Father’s Day Contest

Perhaps the most powerful influence in the world is that of a dad on his child. Not only did I have a father who modeled in word and deed what it meant to be a good dad, but I have the awesome privilege of being a dad of six children along with my wife, Dena. Next week, Sunday, June 19th, is Father’s Day.

 And so, to celebrate, I have teamed up with my publisher, Moody Publishers, to give away some great prizes over the week leading up to Father’s Day!

Daily winners will receive:

One grand prize winner will receive this prize package:

 

Enter to Win:

Enter to win by leaving the answer to the ONE of the following questions in the comment section of this blog post:

1)      What is one of your favorite first time dad stories?
2)      What is some of the best first time dad advice you’ve received?
3)      What is one question all first time dads ask?

Get Extra Entries by: 

1. Tweeting the following about this contest (must include the website link):
Enter to win a First Time Dad prize package! http://johnfullerblog.com

2. Join John Fuller on his Facebook fan page
Become a fan by clicking on the “Like” button. If you are already a fan, use the “Share” link on John’s page to post it to your wall.

 You must leave an additional comment on this blog post letting me know you did any of the above to receive the extra entries.

Deadlines & Winners

FAQs

Can I enter if I am not a first-time dad?
Yes, anyone can enter. Perhaps you want to win the contest to give the information to your husband or to friends who are expectant parents.

Why isn’t my comment on the blog showing up?
Please note that all comments must be approved by the moderator before they appear on the blog. It may take a few hours for your comment to appear, but all contest entry comments will be counted.

*This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with daddytoolbelts.com, Starbucks, or Facebook. The tool belt and gift card were purchased by Moody Publishers for this contest.

Prizes unclaimed after 10 business days subject to forfeiture.

God bless!

Parenting With Courage

Do you know a “Courageous Parent?” You’ve likely come across a difference-maker who goes “above and beyond” to better the life of their child. Moms who do really admirable things. Dads who are really engaged. Parents who are not afraid, but are confidently and courageously raising the next generation.

Tell us a brief story about an exemplary parent in our Courageous Contest! You can do so in these five ways:

-     Online
-     Facebook
-     Email your story to contest@focusonthefamily.com
-     Call us and record your contest entry at 866-371-6966
-     Send us your story by mail to: Focus on the Family, Courageous Contest Entry, Colorado Springs, CO 80995

Every week during the contest period there will be five weekly winners who will receive resource collections or digital downloads valued at approximately $75. One grand prize winner will win a trip to attend the premiere of Courageous, the latest film from the creators of Fireproof.

We’d love to hear about any person in your life who is a Courageous Parent!

Kids and The Stress of Life

I hate school! I don’t want to go to school!

That’s what he said, and my calm reply was, in essence, “Too bad.” I explained that it is my rule, and a state law, that he has to go to school. We all have things we don’t like, and usually we have to just do those. Same for school.

A day or two later, he got out of school. Well, for a day. He was suspended. I won’t go into the details here, but let’s say that these are not the usual challenges parents of a first-grade student have to deal with. He figured out how to get out of school. Good for him! In this regard he is an over-achiever!

While difficult, we do smile at the boy’s persistence. He is, if nothing else, creative and determined. Now, to challenge that energy into something more…productive. Whew!

Related to the broad spectrum of parenting challenges, I saw this article about younger children who wrestle with going to school. Now, this woman’s child isn’t as trying as our son, but still, it seems many kids are struggling with life? Even something as constant and enduring as school?

Are YOUR kids stressed out?

My child is...

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Christmas Prayer

I don’t know of anyone who isn’t busy in life, especially this Christmas season. My wife and I have avoided being over-committed, and yet the schedule has been quite full these past few weeks. Still, there’s a difference between busy and hectic, between a full calendar and an overwhelmed life. We’re not stressed, but we have wished for a bit of free time to contemplate “the reason for the season.” Maybe you can relate?

Helping us refocus our attention, here’s a meaningful prayer that my wife found. It reflects our hearts for a touch from God to restore the wonder…

Dear Heavenly Lord,

The Christmas story is so full of activity, and yet, Mary quietly pondered. She was in a place of silence, not because she was untouched by all the events around her, but because she was capable of wonder. In the midst of the Christmas hustle, help our family to find that quiet place of wonder, that quiet place of prayer where we, like Mary, can learn to treasure what you treasure.

In Jesus’ Name.

Find that prayer, and another one to pray specifically on behalf of your children, right here.

May you have a blessed and merry Christmas!

Christmas In The Air

It’s only Monday, but this morning as I drove carpool my daughters were discussing the upcoming weekend. When reminded of a party for our Sunday school class, the oldest girl expressed surprise that “Christmas parties are already starting.” We reminded her that it IS December, and that Christmas will be here quite soon.

In fact, this past weekend our family just celebrated our 19th annual “Christmas Tree Hunt,” driving into the mountains to search for the perfect tree. We never find it, but this year we came mighty close! After cutting and loading it, we enjoyed hot chocolate and sandwiches before coming back home. This is one of our favorite memories through the years.

A beautiful day to be in the mountains!

Here at Focus on the Family, we’ve got some special Christmas activities and offerings for you. One item of particular note is our “12 Days of Blessing” contest. Check here for details, and be sure you nominate a needy family you know who could use some extra help this season.

And here’s a way to save some money on your Christmas shopping: free shipping from the Focus on the Family store at CBD.

This site (an outreach of Focus on the Family) has suggestions you might appreciate about “shopping with purpose.”

If you’ve appreciated the outreach of Focus on the Family, I’d like you to know that there’s a special “matching gift” opportunity, for only a short time, that effectively doubles any contribution you make to Focus. It’s an extraordinary way to maximize your contribution. Details here.

Finally, here’s a series of short articles to help you keep your family’s holiday emphasis where it belongs.

Odyssey Touching Lives

Great comments affirming the decision many years ago to make a dramatic audio series for kids:

I want to thank you for creating Adventures in Odyssey.  As a kid, the program reinforced the lessons my parents taught me.  We didn’t have a television in our house, so naturally I spent more time listening to the radio than most of my peers.  Whit and the gang made the Bible exciting for me and taught me that you don’t have to be an adult to be a Christian.

Now, as a 20-year-old college student, I still enjoy AIO greatly and listen to it whenever I can.  Many of the things I know about the Bible, and living the Christian life, I first learned from AIO.  I even learned some words that helped me out in my first year of Biblical Hebrew!  The show is wonderful – keep up the good work.

I wonder if YOU have an “Odyssey story” to share?

Ten Tips For Travelin’ Fools

I’ve been traveling every week since early September. Just coming off another trip to Atlanta, where we had a wonderful time with around 500 friends of Focus on the Family. Our Celebrate Family Tour is really a special time, and it was an enjoyable evening.

During the past weeks, I’ve had canceled flights, mechanical delays, airport “ground stops,” and an overnight stay at LaGuardia airport. Others have plenty of horror stories, and our president, Jim Daly, travels a lot more than me, but since I’ve been out a lot, here are some travel tips that come to mind.

If you travel with any frequency, I’d invite your additions to the following list (compiled at the airport):

John’s Top Ten Travel Tips

1.    Always be prepared for – and expect – the worst.

2.    Never plan to be there on time.

3.    Be nicer than others.

4.    Don’t grumble at the flight crew or gate agent – they’re just trying to do their job. They’re your friends if things fall apart.

5.    Always have a snack and some bottled water – it’ll make sitting on a plane waiting to take off for three hours a lot easier.

6.    Give other folks some space and grace…they might’ve had a rotten day already.

7.    Carry extra juice for your phone.

8.    Don’t spend all your time working. Engage someone in conversation. Look around at the people. Smile at a child. Read a book. Take a snooze.

9.    Get tips on where to eat from frequent fliers. They often have advice that is worth following.

10.Keep family pictures on your laptop’s screen and on your phone. Good reminder of the most important people in your life.

School Struggles?

Reading this blog post/article about school struggles, I couldn’t help but think of our youngest, who is really having a difficult time this school year. Zane is bright, but has some behavioral issues making for a very rocky time at the nearby elementary school. The administration and teaching staff there is wonderful, but they can only do so much. Talking with my wife, I observed that the boy is trying to get out of the pressures of the classroom, but of course, we can’t let him win that battle. She agrees, and we’ll have a meeting with the school in the next couple of days to discuss an action plan.

Meantime, I’d appreciate your prayers. In the scheme of things, this is a temporary problem, but we’re calling on God to bring His presence and wisdom to bear. We need it. And maybe you can relate…let us know how Focus on the Family can help.  We have a lot of resources, and even could arrange for a counselor to give you a call.

Jim Daly on Huckabee

On Saturday, September 18, Jim Daly will talk about his new book, Stronger, on “Huckabee.”  The show will air at 8 p.m. Eastern on the Fox News Channel.

19 Years…And Counting

In late July of 1991, I was pondering a job change. I was happy with my work managing two Christian radio stations in Texas. Our circumstances were close to ideal. We lived two blocks from my wife’s sister and her family. One set of grandparents – we had one child at the time – was only twenty minutes away. We were in a good church, had some wonderful friends and loved our neighborhood.

The offer was from Focus on the Family. To accept would mean moving to Colorado and leaving all that we had known as a young family.  There’d be some tears if we took on the challenge of a new job in a new city and state. That was a lot of upheaval to consider.

A complicating factor was that we were expecting the birth of a second child at any time.

Weighing the opportunity, we sought counsel from trusted friends and after considerable prayer and thought we decided to “go for it.”

Believe it or not, within hours of making the decision, Dena went into labor. In fact, Seth was born just eight hours after I made the call to accept the offer to join the Focus broadcast team. Only six weeks later, I was in Colorado starting the new job. That was 19 years ago today, and I’m still working on broadcasts, although in a different way than when I began in 1991.

God has given me some terrific, rewarding and fulfilling work these many years. What wonderful people I’ve worked with and met! I’m a blessed man.

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