Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In a heartfelt and candid conversation on the Dads with Daughters podcast, Mack Brock, a renowned Christian musician, opens up about his fears and hopes as a father raising daughters. Emphasizing the need to protect and nurture his daughters into strong, independent women, Brock highlights the importance of understanding and engaging with each of his three kids in a way that resonates with their unique personalities and interests.
Balancing Public and Private Life
As both a musician and a parent, Mack Brock acknowledges the challenges of balancing his public persona with his private family life. He discusses the importance of creating a sense of family unity by involving his kids in his work and ministry, providing them with a glimpse into his passion and dedication to music while maintaining a healthy boundary between his public and private life.
Embracing Change through Fostering
The conversation takes a poignant turn as Brock shares his family’s decision to become foster parents. The Brock family’s journey began with a temporary foster placement that has since evolved into a long-term arrangement. Mack and his wife have navigated difficult conversations with their biological children about fostering, emphasizing the impact and importance of being adaptable and supportive as a family, irrespective of the changing dynamics.
Nurturing Resilience and Emotional
Well-being Brock delves into the emotional complexities of fostering and the potential impact of reunification with Z, their foster child, with his biological parents. The family has consciously chosen to shift their mentality from a temporary arrangement to embracing Z as a beloved member of their family, regardless of the duration he stays with them. They discuss the possibility of reunification and the potential need for family and individual child therapy to navigate the emotions and challenges that may arise.
Music, Obedience, and Family Unity
Mack Brock’s music career and success have been a result of taking small obediences to the Lord and being open to opportunities as they arise. His commitment to faith and artistry is interwoven with his dedication to nurturing his family, demonstrating the harmony between his professional pursuits and familial responsibilities. The Brock family’s journey reflects the utmost importance of faith, humility, and optimism in overcoming the challenges of parenthood and fostering.
Mac Brock’s thought-provoking insights and exemplary approach to parenting inspire us to embrace the challenges and joys of nurturing strength, resilience, and compassion in our children, whether biological or foster, amid life’s ebbs and flows. His unwavering commitment to music and family shines a light on the transformative power of faith, love, and unwavering devotion in shaping a wholesome and nurturing family environment.
If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode of the Dads With Daughters podcast, we invite you to check out the Fatherhood Insider. The Fatherhood Insider is the essential resource for any dad who wants to be the best dad that he can be. We know that no child comes with an instruction manual, and most are figuring it out as they go along. The Fatherhood Insider is full of valuable resources and information that will up your game on fatherhood. Through our extensive course library, an interactive forum, step-by-step roadmaps, and more, you will engage and learn with experts but, more importantly, with dads like you. So check it out today!
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:05]:
Welcome to Dads With Daughters. In this show, we spotlight dads, resources, and more to help you be the best dad you can be.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:16]:
Welcome back to the Dads with Daughters podcast, where we bring you guests to be active participants in your daughters’ lives, raising them to be strong, independent women. Really excited to have you back again this week. Every week, I love sitting down with you and going on this journey that you and I both are on in raising those strong, independent women in our lives, and we can’t do this alone. We have to have community, we have to be able to listen and learn the stories of other fathers around us. And through those stories, you and I can become stronger fathers ourselves, and we can be more engaged. We can be better intentional fathers to our daughters as well. I love being able to be on this journey with you.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:06]:
I love being able to bring you different dads and different people every week from so many different walks of life who are fathering in different ways. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. There’s no one right way to father. Every one of us does it a little bit differently, and that’s okay. We can learn from each other, though, and know that Even if you started on 1 path toward fatherhood, you can pivot. You can change. You can make adjustments along the way because, Especially as your kids are young, they’re gonna be forgiving, and they’re going to accept you who you are, but you have to be willing to change too.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:43]:
And you have to be willing to move in that other direction and be willing to say, you know what? This is not working. Or, yeah, this is working. And keep going. So this week, we got another great guest with us. Mac Brock is with us, and Mac is a is the CEO of Proverbs 31 Ministries. has 3 kids. He also has a ton of worship songs that you may or may not have already heard, and we’re gonna talk about that music too. And that includes Foods, an RIAA-certified double platinum single, Oh Come to the Altar, a platinum-certified Do It Again, which amazingly has over 129,000,000 YouTube views, and a gold track resurrecting that has 49,000,000 YouTube views. I can’t even imagine that many YouTube views, But I would love to have that many YouTube views. But we’re gonna be talking about his music as well as well as talking about his journey as a father. Mac, thanks so much for being here today.
Mack Brock [00:02:41]:
So good to be here. I need to correct one thing. It’s it’s my wife who is the CEO of Proverbs 31. She is the boss lady. I’m just a musician. All I do is write and sing songs. My wife is, like, the superstar, rock star that kinda handles things that are way above my pay grade. Well, I
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:03:00]:
appreciate that because we gotta give credit where credit’s due. And, Meredith, keep up the awesome work. Keep rocking it. You can tell Mac is on your side, and we’re all on your side. The So Mac, what I love starting these opportunities to talk with an opportunity to turn the clock back in time. Wouldn’t that be great if we just had the power to snap our fingers and we could go back? But we’re gonna turn the clock back in time to that first moment, that first moment that you found out that you were going to be a dad to a daughter. What was going through your head?
Mack Brock [00:03:29]:
Man, for both of my kids, I have a son first and then a daughter second. And for both of them, I was very wrong on the gender. I thought I was gonna have a daughter first, then I thought for sure I was gonna have another son. And so finding out I was having a daughter, it was just such a little bit panicky because I was like, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to handle girls. I don’t know how this it feels very scary and overwhelming. And then when she came, it was even that was even more magnified of like, alright. What am I supposed to do? But over the years, Step by step, day by day, I feel like me and my wife have learned together how to raise our little girl.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:04:09]:
Talking about fear, I talked to a lot of dads. And especially dads with daughters, I hear constantly that there is some fear. There is some fear about stepping into the role of being a father the To a daughter. As you’ve had your daughter in your life and you reflect back on that, what was your biggest fear or what is your biggest fear in raising a daughter?
Mack Brock [00:04:30]:
I think, you know, we naturally have that protection instinct. And so there’s just like, I want to protect her from everything. I wanna protect her from the world, the And, and that’s not reality. We can do our part, but, eventually, you know, our goal is to raise up women and to raise up strong women who are independent and can go out into the world. And so I think it’s still not I don’t know if fear is the right word, but it’s still on my mind the know my heart a lot of, like, navigating that, and how do I pour continue to pour into her and to steward her magical imagination, her creativity, and then also steward her strength And Steward, we’re growing in to be a woman of the lord and and a woman that is confident and believes in herself.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:05:24]:
I did mention you’re a father of 3, and you have 3 different kids with different personalities, and different needs.
Mack Brock [00:05:31]:
All different. Very different.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:05:33]:
As You look at all 3 of your kids, and you look at yourself as a father, I know that even with two kids, I have to Be engaged with my kids in different ways. I have to understand them differently to be able to spend that unique time with them. To be able to build those relationships, what do you have to do to be able to not only, You know, be the father you wanna be, the husband you wanna be, the musician you wanna be, but what do you have to do to be able to build those unique relationships with each of your kids?
Mack Brock [00:06:09]:
The Yeah. That’s such a good point because it is so wild how vastly different my daughter and my son are, the two oldest. They come from, you know, me and my wife, same DNA, same the Same everything, and they are so different. And so I’ve had to learn just like everybody, they have different interests, different Hobbies and different ways to connect. And so, for my son, it’s a lot of playing Fortnite. It’s a lot of we have the same sense of humor, so we’ll watch Docs YouTube videos where we’ll kinda sit and enjoy something together. And my daughter is so different. For my daughter, it’s a lot of Reading stories together or sitting down and playing LEGOs together and just having that kind of playtime.
Mack Brock [00:06:53]:
And even, like, bedtime routines are, like, way different between my kids. You know, my daughter really likes to, like, lay in bed and snuggle and talk and tell the stories to each other. My son was kinda never that way. But I’ve realized, man, this is like a small the Way to build, like, a deep connection with my daughter that is hopefully building and planting seeds and building a foundation that will last, Like, the rest of our lives in our relationship.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:07:20]:
I love that because I think you’re right. I mean, I think you have to go with the flow in so many ways, and you have to be willing to understand and get to know your kids, what makes them tick, but also what makes them light up the And add more fuel to that fire while at the same time, as you said, stewarding them the in other directions to be able to help them in many different ways. As you look at the fact I said, you are a musician. You live a public life in that way. People know you and your music, and they at least feel like they know you and know your music. Doc. Me about separating that and being able to live the public life while at the same time Protecting the private life while at the same time having your kids see that public life and understanding Who you are publicly versus privately.
Mack Brock [00:08:19]:
Oh, I totally know if I even know how to answer that question because I feel at the core of what I do, I’m just like a worship leader. You know, I don’t feel like this, like, big artist or anything like that. Like, For my career, and my calling in life is to Lead worship, and sometimes that’s at our local church in Charlotte. But a lot of times, it’s me traveling out and going out, you know, across the country and across the world to lead worship in other places. I think a big thing for me that’s always been at the forefront is that I’ve been very careful for my kids not to ever feel like it’s ministry and the church that takes their dad away, and that’s, like, the bad thing. You know? Like, my dad’s a pastor, and he was very, very good about that. Like, I grew up not hating the church because it kept my dad busy. Like, my dad was very, very good at Connecting the family to everything that he was doing, and I tried to do the same. And so, you know, whether it’s, like, bringing my kids along no travel with me or whether it’s just, like, having open, constant conversations about what I’m going to do or what I get to be a part of. And so for us, it doesn’t feel totally like there’s this public persona, and then there’s this private persona as much as it feels like this is what your dad does. This is his calling in life. This is when he goes out, and he sings about Jesus, and he tells people about Jesus. And my kids, in some respect, get to feel like they’re a part of what I do. And so it’s not just me going out and doing my job. It’s like Doc. Our family is a part of this thing. And even with my wife’s ministry and her running Proverbs 31, it’s one big, like, unit of, like, this is what our family’s calling are these different ministries that we get to be a part of. And I think just having conversations, allowing our kids to feel somewhat a part of that. I don’t know. It’s been really special and cool for us.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:10:15]:
Now, raising sons and raising daughters are very different things in many different ways, And it takes a different touch. It takes a different perspective and a different way of parenting. What’s been the hardest part for you in being a father to a daughter?
Mack Brock [00:10:34]:
I think, going back to what I said earlier, that I want my daughter to be. She’s our creative. She’s our magical thinker. She lives in, like, this like, her own world of, you know, just constantly creating stories. She’s a songwriter. She’s only 8, but, like, that’s one of the ways that we connect. And so I think, as I said earlier, I think it’s like learning to the Steward that and the learning to pour into all the things that make her magical and make her special and the Finding ways to just, like, cultivate and build that into her while at the same time wanting to build strength the in her. And that’s one of the things like, my wife is such a strong woman, and she’s such a she’s just tough.
Mack Brock [00:11:17]:
And I lean on her of, like, how can we cultivate that in Cyrus’ life and in Cyrus is hard. How can we make her have that same kind of bigger that my wife has without the Kind of hardening of the soft parts that Cyrus has? She’s such a soft, tender, special spirit. And so it’s just navigating those 2 things. Docs. It’s tough now, but I think it’s gonna be even tougher as she gets older and, like, learning how to just navigate that. I think another hard thing, just to be Totally real, is when you have a busy job and when you have, like, a demanding career, whatever it might be, traveling a lot or just, you know, busy at home. It’s those moments where your daughter says like, hey.
Mack Brock [00:11:57]:
Will you do this with me? I want you, you know, can you come and sit down and play Legos with me? And you’re worn out and tired, and you’re like, no. Honestly, I just wanna I need to veg out for a minute. And it’s hard to say, like, No. I have got to value and treasure these moments that my daughter is like she’s verbally requesting, like, I want a connection with you, and it’s the putting down your, I guess, your own, like, rest to make sure you’re still, like, getting those connections with your kid.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:12:26]:
So important. And I have definitely had those experiences where, as you said, You come home. You’re just wiped, and your kid says, will you do this with me? And you just wanna say, I just need to the Sit down.
Mack Brock [00:12:42]:
And I fail a lot. I’m, you know, I mess I failed that test a lot, but it’s something I’ve been challenging myself with a lot more, too, and just being aware of it And saying like, man, when when your kid is just asking. You know? And it’s usually a very simple thing. They’re not always asking, like, hey. Will you take me To this or take me to go do this? It’s a lot of times it’s just like, hey. Will you sit in my room and play with me?
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:04]:
As they get older, that’s when they say, will you take me here? Will you take me there? Right.
Mack Brock [00:13:09]:
Right. I’m not quite there yet. Yeah.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:10]:
I get that. I completely understand that. So I know that one of the other experiences that you and your wife have had has been in the foster arena and that you stepped a number of years back now into the world of being a foster parent too. And you’ve had a son come into your life that way. And so talk to me about that journey and what made you and your wife choose to step on that path and bring him into your life.
Mack Brock [00:13:42]:
Yes. Just a quick rundown. So we have, our oldest son, the biological son, Harvey, he’s 12. My daughter, Cyrus, is 8. Then in 2020, we decided, we got our foster parents’ license and decided to start fostering. And we got a little boy come to live with us named Z, and he’s been with us for about three and a half years now.
Mack Brock [00:14:02]:
Fostering was always something that was on my wife’s heart, and it wasn’t really on mine. But it was kind of like, I’ll take the classes, and I’ll read the books and take it one step at a time, and ultimately, It became a big portion of my heart as well of, like, feeling the call to do that. And yeah. And so it was just a lot of little yeses that ultimately led to, like, the big yes of you get the phone call, and they’re like, hey. We have this little boy. He’s five months old.
Mack Brock [00:14:31]:
He needs a place to stay for the immediate future, then we’ll figure out what’s next. In the immediate future, a week turns into a month, turns into six months, turns into three and a half years. And so that has been, it’s been a gift for us. It’s been a challenge, obviously. I mean, just having a 3-year-old is a challenge. So that is what comes with the territory. But I think one of the things that is talking about parenting and all that aspect is there’s been a lot of the healthy but also, like, difficult conversations with our bio kids of saying like, hey. Like, we’re bringing in Doubt.
Mack Brock [00:15:06]:
This other person that’s gonna take a lot of our attention, and he’s gonna have a lot of things that we have to focus on. And that’s gonna take attention away from you, or that’s gonna take the time away from you. And so even just being honest about the realities of fostering or the realities of adding another kid to your family. Those have been healthy conversations. It’s also just been the reality of, like, they’re difficult. Those are difficult things for kids to go through, and it’s led to a lot of, like, just good connections. And I think it’s interesting because, for my wife and me, that’s something that we say yes to.
Mack Brock [00:15:42]:
And when we decided to say yes to it, we wanted to bring our kids in, explain to them, here’s where we’re leaning. We want to make sure y’all feel comfortable with this as well. And they’re kids, and so it’s not like they can totally create here’s my consent, and here are all the things of, you know, all these the arguments or whatever, but they were very excited about it. But it’s something we’ve had to continue to have conversations about throughout the whole journey, and the Three and a half years that Z has been with us continue to have conversations about where they’re at, how their own heart is feeling, how their own emotions are feeling. Sometimes they’re up, and sometimes they’re down, but thing is the openness of the conversation has been the best thing for us.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:16:22]:
So talk to me a little bit about being a foster dad and how that differs for you from how you parent your other kids, if it is different. I’m sure that there are people who hear about or know people who have fostered, but they don’t know How you have to parent in either the same or different way.
Mack Brock [00:16:45]:
So when Z first came to live with us, there were a lot of obstacles right from the get-go, but you’re loving him like you would love any baby, and and you would love any child that’s in your care. And I think to be totally transparent and vulnerable a little bit; there was a time early on where it was like, you know, part of fostering is the goal ultimately is reunification with bio parents. That’s the goal. And so it is, by definition, like a temporary thing. And me and my wife, the We felt ourselves a little bit switch into this mentality of almost, like, just caring for this child instead of bringing this child in as our son for the time that he was with us. And we felt that in our hearts even if it was, like, unspoken. And we had to have a conversation with each other very early on of, like, hey. Are you feeling this way? Like, I don’t like I don’t like that I’m feeling this way.
Mack Brock [00:17:38]:
And I think that we have to switch our mentality and switch our heart. Like, we can’t treat this as temporary. Even if it is temporary, We can’t treat we have to treat z as our son, and we had a very open conversation about that as a couple of saying, like, we’re gonna make the decision. Like, We’re gonna love him like our son. We’re gonna treat him like our son. Our mentality, our heart is gonna treat him like he is ours, Whether it’s for 6 months or what it’s become now, you know, where he’s been with us for a long time. And that was such a pivotal switch for us mentally in the way that we were able to, like, just love on him. And he is my son.
Mack Brock [00:18:16]:
And even if it’s temporary, it’s something that I had to make sure I felt that in my heart and expressed that to him.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:24]:
I can only imagine, especially I mean, he’s been there longer than some placements Probably would happen. And as you said, you put your whole heart into him as your son and Not as just caring for someone in a temporary capacity, and you’ve had your those conversations with your own children the As he came to live with you, but they’re seeing him as a part of the family too. And there may come a day when Z goes back and is reunified. And I’m sure that while there’s probably some training that they try to put you through, It’s not gonna be easy. And have you thought about that in how you and your wife and your family will be able to reconcile with that as well?
Mack Brock [00:19:11]:
Yeah. I mean, that’s the reality with foster care, and those are heavy things for a child to walk through. And so we definitely had a lot of conversations of, like, what if this happens? What if this happens? How how are we gonna handle it? And there are a lot of resources for, like, the Family therapy and group therapy and then individual, like, child therapy to, like, walk through just even, like, the grieving process If you have to walk through something like that. And so we’ve had a lot of those conversations. We haven’t had to walk through that personally. We’ve had a lot of friends that have a lot of foster Parent friends that have had to go through that. But, yeah, we haven’t had to cross that bridge, but we’ve definitely talked a lot about what are the steps we would need to take. If that came to pass.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:19:56]:
I mentioned at the beginning, you are an artist and, as you said, a worship leader and an artist. So talk to me about that story for yourself, and what drew you into wanting to be not only A worship leader but beyond that, an artist that has 100,000,000 views on YouTube and having people that are really connecting to the music that you’re putting out into the world.
Mack Brock [00:20:25]:
Yeah. I mean, I grew up in the church, like I said before, and so I grew up. My mom’s a musician. She’s a drummer and grew up around music and ministry. That was, like, my whole life all growing up. And so naturally, kinda led into, It’s just a part of my life and one of the things that I was constantly, like, in front of me.
Mack Brock [00:20:43]:
And when I look back, me and my wife, we’ve been married for 17 years. And even in our marriage, when we look back, we didn’t have these grand here’s our 5-year plan, our 10-year plan, our 15-year plan for our marriage or for even my career or anything like that, it was it’s a lot of the step by step the Small obediences to the lord when they’re in front of us that I feel like has led to where we’re at now. And so that led to Doubt. We moved to Charlotte to be a part of Elevation Church when it was first getting started to pouring into that ministry and and writing those songs and then stepping to Elevation Church into, like, kind of a solo career. It was just something that was, like, always stuff that was always in front of us, saying yes and trying our best to be obedient with what was in front of us. And so now we look back, and we see, wow.
Mack Brock [00:21:37]:
Look at what the lord has done. Look at it’s amazing, and and it’s wild. And it’s Crazy to to see what he’s done, but it was never, and we’re both planners. Me and my wife are both type a. We like goals. We like to have a plan. We like to know what’s ahead of us, what we’re working towards, but it’s pretty crazy to see that even with all of our own personal goals or all of our own, like, dreams, It all boils down to what’s in front of us, being good stewards of what’s right of what we have today, the And being obedient to what we have today, and that’s kind of what’s led to where we’re at now.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:22:13]:
I love that. Now you talked about the fact that you started Elevation Church, and you worked with Elevation the church, and then you broke off into that solo career. And I’m sure there’s, as you talked about within foster care, I’m sure that you put all your heart and soul into elevation. And then, as you broke off, there’s probably some grieving that happens. And not having that one church that you’re there all the time and you’re part of, and now you’re putting your heart and soul into the solo career in the music itself. But talk to me about the difference there for you And now going from being at the church and worshiping at that church to now being in the solo career, not having the same community that you’re constantly being a part of, but you have a broader community now that you’re a part of and sharing the gospel with.
Mack Brock [00:23:06]:
Yeah. I mean, I’m such, and I grew up playing in bands. I love being a part of a team doing, like, Mac Brock, quote, unquote. It’s, like, never, like, in the cards for me. I was like, that sounds awful. But when we felt like the lord was calling us to step away from elevation. It wasn’t to pursue a solo career. It was just we felt like we were supposed to be obedient to that calling of stepping away, not sure what was next.
Mack Brock [00:23:32]:
But then it naturally led to me continuing to write songs, me wanting to, like, the Still create music, and so that’s kinda what led to even where I’m at now. And, yeah, it is different. It’s like you said, there there is a different type of community. No. There’s a different type of team that I’m a part of, and I still have lots of musician friends that still travel with me, or it’s not necessarily, like, a Part of a specific, you know, worship ministry, church, whatever, but there’s still a core group of people that are Still, like, heavily involved in what would I do, and I don’t feel like I’m alone or solo in that sense, which I’m very, very grateful Dollar.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:24:10]:
Well, I know you’ve got a new album out. Just Like You’ve Always Done is your newest album that’s out. And I guess talk to me a little bit about the writing process and what you do to Bring these new, not only the new songs but these new albums out into the world, what you have to go through personally To be able to not only come up with the inspiration but be able to put them all together than to create the new album for your fans.
Mack Brock [00:24:42]:
The hardest part is is, the Like, the songwriting aspect. You know? There’s just a lot of writing, and it’s a lot of reworking. And, I mean, there’s so many songs that come into the process of making, like, a full album, which I’m, like, still, like, kind of in the middle of. I’m still navigating, like, what songs are gonna be on, what’s, you know, what songs are getting cut. So there’s it’s such a long process in that respect. Even today, I was kinda, like, pacing around the house, and Meredith could tell, like, she’s the She’s like, something’s, like, going on with you. I was like, man, I had just had I can’t crack this 1 song that I’m, like, working on. There’s something about it that I gotta, like, penetrate to fix it, and I can’t figure it out right now, and it’s bothering me.
Mack Brock [00:25:23]:
And so there’s just a lot of, like, that digging and the the next layer. You know? Because, Basically, there’s a lot of songs that start, and you write it with a group of people, you know, hit a couple of people, or you write it by yourself. That’s almost like the easy part is to, like, start a song and get it going. But it’s the next layer of digging and trying to figure out, like, what’s the best version of the song? Am I really communicating in the most efficient way or the best way that I want to communicate? And so it’s that digging. And then when you have the song done, then it’s like, how do we want it to sound? And, you know, how are we gonna get it out? Doc. So there’s just so many different layers. Every step of the way, there are so many different ways to make a song succeed and make a song, like, work or make it not the best version of itself, which I’ve done several times.
Mack Brock [00:26:14]:
And so it’s just being diligent and persevering through the process, knowing that it is just a process. And so I love the process, as frustrating as it can be, as discouraging as it can be. Like any creative, You go through this cyclical thing of, like, I think this is awesome. Oh, wait. This sucks. Oh, wait. No. It’s not as bad as I thought it was.
Mack Brock [00:26:36]:
The Oh, okay. It’s not as great as I thought it was gonna, you know, like, there’s just this cyclical thing, but I think being aware of that for me helps me know the This is part of the process. I just gotta, like, push through and keep working, keep digging. And I’m always grateful for when it’s finally done and out, and I’m able to, like, release it out into the world.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:54]:
I love that. And people have not heard the music on this album. What should they be looking forward to the most, and what do you hope that people are gonna take away from the music?
Mack Brock [00:27:03]:
So the album is still kind of in progress. I released the song just like you’ve always done. That’s the 1st single for the album. And then the album releases early next year. And there are a lot of songs that I just am, like, so excited for people to hear. But just like you’ve always done, the song that’s out now has been such a great I think that’s a great start to the song because it’s thematically, or it’s a great start to the album because the Thematically, it hits so many things that I’m very passionate about. One of the biggest things that I’m passionate about is remembering and declaring them and helping people focus on just the faithfulness of God. Because if you’re a dad out there, you know that seasons come and seasons go, and there are the highs, and there are lows, and there are mountain tops, and there are dollies.
Mack Brock [00:27:45]:
And it’s so easy to get your mind or your eyes off of the Lord no And to be discouraged and to feel like whatever season you’re in, if you’re in a down season, it’s never gonna end. And so just to be reminded of, like, the consistency and the steadiness of who Jesus is in our lives and trusting that, I find so much hope in that. And there are so many songs on the new album that kinda touches on that as well, and so I’m very excited about it.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:28:12]:
Well, we always finish our interviews with what I like to call our fatherhood five, where I ask you 5 more questions to delve deeper into you as a dad. Are you ready?
Mack Brock [00:28:18]:
Okay. Let’s go.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:28:19]:
In one word, what is fatherhood? Chaos. When was the time that you finally felt like you succeeded at being a father to a daughter?
Mack Brock [00:28:27]:
Honestly, this past week, I was talking to Cyrus came with me to a band rehearsal. And at the end of the night, we had a big prayer time. And when she was driving home, just hearing her process, what we talked about in our prayer time, how she talks to Jesus and what she does when she’s feeling anxious. No Just even having that conversation with her, I don’t know if that felt like I’ve succeeded as a father, but it was a big win.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:28:50]:
If your kids were here and I was talking to all 3 of them, How would they describe you as a dad?
Mack Brock [00:28:55]:
Not cool. I’m always trying to tell my kids that I’m a cool dad, and They don’t believe me.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:29:02]:
Now who inspires you to be a better dad?
Mack Brock [00:29:04]:
I’ve got several friends that I look to often and see the way that they’re raising their kids and the relationships that they have with their kids that are, like, teenagers now or college that very inspiring, and I’m constantly, like, the Asking. Alright. Help me in this season. What I’m doing now helps me cultivate these relationships that you have with your kids now.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:29:25]:
You’ve given a lot of pieces of advice, a lot of things people to think about today; as we finish up, what’s one piece of advice you’d wanna give to every dad?
Mack Brock [00:29:33]:
Be as present as possible and be even for me, I travel so much with my work, but I’ve worked it out in a way that that when I’m home, I can just be present, and I’m home a lot. And so just be present and make yourself, like, seen and known, and make sure that your kids know that you’re seeing them and knowing them. It’s just so easy, even when you’re home, to be on your phone or be locked in on Netflix or whatever it might be, and I do. I’m guilty of all those things too, but I’m challenged myself, and I’m challenged to make sure that my kids know that I see them, that my Them. Kids know that I’m there present with them.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:05]:
Well, Mac, I want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your own journey today and for sharing the things that you’ve learned as you’ve gone through fatherhood. If people wanna find out more about you, about your music, or about Meredith’s organization, whatever it may be, where should they go to find out more?
Mack Brock [00:30:23]:
I mean, you can go to MackBrock .com, but there’s also just Mac Brock on Instagram or Mara Brock on Instagram. That’s where you’ll find us. We’re there a lot.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:32]:
Well, Mac, thank you so much for sharing your story today, and I wish you all the best.
Mack Brock [00:30:37]:
Thank you. This is great. Appreciate it.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:39]:
If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode of the Dads with Daughters podcast, we invite you to check out the fatherhood insider. The fatherhood insider is the essential resource for any dad who wants to be the best dad that he can be. We know that no child comes with an instruction manual, and most dads are figuring it out as they go along. The And the Fatherhood Insider is full of resources and information that will up your game on fatherhood. Through our extensive course library, an interactive forum, step-by-step road maps, and more. You will engage and learn with experts, but more importantly, dads like you. So check it out atfatheringtogether.org.
Dr. Christopher Lewis:
Dad’s with Daughters is a program of fathering together. We look forward to having you back for another great guest next week, all geared to helping you raise strong, empowered daughters And be the best dad that you can be.
Dr. Christopher Lewis :
We’re all in the same boat, and it’s full of tiny screaming passengers. We spend the time. We give the lessons. We make the meals. We buy them presents. Bring your A-Game because those kids are growing fast. The time goes by just like a dynamite blast calling astronauts and firemen, carpenters, and musclemen. Get out and be the world to them. Be the best dad you can be. Be the best dad you can be.
