DA451 | David's Mighty Men, the Heart of a Warrior, and Why an Aimless Dad Leaves a Family Unmoored (Cliff Graham)

Join the DadAwesome PRAYER TEAM: Recieve updates on the 20-minute DadAwesome prayer Zoom Calls on Mondays/Fridays: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 EPISODE SUMMARY: Most men have never pictured David's mighty men as real flesh and blood warriors who bled, prayed, and screamed to God for covering before they ever swung a sword. In this episode, novelist and Army veteran Cliff Graham shares what twenty years inside the world of the Old Testament taught him about sacrifice, mentorship, and becoming the kind of father whose absence is felt when he's gone. You'll also hear why your kids see the things you thought you did in the dark, and why aimlessness in a dad leaves an entire family unmoored. TAKEAWAYS: Your kids are watching at all times. The thing you think you did in the dark and nobody noticed is the thing they saw. The toughest men in scripture didn't charge in confident in their own abilities. They cried out for God's covering first, and so should you. Sacrificial choices still count when your heart isn't in them. Decide through the paradigm of what's best for your family, however you're feeling, and God honors that choice. Invite your kids into your work and into your worst days. Let them see how you respond when everything falls apart. Male mentorship is disappearing. Find the man who is twenty years ahead of you, who will sit in your pain and call you out on your stuff. BIO Cliff Graham is an author and U.S. Army veteran best known for the Lion of War series, an epic retelling of the lives of David's mighty men that has been translated into seven languages and hit bestseller lists. He has spent extensive time in Israel researching the world of the Old Testament, and has also written Shadow of the Mountain (Caleb) and The Boundary of Blood (Shamgar). When he isn't writing, he works as a railroader in the western United States. He and his wife, Cassandra, have four children, three of them sons. QUOTES "It's not an awesome dad if you're aimless." (17:40) "Every little thing that a guy does that he thinks, 'I did this in the dark and no one cares' — you'd be surprised what your kids are seeing all the time." (14:05) "He didn't charge into the fight endlessly confident in his own abilities. He was screaming to God for covering." (11:00) "Just to be a dad that the loss is felt when you go is so important." (19:50) "There's nothing in this life that gives you anything near the joy and satisfaction of being a dad. There's just nothing." (22:47) 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: Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort 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 Day of War by Cliff Graham (Lion of War, Book 1) The Lion of War series (Kavod Press):Day of War, Covenant of War, Song of War, Fires of War, and the fifth book releasing this year The Boundary of Blood by Cliff Graham (Shamgar) Shadow of the Mountain by Cliff Graham (Caleb) Cliff Graham's newsletter: lionofwar.substack.com Psalm 140:7 — "O Lord God of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle" 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 — the mighty men Field of Dreams (film) Cinderella Man (film) Braveheart (film)