SUMMARY
The current chapter of dad life is not the whole story. In part two of the DadAwesome Multipliers summer series, Jeff reads Chapter 2 of the DadAwesome book, The Tale of Two Thieves, and unpacks what a three dozen cookie dough heist taught him about choosing curiosity instead of reactivity. Then Phil Comer joins with a powerful clip on giving a blessing instead of returning evil for evil, and how one choice in a tense room trickles down for generations. This episode closes with clear reflection, multiplication, and activation steps you can take this week.
Key Takeaways
- You are living into a multigenerational story, and this chapter is only a tiny slice of it.
- Curiosity opens doors. Reactivity closes them.
- You cannot eliminate chaos, but you can shape how it unfolds.
- Stones of remembrance are about keeping the stories alive, not preserving the reminders.
- Giving a blessing when you have received a criticism changes the atmosphere of a room.
Action Steps
REFLECTION
Look back at the chaos. When curveballs hit recently, were you reacting or responding? Were you making assumptions or staying curious and asking God what He wanted to teach you in that moment?
Open your phone and look back at the last month. Scroll your photos, scroll your calendar. Where has God shown up that you have not paused long enough to call to mind?
Ask the honest question. If your kids described the atmosphere you carry into the room right now, would tenderness make the list? Would softness? Would kindness?
MULTIPLICATION
Send the text. Reach out to seven or eight dads and invite them to journey with you through the end of August. If two or three say yes, you have moved from addition to multiplication.
Pick your gathering. A text thread, a campfire, a boat, a camping trip with your kids. Make one specific invite this week.
Carry a copy. Keep an extra DadAwesome book in your vehicle or your laptop bag and look for the moment to hand it to a dad and tell him you see him being awesome.
ACTIVATION
Start a family remembrance list. Sit down together, scroll photos and your calendar, and capture the answered prayers, the provision, the goodness, the moments God showed up. Let every kid contribute.
Tell the stories out loud. At the dinner table or at bedtime, tell your kids one story of God's faithfulness in your family.
Flip the switch this week. The next time a curveball comes, choose curiosity first. Laugh at the moment. Show your kids that dad is anchored and steady, not thrown off.
Timestamps
03:00 This week's theme is story
04:00 Chapter 2, The Tale of Two Thieves
06:24 React or respond, curiosity or reactivity
08:49 The Dad Detective's approach, five practices
11:11 Crafting your family's story
12:45 Stones of remembrance
14:30 Building your family's remembrance list
18:21 Remember this
19:20 Setting up the Phil Comer clip
20:20 Phil Comer on tenderness, blessing, and the choices we pass down
26:45 Action steps: reflection, multiplication, activation
Guest
Phil Comer is a husband, father, and grandfather with 40 years of pastoral and counseling experience. After planting a church in 2004, Phil and his wife, Diane, went on to launch Intentional Parents International, a ministry equipping young parents and providing focused teaching in the spiritual training of children. This clip comes from episode 317.
Links Mentioned
Top Five Quotes
- "The current chapter of dad life is not the whole story."
- "You can't eliminate chaos, but you can shape how it unfolds."
- "Your kids are watching how you handle the unexpected. What story are you writing?"
- "It's not about preserving the physical reminders. It's about keeping the stories alive."
- Phil Comer: "If you, with God's help, can give a blessing when you've received a criticism or a curse, it brings peace and it honors God."
Tags
DadAwesome, Jeff Zaugg, Phil Comer, DadAwesome Multipliers, fatherhood, christian dad, dad life, parenting, dad podcast, intentional parenting, story, legacy, generational blessing, stones of remembrance, God's faithfulness, curiosity, marriage, tenderness, scripture, Intentional Parents
