Dad Tired

In this episode, Jerrad talks with Newt Crenshaw, President and CEO of Young Life. They discuss what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are really searching for, based on a global study conducted by Young Life. Newt shares what the research revealed about identity, relationships, and the deep need for connection in a world shaped by screens, pressure, and isolation.

What You’ll hear:
• Why 40% of young people don’t feel worthy of love
• What kids actually want from adults in their lives
• How social media affects boys and girls differently
• Why moms are still the top go-to, and why dads matter too
• What makes faith a key part of emotional and relational health
• How you can be a stable presence in a young person’s life

Tune in to learn how you can show up for the next generation—starting with the kids in your own home.

Episode Resources:

1. Learn more about Young Life: younglife.org
2. Read the Relat(able) Study: younglife.org/relatable
3.  Volunteer with Young Life: younglife.org/get-involved
4.  Dad Tired Annual Retreat at Young Life’s Carolina Point
5.  Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
6.  Support Dad Tired: dadtired.com/donate
7. Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
8. Range Leather (15% off): rangeleather.com/dadtired — Code: DADTIRED

In this episode, Jerrad invites you to pray. He knows how easy it is to carry pressure, to lead from exhaustion, and to forget who you are. You start performing. You stop listening. You lead on autopilot.

Through the words of Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer, Jerrad walks with you through a simple moment of surrender. A chance to reset your heart and remember that you are first a son, not a leader. You were never meant to carry this on your own.

You’ll hear:
• Why your prayer life shows who you trust
• How to release control and rest in God’s care
• What it means to ask for provision one day at a time
• How to pray honestly when you're tired or unsure
• Why the strength to lead begins with stillness

Tune in to remember who you belong to.
Episode Resources:

1. Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
2.  Support Dad Tired: dadtired.com/donate
3.  Learn more about Dad Tired events: dadtired.com
4.  Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
5.  Reformation Heritage Books – Puritan Treasures for Today: heritagebooks.org/puritantreasures – Use code DADTIRED for 10% off
6.  Conference Dates Mentioned:

• Sept 20–22: Dad Tired Annual Retreat
• Sept 28: Knoxville, TN
• Oct 12: Joint Base Lewis, WA (for DoD ID holders)
• Nov 9: Meridian, ID
• Feb 27–Mar 1: Men's Retreat in Peru, IL

In this episode, Jerrad talks with Grammy-winning artist Zach Williams. They walk through Zach’s journey of addiction, identity, and coming to faith later in life. Zach shares how God pursued him, how that changed his family, and what parenting looks like now that grace is part of the picture.

What You’ll hear:
• How Zach went from a rock band and addiction to faith and family
• What changed when he gave his life to Christ in 2012
• How shame, fear, and regret showed up even after salvation
• Why grace became a key part of his parenting
• What he’s learning about raising teens in a distracted world
• The story behind his new children’s book and why it matters

This is an honest conversation about sin, surrender, and how God keeps writing your story no matter where you start.

Episode  Resources:

1. Zach Williams' children's book: A Little More Like Jesus, A Little Less Like Me
2.  Song: “Less Like Me” – Zach Williams
3.  Follow Zach's tour: zachwilliamsmusic.com/tour
4.  Footballin’ with Ben Roethlisberger (Podcast on YouTube)
5.  Daily Devotional for Men (Coming soon with K-LOVE)
6.  Range Leather (15% off): rangeleather.com/dadtired — Code: DADTIRED
7.  Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
8.  Support Dad Tired: dadtired.com/donate
9.  Invite Jerrad to speak: jerradlopes.com

In this episode, Chris Hilken shares how to walk with your child through grief. After losing his wife and becoming a single dad of five, Chris learned how to comfort his children while grieving himself. He speaks from experience and gives a simple plan to help you guide your kids in moments of pain, loss, and confusion.

 What You’ll hear:
• How to be present when your child is hurting
• What to say when there are no easy answers
• How grief affects a child over time
• A simple way to walk through both emotion and truth
• Why you do not need to fix it, but you should not ignore it
• How to disciple your child in the middle of deep pain

Tune in to walk with your child through sorrow with care without feeling lost in the process.

Episode Resources:

1.  Reformation Heritage Books – Puritan Treasures for Today: heritagebooks.org/puritantreasures — Code: DADTIRED
2.  Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
3.  Dad Tired Annual Retreat: https://www.dadtired.com/retreat
4.  Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
5. Conferences and events: dadtired.com/conferences
6. Email Chris directly: [email protected]
7.  Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate

In this episode, Jerrad reflects on how easy it is to forget our need for God when life is going well. Spiritual drift often begins when life feels stable. When things are good,prayer becomes rare. Hunger for God's Word slows down. You stop leading with purpose. 
Through personal stories and Scripture, Jerrad explores why good times may be more dangerous than hard ones.

What You’ll hear:
• Why comfort can make you stop praying
• What David’s story teaches about success and failure
• How spiritual laziness sneaks in during calm seasons
• Why dependence on God is a daily choice
• What happens when you let your guard down
• How to stay alert and focused when life feels easy

Tune in to remember who brought you to where you are and why you still need Him today.

Episode Resources:

1. Range Leather (15% off): rangeleather.com/dadtired — Code: DADTIRED
2.  Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
3.  Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate
4.  Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
5.  Join the community: dadtired.com/community

In this episode, Jerrad sits down with Pastor Douglas Wilson to talk about biblical discipline. They focus on what it takes to build a joyful home. Pastor Wilson explains how to lead your children with love and authority. He shares why short accounts matter. He also teaches how joy is restored when sin is dealt with quickly.

What You’ll hear:
• Why discipline begins with the parent’s own heart
• How to keep short accounts in marriage and parenting
• What it means to restore a child to joy after discipline
• Why household culture matters more than parenting technique
• How to train sons with clarity and strength
• What it looks like to shape your home around joy and repentance

Tune in to learn how loving discipline is one of the clearest ways to reflect God’s heart to your children.

Episode  Resources:

1.Books by Douglas Wilson: Standing on the Promises, Future Men, Why Children Matter, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, The Case for Classical Christian Education
2.Canon Press: canonpress.com
3. Canon+ App for sermons, books, and lectures: mycanonplus.com
4. Reformation Heritage Books – Puritan Treasures for Today: heritagebooks.org/puritantreasures — Code: DADTIRED
5. Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
6. Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
7.Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate

In this episode, Jerrad talks with recording artist Jordan Feliz about learning when to say no. They discuss the pressure men feel to perform, provide, and please everyone. Jordan shares how therapy, parenting, and a demanding career helped him learn the value of limits. He also shares how trusting God with his time has changed the way he leads at home.

What You’ll hear:
• Why most men say yes out of fear
• What it looks like to lead from rest, not pressure
• How to know when a “no” is healthy
• What Jordan’s therapist taught him about priorities
• Why kids need your presence more than your perfection
• How knowing your identity in Christ changes what you say yes to

Tune in to get clear on what matters most and what you may need to leave behind.

Episode Resources:

1. Dad Tired Annual Retreat: https://www.dadtired.com/retreat
2. UK Dad Tired Retreat Info: https://www.dadtired.uk
3. Dinnertime Discussion Cards: https://www.dadtired.com
4. Range Leather (15% off): https://rangeleather.com/dadtired — Code: DADTIRED
5. Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
6. Invite Jerrad to Speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
7. Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate

Jordan Raynor joins Jerrad for a practical conversation about heaven. They talk about the most common questions kids ask and why many adults still carry false ideas about eternity. Jordan explains what Scripture actually says and how the new Earth changes everything about how we parent and lead.

What You’ll hear:
• Why most people have a wrong view of heaven
• What kids really want to know about eternity
• How to talk about the new Earth in a simple way
• Why worship is more than singing
• What the Bible says about animals, work, and relationships in heaven
• How a clearer view of eternity changes your purpose now

 Tune in to learn how to talk about heaven with truth and confidence. 

Episode Resources:

1. Book: The Royal in You by Jordan Raynor
2. Book: Heaven by Randy Alcorn
3. Book: Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright
4. Book: The Sacredness of Secular Work by Jordan Raynor
5. Isaiah 11, Isaiah 60, Isaiah 65, Revelation 21–22
6. Dinnertime Discussion Cards: https://www.dadtired.com
7. Dwell Bible App (25% off): https://dwellbible.com/dadtired
8. Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
9. Invite Jerrad to Speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
10. Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate

In this episode, Jerrad sits down with Steel Billings, Head of AI Strategy at Glue. They talk about how artificial intelligence is shaping the way we parent, lead, and live. Steel breaks down what AI actually is, what it means for the next generation, and how Christian parents can prepare their kids for a digital future.

What You’ll hear:
• What every dad needs to understand about AI
• Why parenting in this era takes new levels of awareness
• How to talk to your kids about AI, emotions, and identity
• What’s at risk when kids form emotional bonds with machines
• Why you don’t need to fear AI, but you do need to be wise
• How to use new tools while holding on to God’s design

Tune in to learn how to lead your family  in a fast-changing world.

Episode Resources:

1. Learn more about Glue and faith + AI initiatives: gloo.us/ai
2. Join the AI & the Church Hackathon: gloo.us/hackathon
3. Barna x Glue Research on Parenting and AI: barna.com
4. Dwell Bible App (25% off): dwellbible.com/dadtired
5. CSB Men’s Daily Study Bible (50% off): lifeway.com — Code: MDB50
6. Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
7. Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
8. Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate
9. Dad Tired Annual Retreat + Volunteer Info: https://www.dadtired.com

In this episode, Jerrad talks with worship leader and songwriter Stephen McWhirter. Stephen shares how a childhood of abuse and a decade of addiction nearly destroyed his life. He opens up about how Jesus met him in the middle of it all and changed everything. This is a story of redemption, healing, and the kind of grace that goes deeper than our past.

 
What You’ll hear:
• How Stephen’s view of God was shaped by an abusive father
• What it looked like to run from religion and numb the pain
• How Jesus met him during a meth addiction
• Why true repentance leads to freedom, not shame
• What it means to forgive without excusing harm
• How his family, music, and message were transformed

Tune in to see why no one is too far gone and how God can write a better story than we ever imagined.

Episode Resources:

1. Stephen’s website: worshipjesus.life
2. Song: “Come Jesus Come” by Stephen McWhirter
3. Book: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
4. Book (Upcoming): Stephen’s testimony, published by Zondervan
5. Tour Dates with Maverick City Music: See link at worshipjesus.life
6. Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
7. Invite Jerrad to Speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
8. Support Dad Tired: https://www.dadtired.com/donate
9. Shop Dad Tired x Range Leather: rangeleather.com/dadtired — Code: DADTIRED