’re a leader—you don’t have to actually ever lead anyone. It’s safe to say the world views leadership differently than the Christian. My hope for this post is that we can help the Christian to define biblical leadership in the way God intends.
Post #20: Raising godly children requires these five things.
Raising godly children is not for the faint of heart. You no doubt know of children who were raised in the faith—and yet fell away. Sadly, this is not as rare as you would think. Yet for many dads who grieve for their prodigal sons or daughters, let’s agree on one thing: the story isn’t over yet. There is hope. God isn’t finished with you or your children. We can’t control what our children will believe or do. But wouldn’t you want to do everything you could to increase the chances that they’ll live godly lives? Find five things that go a long way for raising godly children.
What’s your next step as a dad in 2021?
Here are three ways we can help you take the next step as a dad:
1. Get help. Snag an eBook you can download immediately for how to be a good dad by overcoming your most-pressing struggles.
2. Grow deeper. The Connected Father digital course will help you lead your family without regret.
3. Gain community. Join our Father on Purpose digital community right now for access to tips, tools, resources to help you continually learn how to be a godly husband and father.
