DadAwesome

What will your kids actually remember about you? In this episode, three brothers in their twenties, Matt, Mike and Tommy Blum, sit down separately and describe the same dad: a man who prayed at their beds every night, read a devotional every morning, chose the hard path on purpose, and never missed the yearly canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. Nothing they remember cost much money, but every bit of it took a dad who kept showing up.
 
KELLER, TX DadAwesome Dessert Gathering (Sunday, Oct 18th, 2026) - RSVP Form
 
Key Takeaways
Your kids remember the small things you repeat. A short prayer at the bedside every night and a three minute devotional every morning shaped three sons more than any big event.
Choose the hard path on purpose. Saturday work days, chopping firewood, and wet cold weekends in a canoe taught these boys that discomfort is where growth happens.
Protect one trip a year. The Blum family sacrificed sports, money and convenience to make the Boundary Waters trip every year, and that one weekend gave the boys a hidden place to connect with their dad away from distractions.
Keep praying and keep inviting during the years they pull away. Each brother describes a season in middle school or high school when he hid from his dad, and each one says his dad stayed consistent and kept the door open anyway.
Faith was invited, not forced. The brothers say they never felt Jesus was pushed on them. They knew they had their parents' love no matter what, and that made the invitation safe to accept.
GUESTS
Matt, Mike and Tommy Blum are three brothers in their twenties who grew up in the Twin Cities area under the roof of their dad, Chris Blum. Matt is the oldest and a new dad to a baby daughter. Mike is the middle brother, and Tommy is the youngest. All three follow Jesus and credit their dad's steady prayer, playful presence, and love of hard work with shaping who they are today. For close to two decades the Blum family has made an annual trip to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, and that trip is where Matt gave his life to Christ at age eleven.
 
Key Quotes
"There was a rock that was immovable and grounded, one that would pray with us every night no matter the season or turmoil he was going through." (Tommy Blum, reading his letter to his dad, 30:57)
"It's such a simple thing that he's done, but that's what I think makes him the best. He shows up." (Matt Blum, 33:00)
"It was a difficult game of volleyball, lots of balls in our court that we just left sitting on the ground. But he was steadfast with us and intentional despite our bad return rate." (Mike Blum, 21:48)
"When I picture myself with Jesus, I picture myself in the bow of a canoe and Jesus is right behind me. He's the one steering the boat." (Matt Blum, 14:46)
"I didn't feel like following Jesus was pushed on us. It was an invitation. And we knew we had our parents' love regardless." (Matt Blum, 21:06)
 
LINKS
Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

The DADAWESOME book

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (northern Minnesota): https://www.fs.usda.gov/superior

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

 
Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/456

When the bill shows up, the check engine light blinks, or your kid ignores you for the third time, you respond as an orphan, a slave, or a son. In Part 2 of this conversation, Pablo Ceron walks through the frontiers of adversity, fierce mastery, and love, and shows how each one is an invitation to be fathered by God. You'll also hear the simple question that opens the door to repair with your kids when you blow it.
 
KELLER, TX DadAwesome Dessert Gathering (Sunday, Oct 18th, 2026) - RSVP Form
 
Key Takeaways
The belief that "life is up to me" is the mark of an orphan heart. Your Father is inviting you to stop figuring it out alone.
Adversity threatens the orphan and exhausts the slave, but for a son it's a sparring ring with a Father in his corner.
When your kids have seen you react poorly, repair. Own your part, ask forgiveness, and ask, "What's been your experience of me?"
The places where you feel unskilled aren't a verdict on your manhood. They're an invitation to ask, "Father, would you teach me?"
Love is the greatest frontier, and it calls you to explore the hearts of your wife and kids instead of controlling their behavior.
GUEST
Pablo Ceron is the Founder and President of WILDSONS, a non-profit dedicated to helping men recover their wild hearts and become the men, husbands, fathers, and leaders they were born to be. He has been a speaker, teacher, and leader in men's formation for over 15 years. Pablo and his wife, Juanita, live in Miami, Florida, with their two sons, Mateo and Lucas.
 
Key Quotes
"Life is about an adventure to be lived with our Father, not a problem to be solved." (23:42)
"No one is behind. We are right on time in our failures, in our brokenness, in our blowing it." (40:35)
"Adversity for the son, however, is the sparring ring." (15:05)
"The lack of proficiency, the lack of skill, is not a report card on who you are as a man. It's simply a reflection that you have not yet been initiated." (28:49)
"I'm modeling our Father. I'm telling him with my actions who our Father is." (23:20)
 
LINKS
Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

The DADAWESOME book

WILDSONS: https://wildsons.com

About Pablo Ceron: https://wildsons.com/pablo -

The Muster (WILDSONS retreat) - https://wildsons.com/muster

FULLY ALIVE

 
Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/455

The life you're longing for as a dad is almost always on the other side of discomfort. In this episode, Pablo Ceron explains why adventure and adversity are the training ground God uses to father you and how you can guide your kids through both. You'll also hear why pausing to remember what God has done prepares you for whatever comes next.
 
Key Takeaways
 Maximizing comfort and convenience leads to a dull heart. Men come alive when they step into a story bigger than themselves.
Life is not a problem to be solved. It's an invitation into adventure with a good Father.
In the middle of conflict, your wife is not your enemy. Be fierce against the real enemy and tender toward her.
Your job isn't to remove adversity from your kids. It's to create a safe place for them to test their strength and discover they have what it takes.
You are not your child's only father. Offer your portion, then point them to the Father for the rest.
Milestones are mile markers. Pausing to retell the story helps you remember who God is and who you're becoming.
 
GUEST
Pablo Ceron is the Founder and President of WILDSONS, a non-profit dedicated to helping men recover their wild hearts and become the men, husbands, fathers, and leaders they were born to be. He has been a speaker, teacher, and leader in men's formation for over 15 years. Pablo and his wife, Juanita, live in Miami, Florida, with their two sons, Mateo and Lucas.
 
LINKS
Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

The DADAWESOME book

WILDSONS: https://wildsons.com

About Pablo Ceron: https://wildsons.com/pablo -

The Muster (WILDSONS retreat) - https://wildsons.com/muster

FULLY ALIVE

 
Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/454

SUMMARY
Most men aren't isolated because no one's around — they're isolated because they've never learned to be asked the right questions. In this episode, Pastor Wayne Francis returns to DadAwesome to unpack his new book, Make Friends with Anyone, sharing his sunbathers-to-submariners framework and the "six-pack" of vital friendships every man needs. It's an honest, funny, and convicting conversation about calendars, clarity, and why your kids are watching how you do friendship long before they ever try it themselves.
Takeaways
Isolation often masquerades as independence — men blame "not having anybody" instead of recognizing they've chosen to be self-reliant.
Friendships exist on levels — sunbathers, surfers, snorkelers, scuba divers, and submariners — and problems happen when we give submarine-level access to sunbather-level friends.
Your calendar (and photo album) is the truest record of what you actually value — not what you say you value.
Every man needs a "six-pack": six vital, diverse friends who get priority access to his time and get told they're in that circle.
Cleaning out and grieving friendships that have run their season is healthy, not disloyal — friends aren't disposable, but their role in your life should be reassessed.
GUEST
Wayne Francis and his wife, Claudene (whom he affectionately calls "Classy"), are the lead pastors of The Life Church – New York in Westchester County, a suburb of NYC. Wayne previously founded and led Authentic Church, which merged with The Life Church in early 2020. A dynamic communicator, he's passionate about building the local church and helping people find real life in Jesus. Wayne and Claudene have been married for 25 years and have two teenage daughters, Haleigh and Ryleigh. When he's not preaching, Wayne can usually be found out cycling or turning any available floor into a dance floor.
Quotes (Wayne Francis)
"I think that Jesus elevated a theology of friendship that we overlook."
"In order for people to become vulnerable, it's not like I can just tell you something — I actually need to be asked. Question asking is an art."
"Your calendar is the best preacher of your life."
"You can't have the best of God without having the best and the worst of each other."
"For men, you should have a six-pack — six vital friends that you would drop everything for."
LINKS
Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome
Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

The DADAWESOME book

Make Friends with Anyone by Wayne Francis
ShowMeMyFriends.com (free friendship assessment)
Primal Question by Mike Foster

This is a FROM THE VAULT episode, originally recorded almost three years ago, but the message hits just as hard today. In this conversation, Banning Liebscher opens up about the wrong definition of success that keeps dads stuck on autopilot, and why the goal was never to work harder but to abide more. If you've ever felt busy but not sure you're actually hitting the mark as a father, this replay is for you.
TAKEAWAYS
The danger for dads isn't a lack of activity, it's activity that isn't going anywhere because success was never clearly defined.
Becoming world class at fatherhood starts with being both self aware and others aware, so you understand how your presence impacts the people you love.
How you love your children is one of the clearest ways God's love gets revealed to them.
True success won't be measured in accomplishments or attention, it will be measured by the people you poured your life into.
The goal isn't to work harder as a dad, it's to abide more deeply in the Father's love, since everything sustainable flows from that place of intimacy.
GUEST
Banning Liebscher is a pastor, speaker, and author. Along with his wife, SeaJay, he founded Jesus Culture, a ministry of worship, conferences, and leadership development. Together they have three young adult children: Ellianna, Raya, and Lake.


 


Top 7 Quotes 
"Being a great father takes a massive amount of courage."
"The danger for dads is not a lack of activity, it's activity that's not going anywhere."
"The goal is not to work harder, it's to abide more."
"Being self aware and others aware" is what dads have to master.
"How you love your children will reveal God's love to them."
"We loved Him because He first loved us."
"Being a dad is hands down the biggest sacrifice I've ever had to make."
 
 
LINKS
Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give

Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

The DADAWESOME book

Learn about Jesus Culture

The Flip Side by Flip Flippen