Go Beyond

Earlier this year, I started a core group especially for fathers interested in becoming better dads and champions to their sons. We call ourselves the Band of Fathers. Our objective is to grow in our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our sons through shared study, shared mission, and shared adventure. We believe that all three of these elements are important in building strong relationships with our sons.

We recently had our second shared mission initiative since starting our group. Our team of fathers and sons did some landscaping work for Cathy, a sweet lady in Brookshire who is battling cancer. The heavy rains we experienced in Texas in June flooded Cathy’s home more than once, creating lots of additional problems for her.

Working with our partners at Manna House in Brookshire, we changed the slope of Cathy’s yard, added some drains, and then spread 15 yards of crushed granite to make the area maintenance free. These improvements should keep Cathy’s home from flooding again should we get more heavy rains. Cathy was beyond grateful.

What I loved best about our shared mission initiative was seeing fathers and sons work shoulder-to-shoulder to address a need. After meeting Cathy, our guys shoveled and spread lots of crushed granite in the heat. From youngest to oldest, everybody worked hard. And when we were done, we all walked away with more than the satisfaction of meeting Cathy’s need. We walked away knowing we had made a new memory of serving together as fathers and sons.

The task of strengthening relationships between fathers and sons requires more than spending time in shared study and talking about father-son stuff. We believe that serving others and sharing adventures together adds key elements in to the mix. Serving others puts us in a context where we can guide and encourage our sons to love others in practical and measurable ways. And, our shared adventures give us the opportunity to do hard things together in the great outdoors.

I am grateful for my Band of Fathers and the opportunity to learn from them, serve with them, and grow with them. Later this week I am headed to Alaska with another group of men from Kingsland to experience shared mission and shared adventure with them. God is indeed raising up the Men of Kingsland to love Him and to serve others well. I invite you to learn more about our Men of Kingsland ministry and join us on the adventure of a lifetime.