Some of the Stuff My Dad Taught Me

1. You can do anything you want with your life, no matter how much money or education you have (or don’t have).

2. Spending time with your family is MUCH more important than new toys.

3. Keep busy doing God’s work.

4. A good husband and father will put his dreams, ambitions and wants on hold if they will detract from his ability to provide the necessities for his family.

5. Newton’s Laws of Motion and Relationships.  Need I say more?  (Oh wait, everybody’s father teaches them the 3 Laws, right?)

6. Your opinions and beliefs are every bit as important as those of anyone else.  Make sure you can articulate them and back them up with succinct, logical, and unemotional arguments.  If you can’t, they are probably not opinions or beliefs you should have.

7.  Protect your space.  Clingy people tend to be controlling and will attempt to change you in some way.  Distance yourself from them.

8.  Protect your identity.  Never change yourself to make someone else happy.  Change yourself if that will make YOU happy, or if God is telling you to change.

9.  Don’t go anywhere without a Bible.

10.  Love without action, provision, thoughtfulness, and sacrifice, isn’t really love.

11.  Supporting the family is a role a man needs to embrace completely.

12.  Make sure you always have a plan to support yourself and your kids.

13.  Scientists are fallible humans with opinions and beliefs of their own.  All of their research will be affected by these predispositions.

14.  Question everything.  Just do it politely.

15.  The way you carry and conduct yourself will change the way people perceive you.  Use that to your advantage.

16.  Get an education before you get married.

17.  Always keep a clear head.  Never panic.  It interferes with clear thinking.

18.  It is worth it to stop, breath and think in any emergency or crisis.

19.  On first glance, it always looks worse than it is.

20.  Don’t complain about it unless you’re going to do something about it.

21.  Sitting down for coffee with somebody is always worth the time it takes.

22.  Work now, play later.

23.  Treat the smelly guy on the street with the exact same respect that you give to your boss, your pastor, or the Prime Minister.

24.  The assumed chain of command results in assumed power.  Don’t be afraid to question it.

25.  God is a God of order, not chaos.

26.  Coming home to a hot meal is a big deal that’s often underrated in today’s world.

27.  When you’re married, only Christ should have a higher priority than your spouse.

28.  Real love means putting aside ALL of your own needs.

29.  If you don’t do it, who will?  You may very well be indispensable in a given situation.

30.  Spending time with your kids is loud, dirty, very draining and totally worth it.  Make lots of opportunities to spend as much time as you can with them.

31.  The Second Law of Thermodynamics: It’s never going to get finished, cleaned, organized or completed on it’s own, so do it now.

32.  Everything can be broken down into understandable steps.  Nothing is too difficult, and you can make, rebuild, or fix anything that needs it.  That said, if you have more money than time, get someone else to do it.

33.  You can always find something to love about the job you need to work at to support your family.

34.  Give 110% to your boss while you’re working for him.  Give 110% to God while you’re working for Him.

35.  A good husband loves and supports his wife no matter what.  No matter what.

36.  A good husband is stable, faithful, trustworthy, completely dependable and self-sacrificing.  A good husband only has eyes for his wife.

37.  Your kids are your only chance at immortality in this world.  Raise them well.

38.  Do everything you do for the ultimate purpose of serving your Savior.  God’s opinion is the only one that really matters.