A Gideon-sized army gathered for four days of inspirational messages, powerful testimonies, and life-changing interaction. The goal was to learn how to become a Psalm 112 dad—one who fears the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments.

Each dad was challenged to gather a team of dads and facilitate a group meeting once a week featuring a command of Christ. As dads saw the vision unfold, the excitement grew. If each father gathered a team of ten men and the next year those men did the same, within five years, millions would be impacted. The potential discussed was inspiring.

Powerful Messages

Starting with the first command of Christ, powerful messages were given to challenge each man to repent for the sin we committed in Adam and continue to repeat by putting our intellect above the authority of the Word of God, thus rationalizing our disobedience to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. Men gathered in groups around the auditorium to share personal stories of the consequences that resulted from leaning on their own understanding.

Phil Downer has dedicated his life to discipling others. As a former lawyer, he saw the impact that one man had on his life simply because that man chose to invest time and interest into Phil. Phil and Susy Downer along with their six children, now have a world-wide ministry teaching the importance of discipleship and giving steps on how to put that into action.

Powerful Prayer

One of the unforgettable memories was the special time of powerful prayer. Whether in a large assembly or in smaller groups, the time passed quickly and the hearts of the men were brought together in one accord. One man wrote: “My wife is encouraged in that I have asked each of my children for forgiveness for correcting them in anger and frustration even though at the time I felt I was under control. The Lord has greatly met with me and sharpened me in a number of ways.

“As far as the great commission and making disciples, I am amazed at how the Lord has given grace to take more steps in keeping this command. I have met one-on-one with several men and praise the Lord for the encouraging results. . . . I am trusting the Lord to add to His host according to the measure of grace He has given.” —Robert from Georgia

Powerful Testimonies

The impact of the Dads’ Conference did far more than inspire dads to become better fathers. It radically changed families, restored relationships, mended financial disasters, and gave direction for health struggles.

Robert’s son wrote:
“I’ve noticed some positive changes in your behavior towards and around me since the Dads Conference. While I’m not so much concerned with the how and why, I did want to write you a letter and say how much I appreciate and notice that!

“I also just wanted to let you know that I really do love and respect you as a God-established authority in my life! I’m not a fan of confrontation like I feel we do so much of. If you’re interested, I thought it might be healthy for our relationship to begin a series of daily or bi-daily e-mails between us. Since we tend to not get “so much” accomplished in person, would you be willing to start working on our relationship in this way?”

Another woman wrote the following testimony regarding the change she saw in the life of her husband: “My husband came back from the conference with a changed heart. He took the next day off of work and we talked and cried together. He came home with a desire to strengthen our relationship and the relationships between him and the children.”—A wife from North Carolina