443 | MULTIPLIERS Part 1: Hearts Toward Heaven, Hearts Toward Home (Mark Batterson)

DADAWESOME BOOKJEFF ZAUGGFamily Vision
Written By Jeff Zaugg

Episode Description

Jeff Zaugg kicks off the seven part Dadawesome Multipliers summer series, a campfire ready collection built to spread the mission of Dad Awesome through August. Each week brings a slice of the forthcoming Dad Awesome audiobook, a featured guest voice from the vault, multiplication coaching, three lab activation steps, and a giveaway.Part 1 is the flyover. Jeff reads the book's dedication and preface, tracing how a casual patio question from his cousin, "How do you stay intentional as a dad?", exposed that he was growing in every area of life except fatherhood. That one question sparked a movement built on hundreds of small yeses: 400 plus podcast conversations, 550 plus nights in an RV as a family, and over a thousand men at activation events. The episode closes with a clip from Jeff's first interview with Mark Batterson, who wrote the book's forward.

  • Jeff Zaugg is the founder and host of DadAwesome, a podcast and movement helping fathers turn their hearts toward heaven and toward home. What began in 2018 as a ten week experiment with a handful of friends has grown into 400 plus interviews with dads, grandpas, pastors, and authors, plus live activation events that have gathered over a thousand men. He and his family spent more than two and a half years traveling the country in an RV. He's the author of the new book DADAWESOME.

    Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., and the New York Times bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including The Circle Maker and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University and lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora; they have three children. He wrote the forward for the DADAWESOME book.

    • Intentional fatherhood starts with a question, not a program. Staying awake to "How do you stay intentional as a dad?" changed everything.

    • The mission runs on two turnings from Malachi 4:6, hearts toward heaven and hearts toward home.

    • Read to lead. You don't need 250 books, but read a dozen so you can lead on the home front.

    • Your mistakes are one of your greatest teaching tools. Kids learn to apologize by watching you do it.

    • Prioritize your children, don't idolize them. Batterson names that as a big difference.

    • Batterson learned more about the heart of the Heavenly Father from parenting his three kids than from all his degrees and seminary trips combined.

    • Movements are built on small yeses, not one grand gesture.

  • Welcome back to Dad Awesome. Guys, my name is Jeff Zaugg, and today, episode 443, we're kicking off a seven-part series. We're calling this series Dad Awesome Multipliers, and it's a summer series. It's designed for your campfire groups. It's designed for spreading the mission of Dad Awesome in a really simple, really easy, light-lift way. But I'm gonna give you some short episodes that can be used as a springboard to be a multiplier for this mission. And as a reminder, Dad Awesome, we exist to help dads be awesome dads, right? Okay, obviously, you guys are like, obviously, it's called Dad Awesome, but we do it from a heart level. We're after the heart, hearts toward heaven and hearts toward home. We exist to help fathers, to help a movement of fathers turn their hearts toward heaven, seeking the Lord, opening the Bible, entering times of prayer, seeking God, understanding that we are loved sons of God, being filled up on fire with the love of God. We're gonna turn our heart toward heaven, and then we're gonna turn our hearts toward home. The turning of heart, Malachi 4:6, the turning of hearts from fathers to children, and the turning from children to fathers. So we exist for those two things, but a big part of what we do at Dad Awesome is conversations. We try to spark conversations. That's why we're calling this the Dad Awesome Multipliers series. It's a summer series designed to make it really easy and fun to spread the mission of Dad Awesome. Here's how we're gonna do it. We're gonna share a slice of audio content from the book. So right now, the audible version of the Dad Awesome book is in development, but as an accountability mechanism, I'm going to commit to releasing a chapter each week here, as a part of this series. So for the next seven podcasts, you're gonna get a slice of the audiobook that will include hearing the voice of the featured podcast guest from the vault of Dad Awesome. So you're gonna hear not only my voice, but you're gonna hear some of the content that's in the book, the actual voice of the guest that I heard that from. Also, I'm going to do a little bit of coaching around multiplication, stories that I'm hearing back of guys who are multiplying the mission. I'm gonna share real, real time some examples of how to be a multiplier. I'm going to take us into the Dad Awesome labs. Every chapter has labs, activation steps. I'm gonna give you examples every week, three ways you can put this into action.

    Jeff Zaugg  [02:59]

    This week's theme. So three ways to put it into action, homework. You can choose which one, you can choose all three. So it's gonna be highly activating. It's going to be highly practical, and I can put this into action. It's not just staying in the thought level. And then lastly, I'm gonna have some fun and do some giveaways. So there'll be some giveaways each week of the Dad Awesome summer series. So here we go: Dad Awesome Multipliers, a seven-week series that takes us through the end of August. Are you guys ready? This is the introduction. So we're going to give you the flyover first. Here's a little slice from the introduction of the book.

    Jeff Zaugg  [03:41]

    Okay, this is the book Dad Awesome, and this is the dedication page. To the fathers of my daughters' future husbands, I pray for you often. I pray you're experiencing God's love in ways that go beyond words, the kind of love that changes everything about how you see yourself and your sons. I'm praying for your boys to grow strong and tender, confident and kind, that they learn to delight in being loved sons of their Heavenly Father before they become anything else. I'm praying for the fathers they'll become for our future grandkids who will carry forward what you're building right now in your homes. We're on this mission together, separated by years, but connected in purpose. Preface: The house was silent. Everyone was sleeping. My wife, our daughters, and our generous relatives who had opened their Arizona home to us. Outside the desert sky was catching fire with the first colors of sunrise. But inside my heart something had shifted that wouldn't settle. I sat alone in the living room while a question from the previous night echoed through my thoughts. How do you stay intentional as a dad? It was just a casual question, asked by my cousin on his patio. It wasn't meant for much more than small talk, the kind of question that usually prompts a thoughtful nod, a brief answer, and then fades away. But not this one. This question grabbed my heart. And as I sat there in the quiet morning hours, I realized why. I had no real answer. The realization gripped me. I wasn't growing as a dad. I loved my daughters fiercely, yes, but intentional, leaning in with my whole heart, purposeful in developing the skills needed for this calling. In other areas of my life, I was reading books, attending conferences, listening to podcasts, seeking mentoring, but not in my role as a dad. So I did what I often do when processing something important. I opened a note on my phone and began typing. What would it look like to be truly focused on learning and growing as a father? I started compiling resources, Christian dad blogs, podcasts, books, conferences. I listed areas where I needed growth and mentorship. With each tap of my fingers, something was awakening inside of me. Not just a plan, but a calling. I often learn best by leading.

    Jeff Zaugg  [06:02]

    When something grips my heart, the most natural path isn't just personal growth, it's inviting others to join the journey. So I sat there building my list. I began to envision what a strategic fatherhood ministry might look like. I sent an email to about twenty friends asking if they'd be interested in a ten week experiment around intentional fatherhood. No big promises, just an invitation to grow together. I recorded my first episode from the base of a snowy sledding hill. After some quick editing, I showed my wife the first episode, confident I'd nailed it. She watched, then started listing ways to improve it. My gut reaction: defensiveness. But once I got over myself, I realized her insights were exactly what I needed. Her suggestions included changing the name from Dad Ventures to Dad Awesome. I went back to the drawing board and in January of 2018, the newly named Dad Awesome Podcast launched with episode number one. That initial question led to action. My personal action led to collective action as I invited other dads to grow alongside me. The very first episode was titled We Trust God, emphasizing the importance of trust, teaching our children that we have a God in heaven who is trustworthy. What began as a 10-week experiment quickly evolved. When those weeks ended, the dads wanted more. What's next? they asked. That question launched the Dad Awesome podcast. I started by reaching out to dads and grandpas I respected, then gradually expanded to include counselors, pastors, and authors who had wisdom to share. Dad Awesome wasn't built on one grand gesture, but on hundreds of small yeses over the past eight years. Men saying yes to learning and growing as dads, yes to 100-mile bike rides and dad challenges, yes to team triathlons and small group studies, yes to campfire meetups where conversations turned vulnerable, and obstacle course races where we cheered each other on. Each small yes created a ripple that joined with others, forming a wave of fatherhood transformation. This consistent commitment, this pattern of showing up week after week, transformed a focused experiment into a movement. The journey took us across the country for over 550 nights in an RV as a family.

    Jeff Zaugg  [08:15]

    It led to more than 400 podcast conversations with remarkable dads and brought together over a thousand men in Dad Awesome activation events, raising funds for our partner ministries. But the most significant transformation happened in my own heart and home. The more I've invested in learning about fatherhood, the more I've grown to love being a dad. My daughters feel the difference, and your kids can too, starting with a single yes. What you're about to discover in these pages could be your next step in turning your heart toward your kids. I'm praying Malachi 4:6 over you and your family: and he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. I never expected to live for two and a half years in an RV, and never imagined interviewing hundreds of dads or being part of a community where so many fathers have found new purpose in their role. I simply stayed awake to the question that wouldn't let me go. Sometimes the most profound journeys begin with the simplest questions. That's why I ask you the same thing. How do you stay intentional as a dad? In the pages ahead, you'll discover how to explore that question alongside other fathers who are on the same journey. Together we'll uncover how God wants to shape your unique approach to building a legacy that will echo positively through generations. This journey has been filled with dad-awesome discoveries, and a clear framework has emerged. Six essential elements that can transform ordinary dads into men who lead their families with purpose, wonder, and unwavering love. This isn't another parenting manual filled with techniques and tips. This is an invitation to join a movement of fathers who refuse to drift through this treasured role of being a dad. Every chapter will meet you exactly where you are, guide you forward one story, one truth, one step at a time. Whether you're a new dad feeling the weight of this responsibility, or an experienced father questioning your approach, this journey is for you. You might be processing your own upbringing while raising your children, or managing the unique challenges of single fatherhood or step parenting. The truth is every dad's story is different, a blend of victories, struggles, moments of clarity, and seasons of uncertainty that make up the adventure of fatherhood.

    Jeff Zaugg  [10:28]

    Your children are watching a man who cares enough to grow, to learn, to become the father they need. I'm praying for you, cheering for you, and believing that your best days as a father are still ahead.

    Jeff Zaugg  [10:43]

    If you have a copy of the book Dad Awesome, you can certainly jump to the introduction. So I read the preface, I read the dedication. You can jump to the introduction to give even a little more of the overview, flyover direction we're headed for these next six podcasts. But for today, for the flyover, I'm just gonna do the preface. And then Mark Batterson wrote the forward for this book. And instead of me reading his forward, I thought, how fun would it be to go back five and a half years ago when I first met Mark, the very first time I interviewed him? Here is a two-minute clip from that interview that just reinforces what we're talking about today.

    Jeff Zaugg

    It's the people I know and the books I read that are gonna determine that direction. So I just wanna encourage the listeners, you don't have to read 250 books, but read a dozen. Let's lean in and be readers so that we can be leaders on the home front. And I want to jump to the last verse in the Old Testament, just around the hearts of fathers to their kids, Malachi 4:6. Would you talk about hearts of fathers and about us leading on the home front, and how it starts with our hearts?

    Mark Batterson

    Yeah. How powerful is it that that last prophetic word is, I am gonna turn the hearts of the father to their children. And I really, Jeff, I'm believing this nation needs revival, but I believe it starts in the home. And I believe it starts with fathers, when we take ownership of the responsibility that God's given us. And that's not to put undue pressure on us. Like, we're gonna fall short. And that's where the Heavenly Father compensates for our shortcomings as earthly fathers. So listen, don't worry too much about the mistakes you make, because how are your kids gonna learn how to say sorry unless they learn how to apologize from you? So your mistakes are actually one of the greatest opportunities to teach your children one of life's most important lessons. So there's a silver lining there with some of the mistakes we make. But I think it starts with prioritizing our children, not idolizing, prioritizing. Big difference there. I'll say this: you know, I did a couple of master's programs, I did a doctoral degree.

    Mark Batterson  [13:05]

    Been to seminary in Bath like three times, Jeff. I've learned more about the heart of the Heavenly Father just by being a dad to my three kids than all of that classroom education combined. And it really starts with a heart for our children. And so, in fact, like just right now: Lord, I pray for the hearts of dads that are listening to this podcast. God, I pray that you would capture their hearts and their heart would be inclined towards their children the way that your heart is inclined to us, in Jesus' name.

    Jeff Zaugg

    This is the first of a seven-part series, The Dad Awesome Multipliers, a summer series for you guys. And I'm so grateful it's gonna take us through the end of August. Thanks for listening today. But we want to take action. We don't want to just think about it, that's nice. I want dads, and I pray for a movement of dads. This is who we are at Dad Awesome. We take action. So let's talk for a moment on the action steps: reflection, multiplication, activation. Reflection: I want to encourage you guys to do an audit, an intentionality audit. Remember that question that I was asked. So this is eight and a half years ago in Arizona. I'm asked this question, how do you stay intentional as a dad? And I mentioned this earlier in the podcast. I want you guys to do what I did. Grab your phone or a journal, open up a notes app, and just spend a little time auditing. How are you staying intentional as a dad? Heart toward heaven, heart toward home. How is it going? How's your intentionality of seeking the Lord? How's your intentionality of turning your heart towards your children? Are you growing? Are you learning? What have you been reading? What have you been listening to? You have 168 hours in your week. How is it going with pressing in, and does your calendar show that you are pressing in in the area of fatherhood, that it's an area of pursuit for you? So just do some reflection.

    Jeff Zaugg  [15:05]

    Write it down. There's no shame here. Just a little bit of reflection. How is the dad life going? The next part: multiplication. We need to be inviters. The Dad Awesome Multipliers series, we simply invite. And this is how simple it is. You can text 10 dads, just copy paste. You can write a text: Hey, I'm jumping into this seven-week challenge with Dad Awesome. I'm jumping in through the end of August, just the second half, the back half of the summer. Would you want to join me? You're sending a text saying we're gonna listen to a short podcast each week. So at some point during the week, listen to the podcast, and then hey, let's get together and talk about it. That's the ideal: let's get together over coffee, over wings, around a campfire. We'll go for a run and talk. We'll go for a bike ride. Hey, we'll meet on the boat. Actually, the ideal is you text a friend who has a boat and you pitch the idea of meeting on their boat. Best case, even better if it's a wake surf boat, but let's set that aside. Okay, back to this multiplication. Cast the invite, and then you copy that text and you paste it to another dad. Text them, text them, text them. Ten text messages will take you like four minutes to send. Then if two or three respond, and they're like, I'm in, yeah, through the end of the summer, this Dad Awesome challenge, I'll listen every week and participate — then you've become a multiplier. This is not addition. If you only get one dad to join you, we're in the addition category. Multipliers, Dad Awesome multipliers. All you need to do is get two to three to four. Maybe some of you guys are gonna have a group of 10. You are now a multiplier, a carrier of this mission. So well done. You just simply have to send the text and create a simple plan. And if these are dads from around the country, around the world, you can do a text. Hey, let's just form a text group and let's chime in with: how are we taking action this week? How are we growing? What was my takeaway? So that's the multipliers. The third part here is activation. I mentioned that this whole ministry is built on so many small yeses, hundreds of small yeses. Yes to this bike ride, yes to this dad meetup, yes to this coaching session, yes to this podcast. It's just been lots of small yeses by our whole community. And I want to encourage you guys: your activation is, what's your small yes this week?

    Jeff Zaugg  [17:19]

    What's the yes that you've been putting off? What's this small yes that God is nudging you right now to take and say yes to? Is it yes to the dad-daughter date? Is it yes to taking your wife out on a date? What is the small yes? There's so many examples here, but is there a small yes that you've been putting off that you're gonna activate? You're going to take action on a small yes. And that will make a huge difference. So I want to encourage you guys, let's be activators. Let's make good on our yeses. Let's follow through and be dads who don't just intend, but actually follow through on our small yes. And this is how I'm giving a prize out this week: send me a voice message. I love getting voice messages from you guys. You hear my voice all the time. So it's in the show notes, it's in the link on your podcast apps. Send a voice message to me, up to 90 seconds. Introduce yourself and tell me: what has today's podcast stirred up? The first of seven episodes of the Dad Awesome Multipliers, the summer series. What's it stirring up? What's your action step? What are you pressing into? You can also ask a question, for sure, that's fine. I am just going to take those voice messages, randomize, and then I'm gonna send out — it's summer series — either a tank top or a hat or a shirt. Someone every week is going to win some Dad Awesome gear. So you need to leave me a voice message to let me know you're taking action. So that's your action step. Guys, thanks for leaning in this week. Thanks for being inviters. Thanks for being multipliers. Praying for you guys. Have a great week.

  • Reflection: Do an intentionality audit. Open your notes app or a journal and honestly assess how you're staying intentional, heart toward heaven and heart toward home. What are you reading and listening to? Does your calendar show fatherhood is an area of real pursuit?

    Multiplication: Be an inviter. Copy paste one text to ten dads inviting them into the seven week challenge through the end of August. Listen each week, then get together to talk about it over coffee, wings, a campfire, a run, a bike ride, or a boat. Get two or more to say yes and you've moved from addition to multiplication.

    Activation: Name your small yes. What yes have you been putting off that God is nudging you toward this week? A dad daughter date, a date with your wife, a follow through you keep intending but haven't done. Pick it and act on it.

    GIVEAWAY

    Send Jeff a voice message up to 90 seconds using the link in the show notes. Introduce yourself and share what this first episode stirred up, your action step, or a question. Each week one message gets randomly picked to win Dad Awesome summer gear. https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome

 

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