Godly Men: Being Deliberate With Our Wives and Kids
Some of the first posts I wrote for Deliberate Dads was a series on the Four P’s of Dadhood, which I soon expanded to eight. These articles discussed four essential qualities of dadhood. The first two are practice and patience. The second two are persistence and perspective.
Soon after, I came to the conclusion that my list is incomplete. I’ve identified at least four more essential characteristics that it take to be a great dad. The first one from this extension that I want to discuss is so obvious I really don’t know how I could have overlooked it.
It’s a quality that all dads have to have for their kids, if they want to have any type of relationship at all.
It’s crucial.
Passion
As I thought about the idea of passion, I realized that there are really two aspects to this quality of dadhood. Both of these are a part of the idea of passion, and as such, are sort of related. But they are also separate and distinct qualities that every dad needs to hold on to.
Success 101by John C. Maxwell (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2008)
One of my favorite areas of personal growth and improvement is the area of leadership. Several years ago, I was introduced to the leadership works of John Maxwell when I attended an InJoy conference, and have been hooked on his books ever since. Last fall, I had to opportunity to pick up several of his titles that I didn’t already possess, and have been reading through them this year.
Three or four of them are on the topic of success, and this one, Success 101, is succinct and easy to read. It also has a plethora of usable insights and quotes that I know will come to mind as I need them, and as I grow in this area.
I highly recommend you read some of John Maxwell’s works, and you can pick this one up at Amazon for just a few dollars.
On this day in history: In 1789, the U.S. Post Office was established. In 1888, the most severe winter storm in New York history hit the northeast, dropping 40 inches of snow in 36 hours. In 1894, Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time. And in 1974, Wonder Woman debuted on ABC-TV. The show later went to CBS-TV.
Today Is National Napping Day! You lost an hour yesterday. Go make it up today with a nap!
Cowboy Coffee, Backpacker Style – Sometimes the best way to drink coffee is by the campfire. And if you make it there, even better.
How To Wear A Cardigan Sweater With Style – Winter may be winding down, but there are probably a few cold days remaining. And as spring arrives, a sweater may be more appropriate than a coat. So here is a guide to rock a cardigan with style.
Bic: The Company Behind The Pen – I love analog writing tools. Some of my favorite pens come from Parker, both fountain pens, and ball points, but there are numerous Bic pens scattered through my desk at any given time. Here is a brief video about the company.
The psalmist has laid out a very concise and consistent strategy for staying in tune with God’s will by staying invested in God’s Word. In the last half of the fourth stanza, he summarizes what is necessary to live in such a godly manner. You can take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:29-32:
The writer lays out three powerful commands that we are to follow if we want to live in the center of God’s will in our lives. But he prefaces that with a request for God’s grace in verse 29. He knows that the only way that he can succeed in living God’s way is through God’s help and power. And so his request in verse 29 is “keep me from deceitful ways.” And in the very next stroke of the pen, he writes the answer to this request: God’s graciousness comes through His Word.
That’s an incredible piece of information that I am afraid we miss all too often. In order to live lives that reflect his character, to stay on the straight and narrow, to avoid deceitful ways, we must be invested deeply into the Word of God. There is no other way in which we can gain the strength needed to navigate the waters of everyday life with integrity and character. We must deeply drink from God’s Word, continuously.
In the next three verses, the psalmist gives us three things that we must do in order to live in such a godly way.
Attitude is the determining factor of whether our failures make or break us.
Several years ago, I was exposed to the stories of Walter Wangerin when I watch a performance of his story, Ragman, at a youth leader’s conference I attended. At that moment I was hooked. I purchased Ragman: And Other Cries OF Faith and devoured it. Every now and then, I get it out and reread a story or two for inspiration, but I have never pursued any of Wangerin’s other works.
Until now.
I recently received a copy of Wounds Are Where Light Enters, and I am having a hard time putting it down. Several of the stories I have read through tear blurred eyes, and others have stirred my soul like I remember the Ragman story doing.
In this volume, Walter Wangerin relates several stories from his life, from both his role as a pastor and his role as a father. Each of these stories provides a glimpse of the incredibly expansive grace of God, sometimes in relation to those Wangerin has ministered to, but more often to Wangerin himself.
I have been inspired and encouraged by reading this book, and I’m sure that it will be one that I return to for strength and encouragement in days to come. I know that the grace of God has peeked out of these pages, and is daring me to see it in the everyday events of my own life.
I have been an on and off fan of Mark Batterson’s work for several years. I was a big fan of his book Primal, and it was an excellent help to my spiritual growth at a time when I desperately needed it. I was less enthusiastic about his book The Circle Maker. I felt like it was a bit of a stretch, and presumed too much that Scripture didn’t support. So I was slightly hesitant to read Whisper. But I am glad that I did.
I can’t place it on par with Primal for a couple of reasons, but I did find it encouraging and helpful. In Whisper, Batterson strives to discover and explain the different ways that God speaks to us today. He identifies seven different voices through which God communicates, and digs deep into each of them, one at a time. The first one he discusses is Scripture, God’s primary way of communication to his church today.
I was somewhat disappointed at the level of trust he places in the other six voices though. It seemed as if he held these voices – desires, doors, dreams, people, promptings, and pain – as authoritative as God’s Word. I disagree with that. I believe that God can, and does, communicate through some of these other voices; but I do not think they are to be held to the same level as Scripture.
