What Happens When Men Are Re-Fathered By God

What kind of man are you becoming—and what power are you using to get there? We open with a vivid delivery room scene that turns into a charge for every man to “get in there,” then follow the thread to a deeper source of strength: being re-fathered by God so we can father with wisdom, courage, and peace. This isn’t a pep talk about trying harder; it’s a practical path to living from the Father’s blessing, drawn from Jesus’ own way of life in John 5:19.

We talk candidly about growing up without a steady model, the ache that follows, and why self-powered resolutions keep failing. Pastor Ed shares his personal turning point—from a knee injury and a dorm-room prayer to a healing that signaled a larger rescue of the heart. Out of that story comes a simple, repeatable framework: receive love to give love, receive forgiveness to extend forgiveness, receive guidance to lead with clarity. That shift changes how we show up with our wives, kids, and grandkids—less noise and pressure, more presence and steady hope.

Ready to trade striving for a stronger source? Listen now, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with the one habit you’ll start this week. Subscribe for new episodes and join us as we raise fathers who lead with faith, love, and purpose.

p.s. Visit www.thefatherdifference.com/links for a free book download and information about personal coaching.

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Transcript

Mission And Welcome

SPEAKER_00 1:03

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.

New Year And Calling Men Higher

Why The “How-To” Matters

Birthroom Story And Fatherhood Invitation

Present Fathers Change Everything

Lacking Models And Learning To Father

Re-Fathered By God: Global Impact

It’s Never Too Late To Step In

Culture’s Assault And The Need For Dads

Hearts Of Fathers Turned To Children

Empowered And Called: Good News

Church, Coaching, And Community

The Receiving Principle: John 5:19

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Hey, hey, well, welcome. It's we've got a new year. I haven't seen some of you guys for since last year. I guess that kind of gets old. Welcome to the Father Difference, where you're gonna learn a lot about what it means to be fathered by God so that you can make the biggest impact that you can as a husband, if you're a guy, or we have gals who tune into this hour, or as a gal before the Lord, a beloved daughter. And so we're gonna talk today about the beginnings of that. And one of the things I want to encourage you to get, if you've not already gotten a copy of, you'll see it right over this shoulder right here, is how to become the husband and father your family needs. We're gonna be going through this through the next months on our live shows. We're gonna go deep in this in our fatherhood academy. If you've not been a part of that, I want to encourage you to think about making that part of your story as well. Because it's our our ministry and what I do, it's all about coaching. And I know that I'm the guy, and I wear a jersey that I wear right here. I know, I know, I can hear you already. Yes, we did win, and we did win in really cold temperatures with crazy football plays and and beat the Bears to go to the NFC Championship game. All my buddies that live around me here, we are excited for the Rams. And they get to they have a shot at going to the big show. So it's gonna be a big game this weekend. If you're not a football fan, that doesn't discount you from heaven in any. Uh, this is my big gulp too. Gotta have that as well. But here today, we're gonna talk about you know, this incredible understanding of how to become a new man. And here we are with a brand new year talking about this. And what does it mean to become a new man or the kind of man, or how about this, the kind of man that you want to be. That that that one that you have, you really want to be that way. You want to be, if you're married, the kind of husband that really makes a difference in the life of your wife. You might be a young man, you might be dating, or be or looking for a gal. There's a lot of guys looking for great gals, and vice versa. Or you're a dad or a grandpa, and you're fathering and grandfathering children through the ebbs and flows of this crazy culture. And I got and I got to tell you that there's never been more important time in all of history than for guys just like you to step up for such a time as this. This is a really important time. And so I'm gonna start out. We're gonna get right into my book. I encourage you, you can get my book. Let me see if I can find the right uh clips here. You can go, you can go to my website at the thefatherdifference.com and you can order a copy there. If you want one really quickly, go to Amazon and get get the book uh really about really learning how to become the husband and father of your family. And the in the title of the book. And the reason that I titled that way is because I don't know about you, but as a guy, I like to know the how-to's about life, like how to how to change and get a new story if you you didn't have the father you've always wanted. I didn't. I lost my dad, and my stepdad left a lot to be desired. He loved me, but he struggled being a present daddy was an amazing military hero in so many ways. And yet I didn't learn to do the very first principle we're gonna talk a little bit about tonight, and what it really means to be that guy, and how do you really kind of change your life? Because I I've learned one thing that any change I try to do that's human-powered, where I am kind of the center of that change, then I'm gonna I'm gonna struggle. How about you? I'm gonna make a New Year's resolution, and guess what we do? We end up breaking that New Year's resolution. And so tonight we're gonna we're gonna jump right into this book, and I'm gonna read for you the introduction as as we kind of set up what we're gonna talk about tonight and how to do that. You ready? You with me? Okay, here we go. Roll it. Okay. So are you ready? Dr. Metter said, he was my he was actually the his wife ran the cheerleaders for the Rams when I played football there, and he was our you know, obstetrician. And walking in, and I'll share the story. He Dr. Metter said, Hey Ed, are you ready? As I joined my wife Jill, and me in a hospital labor and delivery room. He was an OBGYN doctor. Jill just been in labor. Let me know if you can read this with me. For the you know, past 18 hours, she was getting ready to push this baby out. And and believe me, there wasn't a lot of room left in there, who soon will be our oldest son, Edward. And he he looks at me uh with a smile and he says this, and he says, Ed, are you about to become a father? And he reached out his hand and he grabbed mine. I thought that was a little unusual. I did have rubber gloves on, perfectly designed to catch newborn babies. He had these mugs on him, you know, this these mugs, and he said, Your betty, your baby is ready to come. Do you want to deliver your son? Me? I asked. He said, Yes. I I had recruited my dear mother-in-law, Nancy. She was just Jill's mama, just amazing. I needed somebody who could do the nurturing in the room and the hand holding. Now, believe it or not, there's part of this is not written here, but yours truly set up cameras to take pictures of this moment as my my son was going to be born, and it was shooting over my shoulder. And you know, those those images have been completely lost. No one can find them, and rightly so. I think they got thrown away. Because who do you show? Do you invite guides over and say, hey, you want to see your birth? Well, that's not probably the best thing. My wife would have never let that happen. And so the nurse helped me put on the blue hospital garment and and the surgical glove. Dr. Mitter said, Eddie's coming, get in there. And I sat on that rolling stool that he had to move into the place where the doctors usually sit. I remember the sound of the wheels rolling on the floor and the and the smell of betaine disinfectant still in the air. And I'll never forget my wife's last push. As she transferred her first son, who was named Edward, into my hands as I caught him. I mean, what a moment that is. If you've ever been there at delivery, it's it's amazing. He was slippery and beautiful at the same time. I had just become a father. I I held Edward up like Mustafa holding Simba, his firstborn in the light, with uh tears in my eyes, and dedicating him to the Lord. His first moments. What incredible thing for you to have that moment as a father and to to to be in there and to speak life. The first moments and name that child. The doctor grabbed and looked at him and said, Ten toes, ten fingers. Remember those moments if you were there? He looks perfect. I guess this counting the uh toes and things, that's I guess that's that was a good good sign there. And the doctor's invitation. Hey, let me check out some comments from my friends here. Hey, good to see you. Oh boy, I have uh somebody from Spain is is in here in France. Welcome. And he looked him over ten fingers, ten toes. He looks perfect. A nurse swaddled him in a little baby blanket and handed him to Jill, and we were both filled with incredible joy, as you can imagine. And kind of a joy that was bigger than words can say. I was just given one of God's greatest gifts and callings. I was becoming a father. The doctor's invitation to get in there was not only for me, it's also for every man who loves a woman and makes a baby. If you're a husband or father, you are the perfect man to get in there and make a difference. There's no one who can replace you no matter how you started your family. You're still a papa. You might not have been able to be there for the birth of your children, but it's never too late for you to get in there and to make a difference. I think it's a it's a greater call than I've ever seen in the world is you know for men right now to step into that fathering place. It's incredibly impactful. You know, I was watching the world ch the world championship, it really was for college football, and just watching just the winning team and the father that was there with the mama and the pride that he had. Matter of fact, a lot of people didn't know the backup quarterback for the team was uh the the next son. This this dad was really involved with his kids, and how powerful that is. And to watch the the fearlessness, I mean, all the way around, there's fathers involved on both teams. But a f a president dad can make all the difference in the world. You know, I wrote this book to give men hope that in Christ we can become the husband and father our family needs. I might have been there at the birth of all my children, but the truth of the matter, which will, you know, come out in these next months as we spend time together, I really struggled as a father. And it wasn't because I didn't love my kids. I struggled with becoming a good father after they were born because I lost my dad. Didn't have that model from my father. My biological father, you know, he you know died just before I was born. And my stepfather, also military, traveled most of my childhood serving our country. So he knew how to push me to overcome my fears, but you know, like so many of us, and I did in early days, I struggled, really struggled to understand how to be a present father. How about you? How are you doing in your own story? See, I've always known that my my stepfather loved me. And I I knew that my birth father, you know, when he crashed his plane and died. I know that he loved me, but I never got to hear those words. I never got to be there in that story. But like many dads, he pushed me towards my dream without knowing how to build a healthy relationship with me. How about your dad? My stepfather struggled to be a dad because his father didn't know how to be a good father to him. He pushed him to. You know, I get to this is one of the honors I have, but I meet men every day who are just like me, who want to become good husbands and fathers, but have never really been shown how to do it. Or they they try to do it themselves, or they try to do it in their their cohort group of buddies same age as them. And sometimes that works well, sometimes it doesn't work so good. And what I I want to share with you some of those secrets that I've learned from a life of Jesus that has transformed my relationship with my wife and my children. And I know this true, they'll they'll transform your life too. I have uh witnessed tens of thousands of men encounter Jesus for themselves. Matter of fact, a lot of what I'm going to be teaching and walking you through has been taught in 17 different countries around the world. And as a matter of fact, my very first book, The Difference a Father Makes, is literally all over the world in over 300 different countries. Being downloaded for free every single few minutes, one goes off the shelves. I'm so grateful. And part of that is even in the title, The Difference a Father Makes is really the hope from heaven for every single one of us that God has a way to father us, or in a in a in a better way to say that, re-father us so that we can become that man that that he has destined us to be, that father he's called us to be, that grandpa. We have a lot of grandpas in our academy, or maybe you're a young man. I was with a young man in Tennessee on my last trip, and we had this great conversation. And he walks up to me and he says, Man, I would love to get time with you. I would just buy him a uh a sports coat and slacks for my son, Josh, there in Tennessee, in Nashville, and and he walks up and he said, Man, I'd I'd love to be able to call you. I don't my my dad's out of my story. And I would love to have some time with you. Are you open? I said, Absolutely. See, you know, one of the one of the greatest gifts that I've been given that I think God gives to every grandpa and and father who just stays in the game. Whether you feel like you did it right or you did it wrong. The truth of the matter is that God is in the business of turning broken dads into great dads. Taking broken grandpas and turn them into great grandfathers. Taking broken lives and turning it into keeled lives that are producing. And part of this, you know, this this year, we're going to go in depth on these shows which are pretty much every two weeks we're gonna have a a a new live show for you that is really gonna connect you more and more and more to uh who God has really called you to be and how you want to get there. Because here is here's one of the statistics that's alarming but true is that the big the biggest swath of men in our culture right now, young men, have their friends, but very few fathers. And one of the things I that's so important for them is to learn how to be a man who makes a difference. And so we're gonna talk a lot about that throughout these next months. And I and I write at the end of this paragraph, I have I've really witnessed tens of thousands of men encounter Jesus for themselves and receive the love and blessing of God the Father. Now, listen to this line. When a man is fathered by God the same way Jesus was, he understands who God has made him to be and how he became the man, husband, and father's family needs. And you might be single. This is a great place for you as a single person to really connect to who God has made you to be. I was with another young man today. I just I I see him all the time. And uh I asked him about I said, What's your dream? And he just stumbled a little bit. And we talked, and I had him asked him a few questions, and he said, uh, would you come back in and buy some more water so we can talk some more? And I I tell you what, the heart when Jesus said, Lift up your eyes and see for the harvest is already white, you want to make an impact? You you think maybe you're on the edge of your life, you're getting older, no one's gonna listen to you. I'm gonna tell you what, it is never too late for a grandpa and a father to rise up and to help coach these young kids that are out there. If if if Charlie Kirk taught us something with his extraordinary sacrifice, all the way to the last heartbeat, was these kids in college, in many in many places, really broken college systems where orphans are trying to teach children that are being sent there how to discover who they are, and they don't know themselves. And one thing is true, when dads are in the game, everything changes. And I just want to say this, just because it is football season, is I can't, yeah, I am so proud of Mendoza and all the players on both sides of the ball when they were interviewed on ESPN. And I could see that the DEI group, ESPN, kind of drank that Kool-Aid and sort of is walking back. And over and over in all the playoff games, that you have these young uh Christian kids who are standing up and just declaring how much they love Jesus and how much God helped them to even play football. And if you just think back, even a year ago, to the last Super Bowl and the number of years back, how you know football was being used as a political weapon. And and one of the things that just struck me, I actually wrote an article that Greta had on her show and actually did a live show with her years ago, is that where are the heroes anymore? Where are the dads who are knocking it out of the park? You know, where where are those men that realize that there's probably nothing more powerful than to be a father that really makes a difference? And so whether you have kids or not, matter of fact, if you're an older guy and you've been single all your life and you're still trying to figure out who God's made you to be, this is a perfect place as well. Because the truth of the matter is that if you'll hang with me these next months or do something radical, join a Fatherhood Academy and get some coaching as well. I want to tell you what, you're you're gonna be seeing the harvest of people all around you every single day. It's never too late to be used by God. Enough of that. Let me finish this page here. And see, we live in a world, right after let me say that last line again so we can bring it in contact. When a man is fathered by God the same way Jesus was, he understands who God has made him to be and how he can become the man, husband of father's family needs. See, we live in a world where Satan wants to destroy men and their God-given roles so that he can unravel families and destroy their children. Matter of fact, he's trying to do that with women's sports, to where people who have been really fractured or, you know, really broken in their own family story went on this quest to maybe change who they are. The problem is, you know, that that's just not the way God made them. And and with and with all, it's not compassionate to tell somebody who's really stuck or dealing with gender dysphoria, it's okay who you decide who you are. And so we can, as a Christian community, we can love people that are in a broken place, but we don't espouse what they do as being the answer to their life. The same way, we would never tell somebody who's you know struggling with alcohol or drugs, well, it's okay. It's okay that God has made you a drug addict. You know, I'm just I want you to know that, you know, no shame, no guilt here, you know. If you want to be a drug addict, you you know, that's your choice. And I'm, you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna bless that lifestyle. We would never do that. Because anytime we enter into a place in our own life, because the truth of all of us that watch, and yours truly, is that sin makes us sick. And and it destroys our relationship with God and with one another, with family, and the cost goes on and on and on and on. Enough of that said. But Satan wants to be the father of your grandchildren, of your children, or maybe your children one day. He wants to be the father in your own story as a man and be the one that helps you discover who he thinks you should be. And see, the truth is that God made men to be the foundation of blessing for their families. And that foundation is completely dependent upon how that that dad connects to God as his own foundation. So if you want to destroy a marriage and a child, get rid of get rid of that husband and father. Marginalize them, knock them out. I mean, when's the last movie you saw where, you know, dad was the hero of the story of the family? Those those things are so good, but they're so, you know, Hollywood is is so bent on focusing their energy on trying to create a new humanity out of brokenness. It won't work. It's been tried before. But see, God's promise to all of us before the great, before I'll send Elijah to prophet before the great and coming day of the Lord, it's He'll turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Least I come and strike the land with decree of utter destruction. Well, I tell you what, when you destroy the family, the culture lives in this this precipe of utter destruction. Cultures break down, wickedness flourishes, and guess who gets sacrificed? Children on the altar of abortion, or they're counted out, or they're just pursued by wicked people. But on our watch, beloved, I think God's called us to something so much bigger. Okay, here's what I learned. We'll tie this together here. Families will hear when a father's heart is turned bored towards children. By the way, that goes from moms, too. I've met men all over the world who have built their careers and lost their children. About you. I believe God is turning the hearts of fathers to their children. And you're you're reading this with me, and the reason I wrote this book, because I think, you know, at the core of who you are is a man. Don't you want your kids to thrive? I'd love to hear about more about where you're from. Maybe if you have a question, if you can put here so we can connect together online, I'd I'd love to do that. But families heal when when fathers, a father's hearts turned back towards his kids. I've met men all over the world who lost their children, but I believe God's turning the hearts of fathers to children. And I wrote this book to help you understand the process of how to become that husband and father your family needs. But here's the good news. You're waiting for the good news. The same God who formed you in your mother's womb and knew all about you before you were born has called you to be an incredible man, husband and father. And I would say, Grant and grandpa too. You can do it because God's called you to do it. Scripture is full of his promises. You can do it because God will give you everything you need to do it. He'll equip you. You can do it because the Holy Spirit will empower you to do it. So it really doesn't matter where you've been or what you've done, because it's never too late to become the husband or father and grandpa your family needs. Fortunately for me and my family, through an amazing encounter with Jesus, I discovered that God wanted to be my father first. God has made us all to be fathered and blessed by him. The blessing of God, the father, started healing the man I was so that I could become the husband and father my family needed. Father's love changed my life forever. And here's the truth: if he can transform this broken down ex-pro football player into a good husband and father and now grandpa, he can do that for you too. And so this book's a collection of uh best practices and things I've learned over 30 years of relationship with God the Father through his son, Jesus, regarding how to become the husband and father of family needs. And so, just like Dr. Metter said to me, are you ready to become the husband and father your family needs? Get in there. So let's let's just I'm gonna just share one more verse with you, and then we're gonna pray. And it it's it's it's one of those verses that when I read it, it started to transform me because I realized I didn't have to become the father that God was calling me to be all on my own. I remember in the early days, my lovely wife Jo was trying to help me become a better dad. Because I was struggling, and I was struggling because I had real confidence to you know play football, to you know, pursue those things that guys pursue. But I was really struggling how to be a father, how to father my sons without driving them crazy like I was driven as a kid, how then to father my daughters. You know, learn if you hang with me, you're gonna even learn the secrets out of unlock a girl's heart and a granddaughter's heart. I got nine granddaughters and five grandsons. And they're all unique and they're perfectly made. And boy, they they just love it. When I get when I'm part of their life, when I'm part of their story, and they're learn about me, I'm learning about them, and uh raising my kids all you know in the church and and through all the stuff was an incredible adventure that I'm gonna be sharing with you more because the the safest place for you to be in the world and to be connected to just a church that believes in the word of God and reads it and teaches it and believes in the healing power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and and and has worship that you just can't wait to go to church to worship your Lord and surrender your life. I was with my uh grandkids at uh one of the churches that I'm I'm a part of, which is was part of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship with John Wimber, is uh Haven Lane Church and with Pastor Dave and all my my brothers there. And I I love it. It's it's a it's a wonderful place to connect, to be there. And you know, I my wife and I made a decision that we're gonna we're gonna keep our kids connected so they can grow. And so Sunday wasn't optional. It was a place we needed life on life, flesh on flesh. And you need that as a man. And as good as I'll say the teaching that you'll learn from me as much as video can go. And and one of the one of the aspects of what we do is we do one-on-one coaching. And it's a big part of what I do, and I I love doing it. It's one of the loves of my life to really help you become the man that God's called you to be, the husband, the father. We also do marriage counseling, and that's another kind of gift the Lord has kind of sewed into me that I just love watching couples discover how to really love one another for a lifetime. And I I have a great gal in my story, and for you know, all these many years together, 43 years together, she still likes me. So that means I've learned a couple things. And if you want to learn more of that, I want you to check out at the end about our fatherhood academy. Uh, I think it'd be a great place for you to connect with our men's groups and everything that we do. And I am so grateful that you showed up tonight. So before we kind of get off, this is more than a teaser tonight. I want to share with you the very first part of what I call the receiving principle. If you got your Bible, turn to John 5, verse 19. And what's so profound about this verse, if you've been with me at any time, you've heard me say this over and over again, is that Jesus is letting us in on how not how he lived out his story as the Son of God, and how in him we can learn how to have the same kind of relationship that he had with God the Father in our own story. That not only do we need a savior to save us from sin, we need a new father to refather those places in us that are broken. And in Christ, we get that and the power of the Holy Spirit. And this came when as I was discovering this in my own story, came right from John 5, verse 19. And this is what he says. Read this out louder of yourself this week. I want you to think about it. Truly, truly, I say to you, this is Jesus letting us in on really the secret of the way he did his life. Because nobody had ever come like he did with the one purpose to reveal who the father was. And to live a life that we as his disciples or God's beloved adopted sons and daughters can live too. But this was his his his secret that called the receiving principle. The son of man, this is the son who the Bible says that everything that was created is created by him and for him. The son of man can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees his father doing. For whatever the father does, the son does likewise. Wow, what a powerful verse. And so when Jesus was walking around Galilee in those days, his constant question in his mind, when he would see people, no matter what the need was that was brought to him, whether it's somebody who was lame or crippled or broken or demonized, or whether he was dealing with religious leaders or leading his disciples, he was in tune to living and staying in this place of living his life as a son. He didn't come to live his life as a superhero. Sometimes, I think well-meaning but ill scripture informed preachers sometimes portray us as having this superpower of life, right? And that our life should just be a crescendo of getting better and better and better and better and better. But that's not the life Jesus lived. Jesus went through everything. Matter of fact, the Bible says he was tempted by every sin that you and I would ever be tempted by, yet he was without sin. And he did that so he could be the one who could redeem us from the brokenness and of our own story. That's what separates Jesus from every other religious leader who claimed to have some kind of value. It's that he came to actually, he lived the life. And not only that, he ended up allowing himself to be crucified on the cross in our place for every mistake that we would ever make. I mean, that's how I encountered him in college. And I remember praying that prayer in a dorm room in Kilcauley dormitory in 1977. And I just hurt my knee on the football team, and they told me I to not eat any food after 12 o'clock, and that I'd have major reconstructive surgery the next morning. And in a moment, the dream that I had of playing football, or maybe wearing a jersey like this one day, seemed like an impossible thing. The somebody asked me, was that the greatest moment in your life? And I I said, Well, no, that's no, it's a it's a distant one. And they said, What do you mean? Well, the greatest moment in my life is when I encountered Jesus and received a forgiveness I never knew I could have. The next moment was when I said I do, and God gave me a woman that I could lay my life down for the rest of my life. The next moment, which were were five, with the birth of all my children, and then learning how to be the father, I never really got to have. And the list goes on from there. But all that was possible because of an encounter to become a new man. You know, the Bible says for all those who are in Christ, become a brand new creation, Paul writes. The old things pass away, and behold, everything becomes new. And I was I remember being there in my dorm room when a knock came on my door, and Bill Romanowski, not the linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, but a campus minister who shared John 316 with me. One of the most quoted verses in history that was made even more famous through social media when Tim Depot Tim Tebow wrote John 316 on his cheeks during the national championship football game, which he won by the way. And it was the most sought-after quote. And people wanted to know what the heck was John 316. And so does God like football? Yes, but he likes the people who play football. Can God use football? He can with godly people. And so it goes this way, and I know you've heard it if you've been in church at any time, and that is you know, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever would receive him would not perish but have everlasting life. And in that moment, I had this, you know, I I prayed, you know, I heard this verse, and you know, the Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. But God loved me so much that He gave His Son to die in my place. I remember asking Bill, the campus minister, I said, How does this work? I wasn't that happy to see him. I wasn't a church kid. I had icebacks on my knee, and I was actually pretty abrupt with him when he came in and wanted to open a Bible and share scripture with me. But I I couldn't do much. I had icebacks on me, so I said, go ahead. But I was pissed. I was mad because I was hurt because the dream I had was gone. I thought and I remember hearing that verse, and and the only way I can describe it is you know, Hebrew talks about how faith comes, and faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Hearing the words of Christ. And when he read that verse, something changed in my heart. Maybe you've walked with God for years. But that was a verse that grabbed you too.

SPEAKER_01 45:06

And I remember just um just a revelation of that moment.

Encounter With Jesus And Healing

SPEAKER_02 45:16

And Bill looks at me and he said, Eddie, when Christ died on the cross, he died as though he were Ed McLaza. So that all the penalty that that your sin deserves, he took on that cross that day. And he died as though he were you, so that when you receive him and what he did on that cross, you can live as though you were him. It wasn't just, you know, for forgive me, God a sinner. It was that his promise was to not only forgive us our sin because we don't have to make it right, he does. And all we have to do is receive it. That's the hard step for us. Because when we receive, we don't get to take credit for it. And that's one of the big, big struggles we have as men, isn't it? Because we're always trying to prove ourselves right from the very beginning with Adam and Eve. Man's has been trying to prove himself by the sweat of his brow. I'm not weak like my neighbor, I'm not bad like this person. I'm much better than this person. But the truth of the matter is that we're all broken, and we can't become the men we need to be. The husbands, the fathers or the grandfathers, unless we have a revolution happening in our heart. And the revolution is the king who created the earth wants to sit on the throne where we have been ruling for years. And I prayed a simple prayer with with Bill. And all I can tell you is that the gift of forgiveness and and faith hit my heart. I felt like C. S. Lewis uses words like this as well. I I felt like a waterfall of mercy poured right into my life. And I I wept. I and we had not even lost a football game. But I was weeping because I felt forgiven. I mean I I felt it at the core level. When I said Jesus, forgive me for his spirit came and and he entered my life. And man, that that was enough for for my whole life. But Bill said, Can I pray for your knee? And I'd never been prayed for. No one ever had laid their hands on me, except defensive players trying to get to the quarterback. And he prayed a simple prayer. Kiel Ed's knee in Jesus' name. And I didn't feel anything as he laid his hands on my ice bags that were wrapped around my knee. And he laughed. And I had to I had the sweetest sleep I've ever had in my life. Because I I was just beginning to understand that I didn't have to king my own life. I didn't have to be the ruler over my own heart. As a matter of fact, the more I do that, the more I fail. And woke up the next morning and was ushered into the hospital, and they shaved my leg before surgery, which is kind of weird. That's a funny story in itself. And put on the robe that doesn't tie all the way in the back for a normal-sized guy. And the doctor does another test and comes out after about a half an hour. And they did an orthogram. And back those days they didn't have orthoscopes. And he comes back with a test and he's looking at him and looking at me. And he said, I don't I don't know how to tell you this. And I was, oh boy, what's going on? He said somehow the your cartilage has been healed and your ligaments have been reattached.

SPEAKER_01 50:30

Because my leg was just hanging. That day when I got hurt the day before. And I jumped off that gurney. And my knee was was perfect.

New Creation And Receiving Grace

Daily Dependence And Following The Father

SPEAKER_02 50:51

It wasn't perfect so he could just give me my ultimate dream of playing football. But it was perfect. And God used healing at that moment to grab the heart of a boy who never knew his own father so that he would one day can be connected to him and be re-fathered. And so that scripture is one of the things that God poured into me these 30 years. And I call this the the fathering principle. When you allow oneself to be fathered by God, the receiving principle. It's the secret of being a great man, husband, father, and grandpa. And by the way, for a few gals that we see you slipping in here, it's the secret of you being a woman, wife or grandma. Our ability to be a father or mother or husband or wife to our family needs to pen our willingness to receive the blessing of the father through Jesus Christ. Because there's not a single thing that we can do without God's grace changing our lives. When we receive the blessing of the Father into our hearts and minds and allow God to father us the same way he fathered his son, that that little line there was revolutionary to me that he wanted to be a father. Matter of fact, in 2 Corinthians 6, 18, it says, and I'll be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty. And you know, God just he did that in that moment in my own life. We can, and the more he fathers us, the more we have to pour into our wives, to our children, with the same love and forgiveness that the Father's poured into us. We receive, we give. You want to change your family? Learn how to receive, like Jesus did. How to you wake up every day and say, you know, I can't do anything unless the Father shows me what to do. You live in this following life of Jesus and his Father and the Holy Spirit, and you learn how to trust their leading in your life and what you're doing and what you're saying. It'll change everything. That's the receiving principle. And it's all about following what the Father is doing the same way Jesus did. And when we're receiving like Jesus did, we don't take the lead on our own. And that's a whole other subject we'll get to next time we're together. Rather, we're always looking for what the Father is doing so that we can't do likewise. And here's the great news about that. Whatever God asks you to do, He will bring the power you need, the focus you need, the life you need, because He's made you and I to live through His grace, by His grace, and His empowering presence in our life. He's made us that way. And so what that's such great news when I spent so many years thinking I lift weights, I get strong, my strength determines me as an athlete, determines everything. And then when I realized that God has a whole different kind of workout, well, we learn how to do this. And so I want to kind of close with that tonight. And just to have a quick time of prayer with you. There's a short video at the very end. I'd love for you to consider. And maybe you're in a place you'd like to consider the Fatherhood Academy. And I'm going to tell you, it's a great bunch of guys and gals. It's a great place for you to learn. And it's one of the, this is one of our books. This is here also. We have this for gals, a father you've always wanted. These are great resources for you in your own family and life. And the good news is you don't have to figure this out by yourself. You can be coached. And it's a big part of what we do at the Fatherhood Academy. Just like at the Naval Academy, they coach men to become great officers and seamen and et cetera. I was raised around that Naval Academy myself. Our Academy is to help you become the husband or father, or your wife or mom, or grandfather, or grandmother God has called you to be. Amen. So, Father, I pray for my friends. Maybe you have a specific prayer request, you can DM me, connect with me offline or online here. And I'd love to pray for you. If you have a prayer request that you would like prayer, you can just uh go to my website and just or email me at edtandy at the fatherdifference.com. And I pray for everyone that comes in, no matter how many are there, I pray for them. And uh sometimes we'll get together and talk. But all that to say, the father loves you, so let's pray. Father, I I pray for my friends that are watching. I pray you would be with them, I pray you would speak to them. I pray, Lord, that you would grab their hearts in such a profound way that they would never be the same. Maybe you've never totally received Jesus, but just pray this simple prayer with me. Just say, Jesus, I I bring you my life. And I bring you my life that I've had my hands on and I've been trying to lead myself. But I keep failing over and over again. But I want a new beginning with you. Would you forgive me of my sin? And all the things I've done to try to lead my life, and I ask you to come to my life and be my savior. Fill me with your life, Jesus. Forgive me of my sin. Be my savior, my Lord, my leader, and my brother. And all God's people prayed in the name of Jesus and said, Amen. If if you prayed that prayer, would you just get a hold of me and just say, Ed, I I prayed that tonight. And we'd love to connect with you. You can just go to my email there, uh edtandy at the fatherdifference.com. Well, I got our Fatherhood Academy's getting ready to get started. And so I am I'm gonna uh sign off here, and there's a short video for you to watch. I can't wait to see you next time. Remember, it's never too late for God to turn your story around and help you become the man, husband, father, or if you're a gal, the the woman, the wife, the grandma he's called you to be. And all God's people said, Amen.

SPEAKER_00 58:41

God bless you. 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.

Prayer And Invitation

SPEAKER_02 58:57

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 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 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, their division, and the unwavering love and guidance of a devoted dad.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:48

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.