Practical Steps to Fathering

This blog is intended to give the reader practical tips on how to be a father. Whether you are raising sons, daughters, or you are mentoring a young protege, these key principles are the foundation to fathering.

Robert Owens, a motivational speaker, triathlon athlete, and leadership expert, shared six strategies to implement to fathering a son or a daughter. I would like to share the first three strategies with you today.

1) Affirm Vertically - This entails reminding the son or daughter what God thinks about them. This is so key because it is the foundation of identity. The protege needs to have a firm foundation on who they are (identity) in Christ. We all need to be reminded that we were created in the image of God and are to be reflections of that image. We need to be reminded that God created each of us with a purpose to fulfill. Our sons and daughters need to know that God thinks they are valuable and unique, and He proved it by sending Jesus to redeem them.

2) Approve Horizontally - A father will take time to approve of their sons and daughters accomplishments. In order to do this you must be aware of what is happening in their lives. This takes time. You must invest time to hear what they are doing, what they are attempting, wins, loses, etc. Even in failure, a father can be instrumental on helping a young person get back up and get back at it.

3) Lay Sound Foundations - Our sons and daughters need a firm foundation to stand on. It is important that we help them lay a firm foundation. A key is that as fathers we need be firm. We will only reproduce who we are, so we need to ensure we are standing firm as well. Here are a few Biblical foundations that need to be established:

• The Scriptures are the very Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12). • We are unique and have a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5, Ephesians 2:10).

• Obedience to God’s Word shows that we love God (1 John).

Men, you are the priest and leader in your home. We must learn better leadership skills, so that our families and churches will thrive.

On the next blog we will discuss the next three strategies. I encourage you to take these three principles and begin to implement them daily with your sons, daughters, and those you mentor.

God bless,
Robert Burdett
​Senior Pastor, PowerHouse Church