“Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27 ESV) There’s a difference between doubters and haters. Doubters question, challenge, seek, and hold out the possibility that there’s something they don’t quite get. Haters obstruct, destroy, ridicule and gossip. God welcomes doubters, invites them to believe. He opposes haters. Actively.

Trusting God is the first tool in the godly dad’s backpack for a reason. We don’t fit the other vital tools in our packs if we forget this one. What does trusting God really look like as a dad?

1. Pastor Rick Warren writes five reasons to have hope in 2021. One of my favorite lines, “If you’re a believer, you don’t need to worry about your eternal destiny. It’s secure. No matter what else changes in 2021, your eternity won’t shift an inch.” Now that’s something you can hang your hope on.

2. National Fatherhood Initiative posted about father absence research ahead of the 2020 Census Data. They say, “3 million fewer children are in father-absent homes since peak in 2012.” Seems like good news. Only 18 million more to go. We’re not done yet.

3. Toni Nieuwhof (Carey’s wife), writes a thoughtful post on the “The fine line between oversharing and undersharing as a leader“. Your character as a leader will make or break you, much more so than your skills or competency.

4. “We have lost the art of mentoring other men. More to the point, we have lost the art of being mentored ourselves.” (From my first book, Wise Guys, which I’m sure you’ve already read by now.)

I was speaking at a virtual event this week, chatted with one of the dads afterward. He was struggling to connect with his teen son. Your hill to take this week, dive into one of your kids’ areas of interest. Ask questions. Listen intently. Don’t judge. Ask more questions. Just see if they’ll tell you what they’re passionate about and why. Maybe even Google the topic and bone up. Meet them where they are. Sounds like what Jesus did for us.

Have a great week,

Kent Evans
Author of the The Manhood Journey, co-founder of Manhood Journey and Father On Purpose.

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Let me know what you think. Tell Ryan if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.