Speaker 1 0:00

If you are the foundation of your family, you are the firm footing. They build their lives on. You carry a glorious burden and you never dream of laying it down. You carry it with joy and gratitude. You show up, even when you don't feel like it. You lead, serve, love and protect. You are a father. This is the dead word podcast where men are forged into elite husbands and fathers by learning what it takes to become harder to kill, easier to love and equipped to lead. Get ready to start building the only legacy that truly matters. Your family

Curt Storring 0:59

Welcome to the Dad.Work podcast. My name is Curt Storring, your host and the founder of downward. This is a doozy guys, I think there is something in here for a particular type of man, especially those who did not grow up with a father who bless them who affirmed them who was there in the way that you wanted him to be. And that is based on what I've seen in terms of my conversations. The guys have followed me the guys who listen to this podcast, the guys who work with us, that is one of the most obvious things that so many of us have in common is this lack of the blessing of our father. And Edie runs a ministry called the blessing of the Father. We had a call a couple weeks ago and it was absolutely mind blowing for me. So I wanted to have him on here and share his story his message because I think he's doing some of the most important work in the world right now. Edie Tandy McGlasson is the founder and executive director of the blessing of the Father ministries. He's a pastor at church planter evangelists best selling author, renowned conference and corporate event speaker and a five year veteran of the National Football League for the Giants, jets and rams, and has captured the hearts of audiences around the globe through the sharing of his personal story from the loss of his father before he was born, to playing in the NFL to be include this as a young dad to eventually meeting the father he always wanted. Most men wants to be a great father, but many never had a present loving father to show them how Ed's message gives hope to men that it's never too late for them to change their story. When that happens, communities and churches change, you can get Ed's book, the difference a father makes for free at the difference a father makes.com I highly, highly encourage you guys to get that book. It is one of those ones where you know, you hear a free book, it's usually like a lead magnet, someone trying to get you on an email list to sell you a bunch of other stuff. This was like the best free book I might have ever read. It's extremely actionable. It has some great parenting and relationship tips. And it's a great story as well. So that is the difference a father makes.com You can sign up to get that for free as well as a 15 minute coaching call with Edie if you want and guys, I'm just gonna say now you're gonna want to sign up for that. Because this guy has something special going on that I think you're gonna love. You can also find him on Instagram, Edie McGlasson, you can also find him on Twitter at McGlasson is the name you can find all those links, Dad.Work slash podcast. And we'll have all those links up and ready for you to go as well. But definitely suggest doing this. It's made a huge difference in my life, even after only a couple of weeks of talking to Ed. And so I was very excited to get him back on and we're going to talk all things about his story about the importance of a father the importance of a blessing of a father how to get that if you've never had it, how to receive that how to give it to your children if you've never gotten in the first place. And everything in between that goes along with that. And so guys, as usual, if you've been enjoying this, please leave us a review or a rating on Spotify or Apple podcasts. Join the free 10 Day elite dad challenge at Dad.Work slash challenge. And if you are ready to go all in on parenthood, on your marriage on your life to become an elite man husband, father and family leader. I want you to consider applying to join us inside the data brotherhood This is our elite group coaching program. It's a year long It'll change your life for sure. If you're interested in doing the work with me directly dad dot work slash apply. Thank you guys are listening. Here is my conversation with Edie Tandy McGlasson. Let's go. Guys, we're back for another episode of the downward podcast. And this is actually one of the ones that I am most excited about. Because I have just been blessed by the man we have with us. And it's only been a couple of weeks since you and I talked. So Edie, thank you so much for being here. I'm so grateful for the ministry you've got because I work with guys all the time, who are missing the love of a father the blessing of a father and I wonder if you could just start us off with what it is you do and why this is so important today.

Ed McGlasson 4:46

Well, you know, the reason that I do what I do is that I lost my dad. About a month before I was born. He was a fighter pilot. And so not having him in my story. I never got to Check out his aftershave there we got the walk like him there we got, you know, always wondered, What do you think about me, and the only thing I have from my dad were around my neck and it's actually his dog tags. And he took these off. The night before he was going to test is fury three jet out of Moffett airfield base in Northern California. He was reading his Bible, he circled something in his Bible, close his Bible looked at my mom with a strange look. Because, you know, she looked at him very carefully all the time. Because when your husband puts a rocket on his back and test a plane until it breaks, you know, she didn't know if she would how long he would live. She's pregnant with me. And imagine I took up every you know, millimeter shakes and My poor mom, and and she asked my dad, am I going to lose you? And so he said, Well, why would you say they said we have such a strange look on your face. Well, the next morning and Oh, dark 30 He got up at 5am went out, prepped for his mission of the day and it went 15 in the afternoon at about 400 miles an hour, losing altitude over the beaches of Monterey, California, had to make a split second decision to either bail out and save his life or to ride his plane in well, the dilemma Kurt was is Memorial Day weekend 1956. The beaches were filled with people. And so my dad hit his headset. Last words on Earth was this is November Papa ADA. NP was his callsign Ada was playing number, taking it in and he drove to the left hit Monterey Bay at a couple 100 miles an hour and was killed instantly. And I lost my dad he was out of my story. Because imagine that those are watching for some of you who lost your dad to where he's not around anymore. Some of you lost your dad because he's not been in your story. And so my mom remarried a a naval, another guy from the Naval Academy thought she choose a safer one and choose the guy that wanted to go to submarine school. And he's you know what? He was heroic. Dan McGlasson. My name is Edie Tandy McGlasson at Tandy was my birth father. It was his surname as well McGlasson with my stepdad. And so my stepdad gave me everything. He had everything. But he didn't get much from his father, except for working out playing football, being a Cajun and burning food. I don't know why they burn their food, but sort of flavor to them. When that eight to face sticks to the bottom of the pack. And like many dads, even dad listening, you know, right now imagine for a moment, you had this moment in your life, and you just had one of your best friends call you on the phone saying, Hey, I just got to spend the afternoon with your son. And I gotta tell you, he is an amazing young man, just like you. That's what I wanted as a dad growing up. But I started out my story, not having my dad in my story. You know, I struggled with, I didn't have any concept what the blessing was, because that wasn't part of our culture. I didn't understand the blessing of the father in the Bible, and how God you know, wants to step in and be in our story and be the father, at least be our second dad in our story, the ultimate father. And so I struggled in my life because there was some something I did learn and every man listening knows this is that we can intrinsically give something we don't have to our kids. Yeah. And so if you don't think you have what it takes, I mean, you can use all the bluster and all the motivation and pump yourself up and try to make yourself believe but when you don't have it at the core of who you are, that, that identity piece that piece to where you're not trying to rebrand yourself every day on social media, to start to maybe get some more likes more friends, some more exposure, right? Where you're so secure and who God's made you to be as a man, that the overflow of that relationship with Him pours through you into your kids every day and if you live that kind of life as a father, your kids will make demons tremble and not the other way around. So it's a grace. It's a, it's the what Ephesians talks about that, you know, Paul writes that blessing be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. I had no idea, you know, actually teaching and preaching for years. But I didn't discover that God really wanted to be my father, too, until I was 40 years old. And I know I'm doing a lot of talk in one direction here, but I love it. Please help me. I'll tell you the story that shifted it for me. I had, you know, three kids on the outside young dad, and I couldn't stop making fathering about me. If you're listening, you know, you know what that feels like? You're watching you know what that feels like. And it was always about me. I mean, vacations were about me wrestling, the man of God's got to go to the mountains of God and go red. Right? And, you know, I struggled with my kids I because they wanted me right. And I was still trying to arrive at 40. And I'm wearing a jersey that I wore out in the NFL, on this podcast, but this jersey didn't give me an identity. Because what if you get cut, or you lose your job or you get hurt, then who are you? And so I was a men's retreat that we hosted at our church. And my best friend and heaven, James Rau, who's one of the pound for pound, one of the most profound prophetic, powerful preachers that I've ever listened to. And he was my best friend at the time. And he just shared this story. But just simple story of King Saul, watching this kid as young David, come up from a hurtin shape. Here's the taunts of this seven or eight foot Goliath guy, and was calling everybody grasshoppers, and runs down into the valley picks up five stones, grabs one puts it in a sling runs towards the giant whips, it hits it right between the eyes, that, you know, Goliath, passes out, David runs over, picks up his 17 pound sword, and whacks his head off and lifts up that head. And, you know, I can seem like Mel, Mel Gibson. Right kind of a moment. Yeah, and King. So watching this, as his entire army is cowering because of Goliath, makes a statement. He said, whose son is this youth. In other words, and this would help me, I want to meet the father that raised a son like this. And when I heard that, and when I saw that in the Scripture, I can honestly say, I'm not that dad, and God, whatever you got to do in me, to make me that Father, I want to be I want one day, my sons and my daughters to rise up and stand against the giants of the day, with a sword in one hand, in the head of a giant and another. Yes, that was my first prayer where it's like, and it was just because you can become that father, unless you get honest that you are not that father. And I mean, you know, you might be listening right now saying, Gosh, man, this podcast, I didn't count on this starting out like this. But I know I want to all you got to do it was that simple prayer. This is just the beginning prayer of our time together to say, God, I want to be that kind of dad, and I'm going to stop making excuses. And God, I want you to do whatever you need to do in me so that I can become that kind of father. That one day, my friends, meet my children and say, Boy, you're an extraordinary man, son. You're an extraordinary woman, who was your father? And what did what did David say? I am the son of Jesse, the Bethel Amite.

Because that's what we'd want in that. I mean, that's, you know, as a father, you know, there's the crazy culture that's happening around us. The best offense, I'm an offensive player. I don't believe in defense, right? I used to block those guys. Either way. I want to score points, right. You know, I blocked out the nose guard unbelief. You know, he's my first game was against Mean Joe Greene. Right. I'm snapping the ball of the court. quarterbacks routes are all the fathers that are listening. And to make a block, that's what I do in our ministry, and to push unbelief out of the way and connect you, to who God's made you to be so that you can throw this passes to your kids score points. And when the ultimate game of manhood in that Serbia, a great father. Wow,

Curt Storring 15:25

incredible. It's so important today, I think I want to say more than ever, but not having lived through all of history, I'm not sure. But there's something today that seems as though so many men have a father sized hole in their hearts. And I thought that I needed to fill the father sized hole with anything that would fit in it. And many people turn to drinking and pornography and drugs and making money. But there's something that actually does fill that hole. And for me, it was God. And that blew my mind. Because I did not come from knowing God knowing anything about God. And yet here he is not only filling this hole, but like Psalm 23 says, My cup is overflowing now.

Ed McGlasson 16:10

There we go, baby. It's so beautiful, and

Curt Storring 16:13

what you are doing, I think, and maybe tell us a little bit more about the the action behind this. Because when you and I had a call you from whatever ability that God has given you, you were able to give literally the blessing of the father to me, and I gotta tell you, it's been like two weeks. So like, I shouldn't be able to say this. It's been a life changer. I want every man that I meet to have that. And because it was so like life changing, and that will change my children's lives. And that's why I wanted you want because who can speak to this? Who is speaking to the soul? Like, is there anything that you can say to the men listening to get that blessing of the Father to somehow start to either unleash some of that to block, as you say, but also to receive that because man, what a beautiful gift?

Ed McGlasson 17:08

Well, you know, it's, here's the cool thing about and I told you this after I prayed for you. So once you receive this in your life, you'll have this viewpoint because what God does is He moves you from just a man and a dad, to a spiritual father, and I wherever I go. I mean, I had a girl call me today about a publishing deal. I've never met her. She works for Amazon, talking about what my next book would be. I ministered to her, and prayed for her for the for God's blessing and life in her life. And she's shocked, absolutely shocked by the love of the Father because we've been made for the love of the Father in our life. And it's supposed to start with our dad. And he thieves a great debt. That's a tremendous bonus. But he didn't end with our good father. God ultimately wants to bless us the same way he blessed his son Jesus. Matter of fact, Jesus said this of his own life, the Son of Man referring to him can do nothing on his own. Oh, by the way, when he uses the term Son of man, when he was asked every time he said that, the religious crowd got in an uproar. Because when they saw the fourth person in the furnace was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. one like the Son of Man. Their question is, who is that guy? Who is the Son of Man that's, that's the Messiah. Right? And suddenly Jesus said, you know, the son of man can do nothing on his own. So here's Jesus who create he's co creator of the of the world, right with the Father and all the Spirit, who makes made the statement that just floored me can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees his father doing. The sun does likewise, for the Father Himself, loves the sun and shows him all these time. And I remember reading that I went, Jesus came to live the perfect warrior man story that there would ever be. But his sweet spot for doing that was that in the demons, He cast out, the people he healed, the messages he preached, that all flowed from the purposes that the Father had for him. But the ultimate purpose for Jesus was just to be the Son of God. And when I read and when I'm looking at this and realize I needed this, I came across Matthew, and the baptism of Jesus and when Jesus comes out of the water it John the Baptist is but I think him the audible voice is of the Heavenly Father speaks over Jesus. Not only that the Holy Spirit himself manifests and falls on him like a dove, John the Baptist is witnessing, and Time and Place coming out of that river, the manifestation of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And when I read that I read this, he named his son, This is My beloved Son in whom I love, this is my, the word there is a God impetus, right? The agape love, upon a life, the love and favor of the Father, on the life of a son, I love it. The Message says, This is my son, marked by my love, the focus of mine delight. Imagine having a father like that in your life. Everybody listening, going, boy, yeah, I want that. Christ came to naturally die in the cross in our place so that we can be forgiven and receive His mercy. He also died in our place to pay for the rights of our adoption. So the father could adopt us into His family, and raise us to be sons and daughters, beloved sons and daughters. And when I read that, I was how do I get

Curt Storring 21:30

that? Yes, exactly.

Ed McGlasson 21:32

How do I how do I get that for me, because my, my stepdad loved me, but didn't know how to bless me, my birth father was gone. And so how do I get this and I was, you know, struggling, I mean, I, and you don't, you don't change in your life until you, you know, that first step of having this honest evaluation of where you are as a man, and, and I was, I was really hurting my family. And I loved them. But it was all about football and training and perfect food, and did the world record in the benchpress. I mean, I did all this crazy stuff, right? All in my attempts to kind of prove myself to God had an academy Jesus and, and college and through just miraculous healing, I come to Christ and, and I mean, I, you know, I was just all in leading everyone to Christ that I could all the time because a way did for me. But I didn't know how to face my daughter, Kurt. My, you know, three year old daughter walks in and goes, Daddy, hold me and I'm like, I've been trained to pass block. Okay. She was intimidating me. Right? You would grab my face watching TV, you know, and it was like, you know, daddy, and so I struggled. And I did not have to deal with my wife. Right? And it wasn't that I didn't love them. It's that I never had a model. You might be listening today and going for me to man. I mean, how many times a year dad come up to you, as a young man saying that? Here's the three things I've learned to do with your mom that keeps her heart open an entire marriage.

Curt Storring 23:24

Imagine at least zero.

Ed McGlasson 23:27

Where would our culture be with the identity crisis that young people have? If fathers knew how to be present in the life of their children in their life and modeling what it means to love a girl was on an airplane. Not too long ago, I'm sitting next to a gal who sees my T shirt. I'm on my way to a Promise Keepers event. And she discussed you went to Thanh. And I said, Really, which one of them is Promise Keepers? You're anti women. And I said, really? I said, Well, have you been to one of our events? Now? You won't let me come? See, you're anti women. And so what do you do? She goes, Well, I work. I'm part of the National Association of Women now. I'm the Vice President. I want really? Wow. So he talked to her about that. So we'd like to know what we're teaching this year. Promise Keepers. She goes fine. Well, you know, part of what we're teaching is how we as men, as husbands can lay down our life completely, to give our wives all the space a need to blossom, and to be everything that God's made them for. And she just like this. She did not know how to respond. I mean, she was just like, wow. And I said, it's sort of messes with your narrative that meant I said, we're not excluding women from our events. Now we're trying men together to equip them so that they can be the best man best husband, best father, and many best grandpa they can be. That's why we do what we do. And she was so struck by this. I tried to press and she was so messed up, she turned away from me, and looked out of the window, across the plane for the rest of the flight. She was just on done. And so I laughed, and I looked at her and I said, you know, I'll pray for you, if you want. She goes, I'm fine. I go, Well, I bet you that some really bad men have messed you up in your story. And I happen to know this guy who's an expert, and unlocking a girl, and his name is Jesus. Thank you very much, I'm fine. And off the plane? See, the answer to our culture? Is not a superior place. Have we have the answers do not the answer to our culture is we lay down our life our families, just like Christ did for us. And the capacity to do that is greatly enhanced when you learn how to do your manhood the same way Jesus did, to where you realize you and I, you know, the last time we got together is that to love a girl, the way she needs to be loved could because she lives in a river that has estrogen monsters, that swim around waiting for a man to put his toe in right? way you're always in trouble, whether they're one year old, or they're 80 or nine years old, you know, you to be able to cross over into love them the way they need to be loved. You need grace from the Father to do that. The same way, if you have sons, to be able to raise them to be the champions that God wants him to be, you have to learn how to receive. And towards the end of this together, we'll pray for every guy that's listening, who has been waiting for more of this blessing. So I know you've been reading my book here, the difference of father makes, I have

Curt Storring 27:11

an you know what I was reading that because you kindly make that freely available. And I went to take a few notes. Because last time we talked, it's like, you know, why don't you have a look at the book, see if there's anything that comes up for talking about in the interview. And I'm like, Okay, we're gonna need about 10 hours here, because I pulled so many snippets out of here. And it was just like the book that I needed, when you know, 10 years ago when I first became a father. And the first thing that came up to me was this intentionality where you bless your children. And because of that, you're able to almost make a bridge to the Heavenly Father. And so I wonder if we can touch first on that idea of initiation or a rite of passage or a specific blessing to your son. But also, this might be the first time I've seen it done for a daughter as well. And I was mind blown by this, because I just had my first daughter. And we're, you know, a few years away from this, obviously. But I've never heard it, say like this. So can you go into a little bit about the initiation and the importance of that explicit blessing for our children to point them eventually to the Heavenly Father.

Ed McGlasson 28:19

But part of it is, there's a couple of things first, and we'll talk about this at the very end, you need to receive it for yourself. So you have that capacity change. Because of you, you don't really understand how much God wants to bless you and you receive it, you're going to spend your whole life trying to work for it. Yes. And you'll you'll make your kids work for it without meaning to and so part of the way you receive it is understanding what that blessing is. And we'll talk about that very end. But here's a couple of little coaching appointments, a coaching moments that I have a lot of guys to help them kind of reestablish with children, most of what's passed down from father to son, and maintained mom to children as well. It's not a sense of blessing. My dad believed that could do anything but a question mark, most of the time because they don't know how to use their voice to bless. And part of that question mark comes because most families don't have a culture of forgiveness built into their family. And what I mean by that is that, you know, when you think about if I asked you guys a question that are watching, or listening, how many of your dad's modeled how to ask for forgiveness. I don't recall a single incidents with my stepdad doubt that I don't let the he didn't love me. But he never came to me and said, Son, I can tell I really hurt you. Would you forgive me? That was in that it was more of, you know, it's like, oh, sorry, or there was and that's kind of the way I handled that. And I remember learning this two ways. First with my wife, we were Today, I took her to into Bel Air in the early days of our marriage. And we were walking into a beautiful hotel to eat it Fung lounge restaurant on the roof. It's a if you're live around here, it's like one of the things you do with your wife. And you know, it's expensive. It's special night. And so I'm walking in holding her hand, she's decked out, you know, I got my threads on, you know, I'm so semi athletic, you know, and, and I see that, that door that spins in front of the old hotels. And when I was a kid, I seen that it was like a game to me to run in, push it faster runner all the way around and not let it touch you. So you can arrive into the lobby. So I drive my wife's hand, I run towards the door when we got close, I push it, I'm running around, she tries to hit my cubicle misses the it's going too fast. It smacks her in the booty launches her into the front scream. Like a cat comes around, hits her in a booty again, and lodges her into the hotel. Now she is completely embarrassed and disheveled. I make it around from my arm to go. Yeah. And the look on her face. Oh my gosh, she I was in trouble. And and I said what? She said you completely humiliated me. And I said we talking about and I said, you drop my hand. You didn't treat me like a lady. You made it a game and You embarrassed me in front of the entire lobby. And I looked at her and I said I'm honey. I'm really sorry. She said no, that doesn't work. Are you asking for forgiveness? Yeah. Sorry, no. What are you sorry for and hits me? And I said, Would you forgive me for a disrespecting you dropping your hand not treating you like a lady and embarrassing you in front of all those people in the lobby? And I waited? And she looked at me and she goes, Yes, I will. And was over anyway. Oh, she just taught me about how you ask for forgiveness. The second thing that happened was I was listening to my kids fighting a few weeks later, like we do, we had this passive aggressive locker room style of banter because I would start it, I would make fun of them. Right? Hey, son, did your hair, you know, just grow that way? Or did an alien come out and try to suck your brain out. And it's sticking straight up today. And we'd all laugh at one another when I was hurting my kids, and I'm listening to him fight. And they're yelling, and it's getting louder and louder. And so I I walk out there and they're expecting my typical hotset. That's it family meeting. And so I walked out there and it's I'm walking to Lourdes just gently nudges me and says, You've never showed him how to ask for forgiveness. And so I walked over to him and I said, Listen, guys, could you sit down dad needs to talk. And they're really expecting you made a just, you know, blast them. And I said, you know, guys, I need to ask you for forgiveness. Could you tell me if there's some things I've done? That have really hurt you that your dad hasn't asked for forgiveness yet? And gosh, my daughter has really. And I said yeah. And she just started bawling. And boy, she just let it out. And I just Will you forgive me and then my other daughter, and then my son started getting teary eyed. We had for two time my two sons. And I just and it was so powerful. And I'm walking back and I'm thinking, you know, it's like the Lord showed me. I just, I put in a foundation stone into our family history. This is the way you deal with hurt. And I just went and I had a lot of work. And that comes around from time to time. And so maybe you're a young dad or you're an older dad or your grandpa listen to this and or you have a girlfriend right now and you can't figure out why she can't just forgive you and let it go. You see if you go to a surgeon and the surgeon goes, Man, I can tell you got a serious internal problem. Great. So what are we gonna do, I'm just gonna open you up and see what I find. That's like, you're gonna go I'm gonna get a second opinion. License plate in their back office stuff. Now you want your surgeon to go this is exactly what's going on. The MRI comes in. This is what the issue is we're gonna go in there 30 minute procedure, we're going to fix this. You're going to be out this can be your recovery. See, that's what forgiveness is. That's what Christ gave us. But when we make it this general, you know, I forgive you for everything you've ever done. That doesn't work. We're not the Pope, I don't think he can do that, right. We want to get out of the what the ah world word for men, humility, we want to get out of appearing like we're wrong, but the healing that we need doesn't come until we say I am really wrong, will you forgive me for that. And then the other thing to help you guys that we talk about in our, we have a training course called The man of honor training course that we also. So in the every guy who wants it for free, we raise money, and then we give that away because I want to remove all resistance from men that that said, Man, I can't afford to do this, when you know that this is a life changing moment for your own life. And that is our words have power over our children. And the reason why that is, and we talked about this when we were together, Kurt is word activated man. So the words over us can either unlock us into who he's called us to be, or the words over us, they hamper US or in no words over us, we get stuck. We live in shame, we're afraid to put our gifts out there, girls get afraid of putting their beauty out there because their dads didn't speak any life into them never said I love this about you never blessed them to make a transition into manhood. And so kids graduate out of homes, then they go to college with a whole bunch of professors who never had a Father bless them either. And decide, well, let's just read the trend to help you find out who you are. And I would say to every dad out there that has kids, if your kids don't know who they are, don't send the college, you be the one who determines who God's called them to be. Don't give that the to an educator, they don't know. They don't know. Because if you if you haven't had your own encounter with Jesus Christ, and his father that helps name you and call you out to who he's called you to be. You're going to look to the world to find an identity, or a label that you're going to put on yourself. The problem is, when you name yourself, your life is lived up to your ability to have your own superpower. And that superpower without Christ is only man made. And guess what? It's not enough. Because if it was enough, then why aren't movie stars happier? Why are they in multiple relationships? A wider the rich and famous around the world if you meet them at vacation spots are so stinking miserable.

What is the deal because we were born broken. And we were born needing to be loved by God, saved by God through Christ, and blessed by the father so that we can have a new beginning. So those are just a couple little coaching moments that went on for a while if you're taking notes, all that stuff's in my book. And so the difference of father makes

Curt Storring 38:24

it so good. And this is one of the things like I read a lot. People want me to read a lot of books. And usually I'm like, okay, but this one I devoured, like I said, in I think one sitting actually. And I think maybe now is the time to go into this blessing more specifically, because you say in the book that there's a question in all of our hearts. I try. And I wonder if you can maybe bring us home with the question that children have in their hearts for their fathers. And then I think that leads nicely into this final blessing piece.

Ed McGlasson 38:57

Yeah. And so when we have a dad that isn't present and knows how to bless us and be in our story, we start out where we live with a kind of a question mark, where we're always trying to prove who we are. And for man, that's the curse and Adam got back in the garden. Remember, you know, to Adam, he said, You're gonna live your life the rest of your days by the sweat of your brow. In other words, you're gonna get your name from what you do for a living. I mean, guys that way all the time. I remember when I first started learning this, I met this guy named Joe. And I said, Joe, who are you? I always said people who are you? And most often they never say their names. They tell me what they do for a living. And he said, I'm a plumber. And I want really, so when God you know the Bible says that he knew you before he made the heavens on Earth. With God designed you Joe gave you all the gifts you have all the hopes and dreams He wants to give you the Power to be that guy. When God made you, you know, 1000s a years in his heart before you actually arrived, because of mom and dad getting together, he did all that so that you could carry the calling of being a plumber. This guy looks at me, you know, almost cross-eyed and goes, I said, he goes, Well, if I'm not a plumber, then how do I find out who I am? I said, Well, you're stuck like I was, I thought my name was football player. And you know, whenever you're named by what you do, what happens when you lose your job. And so I mean, I was struggling with, you know, I great prayer time with Joe blessed him prayed for him. And so he moved from Joe, the plumber to Joe, the a beloved son, who encountered Jesus and connect on with God the Father. And so I read this verse in Second Corinthians 618, it came right after a really bad moment with me and my son. How many of you young dads out there old dad made promise when you're raising your kids to not do the same kind of hurtful things to your children? That maybe your dad did to you? And you know, they're, y'all raise your hand, right? I did. I promised I would. How many broke that promise? On my other hand raise? And that's because that's what you received. So how do you move from what you got from your dad? If it was good? How do you go to the best? And it was bad or not at all? How do you go to the best? And so I you know, my my prayer began after that, you know, story about David and Goliath was how, how can I receive your blessing if I didn't have a dad in my story, and I came across Second Corinthians 618. And Paul, the apostle puts drops two verses from the Old Testament, and puts them together and it says, And the Lord God says, I will be your father, and you will be My sons and daughters, as the Lord God Almighty. And I want you want to be my dad, you want to be the father, I never got to have you want to be the ultimate version of the Father that my stepdad tried to be, but didn't quite know how to be? How do I get that? And I, it wasn't long after that I read the story of Jesus coming out of the water was John the baptism, being baptized, and hearing God the Father speak his name, across his waters. And he said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I love. And I said earlier, you know, in the message, it says, This is my son, marked by my love the focus of my delight. So my question was, why did he name Him beloved? Man, he could have named him, King of kings, Lord of lords, you know, all the roles that Jesus had, which he was, but why would he use a term? That would be this intimate name that a dad who absolutely adored his son, or daughter would call them Beloved? So I sent away for a book. I searched the internet now this will really date me. I took 250 6k baud modems, okay. Think about the power of that right? 112k Total Connect speed, right? Not megabyte. Okay. que que we're not megabits, or no Mega. And it's was squawk and, and I got on my internet, and search for ancient Bar Mitzvah, I had this idea from the Lord found a book, a written by a rabbi. And so I ordered it. He's from Queens, he was a Messianic Rabbi, he sends me this book. It was like five bucks for the book and 20 bucks for shipping, good Jewish businessman. I get this book, and I'm just devouring this book. And I get to the end of it. And one of the last lines that Fathers say is they call their sons in the manhood is they say, in Hebrew, This is My beloved Son in whom I love. And I went, Oh my gosh, if I'm in Christ, I can hear that same thing for me. And I was like, Man, that's the way Jesus I mean, and you know, he is 13 years old. There's another 12 years old. There's another story of Jesus in the Bible that I'm reading, and he's lost his mom and dad for for three days. I mean, can you imagine losing your kid in a mall? I mean, I had a son that he'd run down the street we'd be looking at everywhere for Lucas he's just sent an adventure. Imagine you being a virgin giving birth to the Savior of the world and you've lost the Messiah.

I don't think we should ridin that donkey back. After going three days and coming back to find Jesus. I don't think it was hail Mary full of grace. I think that donkey, it's a tale to tell, you got to get me back I gotta find Jesus. And she finds him in a temple, asking and answering questions with the rabbi's. And a friend of mine, who's a Messianic Rabbi told me that when a boy's natural father isn't there to call him out to be a man, he will go a year before his bar mitzvah time at 13, to be trained, of what it means to be a man. So he can be called out into manhood or 13. And it just, I mean, Kurt, it hit me right between the eyes, he went to that temple for me, and every one of us, who didn't have a father, in there, have the blessing of the Father in their life, so that when we are born again and him we can have access to that same blessing and rites of passage in the manhood. And at just, it was like God, I, it was just like fresh bread. And so it was about two to three weeks later, I was asked to fill in for my youth leader who was sick. And I went to the house and had about 100 kids in a living room and a big house in Southern California. And so I'm thinking, I'm going to pick a scripture, and the way I have my Bible, there's some sort of pointing and going, Lord, give me some for these kids, you know, and I turned to the last verse, My dad read the night before he died. Because before my dad crashed the day before, he took a red pen and circled something in his Bible, had a strange look on his face, that my mother questioned, closed his Bible and got up the next day, took off his dog tags that I wear, and hit the water at 400 miles an hour. And so my mom told me that story later in my life before all this happened, and and so now I'm reading the story. It's a story of Peter, watching what looks like a ghost on the Sea of Galilee, walking up and down the waves. And he was disappearing, and appearing because the waves are up and down. He thought it was a ghost. And Jesus said, Don't be afraid. It's me. And Peter says it's really you command me to walk in the water. Jesus said one word, you said Come, my father circled that word, come as Bible. And close this book. I'm reading this in front of the kids. And I'm going to teach them how to jump out the boat and walk in the water. And I come to the word Concord. And all I can tell you is in that moment, God took a boy who didn't have a dad to call him out and bless him and became the father that I've always wanted and said these words to me. The last word your father heard was a word come. That's when I called you to from this moment on your name is no longer football player, Pastor. In other words, what you do for a living where you are My beloved Son, and heaven just opened up on me, I'm just sobbing. The kids don't know what's happened. But something shifted in me. You mentioned that earlier. Something shifted in you. And I went home and my wife sees me dis shoveled. She said, What happened to you tonight? I hope you don't take this wrong at but I've watched you leave to do ministry since we've been married. And you leave like a boy looking to please a father. But tonight, you've come home as a man. And I said you can see that she was yeah, I said honey i i met the father I never got to have. And so if you're watching right now, or you're listening in your car, or wherever you are, that same blessing Christ wants to give you the first step in your life is is to surrender to him. You can't have a new father until you have the Son because he's the perfect picture of who the father is. You know, they, you know, one of his disciples screams out, show us the Father, that'd be enough for us. And Jesus eventually says, Well, if you've seen me, you've seen father. He's the picture of perfect manhood. All the God's called us to be perfect fatherhood. Perfect. husband, right? Love your wife as Christ loved the church. It's the model of what Christ gave give us. But you can have that for yourself right now. And but the first step is Christ, maybe you just pray this simple prayer this. If you've not in, you know when I say this or not, you know, when you have completely given your life to Christ, you know that intrinsically, you also knew when you you're raising the hand, your girlfriend sees a your wife sees it. You know, I'm going to try harder. This isn't a try harder. This is about really being born again, if what God's called you to be becoming the spiritual man that God's called you to be. And if you've you've never, I mean, honestly, with all your God, who gone to God and gotten honest, I'm going to give you a moment first. And I want you just to pray a simple prayer that I prayed and killed Cali dormitory with ice bags around my knees after a football injury. And it was a simple prayer, Dear Jesus, I give you my life. Forgive me of all of my sin, all my mistakes. I'm going to stop trying to lead my life, come through my life, and save me. In Jesus name. In Jesus name, Father, Curt and I, we just, we raise our hands. So those who just pray that prayer, and we, we bless you. And I want to just say, if you pray that in minute, maybe you prayed it for a second, third, or fourth time, I want to say tell you something that's true in heaven, Your sins are forgiven, because of what Christ said. And if you want his blessing the Christ lived in upon your own life. I'm going to pray this for you, Father, I bless right now. And I say that every man who's watching and maybe every Gao who sees this, or he listens to it, from this moment on, your name is no longer about what you do for a living. It's no longer about your mistakes. It's no longer about your bed or good story from your dad in your life. It's no longer about how many times you promise to change, it didn't fail. But God the father says to you, just like you're in that river coming out of that water, you are My beloved Son, or you are My beloved daughter, and whom I love, and all that grace you need and all the power you need. All the gifts you need, and all the resources you need are yours. And from this moment on, you are unfavoured No more. Godfather says I will be a father to you now, and I'm going to equip you, I'm going to bless you with every spiritual blessing in my son as he's entered your life. Matter of fact, when I'm finished with you, the Scripture also says that you are going to look when you see him, you're going to look just like him. I'm going to make you into the image of my son, no matter what you're going through. The world can steal it off from you. But you will never ever lose your sonship your daughter ship your adoption, because I'm signing my name across your life and adopting you as my sons and my daughters. In the name of Jesus Christ. That's yours. That's yours.

Curt Storring 53:41

Amen. Oh, incredible. Oh, my goodness, thank you in

Ed McGlasson 53:47

a and if you're listening with their link will be there you can get your free digital copy of the difference of father makes. And coming along with that is a free quick 15 minute coaching session if you want it and I'll meet with you and and help you overcome biggest giant in your life. Need a dad to talk to us for what I do. And I got spiritual sons in Kenya and Nigeria. I got one in in France right now. Young man the other night. Just out of the blue on his phone calls me. My dad was killed in the war. I escaped Ukraine and now I'm here and have no father have no buddy. Have no family. I don't know who I am. And after an hour on the phone with him. He met this guy named Jesus as he met the Father who loves him and he's he finished my course in like a week. I mean just let's go on the course and It was just awesome. Wow.

Curt Storring 55:03

to, ya know, I've told a number of guys that I think this might be one of the most important ministries on the planet today, because of this father hunger, I've heard it say, and that will change your life. If you prayed that prayer, If you allow that into your heart that'll change your life. I'm going to put all these links in the show notes Dad.Work slash podcast every way to get involved with and what he's doing. It'll be on the YouTube, it'll be everywhere, so that you have easy access. Edie, thank you so much. This is a

Ed McGlasson 55:32

it's an honor, you know, and you know, with what just happened to you if you receive that, for those who are new in Christ, you're gonna have a new beginning. And those who receive son ship or daughter ship from God, guess what, you're now going to be a spiritual father and you're going to run in two orphans every day, you know, an orphan in the Bible. The word orphan actually means fatherless. It doesn't mean without a mom and dad, that can happen. But when a boy or girl didn't have a dad to be there, they miss that naming place that identity piece. And it'll mess you up. I've messed up your life now. Because you're gonna see him everywhere. So you're gonna have to do something about it. Like this guy does. The way Kurt gives it lays it all out. For what he does. Just love what you do. I bless you, my friend.

Curt Storring 56:28

Thank you, man. Oh, thank you, Ed. We're out guys. Check out Dad.Work slash podcast for all those links. Love you guys. Thank you for listening. Thank you for listening to the Dad.Work podcast. That's it for this episode. But if you would like to stay in touch between weekly episodes, why don't you go over to Instagram and follow me there because I drop a number of things throughout the week that are related to what we talked about on this podcast, but usually go a little bit deeper. provide some tips you can find me on Instagram at dad work dot Kurt. That's da di W O RK dot c u r t. And please, if you have been getting something out of this podcast, if it has touched you if it has improved your marriage, your parenting or your life, would you please leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify. leave a rating. If you have a few extra seconds, leave a quick review. That's the best way that we can get this work in the hands of more fathers. And I truly believe that we change the world, one father at a time because each father that parents better that loves better raises children who do the same. And in just a couple of generations. I feel like we could be living in a world much better than the one we live in today. Your review will help along that path. And I thank you so much for being here to listen until next week. We'll see you then.