The Intentional Father Quotes

“IMAGINE A FARMER walked down a backcountry road and saw another farmer repairing a fence. His young sons were helping him. “Why are you letting your sons help you?” the first farmer asked. “It’s going to take five times as long. You should just do it yourself.” “Oh, but you’ve made a mistake,” the second farmer said. “You think I’m repairing a fence. I’m not. I’m raising my sons.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“I began a period of time when I consciously wanted to show Nate that the life of a boy is a life of ease, a life of self in which we try to control everything, and a life spent living in the moment. But the beauty of being a man is that a man embraces difficulty, cares about others, is part of a greater story, is willing to surrender to a greater cause, and lives for the eternal, not the temporary.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“These rules are: Life is hard. You are not important. Your life is not about you. You are not in control. You are going to die.1 Sounds like wonderful news, right? Stick with me. These rules are all true, no matter how hard they might sound, and almost all cultures have had ways of helping men understand these rules—except modern culture. What does our culture tell us? Life should be easy, you’re important, your life is about you, you should try to control everything, and you can live forever. And as a result, all of that emphasis on the self and self-fulfillment produces an extended adolescence, where men never grow up or reach their full redemptive potential.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“The intentional father is deeply invested in discovering who his children are and how he can help them reach their redemptive potential. He seeks to understand the children God has given him and wants to form them into young persons who can fulfill their purpose. He sees parenting as central to his call before God and does it with all of his might. This kind of father leaves multigenerational blessing in the lives of his children.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“a man is an image bearer and son of God entrusted with power and the responsibility to create, cultivate, care, and defend, for God’s glory and the good of others.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“It’s time to come up with your own vision as a father for what you want to impart to your son so that on the day he leaves your house, on that day the moving truck pulls up along the sidewalk, or on that day he picks up a suitcase in each hand, he will look at you and say, “Thank you, Dad. I am who I am because of you. Thank you, Dad. I know what I know because of you. Thank you, Dad. I can do what I can do because of you. Thank you, Dad, for the experiences you gave me.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“Somebody is going to disciple your son. Somebody is going to give your son wisdom on how to live, and it’s either going to be you and a community of godly men (see exercise #3 below) or it’s going to be the world. Your son is going to become someone—he is going to grow up. His character will be formed by someone.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

“Let's not be a generation of fathers who push this crisis off to the next generation. Let's be fathers who release blessing and not brokenness -- favor and not curses. Resolve in your spirit to do this with intentionality and focus.”
― Jon Tyson, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character