Fathers Who Turn The Tide

What if the antidote to youth violence isn’t another program, but a father’s heart turned home? We dive into the hard headlines and move beneath them to identity, belonging, and the kind of presence that reshapes a child’s future. Drawing from Scripture, real coaching moments, and raw stories from the field, we share how men can be equipped to lead with faith, establish healthy boundaries, and speak blessings that heal bitterness.

We start with a clear frame for authority—family, church, then government—and unpack why policies alone can’t carry a father’s voice. Malachi’s promise sets the urgency and the hope: when fathers turn toward their children, and children turn back, communities avoid collapse. You’ll hear how a legendary coach shifted from tactics to fatherhood to unlock his players, how a quick conversation in a hardware store sparked vision in a young man, and how a pastor’s son found a book on a park bench and came home to rebuild trust with his parents.

This conversation is a pep talk and a plan. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s presence rooted in the Father’s love and modeled by Jesus.

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Transcript

Meet Pastor Ed And Mission

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 McLass.

Youth Violence And Father Absence

Band-Aids Versus Root Causes

Scripture, Identity, And Real Change

Pep Talk: It’s Not Too Late

Coaching, Role Models, And Bobby Bowden

Receiving The Father’s Blessing

A Conversation At The Hardware Store

God’s Authority: Family, Church, Government

Malachi’s Promise And Urgency

Has God Turned Your Heart?

Identity Wounds And Church Culture

The Park Bench Book Story

Healing Relationships Through Blessing

Gangs, Belonging, And Spiritual Fathering

Closing Prayer And Next Steps

Partner, Subscribe, And Academy Invite

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Well, hey, man. Welcome. Good to have you here at the Father Difference. Excited about our show today and what we're going to talk about. This is also going to be on our podcast. It's also going to be part of our Fatherhood Academy for all those that are part of our online training. You might say, what the heck is that? Well, it's a it's like it says, it's a fatherhood academy. It helps equip men just like me and you to be the best husbands and fathers we can possibly be. And how do we become a grandpa in the midst of all the stuff that's going on? Got one of my buddies online right away, right on time, Mr. Ray Diggs. He's an awesome grandpa, father, grandpa, incredible heart for God. Good to see you in the show today. And uh welcome from different countries here. Let me know where you're you're calling in from. Love to hear from you. And we're gonna get into this because it is a hot topic right now, and this is it. Well, how are we gonna deal with youth violence that's going on? If you've unless you've been living under a rock, our president has just, you know, he is just deputized, the federal government to take care of, which is, I guess, in the constitution, to take care of the issue that's going on. Because the highest murder rate in our country, although parts of the media are saying that it's it's the best it's ever been, is the highest in the world, even higher than Bogota for murder rate. I mean, just imagine the Washington, D.C., this great city is now in shambles. Matter of fact, I took my family, we went to go to the Bible Museum in Washington, D.C. And that was just amazing during one of our trips. But to my chagrin, the city that I grew up around was just in shambles. It was, it didn't feel safe. Things were run amok, you know. And Judah talks about, you know, men and women who become lovers of self, hate, they hate what's good, they reject authority, they even slander celestial beings that there'll be a day when we have these kinds of issues that are happening right here. So, what's the the fix of God in the midst of all this? And it's a very complicated issue. So, the next uh couple of weeks, we're gonna be talking some more about this because how are we gonna deal with your kids and my kids and those kids right now that are just they have no data in their story. Matter of fact, the current statistics, let me see if I can pull that up right now. Boy, let me see here. Where where did that go? I was just looking at that. It's just is it's astounding how many kids are are not being raised with fathers in their life. And boy, what a an incredible, uh devastating thing when it's up around, gosh, well, it's it's up around 80 percent of the of the children in Washington, D.C. And this this is happening in a lot of cities around the world, don't have a father in your story. I mean, imagine, imagine that issue happening. Violence, you know, the answer that if you go on Grok or Chat GPT, they say, what's the answer to all this? Well, a mentoring program, you know, peer support for fathers and children, all that stuff's positive stuff, but it's the same old band-aid that they're trying to, you know, put out there on these on these kids who are being turned into gangsters because of one chief person who's not at the helm of the ship of that family, and that's a father. And when you remove a father, the devastation it has in identity, sexual issues, rape for daughters, you know, daughters who have fathers that are present are 83% less likely to be sexually abused. Just having a data know. I mean, the statistics are just alarming, and yet they're they're pointing to something that there's only one cure. I mean, uh there, you know, the world, I'm reading a great book, and you probably don't have one, this one in your library yet, but it's uh written by Billy Graham, written many, many years ago. Matter of fact, let's see if I can pull up when it was first. This was copyright 1965 by Billy Graham. It's called uh The World Aflame. And he's talking in this book the very the opening salvo in the introduction, it's just incredibly, incredibly powerful. Was reading it this week, and and he talks about how the assumption of of governments is that they if they bring in the best of psychology, they bring the best socialists in, they they bring the best ideas in, they try to solve the the poverty issues, and and even Christians, he say, must never fall into the trap that thinking a Bible-based philosophy of world events and world destiny will parallel the world's philosophies. It won't happen. There are few philosophers, politicians, economists, or sociologists who accept Jesus' prophetic account of history and record it in the 24th chapter of Matthew. And what he's basically saying in this opening salvo is that the only answer to these social issues, and I totally understand and support our president right now, whether you voted in for him or not, to try to bring in law and order. And that's a band-aid, and that'll help clean up the city. But how about the tens of thousands of those children who are growing up without a father, who are trying to navigate truth, life, choices with just having a single mother in their life, and and the only book that has the answers to a world that's aflame in the wrong way is the word of God. That's that's what this book is about, but it's the it's application of all these incredible moments in history where God came through and set things right. And when he set something right, it's gonna be right, it's gonna change things, it's gonna change families, it's gonna change your family, it's gonna change my family, and that and that's that's the powerful thing. And and the issue for so many guys that we coach in our Fatherhood Academy is a number of them have gone to church, and they've even gone to Christian counseling, and some of it you know was really good and very helpful, but they were they were never equipped and taught how to be the kind of father that knows how to go in and become a partner with God in the healing of his kids that are going sideways when bitterness comes in. We've been talking about that. When really bad choices or culture has more of a grip on your children than you do as a dad. You might feel helpless about that. How can you compete with the iPhone and the world and and all the flash out there? Well, how we can compete is the same way God has competed throughout the of the over 2,000 years of history, is that the word of God is the same today, yesterday, and forever. It's of itself, the writer of the Holy Spirit pens those words from the voice of God Himself. It's as it's it's the same today, yesterday, and forever. In other words, our answers to what God wants to do and how God wants to bring healing is found in God's word. And when you can break those down and help guys just like you and just like me become the fathers we need to be, we can have an incredible impact, not only on our children, but we have an incredible impact on those children out there who feel sideways, who feel marginalized. Whether they're black, white, brown, it doesn't matter their their race or their skin color. The the number one, the the number one factor in the life of children today that makes the biggest difference in Christ is when he's got a present dad to help him navigate the rocks that his boat is heading towards in a crazy culture that we have. So we're gonna look at just a couple of promises today. Today is a little bit more of a pep talk for you because I want to encourage you that it's really never too late for you to jump in and be that father that you need to be in the life of your children. And we'll we have opportunities for you to learn some things about fathering that maybe you never uh even thought you could learn. And it's part of our fatherhood academy that I'm gonna talk about later. There's never been a more important time than for guys to learn how to navigate their families and their children. Because so goes the father, so goes the home, so goes that father in that home, so goes that neighborhood. And that neighborhood could branch out. I mean, it's amazing to me when you look at at the difference a dad can make, a father can make, a man can make, a coach could make. A lot of the coaches for NFL players are like father figures, Bobby Bowden. When I got to be around him for a little bit of time as he came and spoke in Southern California, gave him my book. He was just an amazing uh football coach for so many years. He told me something that that just rocked me. And I was sharing with him about what I'm doing, and he said, Man, I love that. I love that you're reaching and equipping man. He said, You know, when I first got into coaching, many, many back in the 60s, that's how old I am, and he was an old man by the time he spoke. And he would say he spoke at a chapel service for the two teams that were getting ready to play for the national championship out here at the Rose Bowl many years ago. Number of years ago. And Bobby looked at me and he said, You know, when I started coaching, um about two to three boys in ten didn't have a father in their story. And when I got finished coaching, more than eight out of those ten boys had no father in their story. And we had through the years had to learn to make a shift. And when we made that shift, it caused our team to be always near the national championship, but enabled us to get the most out of these boys that we could because instead of just being pure coaches, the shift that we made, I just love his heart here, because he got this from Jesus, is to be the best fathers we could be to these boys that have never had a dad in their story. Never had a dad set a boundary with rules of what the house looks like. Never had a dad that showed that young boy how to dress, how to act, how to be social. Never had a dad to model how to love a girl, he said. And that boy just never had that opportunity to learn how to treat a woman with honor and respect, that she is somebody's daughter. And if one day they had daughters, you would want a young suitor to come in and treat that daughter with the same love and respect that you you would show to your wife. And he went on a number of things. And so when we we I said, Well, how'd you train these coaches? He said, You know, the first step is I had to father these coaches first. I introduced them all to Jesus and to God the Father. And when God the Father started fathering them, it changed my coaching staff, it changed my team. Because when you're fathered, learn to be fathered by God the way Jesus was fathered, you can father your children, even when they're the worst, the same way. You know, that's part of the reason why we call our ministry now the father difference. And here's the principle when God the Father makes a difference in you, as a man, as a dad, as a husband, as a father, as a grandfather, and you learn to receive from God the Father like Jesus did. That receiving begins to change you and the core of who you are, to where your identity gets so secure that you are loved by God, and that identity of being a son to a father who loves you, just like Jesus was, that you end up living your life out of that grace of that blessing of the Father over your life. How many years have you struggled? There's some of you that are watching, you've struggled not quite knowing if you've arrived yet, always waiting for the next hill. Matter of fact, just before I you know started the show today, I was out in public, and this happens to me regularly. And and the reason why it happens is that you know, there's there's people everywhere who are desperate for Jesus and the love of his father. And so I saw this big, tall drink of water. I mean, he's he's bigger than me, which you know it's starting to happen more and more as you get older. You start shrinking. I want to keep shrinking this way, so I get elongated this way. You feel me? You feel me? So anyway, I see this big guy, and I look at him, and I I walk up to him, and he's sort of watching at Lowe's. I was getting some hardware uh paint stuff for the house, and and he's watching, he's standing there, and he's watching the people that are checking out on their own in the automatic checkout. If you've been at Home Depot or Lowe's, and so there's a trust factor, right? So there's a guy there watching to make sure you're not a cheater. And so, anyway, I walk as I'm getting ready to go check out. I see him, and I I just I walked up to him and I said, Hi. And I saw his name, and I said, Hey Matt, do you know why God made you? And it just struck him. He goes, Well, no, that's that's the answer for this next generation, guys. They're everywhere. And never had a father kind of approach him. I said, Well, tell me, I mean, you're a big guy, did you play basketball? And he he looks at me and he he goes, No, water polo. You know, if I made a joke, I said, So you're so tall, you know, you probably don't even have to swim. And he laughed. And I began to you know, talk to him more and and I said, would you would you like help to do that? And he and he's he's sort of measuring me, and I said, let me introduce myself. And I told him who I was and used to be an old football player with eyes lit up, and and and I said, I but right now I I spend a lot of time coaching this next generation guys just like you. I mean, imagine you getting clear about where you're supposed to be in five years, ten years, fifteen, twenty. Imagine the power that would have in your life. Or at least have a direction that's clear. And he said that'd be amazing. I could tell that he's you know and I said, you know, this is a probably a good gig for you, but this isn't this isn't who you are. And it just I could see it hit him. There's so many young people like that. There's so many who were are desperate for that in their life. One one of my Ray said, You bought up Bobby Bowden, Florida State. How about them how about them knows uh how to bless them? I didn't sure tell me fix that question a little bit. I don't understand quite what you meant, Ray, and then I'll I'll do my best to answer. And by the way, if you have a a question, if you could, if you're on Instagram or you're on another platform, I would love you to post a comment and and just and put a like two question marks on it if there's a question that I can help you with. And so, anyway, that's my commitment. And so, all that to say, they're everywhere. So, how do you get in this place where you understand how to do that? So, you know, how are we gonna solve this youth violence? Well, I appreciate what the president's doing, but the the answer to the healing is gonna come through his church, through men and fathers just like us, or grandpas just like us. And the more that happens, the more impact we're gonna have. Matter of fact, God, you know, Jesus says this, you know, so succinctly when they're watching how he did his life. They'd never met anybody who did a life like Jesus did. They had never there was nobody that called God his father. And, you know, there were some prophets who called Abraham his father, or some other, but Jesus came calling God his father. Which the religious people thought that was blasphemous in the day, but it was true. But the way he lived this life, the way he walked with people, it made this hunger in his disciples. And they said, Show us the Father, you know, that'll be enough for us. And Jesus said, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. He was confronting a religious system that we all got to tackle in our lives because it appeals right to the flesh. And that is, boy, if I can just make my life just perfect with God, somehow He'll give me greater favor. You know, if I could just not be so, you know, wicked or bad, you know, if I just stop this bad habit or this habit. And there's benefit in being discipled. And I'm not saying you don't grow in holiness with God, but the way you grow is that you you come through Christ. He's the way to the Father, the truth about the Father and the life you're supposed to live. No one comes to the Father by me. Jesus said this. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. He's the image of what it looks like to be a man, an amazing man that walked on the earth. He's the image of what the perfect father looks like. When one of his disciples says, Show us the Father, that'll be enough. Jesus said, If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. So what is God's plan to heal families worldwide? Well, I got to tell you, right from the get-go, my friends, I love Mr. Trump. You know, I pray for every president. I prayed for Joe Biden. I prayed for all of us, prayed for Ronald Reagan. I've been around for a lot of presidents, but they have limited, they have limited authority. They have authority that's in the third tier of what God has set up in authority structure. The authority structure of the world is not government, then somehow family, then somehow church or whatever your religious choices. God sent up three tiers of his government, of the way he does things, and the very first tier that God sent up his family, number one. Number one priority. God made Adam and Eve in his image and likeness. They came together and family began. Family has always been the number one thing that God cares about. He cares about you, your children, your offspring, the generations that come out of you, the reproduction of Christ's life in you to your children. That's incredibly powerful. The second tier that God set up is the church. And it's the church of Jesus. He set that up for the equipping of family, the equipping of people, the equipping of societies. And those two are to inform the third, which is government, which is societal and is limited in authority in that it only carries earthbound authority. It doesn't can't contain any heavenly authority. And though it has been given authority by God for people to be presidents, I mean when Joe Biden was elected, no matter if you have a conspiracy theory or not, he was. He had been given authority by God to be the president of the United States. Whether you loved him or hated him, it doesn't matter. Trump has the same. He is a civil authority given to him by God. Now, him really growing and being everything that God wants him to be, no matter who the president is, is in their ability to deal with the first two groups that God has set in motion and he established well before we have the cultures of the families right in the beginning in the book of Genesis. It's the family and the church. Those two things are healthy in a life of a family. Well, then that'll help inform the third. And the problem is that I'm watching how this happens, both Democrat and Republican, is that there is a lot of hope that we place in our leaders that they can transcend their civil authority and somehow go into and really make it better for the church, and they can make it better for the family. And though laws can be enacted and created by Congress and the Senate to do those things, and that's what we want, and that's what we vote for, and that there's repercussions of having wicked leaders in place. The ultimate authority, the authority that's been given above the president, above society, above governments, above city governments, is the authority that God gives into the family first and his fathers and mothers. You have more authority from God. The more you learn to receive from Him and for the sake of your family and the difference you make in the culture you live, more authority and power. And guess what? We don't live up to those things because we're not popular. People measure authority by clickbait, or they measure it by Instagram feed, or they measure it by so many factors, or we we give authority to movie stars, which I think I love them. I've watched their movies and and want them to do great films that honor God, but you know, at the end of the day, and I used to be an actor one time, they're playing the part of other people. I mean, they did, you know, the it was started when somebody put on a mask and became a hypocrite. That's where acting started. Where it's not you, you're projecting another person. And we give academy awards, and then they think because they're rich and powerful and beautiful and and have limited body fat in in the right areas or whatever their their stick is, that they really, you know, they really have authority. And I think it's comical, you know, watching people say, Well, I'm moving to another country. And so I, you know, I say, well, well, good, enjoy that. I've been to a lot of countries around the world. And I think that our country has one of the better shots at making it long term, but not perfect. But the true authority is not in place right now that needs to be in place for families to be healthy. And I'm gonna get to that in just a second. And so, so what's God's plan? Well, here it is. Behold, I will send Elijah the prophet before the awesome day of the Lord comes. And there's this cataclysmic moment where God's gonna send Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Because the great and awesome day of the Lord, many believe it's that judge, that judgment that's gonna come as we all stand before God. And before that time comes, he's gonna turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and then the hearts of children to their fathers. Least I come and strike the land with decree of utter destruction. Boy, is this amazing, not prophetic, written, you know, I think about 600 years before the New Testament was written. That something happens to a culture where utter destruction comes when fathers' hearts are not turned towards their kids, and where children's hearts are not turned towards their fathers. There's a bedlam that that happens, there's a breakdown of culture in life. That's why, you know, when you know, and I I've officiated a lot of weddings and and and love to help, you know, be there for that moment when God the Father witnesses two people coming together. And I've also watched people that were married that come in for coaching, where they want to be divorced and how they separate. And and years later, it's like, man, we had no idea that we were gonna we were gonna destroy our children's lives. That's the kind of authority we have in our life to make things work when they're impossible, to trust in God and to learn to ask for forgiveness that we talk about quite a bit in our coaching modules, and and how to bless with our words. All those things that you do as a dad can have incredible difference, even for children that you have inspired. It's one of the things that I love what Ray is doing. He's he's taking care of children who, you know, he's got his nieces and in, you know, that he's he's taking care of. And speaking life, he's he's being a spiritual father. I don't think there's a higher call for us as men than to be fathers and spiritual fathers, whether we sire children or not, right in the plan of God. If you want to say, What's God's plan? I want to be in it. Before the great and coming day of the Lord, before Jesus comes back and the game changes for eternity and judgment comes, he's going to turn the hearts of fathers to children. This is exactly what God did to me. I mean, I'm here today talking about this, not because I have any better ideas than anybody else out there. I got a lot of great friends that are doing men's ministries. I love them. I love what they do. And fatherhood ministries and you know, promise keepers, and just so many great, amazing groups of men that are making a difference. But when you when you transition from being a dad who's really connected, that he's not a very good dad, and he's distracted now with life, and he drinking too much, he's using or whatever, his family's falling apart, he sees that every day. When he allows God to turn his heart to his kids, something profound happens inside the child's heart. So, my first thing I want to ask you is has God done that for you? Maybe that's uh the application of our talk today for you, is father turned my heart to my children. That actually became my prayer. And it wasn't that I didn't love him, I just didn't know how to be a dad. And many of you know my dad was killed in action. He was a fighter pilot, and so actual test pilot for the Navy in the Fury 3 jet. And about a month or so before I was born, my dad was killed. So I never had a dad to show me how to be a man. I have a stepfather who did the best he could, but he he struggled being my father because you know my my mom was was so connected to the losing the love of her life, my dad, that I think it was really hard for Dan McGlassen to step into that role. He did the best he could. I was the only dad he knew. And uh he he he helped me do a lot of great things in my life. And yet I I don't think he ever really totally understood that in his own life, and he struggled. And you know, I meet a lot of dads who are struggling, and I'm I'm grateful that he gave his life to Christ because being a decorated military hero doesn't get you into heaven. It's the man Christ Jesus, he's the only one. Because when he pays for your the price for your sin, it opens a door for you for eternity. So has God turned your heart? So how's he gonna do that? Because I mean, think about the destruction of culture right now. Is this what Malachi wrote about? Or I say Malachi, the Italian prophet, the last prophet, but at the end of the Old Testament before Christ came, and so much of the ministry of Jesus is right here, and this is what he in Christ gives us to do. Matter of fact, uh this the scripture says, you know, Paul puts these things together in 2 Corinthians 6, 18. And he says, and God says, I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty. So how does God heal this break between you and that? And and Ray says, that was a scripture that got me involved in the lives of my grandchildren and granddaughters. It's it's it's you know, when you respond to God's word, let me tell you why it's so powerful. It's not just some education that you get, you're gonna know more. But when you hear and God turns that scripture and makes it for you, and you say, I received that, the power that was behind that voice when God spoke that word now equips you to be what that promise in the Bible is all about. And so when you pray, God, I want to be that kind of father, turn my heart to my children, to my grandchildren. Turn my heart at every relationship that I've seen that was fractured between a dad and his kids, there was many times the dad was waiting for that child to get their act together. And I've even seen this with moms. They basically just kind of do this to those kids until they, you know, they don't realize that how much mom has suffered and what they're doing to their mom. But children don't wake up to say, I'm just gonna destroy my mom and and my dad. They I've coached these kids. I mean, that there are more of them that say, you know, I just don't think there's anything my dad likes about me. Because he's always pointing out and using scripture and and and pointing out at all the things that I'm missing, you know, missing the mark on. It's so interesting how we perceive offense with people. We immediately jump to conclusions using our own grid, and yet in in the midst of a life of a son or a daughter, you know, they they they they can build a whole life in reaction to what they believe you think about them. I'll give you a story. There's um there's a young man who was that wrote me a letter and got a hold of me, who was his dad was a pastor of a big church in Atlanta. And you know, he was sort of labeled the black sheep of the family by people in the church, which is was horrible because he's he started getting tattoos, and so they're all you know, misquoting scripture and you know, calling him rebellious, and he was part of the audiovisual ministry, and and he just after all I just couldn't take it anymore. And his conversations with his dad uh and his mom were, you know, son, don't you realize that when you you do what you're doing, you're it's affecting me and my job here being a pastor? Oh boy, what a horrible thing to say to these kids. I mean, when our when our children sin, it's it's on them. And yet, we how many times have we pushed our kids away because they're not quite right, they're not quite living the life. And so he left the church and was partying and smoking what he shouldn't be smoking, and and was just but he knew he knew he had had a encounter with Jesus as a young boy, and and yet his issue wasn't Jesus, his issue was the way the church was positioning him as being a rebellious kid. It wasn't okay for him to be who even being broken and messy. The church is, you know, the church forgets that everyone who's ever become a Christian is the worst sinner that they've personally known. You know, like Martin Luther, I you know, one of my new quotes he said, I'm the worst sinner that I know. Because we're not supposed to compare our sin with other people's sin. And then label them wicked or more wicked than we are. Apart from God, we're capable of doing anything, and I'm so grateful that I have tasted forgiveness, and and and God's spirit on me empowers me to live the life I'm supposed to live. And there's times when I blow it and I gotta go back and I gotta deal with that. And so this kid's uh out one late one night and he's walking, he's some nights he's sleeping on the park bench, and and he sees something in the bushes. He sees a book. It happened to be my book, The Difference a Father Makes. That somebody must not have liked and threw it in the bushes. Well, what did they say? It was one person's trash is another one's treasure. Well, he grabs my book, he finds a street light, sits down on a bench, and consumes it. And it's his story of his story of not knowing who he was, and and he had this incredible encounter with Jesus of giving his life back, and right there in a park bench, he asked God the Father to bless him with the same blessing he gave his son in that river that day. This is my beloved son in whom I love. Well, he then uh wrote in his letter, I I took your book and I I went back home to make it right with my parents. So he knocks on the door and the mom sees him and starts weeping. It's been months. And she invited him in, and she asked the the dad was there, a little bit more aloof. And he said, You know, before you say anything to me, can I read you a book I just read? And I gave my life back to Jesus, but I want to read this book to you. Because he discerned something reading the book about his mom and dad. So he reads my book cover to cover. It takes him over well over an hour and a half, he said, because of all the tears that he had, because it was speaking to him. Well, it's just that's what every writer wants, right? That somehow God will use your story in a way that it blesses someone else. That's why every testimony is so powerful. And he reads this to his mom and dad, and he's kneeling before them, they're on the couch, and he looks up and they're both sobbing. He stands up, he says, Mom and dad, I know that uh my grandpa was really hard on your dad. And mom, I know you struggle with your own dad and what he's he's done. You've told lots of stories. But God did something in my heart where I I connected to the Father Jesus. talked about and I just I would just love to lay hands on you and pray for you and he put his hands on their shoulders and just prayed this beautiful prayer that his mom and dad would receive the blessing of God the Father for themselves that their dads never gave him and just you could just this letter was search tears soaked and I ended up getting a hold of him and God healed their entire relationship. And it was an identity relationship. He ran away from Jesus because of the culture of what the church was projecting a Christian looks like. And he came back to the church because God gave him an identity that solidified him right into the heart of God even when he's broken. Well guess what these days and I haven't heard from him in a couple of years but he ended up working for his dad again you know meeting the girl building a new life and that's possible for you in your story or somebody that you might know because it's never too late. And the the foundation thing that needs to happen first in us as fathers and for all these kids we're talking about in Washington DC and Chicago and and all these places I've seen it happen. I I I've seen you know the the the gangsters I've met 'em when I had a church I you know they they'd show up in their motorcycles and tatted up and change dangling and it was it was incredible and they're all God showed them they're all boys who were just waiting for a father would gangs be today if children discovered the ultimate father and so this is the today it's all about you you know praying that prayer and saying God turn my heart towards my children or maybe that's a some kids are in your neighborhood or you're a grandpa ask God to turn your heart so that what flows out of you is compassion when your son gets drawn home home and it'll happen. I've I've watched things happen in my own family my brothers and sisters and so many people that God brings my way and he brings them my way because I'm a son and he'll bring them your way because you're a son too and so we're gonna kind of end it there. I got a bunch more but I want you to make sure that you sign up if you're not part on YouTube, Instagram so you get notices about these these live shows and this will be on our fatherhood podcast but I want to pray for you my senses are some of you that God has is calling you to become a spiritual father or a father or a grandpa in a way that maybe you never ever had happen to you that's the way he heals men he heals men by fathering us and I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters says the Lord God Almighty I mean that's God's God's plan there right in 2 Corinthians right there. That nugget just when that came out and hit yours truly how does God heal a boy who loses a dad and never gets to be with him he becomes a father to him but I had to receive I had to say yes to him. I had to say I really I really want to be a better father I get and stop making excuses being tired or overworked. I used I pulled that sick it you know it it didn't work I came home and made it all about me and I almost lost the heart of my kids and I'm so grateful God gave them back to me and how did he give them back to me? I prayed that prayer Lord make me that kind of father turn my heart to my kids maybe your issue is with your wife and you've just done this and you've already judged her or or you've you've held back for years. Just ask God to turn your heart he's the only one who can turn a man's heart to do good. He's the only one just pray father I pray for my brothers that are watching I pray you would turn their hearts turn your hearts back to their families to their children to their grandchildren and push away Lord this isolation they feel this this shame that they feel because down deep inside they know that they've blown it we've all blown it so Lord I pray that pray that prayer and they'd come to you and say show me how to father my kids turn my heart show me how to father my kids in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus amen thanks for letting me share my heart with you today I'm grateful for you. If you prayed that prayer I'd love to hear about it. And there's a couple of things that if you go to my website thefatherdifference.com uh you'll see our Fatherhood academy you'll see our free book download the difference a father makes that's available for you I have a daily devotional where you'll get a nugget every day maybe you want to continue you know learning about how to be a son I've written a devotional that teaches daughters and sons how to be fathered by God and would love for you to be a part of that. You can sign up right on our website as well right on that front page and and if you need some coaching uh you can go right there on our website as well we got all the links you can just go there and and have a time we'd love to help you love to minister to you show you and and and be a part of helping you have the story that God wants you to have amen listen that a little video thing's going to run at the end I'm so grateful can't wait to see you next week we're gonna talk some more about this because this issue in Washington DC and around the world is not going away when the military shows it's time for fathers.

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They have the authority amen Lord 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.

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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 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 as 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 and ultimately our nation anchoring each child through division and the unwavering love and guidance of a devoted dad.

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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 hopeful 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