I had the privilege of coaching in the NFL for 28 years. At the end of my career, one of the most frequent questions I would get asked was, “How have the players changed over the years?” My answer was that so many more of them were coming to us without the benefit of growing up with their dads….
Kids today need dads. They don’t need a perfect dad, but they need an involved dad. When a father can’t be involved, a mentor can be a wonderful surrogate. This is where so many athletes have benefited from that relationship with their coach.
But there’s no substitute for a full-time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives. And when dads are involved, we see direct correlations to decreases in gang activity, substance abuse and incarcerations.
I saw “Courageous” last night and would recommend it as “must” viewing for all Christian men. I know some are saying it’s too preachy but somebody has to take the message out there and hit men hard with it. The acting is also good, I especially enjoyed Ken Bevel, who played Deputy Nathan Hayes, and Robert Amaya, who played Javier Martinez.