Podcast
On this special Father’s Day episode, co-hosts Matt Markins and Mike Handler explore the complicated emotions the holiday can stir up and the redemptive opportunity it presents for dads. Matt shares the origin story of his new children’s book, Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me? (New Growth Press) — a journey that began with processing his own painful relationship with his father in his mid-thirties, and a Josh McDowell story from a Focus on the Family broadcast in which Josh told his young son Sean, at a packed college football stadium, that he loved him more than all those people put together. That moment of fatherly expression stayed with Matt for over a decade before sparking the idea for a book that helps dads connect relationally with their kids.
The conversation digs into the book’s intentionally singular purpose: not a parenting seminar, but a beautifully illustrated story that follows a father and son through ordinary and epic moments alike — playing ball, visiting dad’s workplace, camping under the stars — all answering the question every child is silently asking: “Am I lovable?” Matt closes by drawing on the parable of the prodigal son, identifying three marks of the father in Jesus’ story that earthly dads can embody: being present (accessible, phones down, there in the mundane), patient (letting kids fall and welcoming them back without anger), and pursuing (going out to our children, whether they’re the rebellious son or the self-righteous one). Ultimately, the book points both child and parent toward the love of the heavenly Father.
Show Notes
In This Episode:
- Why Father’s Day is “like sitting on a fence” — and the redeeming side of a complicated holiday
- The “rocket fuel” of a painful past: how Matt processed his relationship with his own father
- The Josh McDowell stadium story that planted the seed for the book
- Why a book should do one thing well — not be a Swiss Army knife
- How ordinary moments (ice cream, walks, ballgames) answer a child’s deepest question: “Am I lovable?”
- The three Ps from the prodigal son’s father: Present, Patient, Pursuing
- Pointing our kids beyond ourselves to the love of their heavenly Father
Resources Mentioned:
Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me? by Matt Markins (New Growth Press) — available wherever books are sold
Forming Faith by Matt Markins & Mike Handler
