Father's Day Leftovers!

I'll take Father's Day leftovers over Thanksgiving Day leftovers anytime! 

For Father's Day, my wife often makes me a "Lazy Cobbler" she learned from a woman in our church in Arkansas. The ingredients are pretty simple:

• SUGAR
• Blackberries
• Butter
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• SUGAR
• Flour
• Butter

And unless my teenage son snuck to the kitchen overnight, there should be some leftover cobbler for daddy today!

However, I have a couple other Father's Day leftovers I want to share with you dads out there. I don't share these as an expert: just a kid who longed for a dad, and an adult who longs to be a decent dad.

1. Hug, Kiss, Love your kids...even your son!
Why are men so afraid to show affection? When my mom re-married in my teen years, I was in for quite a shock. My step-dad often hugged me, kissed me, and told me he loved me. That was weird. I had never seen a man do that.

(Chuck Norris approved man-hug)

And so when my son hugs me, kisses me, and tells me he loves me, it's just natural to him. He probably doesn't even realize it's not the norm in every house. And that's OK! Jesus didn't call men to be the norm (Romans 12:2)...He called us to love as He loves.

2. Love you wife well...the kids are watching!
I know. Your kids say they hate it when you and momma make out in front of them, but they're liars. They have friends whose parents don't even like riding in the same car together. Often when Nikki and I would hug in front of our youngest daughter, her eyes would light up and she would respond "Yay!"

By loving my wife well, I'm trying to teach my son what it is to be a husband. And I'm displaying to my daughters what they should look for in a husband. If they are dating a guy who can't remember their birthday, or who lives self-centered, marriage isn't going to fix him. I pray regularly: "Lord, don't let my daughters settle. Lead each of my daughters to a man who loves you more than he'll love her." That's what I try to display to them everyday.

3. Discipline your kids
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not great at this. It was easy when they were young and intimidated by my size. But those days are gone!

(Me and my 14-year old son...whom I don't arm wrestle!)

So now as my kids are teens/tweens, the methods have to change so much. I can't let their poor effort or behavior go unchecked, even though I know battles may ensue. I continue to stress the standard I expect, and how it relates to the standards God expects. I want my kids to know that I'm not teaching them how to survive in my house, but how to survive in the world.

It's likely you knew all these leftovers anyway. But I find the most important messages into my life are often reminders of what I already know, rather than new lessons.