It was not all rainbows and unicorns. We didn't know how to be married. We didn't know how to communicate with each other. We didn't know how to make our relationship a priority. We didn't know how to juggle being parents and being spouses. We didn't know to be each other's lover and truly in those moments with one another. We still don't know. We're still learning and growing.

So know that if you're in a hard season right now, just keep the course, stay the course, stay. ...do not grow weary in well doing. But at the proper time You receive a harvest if you do not give up. So that's the word that I give to you dads as well. It can be tough right now, but keep doing things that you know are going to lead to the end that you want in your marriage and your fatherhood and your business, whatever it is, and trust that that harvest will come at some point.

The measurement of a good father is not based upon the behavior and outcome of the children. The measurement of the good father is, does he reflect God, the father, and the character and the heart that all of his children would be in relationship with him at home."

Pablo talks through steps to healing and restoration: (1) Invite Jesus into the place in our hearts where we feel wronged, where life is unfair.... (2) Renounce the lie that life is up to me, that I will need to fight every battle because no one else will do it for me (3) Ask What is the truth?

“I just have a path of intentionality that sets up the odds in your favor. And again, you can't control your son's heart, but you can fight for it. And this is a plan to fight for your son's future. And I believe that when we do that, we activate the heart of God's divine favor comes through our way, the Holy Spirit, gets involved and we're not on our own. And without it, I think you're left to chance and you’re left to the world.”

You might not know what to do. You might say some things wrong, but do not bail. Don't walk away, don't ignore the issue... Don't abdicate the responsibility of being a parent to the culture. You're the parent. God put you in that role for a reason and you might not know the exact thing to say or do.... but got to be there. You got to be present.

"So if I've got an anger issue, but I'm not seeing it. Will I have enough humility so. Will I have enough strength, Jeff, to ask somebody, 'Hey, will you help me see some things in my life?' See it's a person of strength who's willing to admit I've got an anger problem or I've got a spending problem. People of weakness, will never admit they have an issue."

The pain of our past has stolen our FREEDOM and we are looking through the little rearview mirror and over our shoulder at what should be behind us. The windshield of your life needs to be so much BIGGER than the rearview mirror... Experience the healing that your Heavenly Father wants for you.

"Life is stretching and what we need to do is own that that is true and not live in an illusion that life is not that. So life is stretching. If we stayed here, there would be elements that would be stretching about that. If we go, that's going to be stretching and maybe even be more stretching. But the reality is life is stretching."

One thing I learned is you can't just set the goal, like you got to reverse engineer it and figure out what are the daily habits that are going to get you to those goals. And that's where the magic happens. That's where the hard work habits. And that really is the key to going after those goals. 

Nick Hall is the visionary of Together, author of the book Reset, and the Founder and Chief Communicator for Pulse. As an evangelistic voice to this generation, Nick Hall has shared the Gospel at hundreds of events to more than five million people and is regularly featured as a speaker for pastors gatherings, student conferences, training events, and festivals around the world.

"Don't live in your own understanding it, if you live in your own understanding, you're going to miss it. If you live it in God's understanding, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in his presence, he will make everything clear and he'll provide and he'll do his gig"

Have courage. Pray dangerous prayers. What kind of mission do I have for my life? Take risks. Fail often and early. Don't be a critic. Be an encourager.

"That which we focus on tends to multiply....find the best parts of your spouse or the best parts of your kid and focus on those because they'll tend to expand. Either in your vision but also in your life."

"Anything lasting, anything of eternal value, anything of substance, we can't do without Him. But as far as the big picture....we parent out of relationship - our relationship with God and our relationship with our kids and life, it's a rhythm, and God designed it that way."

So as I'm guarding the doors of my kids' hearts, and I'm teaching them to guard the doors of their hearts, I'm asking questions like this, 'What spirit is this entertaining?' Teach them to ask, 'what spirit is this elevating? What spirit is this welcoming?' Because if this is a door, I get to decide who I host, who I invite, who I welcome and who I host. And everything is entertaining to some spirit.

We want to see a generation of dads who are builders, who are saying with intentionality and focus with their time, with their money, with their passions. I'm going to build a family. I'm going to build towards having a heart connection with my kids. I'm going to build, in a direction that glorifies the Lord.

Ted Lowe is a speaker, an author, and the director of MarriedPeople, the marriage division at The reThink Group (also known as Orange), a non-profit organization devoted to influencing those who influence the next generation.