Just in time for Father’s Day, we are back with a very special episode of the It’s Life Podcast. Pastor AJ sits down with our senior pastor, Pastor Grant, for an honest and encouraging conversation about fatherhood, marriage, and what it really looks like to lead your family well. Whether you are a new dad still figuring it out, a seasoned father watching your kids raise kids of their own, or somewhere in between, this one is for you.
Pastor Grant opens with a classic dad story involving borrowed scuba gear, an overstuffed suitcase, and one very unfortunate word choice at a Caribbean airport. But underneath the laughs is a lesson he has carried for years: dads who pack too much into their schedule end up just like that suitcase, unable to close. The to-do list is long, but the must-do list is short. Starting every day with God is at the top of it, followed by praying over your wife, your kids, and your grandkids. He prays three specific things over each of them: favor, the right friendships, and a genuine fear of the Lord. Simple prayers. Powerful ones.
From there, the conversation moves through some of the best fatherhood stories you will hear. Taylor calling dad to get picked up from a bad situation rather than staying in it. Lindsay Beth and Pastor Grant parasailing together because a book on father-daughter relationships convicted him to do something that scared him. Zac being caught speeding on the James River Bridge and having a state trooper call dad to verify his story. And Daniel, who from the time he could walk was building sets in the garage to act out Bible stories for family worship. Four kids, four completely different people, one consistent thread running through all of it: they always knew they could call dad.
Pastor Grant also gets practical about the balance between rules and relationship, sharing the ABCs of parenting he leaned on through the years. Authority, boundaries, and consequences. Not as a rigid system, but as a framework that creates the kind of structure kids need while leaving room for the relationship to grow. And as they get older, the goal shifts. You are not just their parent anymore. You are becoming their friend. That only happens if the relationship was there all along, not just the rules.
On marriage, Pastor Grant is direct. The greatest gift you can give your kids is to love their mother. Keep her first after Jesus. Never let the kids become the center of the marriage. And never stop pursuing your wife. As he puts it, she is fine china and you are a paper plate, so handle her accordingly.
This episode closes with a word of grace for every dad who feels like he is falling short. God was a perfect father to Israel and they still chose to wander. You are going to make mistakes. The point is not perfection. The point is staying close to Jesus, running back to him when you mess up, and not giving up. He wants to do more in your parenting and your marriage than you have even thought to ask for. So start asking.