I love how honest Paul is in his letters. He talks about his own sin nature, times when he prayed but didn’t get what he wanted and even occasionally called out his opponents. It’s refreshing. Paul was feisty, challenged, frustrated. It gives me hope! He tells the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor 11:1) Notice that (a) he does call them to imitate him, but, (b) only in the way that He’s trying to imitate Christ. He doesn’t just set himself up as the only example, but even in his own walk, he’s imitating Christ. He’s calling us to do the same. As a dad, we sometimes create an irrational pressure. We think the only way to set the example is to never make a mistake. How crazy! Instead, even in my sinful choices – ideally followed by awareness, confession and an apology! – I can set the example. Dad, you don’t need to be error-free to lead well. Instead of pointing to your own flawlessness, encourage your kids to come alongside and follow you as you follow Him!

How to Be a Better Dad to My Daughter: When I found out I was going to be a dad of twin girls, I knew it was going to be a beautiful yet hard song to play. Here are three key chords that have guided me on how to be a better dad to my daughters.

A Model Dad: Living a Life Worth Imitating: Genetics ensure that your kids will inherit some of your physical characteristics. But it’s modeling that guarantees that they will pick up on the things that matter most in life. When it comes to being a dad, more is caught than taught, so you need to make sure the example you set reflects the spiritual and relational integrity you want to your kids to imitate—because they will imitate you. In this podcast, we’ll dig into the topic of modeling and the impact it can have on your family, both now and into eternity.

“We are the Bibles the world is reading; We are the creeds the world is needing; We are the sermons the world is heeding.” – Billy Graham

“To train a boy in the way he should go you must go that way yourself.” – Billy Sunday

“We must make the invisible kingdom visible in our midst.” – John Calvin

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining—they just shine.” – D. L. Moody

Kent Evans
Author of Bring Your Hammer, co-founder of Manhood Journey

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me 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.