Blog - Segun Aiyegbusi - Reminding You That God The Father Still Loves You

Are people listening when we preach? It may not all be on us as communicators. Sometimes, we simply need to understand the WHO we're speaking to

How is it that the church in Nigeria, for all its reputation about being one of the Nations with the fastest growing number of Christians, is in reality a nation STILL rampant with corruption and strife at every level of society, even within the Church??

My kids are quite the curious bunch, especially my oldest. A simple answer is never enough for him. He'll ask questions till he gets to the root of my underlying motive for why I said what I said; which is fine, except for the fact that it's usually at 2:00am and I gotta get up in 4 hours!But one of his oddest follow up questions he has consistently stuck with is the one that comes after I tell him how much I love him. He's fond of following up by saying, “I love you too, daddy. But why do you love me?”Interestingly, I have been preparing for this question since I was in seminary. I know that sounds odd, but let me explain. In seminary, I took a class called, “SOUL CARE” (which is exactly what it sounds like), and it ended up bringing to light some childhood wounds I never dealt with. The class helped me work through and let go of a lot of baggage I had carried years. One key lessons that came out of that season was the truth that God loves me, not because of how much effort I was making to do the right thing in my walk with Him, but because it truly gave Him joy (and because it was “…according to the good pleasure of His will.” – Ephesians 1:5). That Biblical truth transformed my vision of what a Father does and who a Father is supposed to be, way before I was even a dad!So, when my oldest son, even at an early stage began to ask why it is I love him, I was very careful to let him know that it wasn't because of how handsome or brilliant he was, or how great a job he did at whatever his mom last instructed him to do; but rather, I told him that I loved him because God gave him to me as a special gift!Now, that is a love he never has to earn!! That is a love that will always be readily available for him as long as God gives me breath. It is, of course also a love that I don't always live up to. As fathers, our kids look up to us as heroes, but we know all too well just how human we are. We know that we will love our kids imperfectly, and whether intentionally or unintentionally – our sinful behavior may end up demonstrating to our kids that our love and approval of them depends on their performance.Like I said, we're awfully human. The one thing we can work hard to do right, however, is to teach them that their Father in heaven is madly in love with them, so much so that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to come start a lifelong friendship with us. It's that message that we as dads should strive to make clear to our kids!So, dads, join me as I pray for that our kids would truly embrace the truth that God not only loves them, but actually likes them! PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Lord Jesus, your word says in Romans 8:38-39 that no one and no thing will ever be able to drive a wedge between you and us! Absolutely nothing! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! Thank you so much for loving my children so dearly. Jesus, I pray that you would help this truth stick to their heart like glue so that they never forget about your great love for them. Lord Jesus, guard my children's hearts against any lie that the devil might try to tell them about their value and their worth. Place a shield of truth around their mind so that when other people speak negative things to them about how they look, where they're from, or what they do, they would be secure enough in your love to say, “Nope, that is a lie. I am loved by God, the creator of heaven and earth!” Father in heaven, convince my children by your Holy Spirit and through the Bible that even on their worst days and their greatest mistakes, that You still remain faithful to them. Show them according to your word that absolutely nothing can get between them and your love because of the way Jesus Christ has embraced them. Remind them always that when they turn to Jesus Christ by faith and ask for your help, you will always be a good friend who will come alongside them to help them. May they always have a close friendship with you, and as a result, would you teach them to be great friends with others. Father, teach them to always come to you in prayer with a sense of great expectation, but also with a clear sense of awe and wonder at your holy nature. Grant them understanding even in these early years just how mighty and holy, and in many respects, unapproachable you are. You word says in 1 Timothy 6:16 “[You are the God] who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” Let this understanding result in reverence and great respect for you in our kids lives (to the level that they can even comprehend it). Jesus, help our kids understand that they are praying to their Father in heaven, who draws near to those whose hearts have been broken, and who helps those who are suffering and crying out for help. Lord God, deepen their friendship with you. Help our kids establish a strong sense of comfort in pouring their heart out to you. Grant them great faith, mountain-sized faith that results in bold prayers in their lives. May they be like the young shepherd boy, David, who in the face of Goliath, a man several times his size, declared, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Increase their confidence and trust in you with each answered, or even delayed answers to their prayers. Jesus, let their relationship with you not feel forced, but let their faith and confidence in you flow freely from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.It's in Jesus name that I pray these things. Amen.”DOWNLOAD WEEK 7: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEET Hey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you same time next week!

Okay, fine! I'll come straight to it, my son is way smarter than I was at his age.To be clear, he still does dumb 8-year-old-boy stuff, but academically, my not-so-little-anymore dude is crushing it! When he was in kindergarten, he was reading at a 2nd grade level. Presently at 4th grade, his math, spelling, and coding skills are off the charts. While I like to brag to my wife that he gets it from me, anyone who knew me growing up me knows that is a straight up lie! Man, when I was his age, I couldn't pass a math test for my life even if you handed me the addition and subtraction charts with all the answers. Let's just say, I didn't really step into my academic-game till sometime after high school. I remember when I graduated high school with something like a C+ average, my parents actually threw me a party because no one even thought I'd ever graduate!! I shared this in one of the earlier posts in this series, but it's for this very reason that when my son was in my wife's womb, I pled with the Lord that He would bless my him with a brilliant and intelligent mind. THANK. YOU. JESUS!While I'm grateful for God's gift to my son, I am keenly aware that there are some of you whose kids might be taking a little longer than you're comfortable with to step into their academic comfort zone. Maybe they're behind in school (math, reading, or even speaking) and you're starting to get worried? Or perhaps it's clear to you that they are intelligent, but they're having a really hard time expressing that innate cleverness? Well, it's you I want to pray for today. I want to ask God on your behalf to increase your child's brainpower, increase their capacity to retain and process information, and bless them with the ability to freely and clearly express all He has placed in them. PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“God, your word says in the book of Ecclesiastes 2:26 that you give wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please you. And then in James 1:5, you say again that, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”Lord Jesus, I ask on behalf of my children that you would fill them to the full with your knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in every aspect of life. Bless them with a mind that is able to distinguish between foolish and wise choices, and the willingness to follow through on wise decisions. Bless my children with a sharp and brilliant mind and help them reach every developmental milestone they need to reach at the right time. Wherever they might be lacking academically, replenish them in abundance with your wisdom. Grant their minds the capacity to retain all the information they're learning and the ability to process it in a way that makes sense to all whom they express it to. Father in heaven, Help my children quickly and easily identify the areas of giftedness you've blessed them with and grant them a godly tenacity in refining and perfecting those gifts. Help them excel in all they set their hands and mind to do. In their areas of giftedness, help them increase in their skillful use of it and make them influencers of culture in their generation. Grant them many opportunities for them to put to great use all they are learning, and bring them into contact with brilliant and caring friends who will challenge them and bring out the best in them. May their learning be marked with joy, and help us as parents discern how to develop and foster the abilities and talents you endowed them with. Lord God of all wisdom and knowledge, bless my children with understanding all the days of their life.In Jesus name I pray.”DOWNLOAD WEEK 6: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEET Hey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you same time next week!

When each of my kids were born, I had specific things I prayed God would do in each of their lives. Call it Dad-instincts or Holy Spirit inspiration, I'm not sure, but I asked God to use each of them in very specific ways in their generation. For my daughter, I prayed that God would bless her with a confidence rooted in His love for her that would stir others to action. I wanted her to have a strength and beauty that wasn't just external, but an intellectual depth and a godly fierceness that would make her influential in her generation. Interestingly, I've observed God honoring the prayers I prayed for each of them. My gorgeous little princess, even at the age of three has enough confidence, spunk and emotional intelligence to last two lifetimes!I praise God for this because I know that she will be growing up in a culture that is saturated with digitally altered images of impossibly thin women who bare no semblance to reality. A culture that unfortunately measures a woman's value, not by what she knows, but what she's willing to show on her social media account. If you're a dad to a girl, I'm willing to bet that concern has crossed your mind a few times. So today, today, Dads, I want to pray for our daughters. PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Father in heaven your words says in Psalm 28:7 that you are our strength and our shield and we will trust you with all our hearts. So, Jesus, be my daughter' strength. Bless her with great confidence that is deeply rooted in your love for her and not just in what she looks like or what she wears. Grant her an unshakeable faith in you and let her confidence inspire others to live for you.Jesus, also bless my daughter with peace and confidence in the physical beauty You have gifted her with. Grant her a healthy Biblical view of her body and her sexuality. Help her to fully embrace the unique qualities you have blessed her with. When she looks in the mirror each morning, help her recognize that she is fearfully and wonderfully made by You, and that Your works are wonderful! Your word says in Psalm 28:7 that because you are her helper, her heart will be filled with joy and she will burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would open the eyes of my daughter's heart so that she will always sense your presence with her. Fill her life with your joy so that it becomes contagious to her friends. Fill her life with your Holy Spirit and your wisdom so that she becomes influential in her generation and leads many closer to Jesus Christ. Fill her with songs of thanksgiving so that no matter what circumstance she finds herself in, your praises will always be on her lips.Grant my daughter clarity in her calling in life. May she discover early in life her passion and the purpose for which you have put her on this earth. Give her creativity and insight so she may know a hundred and one ways in which she can express all you have placed in her. Bless her with a fearlessness in pursuing the ambitions and dreams You have planted in her heart and through it all, may she always give you praise for all her successes in life. Use her mightily in her generation. In all that she does, may many observe and give You praise for the wondrous works You are doing through her. Bless her life, and may your joy be her strength all the days of her life, in Jesus name I pray. Amen.”DOWNLOAD WEEK 5: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEET Hey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you same time next week!

I grew up in a household with a strong religious mother and an even stronger grandmother. My dad was not a man of faith, but he never kept us from following in the footsteps of my mom. In fact, he encouraged it. But I do recall that when I was growing up, my faith felt more like a burdenthan a relationship with God.Church was a duty we had to get up for every Sunday morning way earlier than any human should me made to wake up on a weekend. Though I enjoyed the musical segments of our Church services, the rest of it was way over my head, except for when they would talk about the fires of hell.Then, I paid attention! I lived in constant fear of hell because I was a bad kid with a track record of some really dumb decisions, and from what I was able to discern in all the teachings in Church, hell was where bad kids ended up. It wasn't till Junior High school that I began to wrap my head around the idea that Christianity wasn't about having fire insurance, but about a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.So, as a dad with 3 inquisitive kids with an ever growing list of questions about spiritual matters, it's important to me that I frame their understanding of Christianity in the context of what God already did for them when He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for their sin.I hope this next statement is true as true for you as it is for me as a dad - my greatest desire for each of my kids is that they would someday choose to trust in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their life. I hope and pray that their relationship with Jesus is not just a Sunday-morning faith or one borne out of obligation, but a thriving relationship where they know and experience His presence and power in their lives. So, it's this prayer that I want to pray for you and your kids today. PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Lord God in heaven, thank you for creating us in your image and for blessing us with the means to be able talk back to you. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ to die for the sin of the world, including ours. And thank you for providing a way through faith in Jesus Christ to have a joyful relationship with you.I confess that my children and I have sinned and failed to live up to the holiness you demand of us. I ask today that you would forgive us for all our sins. Remove from us our sins and separate it from us as far as the east is from the west. O God, you say in the Bible that no one can come to you unless your first draw them near by your Holy Spirit, so I pray that you would draw each of my children close to you. Jesus, grant my children the gift of eternal life and write their names in your Book of Life. Win over their hearts so that they know you not only as Savior of their life, but as the Lord and King of their lives.Jesus, bless them with a joyful relationship with you, not one borne out of fear or obligation. May their lives be constantly marked by the joy of the Lord and may their relationship with you take center stage above all other relationships in their lives so that they truly grow to love you with all their hearts, all their minds, and all their body.Help them by the power of your Holy Spirit to live each day with the knowledge that they are saved by your loving grace and not their efforts to keep being good. Remind them daily by your Spirit and through the scriptures that they can always approach your throne of grace because of what Jesus has already done for them on the cross!May their confidence in your salvation free them to live for you and to be bold witnesses of the grace they have received. Thank you for loving them so dearly and for the gift of eternal life, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!”DOWNLOAD WEEK 4: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEETHey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you same time next week!

I saw this meme online a few weeks ago that made me laugh out loud for a good minute. It was a picture of Jesus and His disciples and the caption read, “How come no one ever talks about the miracle of Jesus having 12 close friends in His 30s?!”Ain' that the truth? I got a kick out of it because if you're past the age of 40, chances are, you can probably count on a few fingers the number of people in your life you would call, “close friends.”I recall the years before college when I had a crew of about 7 guys I hung out with almost daily. Now, I have to plan a babysitter weeks in advance, check my calendar with my wife to make sure we have no family activities planned, and ensure none of my binge-worthy Netflix shows has released a new season before I can get some dude-time with ONE friend!My kids on the other hand become best friends with pretty much everyone they meet. My oldest son is such an extrovert that I once overheard him scheduling a play date with someone I'm pretty sure he'd only met once, without checking in with me or the kid's parent. My other boy, however, is somewhat of an introvert who prefers to march to the beat of his own drum. Honest dad-moment here. I had a conversation with him a little while back that broke my heart for him. I was telling him about a new after-school activity we were about to sign him up for and he said, “Dad, can you also sign me up for some friends because no one really plays with me at school.”Man, it felt like someone had just stepped on my heart. I wanted to go to his school and tell all the five year olds there how great and funny, and how kind a kid he was if only they would take the time to get to know him! But of course, I couldn't – so I hugged him tight and gave him some tips on how to BE the kind of good friend that attracts great friendships. Then I prayed for him the prayer I'm about to pray for your kids should you ever find your children in a similar situation.I don't know about you, but I want my kids to have great friendships, the kind of long-term friendships that will continue into their teens, through college, and into their 30s and 40s. So, that's what we're going to pray for today, that God would bless our kids with great lifelong friendships. PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Father in heaven, I pray that you would bless our kids with good friendships. Help them come into contact with friends who share their passions, likes, and even dislikes. Bless them with kind friends they can do life with, friends who will mutually encourage each other and bring out the best in one another. Grant our kids a best friend who will stay close to them like a brother (or sister), a friend they can grow with all through their life.Bless them with friends who will be strong when they are weak, honest and loving when they need to hear truth, and kindhearted when life gets hard. Jesus, teach our children how to be good friends to the kids already in their lives and make them a great source of encouragement to others. Help them always think of creative ways they can love and serve each other with love and genuine affection. Bless our kids with a spirit of friendliness so that they can present themselves in such a way that others find warm and welcoming.Lord Jesus, protect our children from ungodly influences who may lead them away from you and into trouble. Grant our children the godly resolve to resist the temptations of foolish friends who might try to lead them away from your calling on their life. Protect them from bullies who might try to take advantage of them and send strong friends their way who will stand up for them when they feel alone.Teach us as parents how to make friends with other parents whose kids will love and share life with our kids. Help us demonstrate well what a good friend does by loving and caring for the friends already in my life.Thank you, Jesus for not only being our Lord, Savior, but also our friend. Help us love others as you have loved us, in Jesus name. Amen.”DOWNLOAD week 3: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEETHey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you same time next week!

Let's start off with a little math. If I gave you $10 for every time you have had to tell one of your kids, “You have to share!”, how much would you have?I don't know about you, but if I were to count just the last 6 months, I'd have enough cash to hire a sitter and take my wife out for a night out in the city (Post-quarantine, of course).Generosity doesn't come naturally to most kids. High on the list of first words many of them learn without being taught, is the word, “MINE!” At one of the daycares we used to take my kids to, there was a poster on the wall with a poem that I thought hilarious. It was titled, “10 TODDLER RULES” by an unknown author. It's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, and from the perspective of the toddler. It goes thus: If I want it, it's mine.If it's in my hand, it's mine.If I can take it away from you, it's mine.If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.If it just looks like mine, it's mine.If I think it's mine, it's mine.If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine.Once it's mine it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what!Some of you dads just had this conversation with your kids! Unless you're among that one percent with a kid or kids who like to give everything away, literally everything, even your stuff without asking your permission (those kids do exist believe it or not); unless you're them, most of us just desperately want our kids to be more generous and to learn to share with others, especially with their siblings.Generosity and sharing is a great Biblical value to instill in our kids, because there is nothing more Christlike than having a generous spirit. So, dads, that's what we will be praying for our kids today, that God would bless them with a generous sharing heart. PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Lord God, your word says in Proverbs 11:24-25 that big-hearted person who gives generously will increase what he has, and the one who withholds and is stingy will lose even what they have. Lord, Jesus, teach my children to have 
a generous spirit. Grant them a caring heart that shares willingly, a heart that joyfully looks out for the good of others. Bless them with this same heart attitude toward their siblings. Help them comprehend early in life that it is truly more rewarding to give than to stockpile all that they have. Help them understand that all that they have been blessed with is a gift from you, and that even the most expensive things in this world like gold, silver, and diamonds all belong first and foremost to you! Help them understand your truth that someday they will need to give you a report for how generous they were with all that you gave them, and may that knowledge transform them into responsible and generous children. Lord, God help my children see just how generous a God you are and give them a deep appreciation for the precious gifts you have already given us; Gifts like a beautiful sunny day and the snow that falls from the sky; for gifts like the air we breathe and the beautiful animals in the ocean, and for the most precious and most generous gift of all – sending your son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins on the cross.Thank you so much, God! Help us and teach us to be as generous as you have been to us. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”DOWNLOAD WEEK 2: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEETHey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to your feedback, and any insights you might have about what we should pray for next. If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you next time!

Several nights ago, I put my kids to bed following a routine which involved storytelling, praying, them-waking-up-again, me threatening their lives, 3 hugs, 100 high fives and 29 fist bumps. When they eventually settled down, I headed downstairs to catch some TV before going to sleep. Yeah, right.Within 10 minutes, I began to hear a groan. It wasn't quite crying. It was more of a drawn out sob. I actually muted the TV to hear it clearly and quickly figured out it was my middle child crying out my name. This wasn't completely unusual. If you have little kids, you know that when bedtime comes around, children suddenly morph into dehydrated philosophers. They either want one more cup of water or they want to ask you some ponderous questions they didn't think to ask 30 minutes before you put them to bed.On this night though, my boy didn't want anything. Instead he was he was full on frightened of something. He had his hands over his ears and was wailing about not being able to sleep because of “the monsters.” I was all set to burst into prayer warrior mode and rebuke some invisible things in Jesus name, but decided to dig a little more first. As we talked it through, it turns out it was something he had watched on one of his shows that kept replaying in his mind. It had to do with a cartoon 3-legged monster with one eye that he just couldn't get out of his mind. Thank you, Disney! He was full on frightened of something. “I was all set to burst into prayer warrior mode and rebuke some invisible things in Jesus name, but decided to dig a little more first.” So, of course I laid next to him, cuddled him, and prayed with him that God would fill him with courage and be a shield around him. Within a few minutes, he informed me that he was better and I could now leave his room. If you're a dad, you've probably had some variation of this. Sometimes, what your children fear isn't real, like monsters in their closet, under their bed, or their night lamp that looks like Godzilla's eyes. Other times, what they fear is real - like sliding down a swing, spiders, or clowns.As they get older, those fears might evolve into bigger things like the fear of being around large crowds, that big kid at school, failing at a job or not finding a date for prom. It looks different for each kid. As a father (like you), I want my kids to be strong and courageous in the face of any adversity or anything they might face, be it real or imagined, no matter if they're 8 or 28 years old. And it's that strength and courage we are going to pray for this week! Today's prayer is based on Joshua 1:9. In that account, prior to several battles, God tells the young military general to be “strong and courageous”. This instruction is actually repeated a few times in the book of Joshua, which tells me that even as tough and rugged as Joshua was, the dude was probably afraid on those occasions and had plenty of reasons NOT to be strong and courageous. Hence, God's continual encouragement to him. So, let's pray for our kids now. PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Lord Jesus, you tell us in the book of Joshua, chapter one, verse nine, that, we are to be strong and courageous, that we should not be afraid or discouraged, for you, O God are with us wherever we go.So, today, I pray that you would make our children strong and courageous. If there is anything in their life that terrifies them or makes them afraid, I pray that you would give them the courage to face it fearlessly. Your word says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” So, I pray you would bless our kids with a confidence that is deeply rooted in Your love for them. Show our children how strong and powerful you are. Help them see and know that there is nothing that can stand up against you, and because you love them so much, you will always protect them and watch over them. Teach them to trust in you and to call on you when they find themselves in a tough situation.Father in heaven, when we as dads are not present to watch over our children to protect them, I pray that you would be their protector and their guide. I pray that you would keep them from being bullied or taken advantage of. Grant our children godly wisdom and understanding so they can navigate those difficult relationships where they might face peer pressure. Lord, help them courageously stand up for what is right even when they feel intimidated, and help them be lovingly protective of their siblings. Lord God, you remind us in Joshua 1:9 that you will be with us wherever we go, so I pray that you would be present even now with our children. Bless them with your courage and confidence, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!”DOWNLOAD WEEK 1: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEETHey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today's blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!If you're REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in. Catch you same time next week!

My prayer life used to be boring. Then I had kids! If you're a parent, you've probably cried out a few foxhole prayers in your day. Whether it was the time your kid stuck their hand in that dangerous thing you warned them a million times not to touch (and you thought they were going to die), or ate that thing you're pretty sure was a baby-alien (and you were sure they were going to die), or that time they fell at the park and you realized children bleed like that scene in the movie, “Carrie” (but they didn't die)!After a few years, though, my prayers became predictable as I pretty much stuck to praying the same things, the same way, in the same tone for my kids each day.God, protect them.God, shield them.God, save them.God, don't let them kill each other.God, don't let me kill them today!These, of course aren't bad prayers, but in the words of my rather wise 5 year old at the time who picked up on my repetitive prayer pattern, “Dad, you do know that God can do other things too, right?” Ah, bless him.Soooo, I came up with 10 “other” things to pray for our little ones, especially after speaking to a dozen other dads and realized that their prayer lives lacked imagination too. For that reason, I've put together this 10-week prayer series for dads. Relax, it's not like a school course or anything close to that. I''m simply one dad, helping other busy dads like you craft Biblical prayers that impact your kid's lives. I am convinced that the greatest impact a father can have on his children's lives is his prayer life. That's because OUR prayers train our kids to place their burdens and desires at the feet of their loving Father in heaven, who is more than capable of meeting every single need they will ever have.You and I will never be the perfect dads (mostly because we're human), but boy, we can sure be a praying dads! And quite honestly, we don't know when this whole quarantine thingy will end, so if you're going to be working from home, I figure you're going to need all the prayers you can get!!HOW DOES IT WORK?On Monday mornings over the next 10 weeks, I will release one new blog post with a dad-themed prayer for our kids. Each week will cover an aspect of parenting you will most certainly face as a father (courage, heartache, making friends or lack thereof, confidence, etc). Each blog post will include a short intro story and one short prayer you can pray for your kids each day through the week. I'll also include an audio version of each blog post incase you only have time to listen to it on the go. Each post will also come with a (PDF) PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEET so you can track how God is working through your prayers in the life of your kids. FULL DISCLOSURE: The audio was recorded about a year ago when I envisioned this series as a podcast. But life happened, and now, it's a blog series. HOW WILL I KNOW IF THESE PRAYERS WORK?The prayers are NOT magic formulas. Allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit of God as you pray each day. You can pray along with exactly what I write or you can expand on each prayer as the specific needs of your kids come to mind. You can also keep track of how God is working in your kids lives by downloading and working through the (PDF) PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEET.When you do pray, ask in faith believing that God heard you. God is more eager to hear and respond to your prayers than you are willing to ask. Jesus said in Matthew 7:9-11, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” You can pray the prayers out loud with your kids next to you, or pray it for them on your own time. You can listen to the audio version in your car and have your kids listen along or you can use it as an idea generator for how to pray. If you have a son and the week's prayer is for a girl, feel free to make the adjustment to fit their gender. Either way you use it, my hope and prayer is that this series will end up being a spiritual blessing to your family! So, I invite you to journey with me through this 10-week prayer series as we make a lasting spiritual impact on our kids through prayer.As a gift to you for your willingness to join me in this series, I am making available FOR FREE a downloadable copy on an eBook I authored, #DADLIFE: 31 Powerful Prayers To Help Dads Fight For The Heart Of Their Little Dudes And Little Sunshines. DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY HEREMay God watch over you and your family as you come on this 10-week prayer journey with me! Thanks again for checking it out. Please feel free to leave a comment below to let me know some future topics that I could pray for, or share this blog post on your social media page with a dad! God bless you and keep rocking at being dad!

We all have our idea of what the ideal Church looks like. The question is, how does it compare to the Church Jesus' version?

It is quite possible to become so loving and tolerant of everything and everyone that you eventually leave endanger your life and community.

It's never easy, but when there's toxicity in a friendship, things need to come to an abrupt end!

You may someday have to prove faithful (to Jesus), even to the point of death. Here's how to get through that moment.

It sometimes feels like every other parent is doing it right, or at least better than you are. What you don't know, however, is that they are all thinking the same thing about you!

What does Jesus see when He looks beyond your glossy profile picture?

Jesus may be a lot more terryfyingly awesome than you realize.

It sometimes feels like every other parent is doing it right, or at least better than you are. What you don't know, however, is that they are all thinking the same thing about you!

There is a time for war, and there is a time to party. Do it right!

When God has done His part, WE HAVE TO MOVE!

You have great ideas, but you have to go through some people to get noticed. Here's how.

It's impossible for God to forget because He's eternally brilliant. So why in the world does the Bible sometimes say, "...and God remembered."?

Might there be a promise you're trusting God for, of which He would say, “What are YOU doing to prepare yourself to receive this?”

There comes a time when you may just need to get all up in somebody else's business!

There comes a time in every life when all hell breaks loose. One day, all is calm and chill, but by 7 pm that same day, you feel like you've just been inhaled into life's back draft! Where do you go from there?

Your physical looks (or talent) may open some doors for you, but it will take a lot more than "hotness" to sustain you where you're going!

Sometimes, God does His best work behind the scenes in the silence.