The Impact of a Father. Alf Thompson’s Story

Dec 5, 2023

FATHER'S DAY 2024

Listen to our new podcast series The Heart of the Father’

“Something I could never argue with, was the congruance of their lives. They lived their faith. I could never call them hypocrites. And I probably would of liked to!”
Join Andy Lamberton as he invites Alf Thompson to share his story.

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The Impact of a Father. Alf Thompson’s Story

If your children are walking away from faith, this episode is for you.
Alfred Thompson shares with us about the impact of his father.

As they were packing the boot of their car, John Thompson simply invited his grown-up son to read the Gospel of Mark with him. This became the turning point of Alf’s life.

Our thanks to Alf for sharing his story with us and honouring his father.

Full 30min conversation on the Legacy Podcast.

Fathers, never underestimate the power of re-inviting your children back into faith in Jesus.

Standing on grace,
Andy

*****

We’re taking suggestions for season 3, a ‘How to’ series. – What topics do you think we need to cover to help us fathers disciple our children well? Send me an email – andy@legacyfathers.org

Andy Lamberton is the director of Legacy. He goes to the same church his parents, grandparents, great and great great-grandparents went to. Married to Debbie, they are raising their four children in Donegal with ice-pops for dessert most days. Author of Letters for Exiles: Faithful Living in a Faithless World.

Stephen Mullan directs the work of Dreamscheme Northern Ireland, a youth work charity that provides support and opportunities to young people growing up in housing estates. He also writes on the subject of youth via his newsletter Rethinking Youth. Stephen is married to Sharon and has two young children.

Stephen Mullan

Meet Andy and Stephen. Legacy Podcast

Dec 5, 2023

“We want to be fathers who disciple our children. And we want to see our churches bulging with thriving families.”
Join Andy and Stephen as they introduce themselves, and Legacy

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Meet Andy and Stephen

Have you ever wondered who Andy and Stephen are? What is their story?
Meet the hosts of the Legacy podcast.

0:00 – 16:20 – Meet Stephen
16:20 – 28:05 – Meet Andy
28:05 – 36:44 – Legacy’s Story

Between Series 2 and Series 3, we’ve got three solo episodes.

Meet Andy and Stephen
The impact of a father – Alf Thompson’s story
“And he will turn the hearts of fathers” with Willie Paterson

*****

We’re taking suggestions for season 3, a ‘How to’ series. – What topics do you think we need to cover to help us fathers disciple our children well? Send me an email – andy@legacyfathers.org

Andy Lamberton is the director of Legacy. He goes to the same church his parents, grandparents, great and great great-grandparents went to. Married to Debbie, they are raising their four children in Donegal with ice-pops for dessert most days. Author of Letters for Exiles: Faithful Living in a Faithless World.

Stephen Mullan directs the work of Dreamscheme Northern Ireland, a youth work charity that provides support and opportunities to young people growing up in housing estates. He also writes on the subject of youth via his newsletter Rethinking Youth. Stephen is married to Sharon and has two young children.

Stephen Mullan

Raising Daughters Today – Legacy Podcast S2E3

Oct 26, 2023

“To have a father who delights in knowing and loving them is one of the greatest blessings any girl can have.”
In the third and final ‘square-table’ conversation, Andy and Stephen are joined by Jonny McKane and Evan Reid, to talk about raising daughters today.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RlSYXHJSn8apUDp4htkpx?si=f20c97c935744b2c

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Raising Daughters Today – Round Table

Join us on the Legacy Podcast as we are joined by Jonny McKane and Evan Reid. Two normal fathers who love their daughters well. I was ministered to by these men as we recorded. Listening back, the coals of my heart are stoked afresh. Stephen and I were both taken by their wisdom. We hope you enjoy it.

It’s the third and final round table of Season Two:

In this conversation we talk about:

The joys of being a father to a daughter
How we can exasperate them
Hopes and fears as your daughter grows from girl to woman
How a father-daughter relationship changes over time
Journeying with the emotions of your daughter
Not being scared to speak
Cherishing her now while preparing her for the future

Reflection from Stephen Mullan

We can sometimes fight against the reality that our daughters will one day become women and will leave home. As Andy says near the end of this episode: “I don’t want my daughter to change!”

Who relates? I know I want my one and half year old daughter to forever stay small, cute and slightly squidgy!

At the heart of this feeling is a mix of love and joy. Yet, what I learned in this conversation was that the loving, joyful relationship between a father and his daughter is foundational and formative in her journey to womanhood.

Of course, there is much we need to think about as we raise our girls (and we cover a lot in this episode), but never underestimate the place of joy.

To have a father who delights in knowing and loving them is one of the greatest blessings any girl can have.

Two Songs for fathers with daughters

Be kind to yourself – by Andrew Peterson
A song from a father to a teenage daughter.
I challenge any father to watch this video and have dry eyes at the end.
V2
”I know it’s hard to hear it when the anger in your spirit is pointed like an arrow to your chest.
When the voices in your mind are anything but kind, and you can’t believe your father knows best.
I love you just the way that you are, I love the way He made your precious heart.
Be kind to yourself”
Banks – By NEEDTOBREATHE
A song about caring without controlling.
Chorus:
”I want to hold you close, but never hold you back.
Like the banks of a river”

*****

We’re taking suggestions for season 3 – What topics do you think we need to cover to help us fathers disciple our children well? send me an email – andy@legacyfathers.org

Andy Lamberton is the director of Legacy. He goes to the same church his parents, grandparents, great and great great-grandparents went to. Married to Debbie, they are raising their four children in Donegal with ice-pops for dessert most days. Author of Letters for Exiles: Faithful Living in a Faithless World.

Stephen Mullan directs the work of Dreamscheme Northern Ireland, a youth work charity that provides support and opportunities to young people growing up in housing estates. He also writes on the subject of youth via his newsletter Rethinking Youth. Stephen is married to Sharon and has two young children.

Stephen Mullan

Raising Sons Today – Legacy Podcast S2E2

Oct 3, 2023

“Fatherhood is a journey punctuated by moments”. Paul Paynter

Join us on the Legacy Podcast as we are joined by four intentional fathers David McGinty, David Penney, Paul Paynter, Paul Decock as we have a round table on Raising Sons Today. Stephen and I found it a rich conversation.

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Raising Sons Today – Round Table

If someone famous tweeted the book of Proverbs verse by verse (a father’s advice to his son), how do you think it would be received in today’s world?
My gut… I think the world is starving for wholesome, tested wisdom. And I wonder if Christianity has more to say on this than we let on.

#toxicmasculinity has 2.3 billion views on TikTok. With a whole variety of activities being deemed “toxic”. Some of these posts are just boyish behaviour (the hashtag being something of a joke). Some are abhorrent. TikTok, however, has added its own caption, “It must end now ☢️💪❌” on any post that includes the hashtag. So is everything manly toxic?

It’s a confusing time for boys to become men.

Fathers, we are one of the only sane voices, who can guide our sons into adulthood.

In the introduction to The Intentional Father by Jon Tyson he says:

Right now, it’s normal to entrust your son’s development to the school system or sports team. It’s normal to entrust your son’s discipleship to a youth pastor. It’s normal to just “wing it”.

But what if there was a new normal?

What if it was normal for fathers to put their foot down and say, “I’m not sitting on the sidelines for another day of my son’s life.”? What if it was normal for fathers to step up and play the primary role in their son’s spiritual formation? What if it was normal to be passionate about getting it right and unwilling to let the world raise our sons?

Challenge – Think of your son/s and skim-read the first seven chapters of Proverbs. Then pray.

Podcast

Join us for our second round table for Season Two:

Disciple Making Fathers – Round Table
Raising Sons Today – Round Table
Raising Daughters Today – Round Table

This is a wild ride and we talk about:

raising sons in the digital world
lies and honesty
dangers and duties
seizing moments
vision, intention and means ‘VIM’
affection, authority and atmosphere
prioritising worship
loving your wife
the thousand-mile stare
what boys need
modelling faith
challenging boys
should I give my son a phone?
what’s the difference between raising a son or a daughter
words for a father whose son has rebelled

*****

We’re taking suggestions for season 3 – What topics do you think we need to cover to help us fathers disciple our children well? send me an email – andy@legacyfathers.org

Andy Lamberton is the director of Legacy. He goes to the same church his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents went to. Married to Debbie, they are raising their four children in Donegal with ice-pops for dessert most days. Author of Letters for Exiles: Faithful Living in a Faithless World.

Disciple Making Fathers – Legacy Podcast S2E1

Sep 15, 2023

“Disciple-makers are first of all disciples. They are ordinary people like my mum and dad. My mum was a disciple of Jesus, carefully disguised as a care home assistant. My dad, a caretaker at a primary school.”

Jim Brown, Chris Agnew and Peter Munce kick off our first round table of season 2. With Andy Lamberton and Stephen Mullan.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Disciple Making Fathers – Round Table

I wonder sometimes if those who have figured out algorithms will have a bigger influence on our children than those who have figured out life. But not when I see fathers and mothers being intentional.

Men, we need to take, with intentionality, our role to be disciple makers in the home. Our children need us to step up, and anyway, what a joy to introduce those we love to life in all its fullness.

We’re cheering you on!

Challenge

This episode finishes by asking: what do you want your children to know by age 18?

That God loves them deeply?
That home is somewhere they can always return to?
That they know others in the body of Christ?

Could you write down (with your wife/family) 5 things you would like your children to know before they turn 18?

*****

We’re taking suggestions for season 3 – What topics do you think we need to cover to help us fathers disciple our children well? send me an email – andy@legacyfathers.org

Andy Lamberton is the director of Legacy. He goes to the same church his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents went to. Married to Debbie, they are raising their four children in Donegal with ice-pops for dessert most days. Author of Letters for Exiles: Faithful Living in a Faithless World.