Jerrad Lopes – Tired Body vs. Weary Soul

RyanPodcasts

Jerrad Lopes from Dad Tired joined us live at our recent men’s conference at Redemption Chapel. He has a wife and 4 kids, the newest being 7 weeks old. His podcast has been downloaded millions of times and has had an impact on innumerable husbands, fathers, and families.

In Season 2, instead of a new bourbon every episode, our guests will decide the beverage.

Drink: Key Lime LaCroix

beDRIVEN/beNOBLE

  • All Christians are part of Kingdom work and should look at our life as missionaries.
  • Jerrad grew up in a rough area and with an absent father but felt the call to ministry from an early age. 
  • He has many members of his family that don’t believe in God but he believes strongly that we should pursue “hungry fish” that are wanting to know more about God. If the fish are not biting then you can move to a different spot where others may be hungrier. 
  • Your work is paying you to carry the kingdom where you are at.
  • His family goal is to leave everyone that comes to their house one step closer to Christ.
  • He started a church with a friend but it did not work out and he dropped out of ministry and was depressed. He was even playing out details of what a divorce would look like. His wife woke up every morning to pray for him and told him that during a fight. He wrote a post about how he was feeling and it struck a tone with many other tired dads. The post went viral and he started a group for guys and a podcast.
  • Difference between being physically tired and your soul being weary. Being tired is part of the game for dads. If your soul is tired that’s a sign you are missing something with your relationship with God. Likely due to sin that is unconfessed or a lack of having time with God alone. He tries to take 20 minutes a day with no distractions/screens to let God speak to him.
  • To connect with your wife Jerrad recommends just praying with your wife a few times a week. That by itself can be a huge step in leading your family spiritually.

beFIT

  • Like many of us, He got sick during his first CrossFit class.
  • He stays active by coaching his son’s soccer and does drills and runs with them.

beCHILL

  • To protect his family time, he needs to say “no” a lot to opportunities.
  • Being a Disciple, husband, father are the only things that will go with him to the grave and he prioritizes those things in his life.
  • Hunter Gather Parent is a great book he just read that shifted his view of parenting.