Ever feel like you're talking… and it goes straight through your kid's ear and right out the other? This week in part 2 of our series we're calling "From Overwhelmed to Intentional," Kent and Lawson get super practical about communication with your kids, especially in the teen years.
You'll be challenged to consider why "Why won't they listen?" might be the wrong question, how your posture and timing matter more than your volume, and why listening is not weakness, it's leadership leverage. Lawson shares a real story from a weekend with his daughter in New York that reframed how he shows up in deeper conversations. Kent breaks down how to season hard conversations with grace (Colossians 4:6), ask questions that are not "gotchas," and trade control for influence so your kids learn to listen to God, not just comply with you.
If you want the kind of relationship where your kids, no matter the age, want to talk to you, this is a deposit worth making.
Want to shape the direction of the show this year? Leave us a voicemail and tell us what you're facing as a dad: manhoodjourney.org/podcast Scroll down to "What's Your Story?" and leave us a message!
You're not a father on accident. Go be a father on purpose.
Listen Now:
Subscribe and Don’t Miss an Episode
Get new episodes delivered wherever you listen to podcasts.
MEET THE HOSTS
Kent Evans is the Executive Director and co-founder of Manhood Journey, a ministry that helps dads become disciple-makers. After a twenty-year career as a business leader, he embarked on biblical fatherhood ministry projects. He’s authored four books. The most recent, Don’t Bench Yourself: How to Stay in the Game Even When You Want to Quit. He and his wife April have been married for three decades and they have five sons.
Lawson Brown married his high school sweetheart, and is a father of two adult daughters. He’s a business leader and a former (always!) Marine. He’s served as a small group leader, helped launch ministries and a church plant where he served as its Men’s Ministry leader. His faith journey has always been centered in a grounding from his wife, Audrey, and supported throughout by many men who’ve been brothers along the way. His family is nearing an empty nest phase and has recently relocated to the Florida Gulf Coast beaches area.
FEATURING GREAT GUESTS
Gary Chapman
Ken Blanchard
Chip Ingram
“I listen to the father on purpose podcast and you guys are amazing. Thank you for all you guys do and please keep it up. Us Fathers need this NOW more than ever.”
–Joel C.
“Thank you for the effort and time you put into leading us dads toward the Kingdom of God. I have learned and put to use so much by listening to the podcast.”
–Cole S.
RECENT PODCASTS
What do youth sports reveal about us as dads? More than we might want to admit. In this conversation with Townsend Church Pastor and Upward Sports League Director Tim Sparrow, Kent and Lawson dig into the highs and lows of parenting on the sidelines. From yellow cards to halftime prayers, Tim shares how sports can be more than competition—they can be a training ground for humility, discipleship, and Christ-like leadership.
We touch on topics like:
- Why kids benefit when dads show up the right way
- How to handle your own failures and model repentance
- The connection between pride, parenting, and competition
Just a tease of some of Tim's wisdom: "When I feel ill-equipped because of my past experiences, I thank God for those experiences because that was him equipping me to be in the position that I'm in so that I can help people that are going through the same things." There's more where that come from in today's conversation with Tim. If you’ve ever lost your cool at a game or wondered how to keep Jesus at the center of all the busyness, this episode will encourage and challenge you to be a Father On Purpose.
Learn more about Upward Sports and their mission: https://www.upward.org/
Connect with Tim's Church in DE: https://www.tfwb.org/
We've launched video now! Check out the video version of this show on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gfD9Dg4x0Bk
Listen Now:
What happens when an NFL coach and lifelong disciple-maker sits down to talk about fatherhood, faith, and identity? In this conversation with Sherman Smith (former coach of the Seahawks and Titans), Kent and Lawson answer that question and uncover powerful lessons every dad needs to hear. Sherman shares how hiding God’s Word in his heart has shaped his life, why identity in Christ is the foundation for everything we do, and how our scars can become beauty marks when we pass wisdom to our kids. You’ll hear him connect football huddles, film study, and playbooks to the everyday grind of being a dad who follows Jesus.
If you’ve ever felt like your past mistakes disqualify you, or you’ve struggled to balance being a great dad with being a godly husband, Sherman’s story will encourage you. His decades of coaching, fatherhood, and faith boil down to one simple truth: your greatest legacy isn’t on a scoreboard, it’s in the lives of your children and grandchildren. We hope today's episode and our conversation with Sherman challenges you to go and be a father on purpose.
Listen Now:
Dad, have you ever wondered what happens when you get your identity right? And what’s at stake when you get it wrong? In this final part of our 3-week series on identity, we dig into the outcomes of discovering our biblical identity. Jesus says we’re the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), and the branches connected to the Vine (John 15:5). When you know who you are in Christ, your whole life flows from that identity: your confidence, your joy, your witness, even your ability to disciple your kids.
We’ll talk about why your security as a dad rests in your identity, how to steer your family away from lies, and how walking in truth helps you lead with peace and purpose. This isn’t just about knowing Scripture—it’s about living it out at the dinner table, in tough conversations, and in the daily grind of fatherhood. Our challenge to you is this: let God and his Word be the only places you find your identity.
Listen Now:
What’s Your Mission as a Dad?
Being a godly dad is hard work. Challenges abound, and sometimes, we just need some ideas, encouragement, and a little laughter along the way. So, we created the Father On Purpose Podcast to have real, fun, and practical conversations about being dads. Fatherhood is awesome, sacred, and hard all at the same time. We don’t have all the answers, but together as dads, we’ll try to figure it out.
