Fatherhood is a Fight | How To Build a Lasting Legacy

·49 min·4 clips

Brian Tome recounts spanking his daughter once for lying, a decision he says formed her character and truthfulness.

Brian Tome opens the Crossroads Church Podcast by introducing the series Stand Firm and focusing on fatherhood as a fight. He provides an update on the church's 10X campaign, reporting $210 million in commitments and progress on projects like the Dayton facility and prison outreach. Tome then shifts to the main talk, using his restored 1978 Jeep as a metaphor for fatherhood, where he is its 'daddy' who built it from scratch. He notes the absence of father influencers in culture due to monetization issues. Tome explains a father framework from the Bible, citing verses like Matthew 6:9 and Isaiah 64:8 that describe God as a father who molds and disciplines. He shares personal anecdotes, such as spanking his daughter Lena once for lying, which he says formed her character. Tome discusses the power of a father's words and how they impact people more than a mother's, based on spiritual truths. He expands the concept to father figures, using examples like Mordecai from Esther and Apostle Paul, who fathered Timothy and Titus without having biological children. Tome mentions his own father figure, Gil Hopkins, a former cop who supported him during difficult times. He tells a story from South Africa about adolescent elephants killing rhinoceroses until mature elephants were introduced to stop them, illustrating the need for father figures. Tome argues that the greatest role in life is being a father, and cultural problems stem from a lack of father figures. He emphasizes that fatherhood never ends, citing Philippians 1:6 and John 5:17 about God always working. Tome concludes by reading a plaque from Gil about living a passionate, scarred-up life and calls men to stand if they want to be father figures, ending with a prayer.

As heard by us

A sermon on fatherhood, discipline, inheritance, and men stepping into generational responsibility.

Fatherhood is treated as a spiritual responsibility shaped by inheritance, discipline, and repair. Brian Tome moves from Crossroads' push for 10X into a sermon about a heavenly Father who loves, corrects, and develops his children, then broadens the charge to men willing to act…

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Why you'd press play

You get Brian Tome on the fight of fatherhood: a direct sermon for men who want to father well, receive healing, and step into responsibility.

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