kids | Heartstone Journey

Can One Person Make a Difference?

Being Fall in New Hampshire, I spent most of the day in the yard blowing leaves into the woods and winterizing my summer equipment. As late afternoon approached and the daylight started retreating, I decided to call it quits and head in to grab something to eat and watch some TV. Of course I couldn’t find anything of interest to watch on my hundred channel cable listing, so decided to see what was on On-Demand.

Was all caught up on my favorite shows, so decided to check out what was on HBO. At first nothing caught my eye until I say McFarland USA and after a quick trip over to IMDb to see what this movie was about, I decided to watch it. McFarland, USA is based on a true story and an inspiring sports drama starring Kevin Costner about an unlikely group of high-school runners competing in 1987 California.

Kevin Costner plays Jim White, a high school football coach with a history of losing his temper coaching and getting fired. Because of his track record any new job opportunities become harder to get that he has no other choice to accept an assistant coaching position at a small town school in McFarland, California. Jim packs up and moves his whole family into the poor farming town of McFarland and soon regrets his decision. McFarland, which is predominantly Hispanic, was not the suburban neighborhood Jim wanted for his family, but his wife convinces him to stay and give it a go.

Every Young Woman’s Battle

As parents we all face that moment where we should have the conversation about sex with our kids. Remember if you’re not having the conversation with you’re kids, someone else is and the best place for a child to learn about sexuality is at home from those who care most about them. As a single dad, the conversation with my daughter was a bit more challenging. Where to begin that conversation was the tough part. Any single dad’s out there know what I’m talking about?

Struggling how to even approach the subject, someone recommended a book to me called, “Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World”. I read the book first and then gave a copy to my daughter to read when she started Junior High School. This article focuses on daughters, but there is a similar book for sons called, you guessed it, “Every Young Man’s Battle”.

Now, is this the silver bullet dad’s are looking for?

#011: Excellence In Fatherhood [Podcast]

Was honored to be a guest on “In It Together” with host Lori Lynn Greene (90.7 FM WLMW, Manchester, NH) for this weeks Business Beat live radio segment. Lori is the Principal Advancement Strategist at Alpha Advancement Strategies, a Board Certified Professional Life Coach, Advanced Life Coach, and Health & Wellness Coach. She is also a member in good standing with the American Association of Christian Counselors and the International Christian Coaching Association.

Join our conversation as we opened up with some of my personal story and discussing my book Heartstone. We went on to discuss the importance of men stepping up in their homes, becoming a strong father-figure and modeling excellent leadership in the household. Tune in to hear more.

https://soundcloud.com/lorilynngreene/09-11-2015-in-it-together-p3

We were not created to just survive, we were created to live courageously from our hearts!

Want more? You will find all the Heartstone Journey podcasts here.

How Becoming A Grandfather Gave Me A “Do Over”

I remember that day when I walked into the kitchen of her mom’s house and sat down across the table from my daughter. Looking into the her eyes there was an awkward silence, as she fought to stop the tears from welling up.

Not knowing what was coming next, my countenance drifted towards concern. She seemed overwhelmed with fear as her eyes were affixed on the floor. Still holding back her tears the words came…”Dad, I’m pregnant.”

Her mother sat beside me at the table as emotions broke the heavy silence. I sat there bewildered as a waterfall of thoughts rushed through my head like class 5 rapids. Half way through college and beginning her passage into adulthood…getting pregnant was not part of anyone’s five-year plan.

After a long silent pause, I collected my thoughts and shared my commitment to be there for her and the baby. I also reaffirmed to her that there was a Father in heaven who loves her unconditionally and a dad down here who does too.

On the ride home still trying to piece it all together, I reached out to my friend and mentor who gave me the comforting words I needed from Heaven’s throne. “Tim, this is part of God’s plan for your daughter’s life and He is with her. This baby will usher in the beginning of a new and joyful life for all who get to know her. As odd as this may sound, this baby is God’s lifeline to your daughter.”

Thankfully, through my good friend, my heavenly Father began to quiet my inner turmoil and the storm started to subside.

Roll the tape forward a bit…

Hey Dads, Get Your Head Out Of Your @$$ And Listen Up! [Series]

Planning and providing is part of a man’s leadership role in his home. Sadly many men often misplace their vision and focus on things such as; a house, car, boat, money, rising up the corporate ladder, guy stuff, fill in the blank ________.

Sound familiar?

One of the passions I have is reaching people who have lost themselves to prosperity, power, and position. Whether we know it or not guys, we all ask the basic question “do I have what it takes?” We want to know from our fathers that we have what it takes and when they’re not around or emotionally unavailable, this question often goes unanswered. So, what do we do? We pursue everything else for that validation. We don’t even look for it from God!

Because this question eluded me and I didn’t lean into God, I ended up pulling a Maverick — I crashed and burned! After a devastating “life shaking”, God got me off my “pity potty” and taught me how to man up — and He is coming for you!

As Christ comes out of the water, His Father speaks validation. His voice ripped away the religious drapery and the Father said, ‘Jesus, you are the real deal. You have what it takes.’ And this is right at the moment Christ is about to launch into his mission. When we show that image to men, they see that God will speak to them the same way. We are sons of God and He will validate us.

—John Eldredge

So for all the dads (or soon to be dads) out there here are 7 tips to get you thinking before it’s too late, so listen up.

Can One Person Make a Difference?

Every Young Woman’s Battle

#011: Excellence In Fatherhood [Podcast]

How Becoming A Grandfather Gave Me A “Do Over”

Hey Dads, Get Your Head Out Of Your @$$ And Listen Up! [Series]

Favorite Quotes

Cool Scripture

Never Out Of The Fight!

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