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Just in time for Father\u2019s Day we have a great conversation with Joel Fitzpatrick, a pastor and author, who encourages dads (and moms) to have gospel-focused conversations with their sons.

\u201cThere\u2019s power in having conversations with your kids that opens up your relationship. It\u2019s a freedom that gives your kids a safe place to talk to someone. But then it also gives you the ability to speak God's truth into their lives.\u201d

We talk about the barriers that keep us from going deep with our kids and how to fight back against the fear and complacency that can become commonplace. Joel also shares how Jesus is the ultimate picture of biblical masculinity and how to be an emotionally safe parent for your son or daughter.

\u201cWe need to be very careful with our emotions when our kids come and they confess their sins to us. When your son comes to you and he's been angry, you need to be careful not to respond in anger, but to respond with love and with kindness and with using your strength to provide a place of safety.\u201d

This is an episode that would be perfect to share with your spouse and the dads in your life. Joel shares a lot of truth for both moms and dads about how we can stay actively engaged with our kids and keep the gospel message at the forefront.

For more on this topic, Joel has a new book out called Between Us Guys. Also, my recent podcast with Vicki Courtney [Ep 239] has some more great information on having deep conversations.

As Joel shares, it comes down to setting aside intentional time to go deep with our kids. What step can you make this summer to have a gospel-centered conversation with your son or daughter?

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What we chat about:

• Joel\u2019s background as a construction worker and as a minister
• What are gospel conversations and how do we have them with our kids
• How to fight against fear and complacency to continually engage with our kids
• Biblical masculinity vs worldly masculinity
• Working with a son who is displaying aggression and violence
• Keeping our emotions in check when we\u2019re having tough discipline conversations
• Look at your kids\u2019 lives as a timeline and not a snapshot
• Learning to process emotions in a healthy way with our kids
• Being aware of your sons\u2019 emotions and actively engaged with how he is processing them
• Teaching sons how to think about and interact with women in light of the gospel