I'm not babysitting, I'm fathering

by Bill Allison

Often when I'm in public with my kids and my wife isn't there, people take a look at all of us and then smile and politely say to me, "You're baby sitting today."

Excuse me?  Babysitting?  Really?

I know they're trying to be nice, but let's think about this for a moment.

The only way I'd be babysitting in this scenario is IF I were with someone else's kids.

When I'm with my kids, I'm not a babysitter. I'm a father.

So, let's call it what it really is: fathering.

And let's call fathering what it really is... disciplemaking.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus training experiences 2023

Image
There’s a lot of talk about disciplemaking these days. But what does disciplemaking  really  look like for you in your everyday, real life? That's what we'll explore together. Bring your Bible, some friends, and your sense of humor. What? With a focus on Jesus, we'll explore how to be a disciple—who makes disciples—who make more disciples. Session 1 Be a Disciple (D1) Everything in life will try to pull you off the simplicity of following Jesus together with others. Session 2 Who Makes Disciples (D2) Following Jesus isn’t a subject to be mastered, but an infectious way of life that is lived together and shared with others. Session 3 Who Make More Disciples (D3) If those we disciple don’t make more disciples, then we haven’t made disciples like Jesus. When? 8 AM to 12:30 PM (light lunch included) Where? * Saturday morning, January 28th, 2023, at CrossPoint Church, Morton, IL * Saturday morning, February 4th, Harvest Time Bible Church, Rock Falls, IL * S
Read more

What God Is Doing—Summer Ministry Fun 2022

Image
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness."  —Psalms 115:1  At  Lifest in Oshkosh, WI . We did   this interactive disciplemaking training experience  at Lifest. Hanging out with the legendary Bob Lenz at Lifest. When your longtime friends from NE spend the night at the Allison Hotel. Preaching in the morning services at The Encounter in East Peoria, IL—with Pastor Tracey Pfeiffer. Join us for this training experience ! Some of our disciplemaking friends, their families, and some of our neighbors gathered for TIME TOGETHER for brats, root beer floats, and  disciplemaking friendships . Pastor Dan Johnston of CrossPoint Church preaches through The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus on Sunday mornings. You're invited to join us for disciplemaking training on Saturday morning, September 17 in Morton, IL, or on Saturday morning, October 1 in Gifford, IL. Contact me and I'll let you know details. Our friend, C
Read more

What if church looked a little more like this once in a while?

Image
Relax. I'm simply asking the question. I'm not suggesting we do only this.  But what if church looked a little more like this once in a while ? There are over forty one-another commands in the New Testament. (For example: Love one another, pray for one another, encourage one other, bear with one another, forgive one another, greet one another warmly, etc.)  Yet, it is more than possible that a person in America could attend church Sunday after Sunday without ever meaningfully engaging another person—even though there is a planned "greet-your-neighbor" part of the service.  I hope we can all agree on this:  Church should never be the place we go to be alone together.   I have heard some church people say, "Well, in our culture people just want to attend the Sunday church service, hear the pastor preach, and get out the door. We're all busy." I hear you. I get it. But this raises an important philosophical question: If we're
Read more