DadAwesome Jeff Zaugg

Combat veteran Ben Peterson joins us to discuss the glaring challenges in America's individualistic society, especially for people who have experienced the tight-knit military community. He offers practical advice to help you find your tribe, embrace your purpose, and be vulnerable about the struggles you're facing. 
  Key Takeaways  
Our souls and psyches thrive when we are part of a tribe.  The transition from tribe culture to individualistic culture is an extreme challenge for veterans.  We are in a war for the souls of men. The strongest men are the ones who are willing to be honest about their shortcomings and struggles.    Ben Peterson  
Ben Peterson is a Jesus Follower, husband, father, and combat veteran. In 2016, Ben founded Engage Your Destiny, a nonprofit ministry that exists to engage with the military, veterans, and their families to lead them into their destiny. Ben and his wife, Rachel, live in Tennessee with their son. 
  Key Quotes  
27:29 - "Where's my 10,000 souls? I just think it's so important to live with that mindset. It doesn't have to be a fear based mindset, but this is the reality of the kingdom, and there is heaven and hell, and there are realities to us being disobedient, and there is free will and there's consequences for that. That's part of kind of the military coming out, because if you don't do your job, people die. And that's the same thing in the kingdom. There's a reason that Paul used the reference of the soldiers so much because we are in a war for the for the souls of men." 31:18 - "We can lean into some of those woundings, from a sense of humility and being honest that, you know what, I'm never going to be perfect until Christ comes back or until I go home. And in Him, I'm a new creature. And that gives me such a sense of peace and satisfaction, that my wounds are okay. It's okay to be vulnerable."   Links from Today’s Conversation  
Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more   Save the Date for the DadAwesome Day Zoom Call: Monday, June 17 at 7pm CT Engage Your Destiny: Practical Ways To Run After Your God-Given Purpose by Ben Peterson The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian Engage Your Destiny The Engage Your Destiny Podcast EP30: Power of a Praying Spouse: Part 1 (Engage Your Destiny Podcast)
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Jon Tyson is back for the third time! In this episode, he uncovers the seven lies that hold men back from becoming fully alive. You'll discover the strategies Satan uses to keep you distracted and passive, and you'll be inspired to embrace your current season and ask curious questions for the sake of others. 
  Key Takeaways  
Satan wants us dumb, entertained, oversatiated, and unmotivated. You must fight against despair, loneliness, shame, lust, ambition, futility, and apathy. If you ask curious questions about the needs around you, you never know what you'll get swept into.  What things do you need to harvest and enjoy right now before they rot and are gone?   Jon Tyson  
Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon Tyson is a pastor and author based in New York City. He is the author of "Fighting Shadows" and the bestselling books "The Intentional Father" and "Beautiful Resistance." Jon has been married to Christy for twenty-five years and has two adult children.
  Key Quotes  
10:40 - "I always tell people, my vision is intentionality, it's not perfection. No one is perfect. In fact, the perfect fathers are often the ones that damaged their kids through such high expectations. It's just do your best, live in love, be honest with your struggles and get help. Rely on the community of men to help raise your kids. Ancient societies were not primarily just father-son societies. They were the community of men playing a vital role. It was the tribe that helped formed men, not just this psychotic pressure on an individual father."
19:23 - "I know everybody tells you this, be careful when you kill time, it has no resurrection. You can waste time. You can kill time. Waste time. Use time. Invest time. Redeem time. Or leverage time. And a lot of God, that's Ephesians 5, make the most of the time. That's not the word kross is the word kairos, which means you were in a season right now, that must be leveraged that you will never get again. It's not the same in every season. So I'm not advocating a kind of guilt where every, like, if every spare moment should be in prayer. That's, that's death. That's the law. I'm advocating, I'm advocating an awareness of your season. The things that need to be harvested now or they rot. Or seed now, or you missed the window to sow. Or enjoyed now or it's gone. How do you really figure what that is in that season and leverage it? Make the most because the days are evil. So yeah, it's about really trying to leverage the season more than anything else. First you got to know what it is, but when you know what it is going to be aware and go after it."
  Links from Today’s Conversation  
Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more   147 | Jon Tyson on Intentional Fatherhood & Creating the Primal Path 187 | Jon Tyson on Skillful Manhood, Capturing First Moments & The Intentional Father Fighting Shadows: Overcoming 7 Lies That Keep Men From Becoming Fully Alive by Jon Tyson and Jefferson Bethke The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character by Jon Tyson Primal Path: A Discipleship Program for Fathers & Sons Awaken Network Podcast Sign up for Jon’s Newsletter   Connect with dadAWESOME  
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In the second half of this conversation, Danny Silk shares the seven “dragons,” or fears, that all men must slay. From confronting self-doubt to navigating competition among other men, Danny explores what holds most men back and how you can take immediate action. Plus, you’ll discover the importance of community and brotherhood in your journey to becoming a dragon slayer. 
  Key Takeaways  
Every man must confront these seven fears: God, himself, women, men, nature, machine, and provision.  If you don't set your heart to serve your wife, you will set your heart to conquer her and be the winner.  Men bond through doing and adventure and through risk. Your role as a man is to think ahead and bring benefit to everyone you’re leading.  Fatherlessness comes from the breakdown of brotherhood.   Danny Silk  
Danny Silk is a renowned speaker and prolific author who draws on decades of experience as a counselor, social worker, husband, parent, grandparent, and more. He is the President and Co-Founder of Loving on Purpose, a ministry to families and communities worldwide. 
  Key Quotes  
14:49 - "Quit putting it off because you don't want to feel stupid. You already look stupid. So go do something about it. Be the man. There's that end of it as well. And then there's, in the middle of it, which is get out there and take some risks. Get out there and learn some new skills, find some guys that love to work on that stuff and learn from them." 18:14 - "You really are looking down the road and you're leading, so people are following that. And in that is your responsibility to bring benefit to everybody on the journey with you. That's your role as a man, is to think ahead and to build benefit for for your family, for your legacy. I'm thinking generationally, I'm not just thinking momentarily. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. I'm living generation to generation. So, then as a provider, you had better open up your clarity of where you're headed and who's going to be benefiting for you ever being on this planet."   Links from Today’s Conversation  
Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more   The Way of the Dragon Slayer by Danny Silk  Dragon Slayers Podcast
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In this eye-opening episode, Danny Silk discusses the seven key traits that make up the creed of manhood. You’ll be inspired to rise above cultural influences and become a dragon slayer instead of a destroyer. Ultimately, you’ll discover how to use your strength to protect, display Christ, and lead boldly. 
  Key Takeaways  
You can either slay your dragons or become a destroyer. It is your job to set the standard of love in your home, marriage, and community. Men need to carry responsibilities to activate the strength they were designed with.  Fools want to be the master of their own universe, but wise men love correction and feedback.   Danny Silk  
Danny Silk is a renowned speaker and prolific author who draws on decades of experience as a counselor, social worker, husband, parent, grandparent, and more. He is the President and Co-Founder of Loving on Purpose, a ministry to families and communities worldwide. 
  Key Quotes  
6:28 - "You have to have something inside of you that both weights you down to the bottom so you can get some traction and strong enough to turn and face that bad boy. But what happens is, once you get enough people opposing and moving in synergy, in the opposite direction, you actually can bring that strong current to a stop and then reverse the current. [That's] the Kingdom. It's an upside down world. That's what I really want to call our generation to, let's be the generation that faced this ugly lie, chase it down, band together and create a different tomorrow for our boys." 14:24 - "It's absolutely essential that men understand that your primary job and really the only job that you have is control yourself. Control freaks, control your freaking self. You never control other people. And when we turn love into control, we misrepresent our Father. God is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, not control. If anybody is going to be a control freak, it could be God and he's a freedom freak."   Links from Today’s Conversation  
Get a discount at the DadAwesome Store with Code: MOMAWESOME Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more   The Way of the Dragon Slayer by Danny Silk   Connect with dadAWESOME  
Make a Donation to dadAWESOME Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618  

Stephen Mansfield joins us in this episode to ignite your warrior mindset. As a man of God, you have a responsibility to prepare intentionally in every aspect of life, from your marriage to parenting and beyond. Stephen shares powerful examples of rituals, accountability, and prayers that can shape your life and future generations with purpose. 
 
  Key Takeaways  
Warriors use every moment to prepare for impending battles, and strong men must do the same.  If you're going to achieve the greatness you're made for, stop being passive in the face of your surrounding culture and get intentional.  Righteous men are meant to think about the impact they'll have on the next generation.  Manhood is transferred during rituals, where you affirm a man in that milestone moment and speak of what's coming.   Stephen Mansfield  
Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and popular speaker committed to serving vital social causes. He and his wife, Beverly, split their time between Nashville, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.
  Key Quotes  
7:42 - "Warriors are intentional. They know there's battles coming. They are fighting for others. They're fighting battles of love for nation, for family, for righteous causes. And they are preparing themselves. And that makes them tougher, makes them more sacrificial, makes them more visionary, makes them live every moment in terms of, they're in the moment, but also in terms of what's coming." 18:12 - "I think every day is a gift. I think we live every day out as another day of our destiny. And the kissing of the spouse and the sitting quietly and the sipping of a glass of wine, the walk and the time reading a book and those peaceful, quiet, measured things, are just as important in building a legacy, as are the big dramatic,  500 year things. We men are naturally given to vision. What we have to do is be given to the moment more. That takes more intentionality on most of our lives."   Links from Today’s Conversation  
Get 20% off the DadAwesome Store with Code: MOMAWESOME Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more   Men on Fire by Stephen Mansfield Stephen Mansfield’s Podcast
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Kyle Wester joins us to unpack the science of your kid’s brain—from birth to adulthood. You’ll discover how connection shapes their emotional development and why sincere apologies pave the way for deeper intimacy in your relationship.
 
Key Takeaways  
Your anger says more about you than your kids.  The brain has three key developmental stages: brainstem, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex. To move out of the limbic system, you need connection.  Have high expectations while offering high support.  Emotion-focused parenting is an inside-out model that reflects what God does with us.   Kyle Wester  
Kyle Wester is a licensed professional counselor and Parenting Coach who has been working with children for over 20 years. Kyle and his wife, Sarah, are founders of Parenting Legacy and host The Art of Raising Humans podcast. They have been married for 22 years and have three children. 
  Key Quotes  
6:28 - "Success for us, when I look at my kids and I know that we are doing it well, that we are succeeding as parents, is when I see the fruit of the spirit easily pouring out of their daily life. What's neat is when you tie that in to the brain science, all of us as human beings, when we are at our best and we are really able to show up, be seen, bring more light to a dark place, it's when we're in the prefrontal cortex. And what's interesting about the prefrontal cortex is I can only get there when I feel safe and loved." 9:31 - "I have super high expectations on my kids. I really believe that every place they are is going to be better because they are there. And if for some reason that isn't happening and I'm noticing that, then me and my wife are wondering what is the supports my kid needed in that moment to be able to really shine the way God intended them to in that moment?" 26:02 - "This shows us how God has wired us and why the Christian disciplines are so effective, is because when we pray, when we meditate, when we worship, when we do these exercises that have been known throughout church history to be healthy and effective for us, we're answering these questions. We're connecting to somebody outside of us, who's whispering to us, you are safe. You are loved. And then once you get to the prefrontal cortex, the question is, what can I learn? You're basically saying, how can we do this together? How can we change this situation? I just picture God coming with an open hand and us coming with a closed hand, and He stays calm with us. He comforts us until our hand opens up. And then our hands can come together and we can really solve that problem together."   Links from Today’s Conversation  
Get 15% off the DadAwesome Store During the Mother’s Day Sale Parenting Legacy Counseling & Coaching Email Kyle Wester at kyle@artofraisinghumans.com The Art of Raising Humans Podcast The Aro Podcast 257 | When you Change Your Relationship with the Phone, You Change Your Relationship with Everyone Around You, Including Yourself (Joey Odom) Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas  Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman  No-Drama Discipline by Daniel Siegel Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel Siegel The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen The Opposite of Worry by Lawrence Cohen   Connect with dadAWESOME  
Make a Donation to dadAWESOME Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618