One dimension of the discipleship covenant that I signed with Parker last year was coming up with core values that we wanted to define us as Battersons. And then we wanted to turn those values into a coat of arms.
It was around that time that I got an email from Braxton Brady. Braxton, along with John Bryson, have launched a really cool initiative called The Strategic Dad. He offered to get a Coat of Arms designed for us. Love the final product. We'll actually hang a copy in our home.
By way of explanation, the Coat of Arms has our four values on the shield. In case you don't know Latin, the values are generosity, courage, humility, and gratitude. I wanted to include Matthew 3:17 where the Heavenly Father says, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." I say that to Parker all the time: "I'm well pleased with you." I feel like that is my primary role and responsibility. It's a verbal blessing.
It was around that time that I got an email from Braxton Brady. Braxton, along with John Bryson, have launched a really cool initiative called The Strategic Dad. He offered to get a Coat of Arms designed for us. Love the final product. We'll actually hang a copy in our home.
By way of explanation, the Coat of Arms has our four values on the shield. In case you don't know Latin, the values are generosity, courage, humility, and gratitude. I wanted to include Matthew 3:17 where the Heavenly Father says, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." I say that to Parker all the time: "I'm well pleased with you." I feel like that is my primary role and responsibility. It's a verbal blessing.
7 Comments:
Wow! That is very intentional parenting.
Mark - very cool - great model for your men and circle of influence - keep it crankin - gonna be fun to watch your sons develop - awesome
WOW, we raised 4 sons and by God's grace they are all in ministry with 3 being in pulpit ministry. I so wish we'd had some of you guys around to show us the way when we were raising them. They are awesome guys now and out distancing us, but how much more could they have become I have to wonder. Thanks!
Very cool...thanks for sharing and for inspiring!
I've been following your journey with Parker as I've been walking with my 12 year-old son through "The Year of the Man." Next Sunday he turns 13 and we'll have a ceremony for him during the Sun Am service welcoming him into the fraternity of men. For his birthday, I'm self publishing a book called "The MANual." We've been studying 12 characteristics of a spiritual man. I've asked 12 men, family and friends, each to write a 300 word letter on one of the characteristics. These letters will make up the guts of this book. I was just working on finishing it up when I read your post. I love pastoring, but I love being a dad and a husband even more!
Jeff Hamilton
www.ocnewlife.org
Great idea Mark. I found my family's coat of arms on the Internet and had it put on a full-sized shield. I gave one to my dad, one to my son (the day he graduated high school), and kept one. The photo of my son holding his shield in one hand and my replica of Aragon's sword in the other is priceless. I got the idea from Robert Louis' Raising a Modern Day Knight.
Jeff,
Love to get a copy of that :)
Mark
Post a Comment
<< Home