With Fathers' Day coming up this weekend, I asked some Christian artists to share words of wisdom they've gotten from their dads.
Here, 10 artists share lessons they've learned from their fathers:
Chris Taylor, singer/songwriter
"If someone says they can make you a lot of money with the latest pyramid scheme, just go ahead and ask to see their tax return."
Josh Havens, lead vocalist, The Afters
"Live every day with meaning and purpose, because you don't know how long you have. You can be taken at any moment and you only get one shot at life, so make the most of it." (Josh's father passed away just before the band's last album was released.)
Warren Barfield, singer/songwriter
"A happy wife means a happy life."
Nick De Partee, guitarist, Kutless
"The best advice my dad has ever said to me (or lived rather) is to love the Lord above all else. If I am to be blessed in my life I have to put the Lord first in everything I do. As I continue in music this advice continually shows itself to be so true. Whenever I fall into a slump or a rut in life it tends to be a result of me slacking in my daily walk with Christ. If our hearts are set on seeking the Lord in all things, he will bless us, and more importantly, we will be content to rest in Him and not the things of this world."
Ben Kristijanto, vocalist, Bread of Stone
"We don't live a life for ourselves. Being bought by the blood means that you're no longer your own. So in everything we do our focus is to serve Him, and the way we do that is to serve other people."
Manafest, hip hop artist
"Don't give up."
Matt Fuqua, guitarist and vocalist, The Afters
His father didn't give him words of wisdom as much as he set an example for Matt to follow when raising his own son. "He took me fishing and hunting. He was there. He was a present father for me. He was a farmer, son of a farmer, grandson of a farmer. That's all our family knew, raising cotton and cattle. He worked so hard to provide for his family, and he still made time to hang out with his sons and daughters."
Howard Bellamy, The Bellamy Brothers
"Our dad always told us, Don't ever discuss religion and politics in public. And you know, if you don't want to get into a conversation that could lead (just about) anywhere, he was probably right."
Marc Martel, lead vocalist, downhere
"When your hard work in your ministry doesn't turn out the way you'd like it to, that's no reason to give up."
Ryan Smith, filmmaker and son of Michael W. Smith
"My dad has been really good about encouraging me to run after opportunities and not get discouraged along the way. In my profession, you have to be prepared to take chances, to put yourself out there in effort to get your film made. He's been very encouraging through that process."
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