GameDay Coffee, Say What?


GameDay Cofee strengthens relationships between fathers and their children. Easy, simple intentional time with your kids.
GameDay Cofee strengthens relationships between fathers and their children. Easy, simple intentional time with your kids.

GameDay Coffee.

Say What?  GameDay Coffee. It’s a simple little ritual with long-lasting effects on your child.  Let me explain.

Last August, I felt God wanted me to meet with my oldest son, Luke, every Friday morning before he strapped on his helmet to play QB for Noblesville High School. Luke had been working hard to prepare himself for this moment in life since he was 4 years old playing flag football. I believe that God was asking me to spend intentional one on one time with Luke the morning of his game to pray together, talk about the game, girls, school, life, etc. As a result, we started having GameDay Coffee.

GameDay Cofee strengthens relationships between fathers and their children. Easy, simple intentional time with your kids.

A few weeks into GameDay Coffee, I felt God ask me to challenge Luke how he was going to use the platform that God gave him as the starting QB to glorify His name. We both prayed and felt God tell us to continue GameDay Coffee each week and post our pictures and parts of our conversation on Facebook and Twitter encouraging other dads to join the movement.

If done correctly, GameDay Coffee can bridge the gap between fathers and children by learning to be transparent with each other by sharing intimate details of their lives.

Dads wake up an hour earlier once a week to show how much your child means to them. They go to their local coffee shop, or sit in the comfort of their own home, have a glass of milk, a soft drink or breakfast with your child. The most important thing is to be intentional about spending quality one on one time with your child.

Pray for your son before he straps his helmet on or plays hoops, attends a Boy Scout meeting, a school event, perform in a dance recital, etc. Talk about how they are really doing. Go deeper with questions/topics rather than, how the NFL team is doing. Ask them real questions. Such as how can I be a better dad? How can I serve you better? What am I doing right or wrong? How’s your walk with Christ? Is there anything that you need to tell me? You get the idea.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Your child needs you to be the man that God has called all of us to be. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s never too late. No matter how bad you think you are.

Our children are hurting because many of them are living without a father figure in their lives. In fact, kids from fatherless homes are comprised of:

  • 63% of youth suicides
  • 90% of all homeless and runaway children
  • 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders
  • 71% of all high school dropouts
  • 85% of all youths sitting in prisons

In order to break the fatherless epidemic that our country is under right now, we need to teach our children how to be the men/women that God has called them to be so that they break the stronghold.

Five important things to do with your kids:

  1. Make time to become a more involved dad.
  2. Pray with them before or after your time together.
  3. Spend one on one time. Your child wants you to themselves.
  4. Ask questions and discuss topics that are important to each other.
  5. Take a picture with them and document it through social media to share with others. (#gamedaycoffee)

Join dads, like national spokesperson and former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, and hundreds of other dads every week for #GameDayCoffee with your sons and daughters!

Looking for great conversation starters for your GameDay Coffee? Head to GameDayCoffee.org and download more than 150 topics!

GameDay Cofee strengthens relationships between fathers and their children. Easy, simple intentional time with your kids.

Please share your stories, photos with me at [email protected], @tmelloh, or 317-417-3525.