The Five Key Habits of Smart Dads

Long before I discovered Raising a Modern Day Knight principles or even knew about the term "Biblical Manhood", I was already feeling the need to be a better father to my kids and to use a principle-centered approach.

I picked up a copy of this book in those early days and loved it. The author outlines the very engaging metaphor of a car tire to drive home the principles he is imparting...and surprisingly those principles are not far from what I have subsequently picked up in many other fathering books.

This is an easy and worthwhile read that will leave you with many useful tips.

The Five Key Habits of Smart Dads
Author:	Paul Lewis
ISBN:	0310206677
Genre:	Religion & Spirituality/Christianity
Recommended:	Yes
Score:	8 out of 10

Familyman Ministries

We recently were given an RV by my folks and I am getting excited about the possibilities....especially as it relates to homeschooling. I made few Google searches and I stumbled on Todd Wilson's website. I was familiar with Todd's Family Man articles, but didn't know about the RV connection.

Anyway, his website is full of good stuff (not just RV related) "to remind dads of what's most important."

Check it out at:

Family Man Ministries

Father's Day

Here's a website to honor Father's Day.

Father's Day

Father's Day, 2007 Proclamation

It's official, Father's Day this year is on June 17th.

On Father's Day and throughout the year, we honor the men who have taken on the great joy and responsibility of fatherhood, and we celebrate their extraordinary impact and influence. All Americans are especially grateful to the many fathers who are serving their country as members of the Armed Forces, and we lift them and their loved ones up in prayer.

Proclamation by the President: Father's Day, 2007

When Does a Boy Become a Man?

Here's another good rites-of-passage article bemoaning the lack of them and suggesting the need for them. This author summarizes some ceremonies from other times/cultures and then draws the Christian line of demarcation from I Timothy 4: 12.

He elaborates with six admonitions that will help boys focus on attaining manhood:

• In Word
• In Conversation (defined as the manner of conducting oneself in the world)
• In Charity
• In Spirit
• In Faith
• In Purity

The article can be found in the Fundamental Perspective blog: When Does a Boy Become a Man?

Also, this seems to be linked to a Forming Leadership in Youth conference: FLY Conference

The Rebelution

Here's a cool website that the teenagers and adults in your family can enjoy together. The site was founded by the youngest two members of the Harris family (Joshua Harris is know for his "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" book).

Don't let the catchy, esoteric name and cutting-edge web style scare you away. The heart of this ministry is right on:

The word 'rebelution' is a combination of the words "rebellion" and "revolution." So it carries a sense of an uprising against social norms. But in this case, it's not a rebellion against God-established authority, but against the low expectations of our society. It's a refusal to be defined by our ungodly, rebellious culture....
And it's exciting, because the Rebelution has really become a type of counter-cultural youth movement among Christian young people from around the country, and even around the world, who are not only rejecting the lies and the corruption of media-saturated youth culture, but they're returning to biblical and historical levels of character and competence.

Check it out and look for upcoming conferences:

The Rebelution

Fatherfullness

I like this little term from a quote on the Fathers.com website:

Any review of the current public discussion on fathering, or any review of recent fathering literature, reveals that significant energy is focused on the negative aspects of fathering [and fatherlessness]. This leaves a void for a positive, proactive voice for father full ness - the benefits of father involvement in the lives of children.

May we be the kinds of fathers who can say of our children that they had a childhood of fatherfullness!

By the way, the FATHERS.COM website has a ton of articles and tips related to fatherhood.

The Seven Knightly Virtues

An exercise I have my boys go through after their 13th birthday ceremony is to define their own "Code of Conduct". Based on the concept that every man should have a personal code of conduct which he follows and drawing from many historical and modern sources, this has proven to be an enlightening experience.

Once source to draw on heavily is the medieval "Knightly Code of Virtue". This article from Chivalry Today outlines the common themes of knightly virtue by giving us the essential elements of today’s code of chivalry:

Courage, Justice, Mercy, Generosity, Faith, Nobility, & Hope

Passage to Manhood

Here's a well written, short article by Brad Bellmore from Salt Magazine (Salt is a network of Christian websites, "community sites", a Christian magazine, and Christian forums) expressing the frustration of one man in his passage to manhood, and ultimately his understanding of what it means:

Many men and boys in our culture face similar circumstances. How do they learn to be men and when does it happen? Our society usually doesn't notice the lack of these transitions until they do something wrong that proves they aren't the men they should be.

As Christians, we need to find a way to escort boys into manhood, rather than leaving them to stumble and flounder their way there.

Check it out at:

Salt Magazine: Passage to Manhood

Father's Love Letter

I was working on a father to daughter love letter and needed some inspiration. A quick Google search later and I stumbled on this great site which contains the ultimate Father's Love Letter.

Father's Love Letter is a compilation of bible verses from both the Old & New Testaments that are presented in the form of a love letter from God to the world.

Check it out and listen to the narration...very well done. Perhaps someone you know needs to receive this letter?

http://fathersloveletter.com/flltextenglish.html