Pop Talk : 25 Artists Share the Best Advice Their Fathers Ever Gave Them

JEREMY CAMP:
My father gave me the truth that what we’ve stored up here on earth doesn’t matter, except for our relationship with Jesus Christ. Don’t give precedence to things on earth, to the point where if they are taken away from you you’re shattered. Enjoy what’s been given to you, but remember that what really matters on earth is what we do for Christ.

ALYSSA BARLOW (Barlowgirl):
I remember when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and my dad was taking me to my theater group practice where I was the only Christian. As he was driving, he was trying to explain to me the importance of being a leader. He took his hands off the steering wheel and it veered off to the right, but when he put his hands back on the steering wheel the car straightened out. He was trying to show me that I should be the one influencing others and leading, as opposed to following what others were doing and veering off God's path for me. This has always stuck in my head and constantly reminds me not to follow others to fit in, but to stand up for what I believe in!

BETHANY DILLON:
To be honest, my pap isn’t a big advice-giver. I’ve only been “sat down” by him a handful of times that I can remember, and even when I ask for advice, he usually just sits back, tells me a story and then asks how my day was. But, I will tell you this: one of the things I love the most about Pap is that he isn’t all talk. He lives out what he believes—what’s deep in his heart. He works for an agency that provides services and housing for mentally and physically handicapped adults in Ohio. He’s always been involved somehow with helping people. I used to go to work with him a lot when I was younger, and I remember feeling so uncomfortable around people that were very different than me. The thing I always noticed, though, was how Pap was around them. The way his face looked while he was talking to them is burned in my memory. He was the same way around the janitor, who happened to be mentally retarded, as when he was having dinner with his boss. Pap has inspired compassion in our home. He is very aware of things being equal and fair; he is very zealous about serving people. It’s a common occurrence that he picks up some stranger on the way home to eat dinner with us. The great thing about it is that it has stretched us and made us flexible people!

JEREMY THIESSEN (downhere):
The best advice my father ever gave me was that real men cry. I can still remember “family nights” when we would all sit in the living room eating popcorn while my dad would read stories to us, such as “The Chronicles of Narnia”. When he would get to the really moving parts of the story he would get choked up and would have to hand the book off to my mother to finish reading the chapter. In church, if he was really moved by a testimony or sermon, he would get the sniffles and pull out his hankie. I think a man who is not afraid to cry is a man with a soft heart - a heart ready to respond to the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit. And that is the sign of a real man.

MICHELLE TUMES:
My father was a teacher, and he taught me a lot. His example of a Christian when I was growing up really helped me to follow in his footsteps. It wasn’t really words, it was the example of his life. He was with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. We used to have missionaries stay at our place, and that was such a really great thing that he did.

WILL MCGINNIS (formerly of Audio Adrenaline):
I come from a broken home, so I really didn’t have a good fatherly role model. I spent a lot of time with my grandpa, though. He was an old farmer who believed in honest, hard work and being a person full of good character. He was the good example I needed in my life. He gave me my work ethic, and he believed in me. I became his right hand boy on the farm. Driving the grain truck, plowing, and working many hours, I would think often of the time in the future when I would be a grandpa and how I wanted to be just like him. I learned from him that the coolest thing is knowing what it means when our Abba Father says, “I love you.” That is unconditional love, just like his love for me was.

MATTHEW WEST:
When I was a high school senior I was going through a tough time, and I thought about quitting the baseball team. My dad encouraged me to stick it out and to refuse to quit. So I stayed on the team and ended up becoming a captain. Whenever I thought about giving up, my dad was always right there quoting Phillippines 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That verse and my dad’s encouragement have always helped me persevere, even in my music journey. When record labels turned me down, I didn’t let it stop me. I knew God had planted this dream in my heart, and now that dream is coming true!

MARK GRAALMAN (Sanctus Real):
My dad was always very honest with me about how hard it was on him and my mom getting married so young. He was 19, and she was 22. Shortly after they were married they found out they were pregnant with me. My dad told me once that he has never in any way regretted marrying my mom, but he did regret marrying her when he did. He said he would never advise anyone to get married before the age of 25, before they were prepared financially, and especially if they didn't know the Lord. Not doing those things themselves made the first half of my parents marriage pretty rough. I followed my Dad’s advice; after being a Christian for ten years at the age of 25, and after getting Sanctus Real off the ground, I married my beautiful wife Susan, who has been following Jesus whole heartedly for the past five years. Following my Dad's advice in this area has proven to be such a huge blessing in so many ways. It especially blesses me when I look into my Dad's eyes and I can see how proud he is of me.

MICHAEL TAIT (Newsboys):
Love people because God created them, and never let someone’s color determine who you love. Love the Word even when it kills you - it's the only defense you have against the devil and his army. Love the poor, visit those in prison, those sick and shut in, because that is the character of God.

TRICIA BROCK (Superchic[k]):
Every morning before we went to school Dad would say, “Be a leader, not a follower. Change at least one person's life today. Make one person's day better.” That always really stuck with me and made me want to try to make someone's day a little brighter.

WARREN BARFIELD:
My dad would always quote this scripture: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." (Matthew 25:21 NIV) That is one of the many scriptures I heard over and over again growing up. I would have to put this at the top of the list of the best advice my dad not only gave me, but lived. I hear his voice in my head all the time as I make the decisions I'm faced with on any given day: "Warren Jr., be faithful over the little things, and God will trust you with more." I’m trying, Dad!

TODD SMITH (Selah):
The best advice my father gave me was to stay in the Word, memorize scripture, and read the Bible every day. To be perfectly honest, I have not always read my Bible every day. In fact, there have been days or even weeks when I haven't opened the Bible up. It seems like there is always a constant pull to not read, and then once I've started to read I feel the difference. It's kind of like working out. The hardest part is getting to the gym or putting your shoes on and going out for a run. Then once you're in the midst of it, or especially once you finish, you feel differently.

I believe my dad because I saw him do it. His relationship with Jesus is so personal you know he's living what he says—that means a lot to me. There are times when he's called me, and if he sees I'm not doing too well, he usually asks how my time has been with God. Often the peace I have inside directly relates to the time I've been spending with God.

It can be difficult. Sometimes the Bible can be boring. Sometimes I pray before I'm about to read, and I ask God to speak to me while I'm reading, but it doesn't feel like He's there. Those times can make it discouraging for the next time I know I should open the Bible. But the Bible is living and active; the Holy Spirit speaks through it unlike any other book. There are many times when He opens a new thought or idea that I didn't realize before. My sister gave me some good advice recently. She said that when you want to study the Bible, think of a topic that is important to you. Then grab a concordance and look up that specific word and read all the passages related to that word. For example, let’s say you want to know more about strength, or truth, or sex, or righteousness. Using a concordance, you will see many different passages about that word. Take your Bible and read each passage, or as many as you can, and think about each one for a bit before you go on to the next. This kind of study is helpful because it's reading about a topic that means something to you and not just trying to read a specific book of the Bible in a day. A great way to memorize scripture is to write the verses down on an index card. Try memorizing during commercials, if you’re watching TV, or spend some time memorizing before you go to bed. Index cards are also easy to carry in your book bag as well.

Tracy Darlington is a freelance writer, and her work has appeared in Brio, Breakaway, YS, CCM Magazine, Insight, Susie Magazine, and other publications. She has interviewed countless Christian musicians including Rebecca St. James, Delirious, Newsboys, Leigh Nash, Barlowgirl, Krystal Meyers, Joy Williams, Pillar, Michelle Tumes, and many others. In her spare time she can be found riding horses or listening to music and sipping a Venti 3-shot sugar-free vanilla latte. Visit her online at her blog where she talks about Music, God, dogs and coffee. You can also look her up at Twitter and Facebook.