Receiving Sonship: How God Fathers Men To Become Loving, Present Dads

We unpack how receiving sonship from God reshapes a man’s identity, heals father wounds, and empowers dads to love with presence and joy. Stories, scripture, and a simple prayer show how blessing transforms families and gives men courage that is not tied to performance.

• Why identity flows from who fathers you
• How vows against our dads still repeat patterns
• The trap of performance and arrival points
• Practical listening prayer to follow the Father
• Steps to bless children with specific words
• Resources for coaching and community support

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Chapters

• 0:00 Framing The Big Questions
• 0:59 Welcome And Community Shoutouts
• 2:11 Prayer And Mission For Fathers
• 4:36 What Sonship Really Means
• 8:18 Identity, Father Wounds, And Performance
• 13:27 Becoming Like The Father Who Fathers You
• 18:00 Earthly Success Vs True Identity
• 22:40 Practicing Sonship: Follow The Father
• 29:55 Coffee Shop Story Of Healing Identity
• 36:40 Joy, Righteousness, And Secure Sonship
• 42:00 Whose Son Are You
• 45:40 Resources, Coaching, And Next Steps
• 49:30 Prayer Of Surrender And Blessing
• 53:00 Partner Invitation And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

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: 1:16

Hey, welcome. Welcome tonight. Got some of my friends showing up. Hey, we got Ray Diggs in the house. Welcome, Ray. Great to meet you this week. Powerful, powerful voice, powerful man. And what God's doing. Got Emma King in the house. Good to see Dr. King. And welcome to all you guys that are showing up here. Just really grateful. Just really grateful to see you guys, all the different people from different countries around the world, which is just so cool that we can get together and uh bless you too, Mr. Diggs. And so we're gonna tonight, we're gonna talk about really what it means to receive your sonship. And and before we we do that, I want to talk about why is that so important in your life. And so we're gonna get together and and pray right now and then get into this teaching tonight for all of our friends that are coming on and joining here at uh 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. And uh, if you keep if you're not read my hat, it's it says, make fathers great again. That's what I think God is trying to do around the world. We got uh we got one of God's finest there at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Welcome here. Judson's one of our coaches and our and our ministry team here, and exciting to have him. And and we're building a lot of those these next years to reach all the dads and fathers we need to. So let's kind of start with a prayer. Father, thank you for my friends that are joining. I'm so grateful to see them. I'm so grateful they're here each week. I ask you to bless them tonight. I ask you to open their mind and their spirit and their heart to the extraordinary potential and power of being a loving, present father and spiritual father. Father, thank you for the role that you have made us for. Even Adam's first role in loving Eve and then being a father, and how Lord, you have given fatherhood to us as such an incredible gift. We pray tonight, Lord, that you would speak to us deeply and equip us to be the best fathers we can be. And all God's men said, Amen. Let me know where you're tuning in from. We got Instagram, TikTok, Rumble, X, which probably be called X marked the spot where the real treasure is. And so really, you know, grateful that you're here listening, watching, and and receiving. So anyway, let's get right into this presentation I have for you tonight. And it's and it's how to receive your sonship. So here's my first question. What does sonship mean to you? When you think about, you know, somebody says sonship, it's not a word that a lot of people understand. But basically, it's the blessing that that every dad has to give to his children. And when your dad was present and loving and there and resourcing you and and giving you those things that you need in your life, and you feel connected and seen by your dad, you sort of carry your yourselves differently than many other. You probably have seen in the world today, you can tell, you can really tell those young men that are out there and fathers who have been fathered well. The same way we watched at the Super Bowl. Uh, yes, I am wearing the Rams jersey. Yes, we had an offensive lineman jump offside and cost us a shot at the big show. But it was it was a it was a it was an it was an amazing chess board that the coach and what's great is that both teams are filled with gods, with gods, guys who love Jesus. I heard more Jesus talk coming from the celebration on the Eagles and even those that the disappointment on the Chiefs that I and I've seen in years in in the National Football League, and it is about time. And the reason why that is, and I'm just going a little off track here, but is that there's something that's incredibly powerful when those perceived heroes in sports stand up for something that's good and righteous. That's so powerful. Because so many young kids who wear the numbers of their heroes or in basketball wear the shoes of their heroes, et cetera, they're so in need of fathers and the sense of whose son they are. And when their sonship is powerful and they feel favored by their dad for who they are and blessed by their dad, and they have a father who's present, it's it changes the life of that young man. As a matter of fact, you know, grandfathers have that same role with grandchildren. And I know a lot of grandpas today that are in the process of refathering and you know being in the life of their grandchildren because a lot of their own children are struggling in their life. And man, if there is ever a day where we need to have great fathers and great-grandfathers, it's today. Now, how does that happen? And uh what's the mechanism for that to happen in the world in a great way? And and what's the mechanism for it to happen in you? Well, it's it has a lot to do with whose son you are. And if you're only, say, the son of a broken dad, or a dad who left, or a dad that make you feel invisible, then you're you can if if that's your only sense of where you get your identity, or in reaction to it. You see a lot of young people today who are in reaction against the brutality of their dad or their lack of their father. And so they then paint on themselves a new identity. They they choose an identity in the in the in the world of of what the devil has tried to put on this next generation is well, then choose your identity for what your sexual appetites are. As though that is an identity. And that's no, that's just that's something that you desire that comes out of your old flesh. Sometimes it's good if you're following the Lord, and sometimes it can be incredibly uh wicked. And and so identity for us as men and fathers is crucial in us being able to father our children and to do a great job at fathering our kids. I remember in my early days as a dad making myself this promise that I wasn't gonna do any of the same some of the same really hard things that my my dad, my stepdad did to me. Anybody ever make that promise? And raise your hand, by the way, if you made a promise, I'm not gonna do some of those bad fathering things done to me. Anybody say that? And so we can escape those incredible moments of being that were framed for us by the way we are fathered, just because we choose to do opposite. I meet guys in some of my coaching that I ask them how they're doing as a dad, and I said, Well, I just basically hate my dad and I just want to do something opposite of my father. I said, Well, how's it going for you? He said, Well, I guess not too good because I'm I'm signed up for coaching. And and I said, Well, do you know why that happens to you? Why is it so hard to escape some of those foundational shaping moments of the way your father treated you, loved you, was in your story, is because they have profound impact because they're your dad's. Your dad, whether he knew it or not, carries this an authority to help you discover your true identity. And when that father doesn't know who he is, he can spend his life trying to live through you. I play with a lot of football players, and I've met guys in my life whose sole identity is in performance on the athletic field to prove themselves to their dad, even in the National Football League, to have such incredible pressure on themselves that they end badly, because their core identity is about being a winner, or their core identity that they got from their father is X, Y, and Z. And so when you think about in your own story, what's your core identity? I mean, what is that you know, identity that you have, you know, taken on upon yourself, and you you can find out what that core identity is by those places where you celebrate yourself. Think about that. Where do you celebrate yourself in a great way? And I can hear where some of you say, Well, I I don't know that uh I celebrate myself at all. I'm still trying to get become a better man. And isn't it interesting how we get into this place where we're still living for the approval of somebody in our story, and and we never get it. And as a result of that, we feel ill-equipped to give this to our children. Because I I found in my own life when in I mean in earlier days of being a dad, because I was driving myself all the time to try to get to the next level, that I was doing the same thing to my children. And without realizing that, I was wounding them and framing their future around this idea that they gotta have it together to be blessed by God. They they gotta do it a certain way to have love from me. And without realizing it, I was setting up my children for failure. Because here's here is the truth: we're all flawed. Matter of fact, the Bible says it this way, all have sinned and fallen short of God's standard, God's glory. We all blow it. And so, how do we deal with ourselves when we're broken? And the people who father us will shape how you treat yourself when you're not feeling like a winner. And so, God, what's God's answer? God's answer for broken sonship is to father us. And you've probably heard me say that over and over again. And by the way, it's the secret of being a great dad, because who you are fathered by leaks into those that you father. And so you can have a great dad on earth who is a great dad, but he is flawed. You'll find that you're some of those same flawed things that you your dad gave to you that you've learned from him, you end up doing with your children. Remember, I said earlier how many made that promise to never do some of those same bad things? And yet how many would raise your hand also and say, I did that very same thing. And boy, that's boy, that just sticks right in our face when we do that. And then we see our children living that out in our own life. So, how does God fix that in us? Well, that's what that's what we're gonna talk about tonight. We're gonna we're gonna talk about how to really receive that sonship. But before we do that, I want to talk a little bit about what that sonship actually looks like for you and for me. So here's the first thing. So, why is it important to receive our adoption from the Father? That's one of the big themes that Jesus came to do, and Paul talks about in scripture. And that is the very first thing is that we'll become like the man who fathers us. And uh, when his disciples, you know, were asking Jesus, you know, to show us the father, Jesus is saying of himself, whoever seen me has seen the father. We all start out in this place where that persona and that identity that we live out of towards our children first comes through our dads or through that person who fathers us. Well, the benefit of being fathered by God is it changes the complete trajectory of our earthbound limitations. And and what I love about that, and I share that in this next slide here, is that you know, not only did God want to father us, right, and and and show and and really become the father, it helps us determine who we are and who we become. Number two, the the truth of the matter is that we the reason why he called us to receive our adoption is so that we could have him as a father in our life. And I love this verse. And it said, and the word became flesh, talking about in John 1.14, talking about Jesus, flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood, and and we saw the glory with our own eyes. A one-of-kind glory, a like father, like son, generous inside and out, true from start to fission. John 1.14. And so when people saw Jesus, they would say, Show us the Father, you know, that will be enough for us. And Thomas said that, but Jesus said, basically, if you've seen me, you've seen my father. In a lot of ways, when people see our children, they're going to connect, you know, they're going to connect who they are to who fathered them. Now, one of the greatest compliments that we can get as fathers is when people come to you and and say, you know, I met your son today, and he's extraordinary just like you. Oh man, uh, those those are moments that you just don't ever, you just don't ever forget. Isn't that the goal? Isn't that what you want? You know, don't you want the love and the mentoring and the modeling and the man you are to leak out right through your son to everybody he meets? Where his starting point is wanting to be like you. And by the way, that's in every little kid. I mean, watch your kids watch you, your grandkids even watch you to do what you do, to say things the way you say, to walk like you, because they're learning, they're following. I mean, that that relationship between a son and a father, and wanting that is such a powerful, powerful understanding about who they are, because they they they follow. And when you remove that dad, what what is that young son gonna do? Well, in our world today, you know, and he gets around one of these, he starts to name himself by the images and the the people that he sees on YouTube and social media, and it's why it's such a powerful thing. And and I really believe that all these social media apps were created because of the deep wound in this generation of young people that we have. And we were some of the first portrayers of this. The baby boomer generation, you know, spent much of its history trying to name themselves by what they have, where they own, where they live, their failure, their music style, their incredible things that we can name ourselves by. The problem is, whatever you name yourself by that's earthbound and limited in the human forms of things can always always be always will become a trap for you. For instance, say I had a young man the other day who wanted to be a great football player. He never got to play. And it was like he wanted to wear this jersey and play on the field. Or, and if that's your identity, what if you don't realize it? I mean, I I mean, for years I wanted to make it to the Super Bowl. And if you notice, I don't have any Super Bowl rings on. I have friends, my my best friend Brian Holloway, he's got a number of them from the Patriots and the Raiders on his hands. I mean, God's He got the play in the big show. Now, if my identity is in that arrival point, I'm gonna always feel as though I missed out in my life. So, how does how does God reconcile that in us when we have disappointment? Well, the one of the most powerful things that can happen to you and to I is when we realize that those achievements that we have in the world and those moments that we use to name ourselves are just moments. They're not our true identity. Because the truth of the matter is I get to wear this jersey and it's cool because of something I did, but this isn't who I am. And no matter what, no matter what you've built in your life, what kind of business or life or dream you had for money, houses, places to live, you're gonna have a lot of disappointment in your life. And if you're always driving yourself to get to that next level as a father, and then one day you're gonna come and go, I finally made it. Now I can give my time for my children. You're not gonna have them there following you, they're gonna be gone. And you're you're gonna you're gonna sit back and go, Oh my gosh, what did I do? Well, here's the great news. You can get them all back. It's one of the most extraordinary gifts that God gives us as fathers, is no matter how good we started, no matter how bad we've done things in the lives of our children, it's never too late for us to become the father our children need us to be. And that's one of the incredible promises. Now, how do we get there? Well, we we don't get there by becoming a super dad now. We get there by learning how to receive our the gift of sonship that God gives us as a father when he sent his son Jesus. It's one of the most powerful restorations of people groups there is. And those people groups in the world that are highly religious, thinking it's their faith that gives them this. And we got squaths of all through the Middle East and different sects and faiths, from the Muslim, the Jewish faith to, you know, and their numbers of Christian groups where they measure their identity in their denomination or their tribe or their group. What happens if you lose your church? Or what happens when your pastor, you know, blows it and goes sideways, then who are you? I meet people who will say, you know, I tried the church, but I got really hurt by the church, and and so I haven't gone back to church again. And and I say, really? So your determination is about going to church is that you're never going to be hurt. You're never going to be disappointed. The the leaders will never disappoint you. The problem with that is that we all have humanness as a pastor, even as perfect as I was as a pastor. And anybody who's followed me for any amount of time uh in my life knows that that on my best days, I I have anointed moments and flawed moments. And if people are getting their identity from me as the model at any level, they're going to be sorely disappointed. But when we learn to receive our sonship from God and we understand truly what sonship is all about, it can become an anchor to your soul and an anchor to your identity, and it can be something that will anchor your children and your grandchildren one day. Because these young people today they are looking for a brand. What they're really looking for is their true core identity, and it's not found in money or the world or success or failure or sin or sexual identity, or you just keep putting those up there. It's found when they meet somebody who knows who they are and they live their life in the love and blessing of God the Father who sent his son for us. Let me tell you a little story. I was in a coffee shop not too long ago, and I had a young man there drinking coffee. And one of my practices, my internal practices that I've learned, because I I learned years ago that as a father, as a grandpa, as you know, Edma Glass and a beloved son of the Lord, the better I am at learning to do what I see the Father doing with people, the more impact I'm going to have with them. Notice I didn't say the more I pray to be anointed to go in with hellfire and brimstone to convert these people. No, it's your ability to find out what God the Father is doing. And the model comes from Jesus when he said, I can only do what I see my Father doing. Part of sonship is giving up your right to determining your own identity and giving that your heart and who God's called you to be to him. And so one of the practices of a beloved son that we saw in Jesus was his mission was to please his father and do what his father was doing. And so it caused me to learn, and following Jesus, that the the the most exciting path of being a son is learning to do life the way Jesus did with his father. And that is when you're meeting people and you or you see somebody or you notice somebody, you just say this little internal prayer, Father, what are you doing with this person? And then kind of stepping in to that, no matter what the conversation is about. My conversation isn't about, you know, or my desire isn't about just leading every person I meet to Jesus to Christ right now. But it starts out in God, what are you doing with this person? That's what sons do. Imagine your fathering style with your children that was kind of anchored in God, what are you doing with my son? Or maybe my son-in-law or son-in-love, or my daughters, or you know, my distant relatives, my cousins, you're constantly asking, God, what are you doing? And when you when you step into what you sense God might be doing with them, and he'll show you one of the ways is you ask questions and to start conversations. It's one of my ways that I sort of I do in in my life, and and God's showing me it's the funnest thing in my in my life to do is just to be a son and follow the father around all day long because he's always working. That's what Jesus said. The lift up your eyes and see, for the harvest is already white. So the issue isn't there's is there anybody to lead to Christ? The issue is we got to lift up our eyes from what we're doing, what we're thinking, where we're stuck, and see for there's people all around us all day long that are desperate for a guy like you to speak life into them. And so I saw this guy, and he was said, Chapman University doing some studying and and I I walked over to him with my coffee and I said, Hi. I said, Do you know why God made you? And this young man just puts his book down. He looks at me and he goes, I can't believe you just asked me that question. It's like a holy timing thing. And I said, Well, what do you mean? He said, That's my heart's cry every day. I'm really confused. I said, Really? Why are you confused? He goes, Well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure who God's made me. I'm struggling with same-sex attraction, and I'm struggling with my you know who I am. Matter of fact, I'm here with some Christian friends of mine in town, and they're struggling too. It's like I have most of my friends, they don't know who they are. And so I looked at him and I smiled and I said, I asked him another question. I said, So tell me about your dad. Why I asked that question is that in a lot of the stories of young men and women that are confused and maybe have gender dysphoria issues that are, you know, are around them in their life, or they're they're confused about their sexuality, is their environment of being raised, many times it's just incredibly brutal. And he put his head down and he looked back up. He said, My dad was a monster. And I've lived my entire life to stay away from him. And I wish I could tell you that that's a that's the only time I ever heard anything like that. Uh I hear that too often. Or my dad was distracted, or my dad was this. But in almost every case, in that confusion of that realm, but also in all the other patterns of of brokenness that young people carry, their their dad wasn't a present papa with them, loving them, resourcing them, being in their story. So I I said, you know, I struggled with some, not with those sims, some of those same things, but I struggled because I lost my dad in a different way. And I started sharing my story about how my dad was killed in action. And this young man was just glued to what I was saying. And I and I said this to him, and it opened the whole conversation. I said, it all depends on who fathers you that helped that frames for you what your future identity might be. It can be identity of brokenness, it can be identity of absolute blessing and really knowing who God's made you to be. And he said, Well, how do I get that? I said, There's only one way. You you might go to all the psychiatrists in the world and a psychologist, and they'll help you discover your hurt between you and your dad. But that identity piece that you have, when you ask God to show you who you are, it will change your life. And you won't have to perform a certain way or do certain things to be in the club. And tears started welling in his eyes. He goes, I want that. And I said, Did you know that not only did Jesus come and die for you? Because I know you go to church and and you want more of Jesus. He said, You're so right. I just he just feels far away. I said, Well, why do you think that is? And he out of his own mouth, he said this. Well, I think part of it is that I live in such guilt all the time because I'm just not able, I just don't know how to live this life he's called me to. And I said, you know, this life isn't a life we can use our effort to live, it's a life that we've got to receive. And he and part of that is that we've got to receive his forgiveness first. And not only do we receive his forgiveness, the second part is that what's missing in your life is not all the talent you have and all the your gifts and natural gifts. Yes, what you're missing is you don't know who you are. And he goes, That's exactly it. How would you like to find out today? He said, right here. I said, right here in his coffee shop. And so I prayed with him and he asked God to forgive him and asked Christ in his life again. And then I said, I want to pray for you as a father, your dad, the way your dad would have prayed for you if he'd have walked with God. And I put my hands on him and I blessed him. And uh he just started weeping. And he was weeping because he'd never had a loving dad touch him that way and bless him that way, and God began to give me words about him and his abilities, and and you know, just I want you to pray this prayer. God, show me who you've made me to be. And I I end up, it wasn't a long interchange, maybe about 45 minutes, and then I hugged this young man, I blessed him, and I said, Here's my number. I want you to call me when God breaks through in your heart. And so I left the coffee shop, and about three months later, he writes me a long email, and he goes, Hey, Pastor Ed. That moment changed my life. Not only did I feel forgiven for the first time, I've completely lost all my same-sex attraction to the point now where I've met the most beautiful girl, and we are getting married in three months. It's within six months of our coffee shop encounter. And I am so grateful that you stopped to father a boy who never had a dad. You want to know the impact you can have as a father on the life of your daughters and the life of your sons? I mean, if you're a mom, there's a couple moms who've slipped into this group. Imagine your identity being so secure as a mother that you learn how to bless your children the way God the Father blesses you. Because that's the the secret of what God came to give us. And when we at the at the core of who we are as a son or a daughter of a father who loves us, and the more we receive that ourselves, the more impact we have. Because we've been named, we've been made by God to get our core identity from him as our father through Jesus Christ that he sent. And Jesus was the perfect picture of the model. You know, I shared with you, the word became flesh and in moved into the neighborhood. And when people saw him, they saw with their own eyes this one of a kind glory. And it wasn't that he had this glow about him, like the old Renaissance painters would paint around Jesus, where he'd walk in and you know, he had this different the thing that was different about Jesus above everyone wasn't that he looked different from any other Hebrew that was there. It's that he walked around with this with the pleasure of his father on his life as his core identity. And think about that. What would your life be like if you weren't striving to name yourself or prove yourself? How would you father differently, or if you're a gal, mother your children differently if you weren't getting your core identity from their performance? What would change in your own parenting style? And this next verse there is the more we let God father us, the more we will become like Jesus. And this is one of my favorite verses that describes the uh internal life and the smile that Jesus lived under. It says of him in Hebrews 1:9, and this is part of an Old Testament scripture that Paul is writing to the Hebrew church, the book of Hebrews, to a Jewish congregation. And it talks about who the Son of God is in the Old Testament, and he says, and you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. So Jesus lived his life not loving wickedness and hating righteousness, which is a picture of someone who's not fathered by God, or someone who, you know, thinks they they love righteousness by hating wicked people. But they describe how Jesus got that. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness or joy beyond your companions. And one of the one of the things that happens when our identities are secure in our sonship with God as our Father, is that we live out of the joy of the Lord over our lives, no matter what we're going through. You know, the Bible says that the joy of the Lord will be your strength. And the reason why it says our strength is because it's not an internal happiness that we create, but it's a joy that comes to us because we know who our father is. We know who our Savior is, we're growing with him, we live in his word, and we love the righteous life he's called us to, and we're receiving constantly our security and our identity and who God says we are. Powerful stuff. And I'll share this last little thought with you in closing. Not only will we become like Jesus, God wants us to have the same like father, like son relationship with us. I mean, that's what I wanted more than anything in my life. I wanted I wanted a dad that was in the stands watching me play football. There on the sidelines sometime as a coach. And my stepfather was a coach. And you you you play different on the football field when your dad's watching. And in the in a lot of the early days of being a young football player, my stepdad was in the was in the stands. He's the only father I knew. And I'll I'll never forget, not one of my better football moments, but we were playing our arch nemesis, and uh and we were getting beat pretty badly, and they were taunting us at the end of the game. And this middle linebacker for this opposing team, and we, you know, they they outgunned us, outmatched us, we got stomped. And they were just celebrating and ridiculing us. And and I had enough, and I just jumped across the line, dropped the ball that was a center, and shapoom, and hit him, knocked him out, penalty flags, threw me out of the game, and I'm leaving the field. Not not necessarily a righteous move. But I'll never forget my my stepfather was in the stands celebrating me, going, way to go, son! Way to go. And I share that in that not that I am not that I am calling for our children to cold cock their enemies, you know, in a football game. Ray Diggs said, I understood I would have done it also. But somet something happens inside of your heart, especially in the in the place of courage when you know whose son you are. And I want to tie it together tonight. And that's my question, whose son are you? And if you're just a son of a of a dad, that's a great dad. That's a that's a great benefit. But if you're a beloved son of God the Father and you've received your sonship, that puts you in a class all your own. Because one of the incredible benefits of being a son of the father is that you have him cheering you on the rest of your days. And he loved you so much, he sent his only son to die for you. So when you learn to receive that forgiveness for your sin and learn how to receive his grace and blessing to be the man he's called you to be, or your gal, if you're a gal watching in our group tonight, then it sets you above all of your companions because you like Jesus, you have a joy that resonates inside of you because you're not unfathered anymore. And when that moment came into my own life, my own story, it completely changed the way I saw myself and unleashed a courage in me to live all out for this guy named Jesus. Unafraid of being rejected, because part of the benefit and the gift of living in this world, we're gonna have turmoil, we're gonna have struggle, we're gonna have great days and bad days, we're gonna have persecution. There's Christian brothers and sisters uh of ours that are being martyred around the world because they have stood up for Jesus. We're gonna have to face all these things, but when you face, no matter what comes to you, and your identity is not attached to the outcome, but it's attached to who loves you and who backs you up and who sent his son to die for you so that he could be your father. That sets you apart above every other person outside of Christ. And that's such a blessing. Because God wants to be the father of us all and has all the children of the world that he loves. But sons and daughters are the ones who generally make the biggest impact because their core identity is in their sonship with the father and not just in their achievements on earth. So next week we're gonna talk about steps to really enter into more of this sonship. If you want to learn more about this, a couple of resources for you that my faithful assistant will shoot up on the screen. Uh, number one is if you go to my website right now, and it's the you you can, I have a book there that I wrote called it's uh it's a free book. It's called The Difference a Father Makes, right? And if you go to our website, you can thank you, Ray, for the words. You can get that free book and download it right now. And I just I'm gonna challenge you to read it with a question of Lord, I want to learn how to be a son, or maybe you're a daughter. I want to learn how to be your daughter. That book will begin opening that door, and that's our gift to you. We're actually giving that book away right now in believe it or not, over 233 countries are downloading that book and have access. It's grown, it's gone everywhere, and we give this for free. So that's that's our gift to you, and you can get that right now. The second thing that we have as a resource is that maybe you're in a place where you need some coaching and you would like some help with your family, maybe your grandma, grandpa, your or family, or you got children that are sideways, and you're you're looking for some tools and some practical ways to really grow. Well, one of the things that we're we're building right now that we have as a resource for you is we have the Fatherhood Academy. The Fatherhood Academy has online training courses, podcasts, live coaching. There's there's a number of things. And there's a really it's an incredible benefit to you without much investment from you and your time, energy, and resources to really help you be that guy. And so if you're interested, that's available to you right now at our website. And uh, we're uh we're running a special right now, and all you got to do is click on our website and you'll see what that's all about. But that can be really helpful for you because I can tell you that I'm the guy that I am today, not only from the love and blessing of God the Father in my life, but from those men who have sewn into my life. And matter of fact, what follows us every single week here, if you you haven't gotten enough of me, is we have a men's online group that you can be a part of if you join our Fatherhood Academy, and you can join us every week, and we go into a lot of depth on how to navigate all these things I'm talking about with practical one-on-one coaching with a bunch of guys online, and it's it's a powerful community of men. So maybe that's your cup of tea, and we'd I'd love to be there. And before I get off, I want to pray for every one of you right now who you know are watching tonight and you have questions, and you really do want to be that kind of father. If that's you, just open your hands wherever you are, and I want to pray for you the same way I prayed for that young man in that coffee shop years ago. Father, I just um I'm so grateful to my friends that are watching tonight. I'm so grateful that they're here and and they're hungry to be the best men they can be, the best husbands they can be, the best fathers they can be. Some are the one to be the best ex to an ex-wife they can be. Some are single dads, and they're watching, feeling like they blew it. It's never too late, my friend. So, Father, I pray for them right now, and I pray that you would reveal to them the incredible man Jesus Christ right now. Reveal your son to them and reveal that you want to be their father too. So maybe that's your prayer tonight. You want more of Jesus. Well, just pray this simple prayer with me right now. Just say, Jesus, right now, I'm asking you to come into my life. I want to I want to be free from the guilt that I have to manage all the time, and the shame that comes in my life, and the sin that so easily knocks me sideways. And I want to run this race that you promised that we can run with perseverance. I want to make a difference as a man, as a dad, as a father. And father, I want your blessing in my life. And so come into my life, Jesus. Forgive me of all those things that I'm trying to work out myself. And Father, I need a father in my story. Would you father me? Father me so that I can be the man you've called me to be. Father me so I can be the father and the grandpa you've called me to be. And we all pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, would you would you send me, would you let me know and uh email me? You can send me an email at edcandy at blessing of the father.com. And before we get off, I have a short little video. If you just hang with me and watch, it's only, gosh, it's not very long. And I'm so grateful that you showed up here tonight. And so all that to say is I gotta go, I got another group starting in a few minutes and would love to see you there as well. So, Father, bless you. And remember, my friends, it's never too late for God to give you a new beginning. Just look at Ed McLasson. Anyway, God bless you. Have a great night. We'll talk to you. And if this, by the way, if this blessed you, would you join my YouTube channel? Just subscribe so you could and turn on that little bell so you know that when I send in new videos, we're standing in a bunch. We're just here to resource you and to help you come along. So watch this video before you get off. And I will see you next week.

SPEAKER_00: 55:19

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: 55:34

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 mean dads daily who want to learn to be better fathers. Yet many have never been shown how. Too many families are being fractured to bitterness and with parents and grandparents even being canceled. That's why we're launching an online community to quit and 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 pride. 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, an ultimately, anchoring each child, your division, and the unwavering love and guidance of a devoted dad.

SPEAKER_00: 57:25

Will you partner with us? Your gift, whether a one-time donation or ongoing monthly support, will help to transform lives. Together, we can equip fathers and grandfathers to lead with faith and create a brighter, hopefully future for generations to come. Click the link to donate today. Thank you for believing in this mission and joining us on this transformative journey.