Faith, fatherhood, and doing the right things (even when nobody is watching) in life. Rebuilding strength, raising good men, and standing for truth.
Middle Tennessee
Joined July 2008
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A lot of men ask what it means to live a life of integrity in a world that constantly pressures you to compromise.
To me, it comes down to one core standard: unfailingly doing the right thing: the big things, the small things, and especially the things when nobody is watching.
Over the last several years, life has tested that standard in ways I never expected. I’m a 57-year-old professional writer, Army combat medic veteran, a devout Christian, and a single father raising two young boys (14 and 12). My oldest son, Cash, is non-verbal Autistic, and being his primary caregiver has been one of the greatest honors and humbling teachers of my life.
I’ve walked through the fire of losing a 24-year marriage and leaving behind the life (and my beloved farm) that we built. But through faith, heavy lifting, and daily discipline, I came out the other side not broken, but stronger, sharper, and more grounded as a father.
I want to start using this account to share real, hard-earned lessons for men—young and old—on:
• Raising sons to be men of honor and duty
• Standing firm in your faith when the storm hits
• Rebuilding physical and spiritual strength after loss
• Leading your family courageously, even when the culture demands compliance
We don't complain. We don't make excuses. We stand up. We build.
If you're a man striving to hold the line for your family and live with quiet strength, you’re in the right place. Glad to have you here.
Challenging day. So I drove to across the border into Alabama to a course where I go when I need to talk to God and find some peace.
Disc in hand. Cross on my chest. Quiet enough to hear Him again.
Grateful for places that still remind me who I am when the day tries to take that from me.
Where do you go when you need to talk to Him?
#Faith #DiscGolf #Philippians413
I only met my dad once, for about 30 minutes, when I was 16. I had lots of reasons to hate that man. But I forgave him for abandoning my mom and his 5 kids.
Forgiveness is how faith shows up in a family. I hope to model that steady faithfulness for my own sons.
#Forgiveness #Fatherhood
Young Men; Learn to forgive your fathers and be there for them regardless of what happened.
My father went into exile for 20 years and left me when I was just 8 yrs old.(Long story).
Two years ago, we got him back from JUBA S.Sudan and reunited with him without any judgement. Meanwhile, in Juba, I found him in a church ministering as a Pastor🤝😪
I was given the best welcome ever by the church members (most of whom were Baganda) and I was blessed to travel along with Dad back home😪🥰.
I side with the wife on this one.
I understand honoring an aging parent, but the Bible is clear on a man's responsibility to his wife.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” ~ Genesis 2:24:
Jesus affirms this in Matthew 19:4–6
I know firsthand what it's like when people decide from the outside who's "fit" to raise a child with challenges.
The world may measure fitness by height or ability, but a child measures it by presence, and that man is right there bouncing on the bed with his daughter. Good job, dad!
#Fatherhood #SpecialNeedsParenting
Something that I'm struggling with this morning, which I read on LinkedIn (from a Microsoft employee wrestling with yesterday's 60k layoff news) between heavy deadlifts sets:
What has staying cost you that never shows up on the pay stub?
When did you last feel arrested on a Sunday night?
What have you been saving for "after"?
These are some questions I need to resolve soon.
Feeling especially grateful this morning.
How can you intentionally practice gratitude in your daily life, especially during challenging moments? 🙏✝️
Psalm 107:28–30
"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven."
A fresh week isn't a clean slate, it's another chance to be faithful in small things. Get to the gym, keep the routine, keep your word, and trust God with the rest.
What's the one small thing you'll be faithful to this week, whether or not anybody notices?
#MondayMotivation
Every night I pray over my two boys by name. One of them may never be able to tell me what he's going through, so I bring it to the One who already knows. A father's knees are his strongest position.
NEVER underestimate what happens when a mother or father gets on their knees and prays for their child. 🙏❤️ ⤵️
You may not be able to protect your child from every hardship. You cannot make every decision for them, change their heart, or choose the path they will take. But there is something you can always do, no matter how old they get.
You can bring them before God in prayer.
And that is never a waste of time.
St. Padre Pio is often credited with these beautiful words:
"When parents pray for their children, God hears them, angels move, and great things happen. Pray with faith, and do not worry."
Sometimes, you pray for your child for years and see nothing change. You wonder if God is listening. You wonder if your prayers are making any difference.
But just because you cannot see God working does not mean He is silent.
Every prayer is heard. Every tear matters to Him. And no child is ever beyond the reach of His mercy.
Scripture reminds us that "the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects." (James 5:16)
So keep praying for your children, even when they seem far from God. Pray for their protection, their healing, their future, and most of all, their salvation.
You may not always be able to hold their hand, but you can always entrust them to the hands of Jesus.
❤️ If God offered you ONE blessing for your child today, would you ask for health, happiness, success, protection, or a heart that never turns away from Him?
This is one of the dumbest penalties I've ever seen called. And just one more reason I quit watching the NFL more than 10 years ago. It's devolved into a nearly unwatchable product.
X money cashback day!
Woot Woot!
I'm just going to start rolling these back into my son's Trump account until we max out for the year.
Starting over at 57 after 24 years of marriage taught me that forgiveness isn't a single moment, it's a choice you keep making, mostly so my sons see what a man does with hurt; how he gets back up with grace and strength.
#Forgiveness #Faith #Fatherhood
🚨Erika Kirk talks about raw grief and the example she is setting for her children.
Clip: @chicksonright
That walk is what fatherhood and manhood looks like. No yelling, just 'get your shoes.' Some boys have never had a man care enough to correct them.
#Fatherhood #RaisingBoys #Respect
My 13 year old has a friend over and I told them to please quiet down because the baby is sleeping and he (friend) told me to shut up?? My kids all froze and my son looked at him like wtf?? And my husband who was on a call in his office was like, "Joe, I need to call you back." They're now on a walk discussing respect, kid was still smirking until my husband walked out and told him to get his shoes because they were going to go have a talk. Weird afternoon.
Jesus was a Father - and he knew that using his authority to protect his spiritual flock was par of the job description.
The same is true for fathers in their homes.
Brothers, God has given you authority to lead and to protect, and the world is sometimes going to demonize you for using it.
Here's my advice for you: don't ever clap along with the spirt of this age. Be OK standing out, be OK saying no; create boundaries around people you love.
In short, be a man. 🙏💪
When we talk about being like Jesus and what would Jesus do, so often people mean "be nice, don't rock the boat."
Brothers, listen: Jesus wasn't nice. He wasn't docile. He knew His authority. He used it. Jesus was love and love isn't always nice.
He loved the sinner, but as part of that, he called sin a sin.
He was clear about mercy and welcoming the world. and also clear about excluding people who openly rejected Him.
Luke 13:23–30
I have a theory that X money has (and will continue) to do more for spontaneous charity and giving than anything we've ever seen.
$1 here, $5 there - to people who need a quick helping hand, or even just as an acknowledgement of thanks and gratitude.
As an autism dad, I live in the gap between explaining my son and making excuses for him every day.
Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” For me as an autism dad, that verse reminds me to be patience and to stay with my son when the world reads him as lazy or defiant, without sliding into “oh well, he can’t help it.”
#Autism #AutismDad #SpecialNeedsParenting
