DA380 | Building a Home Your Kids Want to Be In: Bob Merritt on Church, Humility, and Confronting Blind Spots (PART 1)

FROM THE VAULT:

• Initially released in August of 2021
• 🏠 "Home was not just a place I lived, but the place I most wanted to be."
• ✅ The blind spots that almost derailed his family (and how he overcame them)
• ✅ Why church attendance matters more than you think
• ✅ How to create a home your kids actually want to be in
• ✅ The power of courageous humility in fatherhood

SUMMARY

What if the most powerful thing you could do as a dad wasn't extraordinary at all? In this heart-stirring conversation, Pastor Bob Merritt reveals how 30+ years of simple daily faithfulness transformed his family's life. From humble beginnings to leading one of Minnesota's largest churches, Bob shares the painful intervention that saved his career, marriage, and fatherhood legacy. Plus, you'll hear his daughter's emotional tribute that will make you rethink what true success as a dad looks like.

TAKEAWAYS

• Your daily faithfulness matters more than you realize—even when parenting feels monotonous and difficult
• Leading your family to church consistently is one of the most foundational ways to impact your children's faith
• Confronting your blind spots requires tremendous courage but can completely transform your family legacy
• The words you speak and the example you set as a dad influence your children for decades to come
• Creating a home your children want to be in starts with staying faithful to your spouse

GUEST

Bob Merritt served as Senior Pastor of Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota for nearly three decades, helping it grow to become one of the largest churches in America. He's the author of several books including "Done With That" and "Get Wise." Now retired from full-time ministry, Bob enjoys spending time with his wife Laurie, their two adult children, and six grandchildren. His greatest joy is seeing his family's continued commitment to faith and watching the legacy of intentional parenting extend to the next generation.

5 Most Impactful Quotes

• "It really is in the small, little daily things that really matter... I think parenting is the hardest thing on the planet... But I would go back and say it's your daily faithfulness, even though you don't know what you're doing half the time. But it's your daily faithfulness to your marriage, to showing up at home after work, to put the kids in your lap and just day after day after day after day of monotony in many cases. But out of that, God has a ripple effect and will do things and impact people now in ways that you'd never dreamed possible."
• "You don't have to know how to pray. You don't even have to read the Bible that much. You don't have to know how to memorize scripture or do devotions. But you can lead your kids to church and see what God will do because they're watching you."
• "Will I have enough humility, will I have enough strength to ask somebody, 'Hey, will you help me see some things in my life?' It's a person of strength who is willing to admit 'I've got an anger problem.' People of weakness will never admit they have an issue."
• "Every human being, because we are sinful, we are all flawed. We all have blindspots. Every dad should give themselves the gift of going to a professional counselor and say, 'Hey, where am I good and where am I weak? Would you help me see my weak spots?' For many men, that would be the key transformational moment in their life."
• "You are the most important influence as a dad in your home... your kids are watching you at all times. For good or bad, how you live your life as a dad will impact your kids for the rest of their life."

Links mentioned:

• Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome
• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org
• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618
• Bob Merritt Website: https://www.bobmerritt.com/