DA359 | Creating Meaningful Pathways, Never Missing a Birthday, and Making God Your Center of Gravity (Roy Harley)

Dec 5, 2024

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Roy Harley loves surfing and Christian ministry, but he’s learned the importance of putting his family first, even when it seems unreasonable. In this conversation, Roy shares practical ways he’s created meaningful connections with his kids. He also opens up about navigating the uncharted teen years with his kids and looking to God as the ultimate example of fatherhood.

Key Takeaways

Your family comes before your ministry.
The pathways you lay in your child’s first 11 years are the most crucial.
Train up your child in the way God has designed for them to go, and then allow that to flourish.
Your Christian faith must be your center of gravity, not a distant satellite.
Bring your full heart to every season of parenting, leaning on God and your community when you don’t know the roadmap.

Roy Harley

Roy Harley is the International Director of Christian Surfers. He was the pioneering national director of CS South Africa and has been in full-time ministry for over 30 years. Roy is married to Sharon with daughter Cailyn and son Nathan.

Key Quotes

20:58 - " I love that phrase, the way you put the phrase, because I won't back down. There might be times when you need to soften. Once recently, I had to say to my daughter, She's 21 now, baby, I'm sorry because I stepped in and was your dad. I went all dad on the situation. I didn't acknowledge that you're an adult and I should have come to you because it was your choice, when I'd just went in guns blazing because I thought someone was going to hurt you, so I just didn't back down. Recognizing that probably the wisdom would have been to not back down, but in not backing down, in this situation, would have been something different. In this situation, would have been I have got your back, I'm behind you. But you're the adult, you need to take the step."
42:31 - "We all have to evaluate ourselves. The most practical thing on a daily basis I'd say is Jesus is too big to be a satellite in our world. He is way too big. We can't have Christianity as this thing that we have in the top right or left hand corner or orbiting whatever else we're doing. The simple fact of the way that God, our Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit works is He realigns everything around His gravity."

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