045 | Every Dad a…What?!—Guest, Darin Kelsey

Hi, Fellow Dads, Every Christian dad has been appointed by God to be the shepherd of his own home. Does that thought overwhelm you as it does me? But God hasn’t left us alone in this! He has given us wise counsellors to walk alongside and share the wisdom and experience He’s given them. Join us today to hear from one of those wise counsellors—our guest, Pastor Darin Kelsey—as he shares some tips that helped him lead his children to love the Lord, and of course some book recommendations as well! Learning to Look Up, Nathan Quotes “First and foremost is our own relationship with Christ. We have to be the real Christian.” “Sometimes we fail, and we have to acknowledge that before those we love. When we are concerned about matters that are hard to address, we still have to address those. We can’t just think it’s going to go away or vanish in some mystical way. Forgiveness has to be sought when necessary.” Thanksgivings have to be given. Recognition of people’s accomplishments. “It’s not just a matter that they do or respond or act in a certain way, or act in ways that please me, but that their heart is tuned to that also….It’s not just a matter of trying to compel someone to do right, as much as it is even in their heart and mind to think and concern themselves right.” Guide your children through loss to teach them what’s truly valuable—the preciousness of life. “We would require all of our children to go to another realm of the world. We would take them on missions trips so that they could see a God who is much greater than just our house or our church….From our perspective, that was a great growing up moment for our children.” “We would take time and actually have family devotions regularly….Saturdays were a unique gatherings for our family—we would sing….So I’ve often encouraged fathers to take those times and spend it in God’s word together, pray together, talk together.” “Some of the counsel I’ve even given for the pre-marital couples is…if you play together and pray together, sometimes you’ll stay together!....We would camp together,…we had the special times when we were away from electricity, surviving on the land, those were memorable times.” “One of the reasons we were tighter knit is that we homeschooled….and so the church became our social connection, versus the school, and so that was a great help, encouraging our children to relate with adults, and other people older than them, not just their age…” “Most of our education—even in our own lives—is learned as we live. And so if we can establish the way to learn or the means of information, much of the growing will be done during their living versus just those primary years.” “Nothing can replace the Scriptures….I can’t step away from that at all. That is by far the greatest resource I have besides God Himself.” “When we do have the encouragement from the practice of our family, it definitely stimulates that to continue….Some of this, you allow the grace of God to grow a life—not without influence, but so that they mature at the same time when they realize, ‘You know, I need to make these decisions.’ You’ll make the decision for them, many times, growing up, but eventually it has to be theirs.” “I as a dad, and you, gentlemen, as you live, are going to find that you don’t know everything, and you don’t understand all the aspects of God. And that’s okay. He knows Himself, and we can trust Him.” Books & Authors The Scriptures (The Holy Bible) We Two Alone: Attack and Rescue in the Congo, by Ruth Hege A survival manual Spurgeon’s sermons Walking With the Giants, by Warren Wiersbe Schaeffer’s Theology Charles Ryrie If you enjoyed this episode, 💡 See the show notes at https://refreshpublishing.com/045-every-dad-a-what 🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week! ✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review." ➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know. 🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group 📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com Credits Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/dan-phillipson/making-progress License code: IDLGDVBE2MERYENR https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC