Fathers, Fire, and a Lasting Legacy

We point to one thing that changes a family’s future: the man you become in Christ, lived out in front of your kids when life gets hard. Through fires and loss, we show how formation, not perfection, builds a legacy your children can follow.

• Wildfires and a family update in Southern California
• Romans 8:28–29 and how suffering shapes character
• The story of David and Goliath as a model for parental formation
• “Whose son are you?” and the imprint of a parent
• Practical habits that build legacy: prayer, confession, presence, service, celebration
• Encouragement for single parents and grandparents
• Restoration for estranged families and breaking bitterness
• Prayer over families for healing and courage
• Resources, coaching, and community to equip fathers

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Chapters

• 0:00 Mission And Welcome
• 1:41 Wildfires And Family Loss
• 7:15 Suffering, Faith, And Formation
• 12:16 The One Thing That Shapes Legacy
• 14:29 David And Goliath Reframed For Parents
• 22:00 Courage, Resistance, And Calling
• 26:30 From Story To Practice: Modeling Faith
• 32:20 Prayer For Families And Restoration
• 35:58 Resources, Coaching, And Community
• 37:28 Vision And Invitation To Partner

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

What kind of father do you want to be? What kind of man do you want to become for your family and for yourself? If you've ever wondered how to step into the fullness of your role as a father, husband, and man of God, then you're in the right place. Here at the Father Difference, our mission is to inspire and equip men to be the best fathers they can be. It's a powerful mission. And today, we're going to explore exactly how you can take steps toward that calling. Whether you're a father, a son, a husband, grandfather, single dad, stepfather, or just looking to grow, I believe God has something powerful for you in today's message. Whether you're tuning in live or watching this later, we are so excited to have you here. If this is what you're looking for, then subscribe so you can tune in each week to the Father Difference Live. You can sign up below. And now your host, a husband, father, grandfather, author, and former NFL player, Pastor Ed McGlass.

SPEAKER_01: 1:17

Hey, well, welcome. We're uh welcome from Southern California. And it's been a crazy been crazy days out here. And welcome guys showing up. I I got my son Lucas Tandy on the, you know, on Instagram. Welcome there, Lucas. And many of you starting to join from all over the place. It's good to be here. We've if you've been tuning in at all to the news, uh, you know about the devastating fires that we've had here in Southern California. And on today's show, I'm going to talk to you about uh the single thing that creates the biggest difference that you can do as a father and create a legacy for 2025. What is the single most important thing that you do that will make the biggest difference with your children? Because so goes you, so goes them. So we're going to talk about that in a few minutes. Just a little update. Uh, thank you for the well wishes. And many of you have been reaching out to our family. My son, my oldest son, Edward, who lived up in Los Angeles a week ago. His house burned down, and as a matter of fact, this whole neighborhood is gone. And uh up there, it's just just tragic for so many people. And he has since uh relocated back down here to closer to us, which is a joy for us with our grandkids, but he's having to rebuild his whole life. And although his business is strong and intact and everything, and it was it was pretty crazy, you know, for our family over the last week, really emotional, and just supporting one another. And you know, the best of who we are in Christ happens when tragedy strikes around the world. Matter of fact, there was a a news agency on the line. I was listening to them today, and they were they were registering the number one group of people who have been helping out during this fire here in Los Angeles, and and where are they from and you know what's their background? And guess what? The number one group, not even close second, is the people of Christ and the religious community here around in Southern California, but also just around the world. And, you know, it's just something about you know these hard times that God triggers his people and calls us into action to reach out and love and to be there. And so I'm so grateful for all of you that have contacted me, contacted my son, Edward, and our family, and it's we're really excited about if there's something to be excited about, is that through all these kinds of things, God you know, God does things. And it's something that's his He's the only one to turn ashes into something of His glory. You know, the Bible says in in Romans 8.28, for all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. And in a good is not a typical good that you think about that the world would say is good, but he works something, the good is actually in verse 29, for those whom he foreknew, he has conformed us, he's conforming us into the image of his son. And so when we go through hard times, when we go through times when we are marginalized and pressed to the edges of our life, and we suffer and we lose and we deal with things, somehow, in the midst of all those things, God is shaping more of the image of his son inside of us. We're becoming more like Jesus, more compassionate, more loving, more tender, more giving, more generous with people. And that that's really the greatest, greatest part of our legacy, even in family, is when the heat's on and we come together as a family. And I've I've watched that happen with our family. And when hard times come, and they come to every single family, and it's not that we do good and follow God, and so nothing ever happens. Well, it happens on both the righteous and and those that aren't following Christ in their life. The good times come, but also the hard times. And so be praying for our neighbors here in Los Angeles. They, you know, they've lost a whole section of Los Angeles that won't be a town again, probably for I don't know how many years, many, three to five years. And then all the people displaced by no jobs, and in all in all of the workers and the the gardeners and the and the and the people cleaning houses and the construction workers. And though I think there's gonna be a boon in construction it in California, by the way, it it takes forever to get your permits. So it's gonna be a tough time for all of them. So be praying and and for all that. And so I want to shift a little bit and just share that one thing that could make the biggest difference for you in your life. And it's from a story in the Bible. I didn't want to make slides for this entire section of scripture, but if you got your Bible, and I want you to turn to 1 Samuel chapter 17, and uh, and so this is a story about David and Goliath and how God used a boy and a father in an extraordinary way to change the course of history for the the people of Israel. And you know, I love this story because it speaks so much to family and it speaks so much to really what is the legacy that you're building. And so if you think about your own story in your life, whether you're a mom or a dad, and you're thinking about what you're you want your children to become. Because that's what really matters, you know, is I'm I'm a grandpa now. I got 14 grandkids. And what's in my heart is more than anything is what can I do to come alongside my kids to help them be the best moms and dads they can be. And I can be the best grandpa, uh not grandma, grandpa that I can be, and in what I model and who I am. That it's probably the most important thing that can happen for you in their life. It's not just about playing with them, it's not just about being there, it's all those things. But underneath all of it, and I'll sort of let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, it's the man, or for your mom watching, or the woman that you become in Christ determines the legacy of how your children start their story. And and so let me let me share this. I have been talking a lot to my older son Edward in the midst of this, and a number of times in our conversation, he said he said uh this line to me. He said, Dad, I I watched you for years go through hard times. And it's really been it's really been an anchor for me. Because I watched how you got up, no matter what you lost, no matter what happened. And if you get involved in church work, you're gonna go through this with people and churches and etc. And and that's just so meaningful to me. Because sometimes we forget as parents, the the life that we live really does matter. It's not just about getting them in the right schools, getting them in the right programs. It's not just about you know, making sure and teaching them the Bible so that they, which is all important stuff. But at the end of the day, it's the it in the in the core of who your children are, what's being formed in them is the person that they see, the person they follow. And when you're a present loving dad, or if you're a mom here watching a present loving mom, what your kids get from watching you handle hard times in possible circumstances, something transfers into them that's incredibly profound and shaping how they see themselves and how one day they're gonna go through those same things because those memories will come up. And so they're watching you and how you you handle those things. And my grandkids are are watching me, and they they're not sure exactly what's going on with the fires and and everything else. But they want to know is it okay, Papa? Is everything okay? Are we gonna be okay? And how we we we feed our souls and how we live our life before our children is is has incredible ability to imprint on them a whole way of facing and walking through hard times. And we sometimes don't think we do that good of a job. I mean, just showing up is you know, kind of half the battle and being there and loving them, but what them watching you pray and them watching you grieve, and them watching you cry, and then watching you celebrate, and them watching you give, and they're they're watching constantly and learning about how to handle hard times when they come, and sometimes the impossible circumstances that that come. That's why Paul wrote to Timothy that God's not given us a spirit of fear that leads again to slavery, uh slavery. And you know, Timothy struggled in some ways, but he said he's given us love, joy, peace, and self-control. And he said, God has given us supernatural abilities in him to be able to weather every single storm. And you might be in a storm right now. You might, your family might be shook and you're wondering, you know, oh well, what do I do? How do I handle this? How do I, you know, garner support? How do I uh connect them? Or or maybe you're watching and you've just lost your house in LA and you've you know you gone through some horrible situation in this past year, uh, or you know, your family's been blown apart, and you're wondering how, well, can I really make a difference? And part of the enemy's strategy against you is to get you to believe that you're eternally broken, and who would want to follow you? Who would want to listen to you, especially your kids? Well, I got to tell you, man, you are a living movie screen that they get to watch a trailer every single day that comes out of your life. Don't ever forget that. And how you do that is really powerful. So I'm I want to share, just kind of read you a story you've probably heard before. 1 Samuel chapter 17. And so you got this giant that some think was you know over nine feet, when they they give the measurement about you know how how big he was. And and he was taunting the people of Israel, name was Goliath, and he had you know other brothers as well. And David was going back and forth. He was a young teenager going back and forth to take care of the, you know, you know, to do the kind of family business. He got the, he was a low man in a totem pole, and he got to guard the sheep. We'll see later in the story. He, you know, he had to fight off bears and lions by himself. He had to learn how to connect to God on his own because he was alone. And the his brothers disdained him. And, you know, they, you know, he was the little brother who didn't get any respect. And so there he is, you know, he's coming up to the front lines. His older brother thinks he's trying to garner attention to himself. And so every time Goliath came out at verse 24, all the men fled and were afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel and the king. And so they're they're now seeing this young boy, David, show up. And he begins to listen to what everyone's saying and how they're completely defeated by how powerful uh Goliath seems, this imposing figure on the battlefield. In verse 26, and David said to the men who stood by him, What should be done for the man who kills the Philistine? He's just a young guy, man. He's been fighting lions and bears, and he goes, What should be done? And takes away the approach from Israel. Now, this is a teenager talking. This is a teenager who God has been forming in him, the king that he will one day be. And so he for who is this? And then this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God. Who is this guy? So they they're scared of this guy because they're they're going, I can't possibly defeat him. And David is going, Well, how come you guys are letting this guy defy the armies of the living God? He knew who his God was. And so, you know, in the midst of this, the the the enemy wants to throw every kind of doubt your way and everything in you to get you to feel as though you're all alone and you're completely defeatable. And what what difference can you possibly make? And what did David do? No, he asks, I mean, I mean, what's the payday? Now, Elab, the oldest brother, disdains him. He hears this and says, and he was his anger was kindled against David and said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those sheep in a wilderness? So basically, you left your job. Why are you here? You're just a kid. You don't know what you're talking about. I know your presumption and evil in your heart. So, you know, when you stand up to do the right thing, to be the father that God has called you to be in a land of so many crazy stuff, you're gonna you're gonna have people pushing back. You're gonna have family people that are gonna push back against you, just like David did. And David said, What have I done now? Speaking like a brother, right? And and was it not a word? And he turned away from him to another and spoke to them. And when David's when the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul and he sent for him. So David said, Well, what should be done for this guy? I mean, why are we just you know dealing with this uncircumcised field scene that's taunting the people of the living God? And David, you know, his words now make it before the king. And the reason why, he is the only one in all of Israel. They're all afraid. But David had the gift of faith on him. And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against the Philistine and fight with him for you are but a youth, you're a kid. And he has been a man of war from his youth. But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when a lion came or a bear, I uh and took out a lamb from the flock, I went after him, struck him, delivered it out of his mouth, and if you and if he rose against me, I caught him by his beard. Talking about a lion, and struck it and killed him. Your servant has struck down both the lions and the bears, and the uncircumcised Philistine would be like one of them. For he has defied the armies of a living God. And David said, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And so and Saul said to David, Go and the Lord be with you. I don't know how much he believed it or not, but David went and took it and faced off. He grabbed five smooth stones. He took his staff in his hand and five tooth snow from a brook and put him in a shepherd's pouch and his sling in his hand, and he ran down the hill towards a Philistine. The Philistine, of course, mocked him, Am I a dog? And you've come to me with the sword and the spirit, David says to him, but I come to you in the name of the Lord, the God of the armies of Israel in whom you've defied. In this day the Lord will, and I will strike you down, and I will cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the hosts of the Philistines this day into the hands of the bird into the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, and it in all the earth they may know that there's a god in Israel, and all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not by the sword or the spear, for the whole battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand. So David's secret was not even in his own ability as a hunter. His secret was he understood that if God's with him, he can't be defeated. And here he goes and he grabs a sling. And I'll kind of summarize this and kind of bring you to the kind of the punchline of the story. And he and he grabs a sling, runs down, puts in a rock, whips it around, hits him between the eyes, stuns him, runs over, pulls out his 17-pound sword and whacked off his head and killed him. Held up his head, kind of like I imagine him, like a brave heart moment, probably both hands, because he's a young guy, this big giant and his big head. And what Saul was asking Abner was, I want to meet the father who raised the son like this. I want to meet the father who weighs the son like this. And Abner says, As your soul lives, O king, I do not know. And the king found out, and as soon as David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said, Whose son are you, O young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. And so here's my big kahuna moment and question for you. So when King Saul was, you know, watch David go out in the power of the Lord, his response is, I want to meet the father who raised his son like this. And I remember that event many, many years ago. I was sitting in the front row. I remember saying to the Lord in prayer, God, I I want to be that kind of father. I want to be the kind of father that when people see my sons and daughters, they ask the question, Whose son are you? Edward, Lucas, Josh, Jessica, Mary. Because they see the way they live. And I think in all the things that God is in the midst of doing, there's probably nothing more profound than the Lord re-establishing and lifting up your hands if you're a father to be that kind of father too. And I remember my prayer knees at that altar that day. And I confessed, I said, Lord, I'm not that kind of father. I've made so much of my life about myself, about this jersey. If if you notice that I am sporting my Rams jersey from playing with them, and we did win and beat the Vikings. It's quite quite a game for the Ram family. But my name was was more about this jersey than it was about being the father of my sons and daughters. Matter of fact, we have one of my sons is actually here in the feed, Lucas James attendee McGlassen. He's he's an extraordinary man. He's all my sons have started out being so much of a better father than than I was and started to be. And that's that's the legacy. When we talk about legacy, it you know, the world defines legacy as is money and property and things. But in the in the realm of family, is the legacy is the is the deposit of what God that that you have allowed God to put in your life that you yearn for, that you become for the sake so your sons and your daughters have a roadmap when the heat gets on. So I remember my prayer father, I'm not that kind of dad. Make me into the that kind of father. That my sons, that people would see my sons and daughters and and say, Who's your dad? Or maybe if they knew my them, they go, I see your dad in you. And I and I really believe that this year in 2025, there's going to be so many things that I think God is writing in the church and all of us. We cry out for revival, you know, in the church, and and then the Lord uh allows us here in Southern California to go through a horrible uh, you know, earth-shaking fire. Well, guess what? All those people that have been displaced got a lot of questions, and who better to help them answer those questions than somebody who loves Jesus? So, what kind of dad are you? What kind of mom are you? What is that legacy? You know, God's promise in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 18, I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty. So God's plan all along is to father you as a mom or as a dad, so that you have a deposit from him of blessing in your life that becomes that blessing for your children. And so tonight it's a more of a shorter kind of show. Is I wanted to focus on this just one thing. And so, what what's your legacy like with your kids? Are you poured out for their sake? What are those things that God is doing in your own life for their sake? Because their whole future can be reshaped by the way you follow the Lord. Now, here's the great news. You don't gotta be a perfect dad. You just gotta be perfect and going to the one who has all the resources. All you gotta do is is, you know, and so what does that mean? What does that look like? Is that when you're weak, you pray and your kids watch you pray. When you sin, you confess and you teach them how to go to God with their sin. When you hurt them, you ask. For forgiveness. So you model forgiveness. That's all legacy-building stuff. All those tools that your children need are right in your family. You don't need to get a better family. You might be a single dad. All that you need is in your interaction with your children. You might be a single mom. All that you need is in your interaction with your children, with you and Jesus, and the way you're responding. And the more you lean into him and allow him to father you through the season of your life, he'll put tools in your hands to really deposit into your children. And more really is caught than taught. And it's not about, son, here's the six great things you got to learn in your life. That hasn't worked with my kids. They are watching what I do and doing what I do. And sometimes they're doing the things that they shouldn't be doing because they watch me do that. So you learn really you learn a lesson about how important it is to readjust your tracks so that they can find their way to the Lord. And uh and so I want to pray for them before we go. And I want to pray for you. Maybe you got things you can put in to the thing, or you can watch this if you come on later. But the single greatest legacy for 2025 is become the man or woman that God has called you to be, the father or the mother, the grandpa or the grandma that God has called you to be. Living that life in Christ as a son or daughter in front of your children so that gives them a roadmap when they struggle, when they get shook. Because that's the most important thing for you to frame in. We're going to be talking about this in the next weeks, more practical things, but tonight I just wanted you just to think about your relationship with Jesus, your time in the Word every day, your time in prayer, your time modeling forgiveness, your time doing all those things with your kids, just living your life and not quitting and trusting the Lord to take care of those things. It'll have a monumental difference in your kids. And uh when my son Edward was telling me how he watched me, and it gave him great courage, even right now, to go through what he's going through. I forgot that he was what I didn't really think he was watching me as a young boy when I was going through stuff. They're always watching. That's why there's probably nothing more powerful on earth, there is nothing more powerful on earth for your children's identity and who they see themselves to be than Christ and you, my friend, as a dad, as a mom, living that legacy out in front of them, so that when the heat comes on them in their own life and they go through things that are too big for them, they know exactly who to turn to with all their heart. So we preach less at them and we live more in front of them. And you watch what God will do this year. I uh my one of the promises I sense the Lord uh gave me for this year is that He's gonna restore families that have been separated. Maybe you've been separated in your family, he's gonna restore them, he's gonna break the power of bitterness and gonna restore you with your kids. Maybe that they've gone, you know, they haven't talked to you in a long time. And matter of fact, we do some coaching, you know, in our ministry to help people do that. And that's part of what we do at the Father Difference. And we'd love to help you. But before we kind of get offline tonight, I want to pray with you. So, Father, I I thank you for my friends that are watching. And we we first we we remember what's going on in Los Angeles tonight, even with the fire still burning. You're the one, Lord, who can shut this crazy wind down and bring more water. And Lord, pour your spirit out on all these people in such a profound way that what's remembered from this fire is not the destruction, but the revival of your church and just hundreds of thousands of people coming to Christ, coming to the love and the resource, Lord. And I pray for my friends, families as they're watching that you just as a subtle reminder that you just want to encourage them to stay in the game and to live their life out loud in front of their children so they have something to follow. And I pray for their families that you would heal them. I pray that for their relationships, Lord, that they would be restored. And Father, I pray that every child that's connected to a parent who watches this, Lord, would be restored completely to their fathers, to their grandfathers, to their moms, to their grandmothers in 2025. Heal your family, Lord, heal, make fathers great again and make grandfathers great again, father, in the name of Jesus. And all God's people said, Amen. So grateful that you're with me. Uh we're gonna be uh continuing on in our series. I'm looking forward to being you next week. And if you need some coaching, you can go to my website at the Father Difference, and uh we have a number of things that there. There's a coaching program that you can be a part of. We have a daily devotional, a free book. We got a lot of resources for you, and uh but we're here to help you, to serve you, to do whatever it takes to help you become the husband, father, mom, wife that God has called you to be. Remember, my friend, it's never too late for God to do a miracle and to heal the most broken families in the world. So thank you. Bless you, all you guys, Lisa, Mr. King, Christine, uh, Lucas, Joy, bless you. They're on Instagram, some of a lot of the other uh services on Rumble. Welcome if you're watching on Rumble, on Facebook, welcome on Facebook. And so grateful that you guys tune in each week. It's a joy in my life to be able to share my heart with you tonight. God bless you. The Lord loves you. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 37:28

Dear friends, imagine a world where every father feels equipped to lead with faith, love, and purpose. A world where families thrive and communities grow stronger because of devoted, Christ-centered fathers.

SPEAKER_01: 37:43

You know, beloved, that is the vision that God's put in my heart for every single family. You know, he is on the move, I believe. He promises in Malachi that before the great and coming day of the Lord, he's gonna do something profound. He's gonna turn the hearts of fathers back towards their children. So the hearts of their children will turn back to their father. That's what God is doing. I meet dads daily who want to learn to be better fathers. Yet many have never been shown how. Too many families are being fractured through bitterness, and with parents and grandparents even being canceled. That's why we're launching an online community to quit men to be the fathers that God has called them to be. It's more than a program, it's a part of a movement that God is already doing to reshape fatherhood. It's a sacred calling rooted in the teachings of Christ. And we're calling this the Fatherhood Academy, where men will embark on a journey of healing and spiritual restoration that helps them transform their family relationship. And to make this vision a reality, would you consider partnering with us financially as we continue to reach and disciple every man, dad, and grandpa that comes our way? Your donation will help create a ripple across the neighborhoods, communities, you know, and ultimately our nation. Anchoring each child here's a vision in the unwavering love and guidance of a devoted dad. Your end-of-the-year gift right now, whether it's a one-time donation or an ongoing pledge monthly, will make a huge difference. Together we can equip fathers to build hope-filled futures for their children and their grandchildren. Remember, my friend, the Father loves you. And he sent his son to let you know. Pray it for you.

SPEAKER_00: 40:02

Pastor Ed. Click the link to donate today. Thank you for believing in this mission and joining us on this transformative journey.