4 Ways My Dad Has Shaped Me As A Leader

one thing I didn’t get from my dad was his jump suits 🙂

Bobby Clinton, an expert in leadership development, talks a lot about the sovereign foundations the Lord gives us growing up. Even if we are not believers growing up, the events good and bad, lay a foundation that God uses to shape our character and our calling in ministry as we grow old.

I did not grow up a Christian, we never talked about it in my family, and so my dad did not lead me in the way of the Lord. But who my dad is in his ethic as a person and the way he developed me and modeled for me life growing up were essential to who I am as a planter of ministry today. So much of how God has used me as an evangelist and apostolic (planter) leader is because of my dad’s life and input.

In honor of Father’s Day (I was going to post on Sunday but my neighbor came to faith), here are four concrete ways my dad shaped who I am and how God in His sovereign plan has used these qualities to extend the Kingdom through me.

Perseverance & Resolve

When I was five years old my dad went bankrupt, my mom and he got a divorce and my dad was on the street with a car and $50 to his name. Instantly he went from millionaire in 1987 to broke. But he fought back, continued to stay in my life from day one of the divorce and within five years was making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year again. Many people would have given up, fell into a paralyzing depression, but my dad kept going and kept fighting and was a great dad even through the really hard and dark years. Not to mention, he is an alcoholic and has been sober for 32 years. He has fallen into almost every sin (he is fine being public about this) and has overcome almost all of them as well.

To start ministry from scratch, you are going to find disappointment, failure and negative surprise. You have to stay the course and fight and claw your way through some days and years. No doubt, the resolve and competitiveness I have to see breakthrough and success comes from my dad’s character to never give up.

The Best is Yet To Come

My dad has always been an eternal optimist. There are downsides to this of course, but tremendous upsides as well. My dad since I can remember has always believed the best was yet to come. No doubt this is what helped him get through the dark days. He has an innate ability to believe that more is coming, better is coming, and what circumstance he currently is in cannot and will not define him.

This attitude spilled over into my life in many ways through school, going from not playing golf at age 14 to becoming scratch and getting a D-1 scholarship in four years time . I have always believed (some times cockily so) that the best is coming, I can do better, and life will give me better soon.

This is sooo helpful in planting and believing for breakthrough in others lives. I tend to believe God is just about to breakthrough. That God is going to do something great, powerful or important any moment. Now that I am a Christian, I have learned to take the emphasis off my self or luck, and put it onto God and to believe in faith that he wants to work things together for his good and purposes. I really believe that even when things look bad.

Total Belief in Me

My dad always believed in me. He was always the most positive person in my life and always encouraged me that I could do, I could get better, and my best day was just ahead of me. He never let me get down (sometimes not helpful) because he was so confident that I could do it – whatever it was that I was doing.

To this day, as a believer in Jesus for 13 years, I have no trouble hearing God’s voice of love or belief in me. I know this is because I had such a positive and encouraging father growing up. I know my dad loves me, and I know God loves me – no matter what. My dad would tell me this all the time and I hear this from God all the time too.

This is so powerful as I plant ministry many times alone, or move to a new place, or step out in risk. I can do this more confidently because I know God loves me. I am not as scared to risk because I know God loves me and will be proud of me even if I flop. I know this is from my dad. I always felt like I could fail and try things and if it went poorly we would keep working and trying. We were partners in finding greatness.

Always Learning

One of my favorite things about my dad (and very annoying at times – love you dad) is that he is always learning something new and wanting to teach us about it. My dad is 78 and reads probably a book a week, is always recommending new reads, has learned how to use a mac, video chat software, and other new technology all after he was 72. He wanted to grow his business and keep up with the times. My dad never says, “I am too old to learn that.” He says, “Why can’t I learn that…I am still breathing right?” I love this about my dad. He has started new business in the last few years, and still sets goals and even just recently hired a life coach to go to the next level in life and business. He is 78!! Most people are thinking about dying. Not my dad.

I love this and want to keep being like this. I want to always be learning from others and God. I want to be always innovating and finding better ways to do things. I want to always be growing. Obviously if we want to extend God’s Kingdom to new places and people we have to be extraordinary learners. My dad is this and has modeled it well.