Today is December 30th, 2019 and in one more day we will be bringing 2019 to an end! As we ponder on the past year and wonder in excitement about 2020, many of us will make one or more New Year Resolutions. This means we will all make promises to ourselves that usually get shattered by March. And even though we break our resolutions year after year, we will still promise ourselves to eat healthier, exercise and work hard.

I have been thinking about my own resolutions for this year and since so much of my life revolves around my family, it would make sense to make resolutions for the new year based on them. I want to share my resolutions today because I feel it may bless other dads who may have the same challenges I do.

Resolutions for 2020

So, I resolve to: Get my my three boys to be more responsible, more active and less “entitled”. Up until now, they have been very good boys and have not really gotten into much trouble. Of course, there are all the normal things kids do such as pick on each other and compete for every little thing! Sure, there have been time when they have been untruthful and a bit mischievous, but over all, they are very good children, they are loving and the brotherly bond that they have is so strong, I am confident that they will grow up to be very united!

What I am resolving here is to be the intentional father that God wants me to be in guiding them along the path that God has chosen for them. One of my boys is very musically talented. Another one has a photographic memory and loves everything mechanical. The other one is very much an artist and loves to read. He reads so much more than the average 11 year old! So, I need to work with my wife to come up with ways to develop that which God has deposited in them.

Outside Resolutions for 2020

I also resolve to: Get my kids outside more. I think I resolved to do this last year and the year before last too! If so, I don’t think it worked very well, or I wouldn’t be resolving to do it again.

1. My oldest son who will be 12 in 12 days has played soccer for his school’s soccer team two years in a row! But this is only in the Spring and then, he is not as active in soccer the rest of the year.
2. My 8-year-old did not used to like or be good at soccer, but last year he surprised us and played soccer really well. This is the first year that he will be eligible to play soccer for his school’s team and if he does well in the tryouts, he will play soccer for his school in the spring. But he too needs other physical activity the rest of the year.
3. My youngest is now learning to ride his bike and in doing so I hope he will remain active all year round!

I got a trampoline for them so they would have physical activity at home and I resolve to make it harder for them to be inside the house doing nothing or playing video games by making it more exciting and rewarding for them to do stuff outside.

Future Resolutions for 2020

I also resolve to: Get better organized at home. Financially and personally, I need to find a way that works for me to stay the course and keep our finances and our belongings from getting out of control. I believe communication is a key ingredient here. My wife was happy to hear that since she is always looking for more communication!

I also resolve to: Fix up the house a bit. We live in a relatively new home. It was built 14 years ago but I have not had the time or the resources to paint it and fix it up both inside and out. Of course, as things break, I find time to fix them (I am somewhat handy like that). However, fixing up the siding and painting the exterior of the house takes time and money that I don’t have. It is also time to give the inside of the home a fresh coat of paint. With three boys and two dogs, you can imaging what the walls look like (It’s not as bad as it sounds)!

These are the silly (or not so silly) resolutions I have planned for 2020. But there are some very serious ones I want to also share with you today. I started Manly Training in September of 2015 and already I have seen and heard of many men who have started their journey towards becoming the man that God created them to be.

Some Serious Resolutions for 2020

I fully resolve to do everything I can to make Manly Training a tool that will make a difference in our world today. Manly Training needs to become a movement that will help men across America and the world become Godly men, Loving husbands and Fathers that will be there for their families. I dream of a day that fatherless homes are eradicated in our great land. A day when those 24 million children that go to bed in a home without a father today would be able to say; “Good night daddy”!

Furthermore, I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I Will:

• Love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

• Be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

• Bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

• Train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

• Confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

• Pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

• Work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

• Forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

• Learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

• Seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

• Work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

The Discipline of Fatherhood

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