Commit a weekend to invest in the relationship with your son or daughter. You know how quick time gets by. There are only a few years left with them under your roof and their schedule is at least as busy as yours. Yet they still spell love T I M E – that is quantity time with you Dad.

You have heard my reference to the jar of 936 marbles. I like to give new dads a jar of marbles when Mom and baby come home from the hospital. There are 936 weekends between birth and age 18. Removing a marble each Sunday provides a visual of how quick time can get by. At age 15 there are only about 150 marbles left. Are you losing your marbles in a good way?

“He (Elijah) will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” – Malachi 4:6. This is Elijah calling you to invest quantity TIME with your kids. Intentionality to spend one-on-one time with each child routinely conveys your priorities to the next generation. Heart-turning becomes heart-connecting and hearts of the children will turn to their fathers. Some say we are already under His curse. What I hear is that we are in the midst of serious spiritual warfare – battles have been lost and the devil has notched up a number of victories but the war is ongoing. The call is for dads, biological and spiritual fathers to stand firm on the fathering front. Invest the TIME to stay connected relationally and be a Kingdom victor on the battlefront that is your home.

Faithful Fathering has two ‘open’ retreats this fall for dads with teenagers – a father-son Adventures for Life weekend November 30 – December 2nd; and a father-daughter Being There weekend December 28–30. Commit a weekend to invest quantity time that will yield quality results in relationship with your son or daughter. Click on faithfulfathering.org/connect1 and scroll down on that page to view these opportunities.

Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and Your example. I confess I spent too many years thinking I was a good dad because I provided for the family financially and stayed away from the alcohol. Forgive me Lord. You expect much more from me than just being an ‘overcomer dad’. You call me to be Your representative in family and be engaged in raising the children You blessed me with. Please let the heart-turning begin this day and help me commit the quantity TIME needed to realize quality results relationally with my wife and kids. Amen.

A faithful father commits quantity TIME to realize quality results in relationships.