DadAwesome

What will your kids actually remember about you? In this episode, three brothers in their twenties, Matt, Mike and Tommy Blum, sit down separately and describe the same dad: a man who prayed at their beds every night, read a devotional every morning, chose the hard path on purpose, and never missed the yearly canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. Nothing they remember cost much money, but every bit of it took a dad who kept showing up.

KELLER, TX DadAwesome Dessert Gathering (Sunday, Oct 18th, 2026) - RSVP Form

Key Takeaways

• Your kids remember the small things you repeat. A short prayer at the bedside every night and a three minute devotional every morning shaped three sons more than any big event.
• Choose the hard path on purpose. Saturday work days, chopping firewood, and wet cold weekends in a canoe taught these boys that discomfort is where growth happens.
• Protect one trip a year. The Blum family sacrificed sports, money and convenience to make the Boundary Waters trip every year, and that one weekend gave the boys a hidden place to connect with their dad away from distractions.
• Keep praying and keep inviting during the years they pull away. Each brother describes a season in middle school or high school when he hid from his dad, and each one says his dad stayed consistent and kept the door open anyway.
• Faith was invited, not forced. The brothers say they never felt Jesus was pushed on them. They knew they had their parents' love no matter what, and that made the invitation safe to accept.

GUESTS

Matt, Mike and Tommy Blum are three brothers in their twenties who grew up in the Twin Cities area under the roof of their dad, Chris Blum. Matt is the oldest and a new dad to a baby daughter. Mike is the middle brother, and Tommy is the youngest. All three follow Jesus and credit their dad's steady prayer, playful presence, and love of hard work with shaping who they are today. For close to two decades the Blum family has made an annual trip to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, and that trip is where Matt gave his life to Christ at age eleven.

Key Quotes

• "There was a rock that was immovable and grounded, one that would pray with us every night no matter the season or turmoil he was going through." (Tommy Blum, reading his letter to his dad, 30:57)
• "It's such a simple thing that he's done, but that's what I think makes him the best. He shows up." (Matt Blum, 33:00)
• "It was a difficult game of volleyball, lots of balls in our court that we just left sitting on the ground. But he was steadfast with us and intentional despite our bad return rate." (Mike Blum, 21:48)
• "When I picture myself with Jesus, I picture myself in the bow of a canoe and Jesus is right behind me. He's the one steering the boat." (Matt Blum, 14:46)
• "I didn't feel like following Jesus was pushed on us. It was an invitation. And we knew we had our parents' love regardless." (Matt Blum, 21:06)

LINKS

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• The DADAWESOME book

• Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (northern Minnesota): https://www.fs.usda.gov/superior

• The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/456

When the bill shows up, the check engine light blinks, or your kid ignores you for the third time, you respond as an orphan, a slave, or a son. In Part 2 of this conversation, Pablo Ceron walks through the frontiers of adversity, fierce mastery, and love, and shows how each one is an invitation to be fathered by God. You'll also hear the simple question that opens the door to repair with your kids when you blow it.

KELLER, TX DadAwesome Dessert Gathering (Sunday, Oct 18th, 2026) - RSVP Form

Key Takeaways

• The belief that "life is up to me" is the mark of an orphan heart. Your Father is inviting you to stop figuring it out alone.
• Adversity threatens the orphan and exhausts the slave, but for a son it's a sparring ring with a Father in his corner.
• When your kids have seen you react poorly, repair. Own your part, ask forgiveness, and ask, "What's been your experience of me?"
• The places where you feel unskilled aren't a verdict on your manhood. They're an invitation to ask, "Father, would you teach me?"
• Love is the greatest frontier, and it calls you to explore the hearts of your wife and kids instead of controlling their behavior.

GUEST

Pablo Ceron is the Founder and President of WILDSONS, a non-profit dedicated to helping men recover their wild hearts and become the men, husbands, fathers, and leaders they were born to be. He has been a speaker, teacher, and leader in men's formation for over 15 years. Pablo and his wife, Juanita, live in Miami, Florida, with their two sons, Mateo and Lucas.

Key Quotes

• "Life is about an adventure to be lived with our Father, not a problem to be solved." (23:42)
• "No one is behind. We are right on time in our failures, in our brokenness, in our blowing it." (40:35)
• "Adversity for the son, however, is the sparring ring." (15:05)
• "The lack of proficiency, the lack of skill, is not a report card on who you are as a man. It's simply a reflection that you have not yet been initiated." (28:49)
• "I'm modeling our Father. I'm telling him with my actions who our Father is." (23:20)

LINKS

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• The DADAWESOME book

• WILDSONS: https://wildsons.com

• About Pablo Ceron: https://wildsons.com/pablo -

• The Muster (WILDSONS retreat) - https://wildsons.com/muster

• FULLY ALIVE

Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/455

The life you're longing for as a dad is almost always on the other side of discomfort. In this episode, Pablo Ceron explains why adventure and adversity are the training ground God uses to father you and how you can guide your kids through both. You'll also hear why pausing to remember what God has done prepares you for whatever comes next.

Key Takeaways

• Maximizing comfort and convenience leads to a dull heart. Men come alive when they step into a story bigger than themselves.
• Life is not a problem to be solved. It's an invitation into adventure with a good Father.
• In the middle of conflict, your wife is not your enemy. Be fierce against the real enemy and tender toward her.
• Your job isn't to remove adversity from your kids. It's to create a safe place for them to test their strength and discover they have what it takes.
• You are not your child's only father. Offer your portion, then point them to the Father for the rest.
• Milestones are mile markers. Pausing to retell the story helps you remember who God is and who you're becoming.

GUEST

Pablo Ceron is the Founder and President of WILDSONS, a non-profit dedicated to helping men recover their wild hearts and become the men, husbands, fathers, and leaders they were born to be. He has been a speaker, teacher, and leader in men's formation for over 15 years. Pablo and his wife, Juanita, live in Miami, Florida, with their two sons, Mateo and Lucas.

LINKS

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• The DADAWESOME book

• WILDSONS: https://wildsons.com

• About Pablo Ceron: https://wildsons.com/pablo -

• The Muster (WILDSONS retreat) - https://wildsons.com/muster

• FULLY ALIVE

Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/454

SUMMARY

Most men aren't isolated because no one's around — they're isolated because they've never learned to be asked the right questions. In this episode, Pastor Wayne Francis returns to DadAwesome to unpack his new book, Make Friends with Anyone, sharing his sunbathers-to-submariners framework and the "six-pack" of vital friendships every man needs. It's an honest, funny, and convicting conversation about calendars, clarity, and why your kids are watching how you do friendship long before they ever try it themselves.

Takeaways

1. Isolation often masquerades as independence — men blame "not having anybody" instead of recognizing they've chosen to be self-reliant.
2. Friendships exist on levels — sunbathers, surfers, snorkelers, scuba divers, and submariners — and problems happen when we give submarine-level access to sunbather-level friends.
3. Your calendar (and photo album) is the truest record of what you actually value — not what you say you value.
4. Every man needs a "six-pack": six vital, diverse friends who get priority access to his time and get told they're in that circle.
5. Cleaning out and grieving friendships that have run their season is healthy, not disloyal — friends aren't disposable, but their role in your life should be reassessed.

GUEST

Wayne Francis and his wife, Claudene (whom he affectionately calls "Classy"), are the lead pastors of The Life Church – New York in Westchester County, a suburb of NYC. Wayne previously founded and led Authentic Church, which merged with The Life Church in early 2020. A dynamic communicator, he's passionate about building the local church and helping people find real life in Jesus. Wayne and Claudene have been married for 25 years and have two teenage daughters, Haleigh and Ryleigh. When he's not preaching, Wayne can usually be found out cycling or turning any available floor into a dance floor.

Quotes (Wayne Francis)

1. "I think that Jesus elevated a theology of friendship that we overlook."
2. "In order for people to become vulnerable, it's not like I can just tell you something — I actually need to be asked. Question asking is an art."
3. "Your calendar is the best preacher of your life."
4. "You can't have the best of God without having the best and the worst of each other."
5. "For men, you should have a six-pack — six vital friends that you would drop everything for."

LINKS

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• The DADAWESOME book

• Make Friends with Anyone by Wayne Francis
• ShowMeMyFriends.com (free friendship assessment)
• Primal Question by Mike Foster

This is a FROM THE VAULT episode, originally recorded almost three years ago, but the message hits just as hard today. In this conversation, Banning Liebscher opens up about the wrong definition of success that keeps dads stuck on autopilot, and why the goal was never to work harder but to abide more. If you've ever felt busy but not sure you're actually hitting the mark as a father, this replay is for you.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The danger for dads isn't a lack of activity, it's activity that isn't going anywhere because success was never clearly defined.
2. Becoming world class at fatherhood starts with being both self aware and others aware, so you understand how your presence impacts the people you love.
3. How you love your children is one of the clearest ways God's love gets revealed to them.
4. True success won't be measured in accomplishments or attention, it will be measured by the people you poured your life into.
5. The goal isn't to work harder as a dad, it's to abide more deeply in the Father's love, since everything sustainable flows from that place of intimacy.

GUEST

Banning Liebscher is a pastor, speaker, and author. Along with his wife, SeaJay, he founded Jesus Culture, a ministry of worship, conferences, and leadership development. Together they have three young adult children: Ellianna, Raya, and Lake.

Top 7 Quotes

1. "Being a great father takes a massive amount of courage."
2. "The danger for dads is not a lack of activity, it's activity that's not going anywhere."
3. "The goal is not to work harder, it's to abide more."
4. "Being self aware and others aware" is what dads have to master.
5. "How you love your children will reveal God's love to them."
6. "We loved Him because He first loved us."
7. "Being a dad is hands down the biggest sacrifice I've ever had to make."

LINKS

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• The DADAWESOME book

• Learn about Jesus Culture

• The Flip Side by Flip Flippen

Join the DadAwesome PRAYER TEAM:

Recieve updates on the 20-minute DadAwesome prayer Zoom Calls on Mondays/Fridays: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Most men have never pictured David's mighty men as real flesh and blood warriors who bled, prayed, and screamed to God for covering before they ever swung a sword. In this episode, novelist and Army veteran Cliff Graham shares what twenty years inside the world of the Old Testament taught him about sacrifice, mentorship, and becoming the kind of father whose absence is felt when he's gone. You'll also hear why your kids see the things you thought you did in the dark, and why aimlessness in a dad leaves an entire family unmoored.

TAKEAWAYS:

• Your kids are watching at all times. The thing you think you did in the dark and nobody noticed is the thing they saw.

• The toughest men in scripture didn't charge in confident in their own abilities. They cried out for God's covering first, and so should you.

• Sacrificial choices still count when your heart isn't in them. Decide through the paradigm of what's best for your family, however you're feeling, and God honors that choice.

• Invite your kids into your work and into your worst days. Let them see how you respond when everything falls apart.

• Male mentorship is disappearing. Find the man who is twenty years ahead of you, who will sit in your pain and call you out on your stuff.

BIO

Cliff Graham is an author and U.S. Army veteran best known for the Lion of War series, an epic retelling of the lives of David's mighty men that has been translated into seven languages and hit bestseller lists. He has spent extensive time in Israel researching the world of the Old Testament, and has also written Shadow of the Mountain (Caleb) and The Boundary of Blood (Shamgar). When he isn't writing, he works as a railroader in the western United States. He and his wife, Cassandra, have four children, three of them sons.

QUOTES

• "It's not an awesome dad if you're aimless." (17:40)

• "Every little thing that a guy does that he thinks, 'I did this in the dark and no one cares' — you'd be surprised what your kids are seeing all the time." (14:05)

• "He didn't charge into the fight endlessly confident in his own abilities. He was screaming to God for covering." (11:00)

• "Just to be a dad that the loss is felt when you go is so important." (19:50)

• "There's nothing in this life that gives you anything near the joy and satisfaction of being a dad. There's just nothing." (22:47)

LINKS

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team:

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• The DADAWESOME book

• Day of War by Cliff Graham (Lion of War, Book 1)

• The Lion of War series (Kavod Press):Day of War, Covenant of War, Song of War, Fires of War, and the fifth book releasing this year

• The Boundary of Blood by Cliff Graham (Shamgar)

• Shadow of the Mountain by Cliff Graham (Caleb)

• Cliff Graham's newsletter: lionofwar.substack.com

• Psalm 140:7 — "O Lord God of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle"

• 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 — the mighty men

• Field of Dreams (film)

• Cinderella Man (film)

• Braveheart (film)

SUMMARY

Your words become your child's inner voice, for better or for worse. In this episode, Brent Silkey shares the practice he's kept without missing a single year — a handwritten letter to each of his four kids on every birthday, so that by graduation they'll hold an 18-year catalog of God's faithfulness over their life. Recorded in the pouring rain during Brent's 24-hour run for freedom, this conversation will challenge you to speak life over your family, stop settling for comfort, and take the next step you already know you need to take.

TAKEAWAYS

1. You can do hard things, or you can have hard things happen to you. Dads who train themselves — physically, spiritually, emotionally — build a reservoir their whole family draws from.
2. Your words are the foundation blocks of your family's culture. Brent has written and read a letter to each of his four kids on every birthday, so by graduation they'll hold an 18-year catalog of God's faithfulness over their life.
3. Big vision belongs to the whole family, not just to dad. Bike rides became park days, marathons became bake sales and jewelry stands, and the kids caught the heart without ever being told to.
4. Freedom from pornography is one of the greatest gifts a dad can give. Shame keeps men isolated; rootedness in a real community — not a la carte Christianity — is where the healing starts.
5. You'll never regret investing more in your family. You'll know your kids as adults far longer than you knew them as kids, so when they say "up," pick them up.

QUOTES

"By the time they graduate high school, they'll have a catalog of God's faithfulness over 18 years in these letters."

"You can either do hard things or you can have hard things happen to you."

"Do something you've never done to reach someone that's not yet been reached."

"This is a family thing, not a Brent thing."

"The most life-changing question outside of the gospel being shared was, What's my next obedience step?"

"We can be people who speak life over our families, life over our kids. It really goes a long way."

GUEST

Brent Silkey is the founder of 30 for Freedom, a ministry mobilizing runners to rescue girls out of trafficking. He's completed 71+ marathons and ultras — including seven marathons on seven continents in seven days — and has helped raise more than $4.3 million for freedom. Brent also directs Chi Alpha at the University of St. Thomas and runs with UNRL. Adopted from South Korea as a baby, he and his wife live in Minnesota with their four kids: two daughters, 14 and 11, and two sons, 8 and 5. This fall he's taking on 40 for Freedom — running 40 miles for his 40th birthday and inviting 40 leaders to multiply the vision toward $300,000 raised in a single day.

LINKS

• Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• The DadAwesome book (search "dadawesome" on Amazon)

• 30 for Freedom: https://www.instagram.com/30forfreedom/

• Brent Silkey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brentsilkey/

• Brent Silkey's 40 for Freedom Challenge

• Chi Alpha at University of St. Thomas: https://www.instagram.com/ust_xa/

• UNRL: https://www.instagram.com/unrlco/

• The Great World Race

• Episode page will be: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/450

SUMMARY

Most of us move through our days on autopilot, heads down, running our own agenda. The struggling dad at church, the neighbor whose marriage is barely holding on, the single mom wrestling groceries into her car — we walk right past. In Part 7 of the Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 29 of the DadAwesome book and shares an archive clip with Danny Silk about the isolation trap, why control is the wrong tool for fathering, and what a home that resembles heaven actually feels like.

Key Takeaways

• God doesn't watch from the bleachers. He jumps into the mess with us, and He often chooses to answer desperate prayers through ordinary people who are willing to notice and respond.
• You already have what someone needs. Our Italian angel offered three things any of us can give: time, trust, and troubleshooting. Not more resources — just a willingness to make available what's already in your hands.
• Interruptions are often God appointments. When someone opens up about their pain, that's not small talk. It's a door opening.
• Isolation is the enemy's trap for men. Alone, you become master and ruler of your own reality, and that's the fast track to deception. Multiplication requires brotherhood.
• You cannot control your children — so learn to control yourself. When intimidation or the threat of punishment is the most-used tool in your toolbox, you've built a culture in your home that doesn't resemble heaven.
• A small yes can get multiplied by 100. A bold prayer for $10,000 became more than $1 million raised for the fatherless across 30 events and over 1,000 men.

Quotes

"God jumps into our mess with us. He's not watching from the bleachers." (05:35)

"Every day we walk past people having their own version of lost in Florence." (06:15)

"You don't need more to make a big difference. You've already got what someone desperately needs. You just need to be willing to share it." (11:15)

"I'm learning to see struggling people as potential God appointments instead of interruptions." (11:30)

"As fathers, we teach our children more through our responses to others' needs than through our lectures about compassion." (12:40)

"God takes our small yes and multiplies it into something far bigger than we imagined." (16:45)

"The trap of the enemy for men in particular is isolation. Because now you become master and ruler of reality, and that is the fast track to deception." (19:20) — Danny Silk

"When the most used tool in my toolbox as a parent is some form of intimidation or the threat of punishment, then I have created a culture in my home that does not resemble heaven." (20:45) — Danny Silk

"My Father is much more concerned about my heart connection to Him than He is controlling me." (21:40) — Danny Silk

"If you don't learn to control yourself, you are out of control." (22:20) — Danny Silk

Action Steps:

I. Reflection

Name your phase. Childish, young adult, young married, young dad, wise dad — where are you actually living right now?

Who have you walked past? Think back over the last month. Who could have used a pause in your care?

Take inventory. Time, trust, troubleshooting. Skills, margin, network, resources, lived experience. What do you have that someone else might be desperate for?

II. Multiplication

Where are you isolated? You will not see a multiplication miracle alone. Name the guys in your foxhole, or admit you need to build that crew.

Serve with someone. When a dad needs help with a yard project, bring another dad along. Friendship grows shoulder to shoulder.

Find the side door. Pick a date and a challenge rather than "let's just sit and talk." A race, a ride, a project — action is often the side door to a man's heart.

III. Activation

Pray for a God appointment this week. Stay alert for the person who needs time, generosity, care, or counsel.

Let your kids watch. Go out of your way to show compassion within sight of your children. Don't hustle on to the next thing.

Run the small yes. Is there something God put on your heart that you keep postponing? What if now is the time? Run it as an experiment — what could it hurt?

SUMMARY:

Most of us parent from what we already know and love. We steer our kids toward the sports we played and the interests we developed, and then we wait for them to get excited about our world. In Part 6 of the Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 23 of the DadAwesome book and shares an archive clip with Alex Burton about a prayer, a purple carabiner, and a campfire question that changed everything.

TAKEAWAYS

• Delight in what they delight in. Stop waiting for your kids to get excited about your world and step into theirs instead.
• Our Heavenly Father does not just tolerate what we care about. He delights in it. He came down instead of making us climb up.
• Ask the men who know you best: what do you see in my life that I am not seeing, and what am I missing? Then do not get defensive. Write down what they say.
• Connection is worth the sacrifice. The cost is not always money. Sometimes it is time, and sometimes it is setting aside your preferences for theirs.
• Pause and pray before you show up. Alex asked God what to bring before he ever left his house, and a child he had never met walked away knowing she was known.

Guest

Alex Burton is an outdoors enthusiast, a climber, and a father of three. He and his wife, Mel, have been married more than 26 years. Alex serves on the staff team at Wild at Heart. His full conversation with Jeff is Episode 297.

QUOTES

• "I experienced something I can only describe as kind fathering from a complete stranger." (04:30)
• "This wasn't just a piece of climbing equipment anymore. It was proof that someone saw her. Someone cared about what brought her joy. God knew her favorite color, and He used Alex to show her." (04:50)
• "Alex, right now, if I could choose who'd be around this campfire with, I would choose my son. Can you say the same?" (06:30)
• "You don't need to become an expert in what your kids love. You just need to show up and jump in. When you step into their world, you're reflecting how God treats us. He came down instead of making us climb up." (10:20)
• "It wasn't even so much, it could have been anything, but it was purple." (13:20) Alex Burton

ACTION STEPS

I. Reflection

Name what each child delights in. Write down each kid's name, and next to it, what they are into right now. Legos, surfing, bike rides, theater, dance, soccer. If you are not sure, that is your invitation to get curious.

Find where you are resisting. Is there a passion of theirs that annoys you, crowds your calendar, or that you secretly hope they outgrow? Name it, then go a step deeper and ask why your heart is positioned that way.

Ask if your kids know they are delighted in. Do they know that your favorite role in life, outside of being married to their mom, is being their dad? Try asking them directly: do you have any idea how much I love you? Then watch their eyes.

II. Multiplication

Ask the campfire question. Take it to two or three friends: what do you see in my life that I am not seeing, and what am I missing? Do not defend yourself. Just write it down.

Be an Alex for another dad. Alex took a half day off work for a family he had never met. Could you take time off, help with a project, or create a moment for another dad and his kids?

Send a joy bomb. An unexpected gift at an unexpected time, to your wife, your kids, or a dad who is grinding. No occasion required.

III. Activation

Pray before you show up. Before the recital, the game, or youth group pickup, pause in the car and ask God if there is something He wants you to bring or say. The pause is huge.

Jump into their world this week. Research what they love. Show up with a surprising level of joyful curiosity and joyful participation.

Put something in their hand. Something small from the store or ordered online, given for no reason, with the words: I see you, I love you, I delight in you.

Pray Zephaniah 3:17 over each child by name, out loud, this week. Insert their name into the verse and let it reshape how you pray for them.

LINKS

• Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 297 | Cultivating a Prayer Life, Sharing Joy Bombs, and Delighting in What Your Kids Delight In (Alex Burton)
• DadAwesome LABS from Chapter 23: The Purple Carabiner Principle
• Zephaniah 3:17
• Wild at Heart Ministry

Summary

A $30 campsite with a canyon view felt like hitting the jackpot… until Jeff flipped on the lights and watched the floor move. In part five of the DadAwesome Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 19 of the book, "Ant Attack," and unpacks what a million ants taught him about spotting threats, sealing entry points, and cleaning up what already got inside. Then Zach Neese joins with a sobering four minutes on the doorways we open without realizing it, and why nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you.

Heads up: this episode is not designed for little ears. The conversation goes into spiritual warfare, darkness, and the ways private choices affect the people we love most.

Top 5 Takeaways

1. The first few ants are scouts, not the problem. Train yourself to look past what's obvious and ask harder questions about attitudes, friend groups, and entertainment choices before they become a full scale invasion.
2. Real freedom propels you to lead. Freedom is not permission to do whatever you want. Healing, forgiveness, and wholeness are what unlock your ability to serve and protect the people God gave you.
3. Threats come through old bridges and new ones. The septic hose was modern convenience turned against them. The tree branches were nature's ancient highway. The tactics evolve, but the goal stays the same.
4. Sealing the doors is not enough. You have to deal with what already got inside, and then intentionally replace it with something life giving. Removing the threat is not the same as restoration.
5. Nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you. Not schools, not church, not extended family. The assignment is yours, and it takes courage plus God's strength.

5 Quotes

1. "Real freedom propels us to lead. That healing, forgiveness, and wholeness unlock our ability to serve and love the way God designed." (Jeff Zaugg)
2. "A dad fighting his own addiction can't guard his family's doorways. A father still carrying his childhood anger can't see the real threats to his kids." (Jeff Zaugg)
3. "Every open door is a spiritual gateway." (Zach Neese)
4. "We give him permission all the time to rearrange the furniture, so to speak, in our hearts and our house, so that he is the only spirit that feels welcome here." (Zach Neese)
5. "I wasn't just being entertained by a movie. I was being entertained by the spirit behind the movie. And that spirit wasn't just in my closet. That was roving through my house." (Zach Neese)

Guest Bio

Zach Neese is a pastor, worship leader, and author who has spent years teaching on worship, spiritual authority, and the doorways we open in our homes. His conversation with Jeff first aired on DadAwesome episode 159, and the clip featured in this episode digs into how entertainment choices, conflict patterns, and private habits can invite influences we never intended to host. (Verify current role and book title before publishing.)

Action Steps

Reflection Walk your doorways. Grab paper or a note on your phone and list them out: phones, tablets, gaming systems, streaming devices, specific apps, YouTube, Instagram. Look for the white powder. What warning signs have you driven past without asking questions? Notice the small stuff. What are the few ants on the countertop right now? An attitude, a mindset, an entertainment choice that could become a full scale assault? Check your own closet. What is hidden that you have convinced yourself is not really causing harm?

Multiplication Who are the men who know what is in your closet? How do you close that gap this month? Share episode 447 with a few dads who are fighting for freedom alongside you. Read Nehemiah 4:13 and 14 with your family and unpack what it means to fight as a family. Listen to the full Zach Neese conversation in episode 159. Apply for the September DadAwesome Accelerator cohort.

Activation Cut down one bridge this week. Remove a subscription, remove a device, create a new boundary. Pray out loud. Use the John Eldredge Daily Prayer and the head of household prayer. Out loud matters, because the enemy cannot hear your thoughts. Replace, do not just remove. Pick a book, a rhythm, or a practice to fill the space. Go deeper with the Chapter 19 DadAwesome Lab.

LINKS

• Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan

• Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

• Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

• DadAwesome Labs, Chapter 19

• Episode 159 with Zach Neese https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/216

• Entertaining Demons Unaware: Closing the Doors of Demonic Influence in your Life

  by Zach Neese

• John Eldredge Daily Prayer https://wildatheart.org/prayer/daily-prayer-john/

• Galatians 5:13

• Nehemiah 4:13 and 14