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You’re tired.
Not just physically; though yeah, that too.
You’re tired in your bones. In your soul.
Trying to be a steady husband, an intentional dad, a man of God… but deep down, you feel like you’re falling short. Like you’re carrying more than you know how to hold.
Dad Tired is a podcast for men who are ready to stop pretending and start healing.
Not with self-help tips or religious platitudes, but by anchoring their lives in something (and Someone) stronger.
Hosted by Jerrad Lopes, a husband, dad of four, and fellow struggler, this show is a weekly invitation to find rest for your soul, clarity for your calling, and the courage to lead your family well.
Through honest stories, biblical truth, and deep conversations you’ll be reminded:
You’re not alone. You’re not too far gone. And the man you want to be is only found in Jesus.
This isn’t about trying harder.
It’s about coming home.
Hey guys. Welcome back to the Dad Tire podcast. Hope you guys are having a good week so far. Hey, I just wanna say this right off the bat, um, whether you have been listening to the podcast forever, uh, we've been doing this for nearly a decade now, which is crazy. Um, some of you guys have been with us from day one, or some of you guys just stumbled upon the podcast today.
Um. I just wanna say, dude, there's so many things you could be watching and listening to right now. Um, you could try to check out as a dude. I've done that plenty of times. There are podcasts that I subscribe to, literally just to like have a mental break from the world and the chaos of being a husband and a father and follower of Jesus and all the hard things in life.
Um, so sometimes I just listen to a podcast to check out. Um, anyway, so you could be doing that, but the fact that you are. Listening to this podcast because you want to be a better man and follow Jesus better and try to figure out what it looks like to be a husband. I'm just really proud of you, bro. I know that feels, um, hopefully it doesn't feel inauthentic or it doesn't like not resonate with you because, um, I'm not looking you directly in the face.
Um, but I really mean that I'm not just saying that to like. Be fluffy. You know, I, I really am so proud of you for listening and for trying your best 'cause there's a lot of things you could be chasing after right this moment. And the fact that you're chasing after Jesus and the fact that you're chasing after being a better husband and father is really, really cool.
So anyway, man, just wanted to say that. Um, let's see. Few announcements for you. A couple huge ones. Um. Kind of, uh, I, I don't know, kind of like right off the bat here, um, I have just joined, um, a brand new podcast. Um, or I, it's brand new for me as a new co-host of a show. Um, you've, if you've been listening to the show for a while, the Dati podcast, you've seen that I've had Ben Roethlisberger on.
The show twice, and he and I have become friends over the last couple years, and I just really, really respect the guy, his faith journey, the way that God has captured his heart, his intentionality as a husband and father. Um, is, he's literally one of the best husbands and dads I've ever seen. And, um, God has just captured his heart in such a cool way over the last however many years and the way that God has used him and shaped his heart and I just respect him a lot and his journey a lot.
And so, um, he has his own podcast called Football In, it's on YouTube. It will be on all the platforms, but it's primarily on YouTube right now. And, uh, he has been super gracious to offer me a co-host seat. On that show. And, um, so I'm gonna be up there every week, um, filming. And the, the point of his show is to talk about sports.
Obviously football will, will cover the Steelers games and football games every week, but primarily we're gonna talk about what it looks like to be men of God. And that will be a longer form podcast, so a little more casual, like it's down in his basement. He's got a cool bar down there. And so it's really like laid back casual.
Long, um, conversations about what it looks like to be the man God's called us to be. So anyway, he's invited me to be part of that show and I'm, I feel, I don't know how that happened to be honest, um, but I'm just super honored to be part of it. So if you want to go over there and subscribe, it's called Football in with Ben Roethlisberger.
If you just type that into YouTube, you'll be able to find that. But, um. We're gonna talk about all kinds of stuff. I'm really proud of him too for with his platform, like he could just kind of stay in his football lane and people love him for that. Uh, but the fact that he's using his platform to talk about his, his following or his, um, role and journey with Jesus and as a husband and dad is really, really cool.
So, anyway, go over there and support. I might need your guys' backup in the comments 'cause the Steeler fans are brutal. I can already feel all the hate they're gonna give me for not being a Steeler fan and for bringing a follower of Jesus. So I'm sure they're awesome and gracious, but I, I imagined, uh, I might need some backup over there.
So go over there and do that. Um, also another show, this is going to be coming either at the end of this year. Um, hopefully I don't get in trouble for announcing this. It might be premature, but I. Oh, well, I'll ask for forgiveness later. Um, I've just, um, signed on with k Love to do a new podcast over on their network.
It'll be on all the podcast places, um, and it'll be called Daily Devotional for Men or something like that, but they're gonna be five minute devotionals for you as a guy. Um, I'm gonna be hosting that five days a week. So you'll wake up in the morning and we'll just jump right into God's word and we'll do a five minute devotional based around the scripture.
I did five minutes. 'cause it's kind of like there's no excuses, you know, like you, we can all be in God's word for five minutes as we start our day. So these will be geared specifically towards men through the scriptures five days a week. And um, I'm like really, really excited about that. We're trying to launch that as soon as possible.
There's all kinds of like. You know, legal stuff and contracts and all that stuff that you gotta work out. But anyway, that is officially like we've, we've kind of done a handshake agreement and that's coming. So I just wanted you guys to get excited about that. I'm really, really excited about it, to have short form content, but in God's word, it's gonna be powerful.
Okay. Um, I feel like just chilling with you guys sometimes. I wish we were just like actually having a drink and coffee or whatever, just. Talking. Apologize for the rambling. Today's episode is brought to you by range Leather. You can see I'm wearing this range leather hat here. Um, one of my favorite hats, they use genuine ho wing leather.
I had to look up what that means, but it turns out it's like the best leather possible. So as this. Ages as this hat, and you can tell because I'm a dad, if you're watching on Spotify or YouTube, this thing has been worn a lot. It's like yogurt stains and applesauce and stuff. But as this thing gets older and more aged, it just will look cooler and cooler.
They do hats. They can do hats for your businesses or your teams. Um, or you can just buy hats for yourself or wallets and purses for your wife. All kind. They got all kinds of amazing stuff. It's all made here in the US at their location. And the other cool thing about what they're doing is. This is a Jesus centered culture, faith-based culture where they are trying to be a blessing to the people who work for them and to their community and everyone who gets their product.
So I'm just a really big fan. I like small businesses. I like businesses who have good values and who are, you know, American made and just trying to like do the right thing. And they're doing that. They're big fans of Dad, tired. They're um, you know, the guys who help manage and run that shop. Our dad, tired listeners.
And um, so they're, they're big fans of what we're doing and they wanna support us, which is why we have these dad tired hats. These just came in stock and they go out quickly. So you can go to dad tire.com and pick up one of these, but also go to range leather.com and uh, I think they got a promo code for you guys if you use Dad Tired at checkout, promo code.
Dad tired. They'll give you 15% off. So if you go to range leather.com/dad tired, um, you can learn more about that and get that promo code again. Dad Tired gets you 15% off. Go check out all the stuff they're doing. It's really, really cool. Um, today's episode, I'm sitting down with recording artist Zach Williams.
Obviously super talented. He's Grammy Award-winning. Like just he's a stud. Super talented guy, but I wanted to hear his story as a father and just how he came to Christ. So that's what this episode is about. I think you're gonna really enjoy it. I love you guys. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week.
Zach, bro, super excited to have you on today, man. Thanks for joining us. Um, for our audience who may not be familiar with you, tell us who you are and what you're up to these days. Uh, I'm a Christian artist. Um, I'm currently on the road traveling quite a bit. Uh, getting ready for a fall tour with, uh, some friends of mine in, in a band called Kane, uh, Matt Moore, Ben Fuller.
Um, yeah. Um. That's kind of me. Uh, I was a worship leader for a while. Now I travel and play music for a living, so. Hmm. What about your family life? Uh, I got four kids, uh, 26, 21, 15 and 12. About to be 15. About to be 12. They've got birthdays coming up. Um, been married for 15, 16 years and, uh, yeah, we live south of Nashville, out in the country and love it, man.
Um. The age. What, what's the gender breakdown between the four kids? Boy, girl, boy, girl. Oh, so oldest, well planned. Yeah. Uh, that's a, that's a good spread, man. My oldest is 13. You just turned 13? Yeah. Um, so you're in, like, you still have what, almost preteen or you have a preteen up until Yeah. Young adult.
What are you learning about life as a dad right now? Gosh, they're all different. All, all these kids, man, e every one of 'em is different. You know, they've all been, uh, totally different raising them. Um, they all have their own little unique things. Um, I think, uh, one thing I've noticed is the older I get, the, I think the easier I get on, on kids, you know?
Mm-hmm. Like, it seems like the youngest can get away with anything she wants to. Now, I know that's kinda how that goes. It's like, okay, you guys have. Y'all beat me down. Like, just do it. You know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Used to struggle with the whole, like, going to bed early and now it's kinda like, okay, if you're gonna play on your iPad, that's your, that's, you're gonna, you're gonna suffer in the morning, not me.
I'm going to bed. Yeah. I know. I've wavered back and forth. There's this book called, um, what's it called? It's like one of my favorite books. I recommend it all the time, and I'm blanking on the name. Uh. Gosh, it'll come to me in a second, but it's, it was written by a secular, it was, it's not a Christian book.
Yeah. Hunt, gather parent. It's like one of my favorite books. Have you heard of it? No. No. So she, she's basically, she contrast, she used to be like a, um, the author used, I think she worked for NPR and she used to be like this, uh, uh, she did reports on diseases globally. So she was like going to all these other countries, third world countries and reporting on disease.
But she noticed the kids were so different than American kids. Uh, as just kind of like a side note when she's like doing. 'cause she had just become a parent. Yeah. And she, she basically started to go deep dive into how Americans raise their kids or people in the west raised their kids versus how, like most countries parent their kids.
And, uh, it was really fa it's a very, very fascinating reading, but one of the things she talks about is like the, the, uh, the bedtime thing. Like, we're so st we have 'em on such routines, and she's like, in most countries are just like, go to bed when you're tired and then I'll wake you up. Yeah, that's cool.
Yeah. It's, it's very, very, very interesting. Um, what do you. Were you following Jesus in your whole journey of fatherhood? No, I mean, I, I was, I was raised in church, so obviously I knew, I knew about Jesus. I, um, you know, my, when I first got married, I was, I was in a rock man at the time and I was living a completely different lifestyle, you know, a lot of drugs and alcohol back in those days for me.
Um, so this was years ago. Okay. This was, yeah, and I got saved in 2012. Um, but I grew up in church my whole life. I mean, my dad was a worship, worship pastor, worship leader. Um, just, just kinda ran from it for years of my life and, and got mixed up and kinda lived that. That life for a number of years. And so my first few years of marriage, I was not living, you know, for Jesus.
Um, and so my life was completely different back then. Mm-hmm. Um, which, which made it a little tough, you know, uh, but, but I think when, when I changed and we started to change as a family, you know, the, the kids saw it. Um, but. Yeah, those first three few years were pretty, pretty wild for me. You know, just as a father.
'cause I stepped into being a dad. My wife, when I met her, she had a 4-year-old and 9-year-old, so mm-hmm. It was kinda like just walking into a family, you know, and not really knowing how to, to do that. And I was just kinda wild rocker dude that was, you know, all of a sudden thrown into being a dad and, um, wasn't quite ready for it yet.
Yeah. So it's one thing to do that while, like, if you had. You love Jesus, and you're, you're like, all right, I'm walking in this situation. I'm trying to get my life together. It's another thing to do that, while it sounds like you're, yeah, you're on a road, you know, partying or doing playing music or whatever, um, what was the, what was the shift?
Uh, in 2012, um, uh, we had a, a little girl on the way, and my wife, she, she came to me before I left to go on tour. I was, I was headed, headed to Europe in the summer of. 2012 deployed music. And, uh, my wife basically told me, you know, um, if, if you can't make some changes, you know, we're out, like not, not gonna stick around for this anymore.
Um, and, uh, you know, like I said, I knew enough about Jesus. My parents were, were great. You know, they, they really instilled those roots at a early age and, and gave me the foundation. So I knew enough about God to know that he was real and that he loved me, but. I had just gotten to a place in my life where I was like, I dunno if I can, I don't know if, if I can be fixed, you know?
Um, so I left for that tour. Um, she tells me, you know, basically like, I need to make some changes for our family, or they're, or they're leaving. And, um, I was a week or so into the tour and I, I was just like, God, if you're out there, if you're real, prove it. And. Two days later, we were driving across Spain and I was riding in a bus and we were listening to some music and I was reading a book and I shut my book and took, took my headphones off and I was just staring down the window, out the window of this bus and this guy was scanning radio stations up in the front and it stopped on a song by Big Daddy Week called Redeemed.
And I heard the song in the middle of nowhere and went to my hotel room and looked up the song and the lyrics and it just, it just completely. Changed my life. Like, I was just like, okay, I've totally missed it all. You know, missed all this growing up as a kid, I, I, I just, I thought God just kind of sat on his throne with his arms crossed, you know, shaking his head at everything I did wrong.
I, I just had never really understood it, but that song really spoke to me and so I called my wife and I said, Hey, when I get home, you know, we're gonna find a church to start going to. And I said, I'm gonna quit my band and cancel my, my shows. And. She, she didn't believe me, I don't think at first. But then I came home and, um, quit my band, canceled all my shows, um, gave my life to the Lord in the floor of our closet, um, when she left for work that day on June 10th, 2012.
And, um, we never looked back. And that was kind of the turning point. Within a year I started working for a church leading worship. And, um, and then the whole, you know, Nashville writing songs that kind of. Out of that season, and I ended up getting a record deal at, you know, 38 years old. I'd been chasing the dream for 20 years and, um, it just, just kind of happened when I, when I stopped looking for it.
Really. Wow. I appreciate you sharing that, man. That's, yeah. Have you told the d the guys over at Big Daddy Weave about that? Oh yeah. Yeah, they were one of the first, uh, they were one of the first bands I toured with after I signed my deal, so That's gotta be weird. Yeah. Full circle. Yeah, very. Do you think, uh, I do this always like messes with me, but do you think God was chasing you down or were you chasing God down?
You know, like I, God was chasing me. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's what I, I mean, I've been in ministry a long time and I just, like, I hear that story and it's like, what are the cha, you know how the Bible says like, he'll use the rocks and trees, you know, it's a worship if, if you don't, and it's just like you're in a tour bus and you're listening like the dude's scanning the radio and, and even the fact that it was a song like.
Most people aren't saved through songs, so it's like, oh, that's a good song. But the fact that you like quit a band change or flip your life on your head over a song, you know what I, yeah, it's like that's. Yeah, it was, it was quite the, quite the life altering event for sure. Um, but yeah, man, it was, it was awesome.
Um, and those guys are great. Like they, they're, they're the real deal. So it was, it was really cool to get to meet them and tour with them and, you know, share that story every night from stage. It's pretty cool. That is cool. Do you deal with any, uh, just as a man, like any shame? I mean, 15 years that, what was it, did you say 2012?
Was it 12? Yeah. How have you done like just mentally in your spirit? You know, like as a dude contrasting, this is who I was and this is who I am now. Um, I mean, I, in, in some ways, you know, I, I don't, I used, I dealt with that a while whenever I first, when I first. Got saved when I first started playing music and, uh, especially when I first signed my record deal, I remember getting on stage a lot and just kind of hearing this voice that said, you don't deserve this, or, you're not good enough for this.
You're not, you know, should go back to what you were doing before. But I just write songs, you know, I write songs out of those seasons and the songs helped me through it, you know, just as much as I love writing songs to help everybody else get through. Stuff they're going through in life. A lot of times I'm writing the songs for myself, you know?
'cause I need to s to sing it and, and, and need to believe that every night. Um, but yeah, I don't, um, I don't know, man, I, I, that guy's so far behind me, um, that I don't even, I really, it's, it's funny. It, it feels like a lifetime ago. A lot of stuff. Well, you were dead and now you're alive. So it does, it wasn't, it's two.
How do you think you, like, what, how does that, how did that impact your parenting? Um, so you came home and then you had a baby, right? Yeah. Uh, I had a, I had a little boy before that and then had a little girl afterwards. Um, I, I don't think that my kids will ever be able to get away with anything. I can say that, you know, I've done it all.
So I'm like, you guys aren't getting anything past me and your mom. You know, we've, 'cause we were both pretty wild kids. Um, but. There's a lot of grace, I think, for me, um, because I, I saw it with my own, my own parents, and I've seen it with the Lord in, in, in my own life. And so for me, I, I think grace is a big thing with parenting.
Um, it's just, you know, not, not getting too worked up over things and realizing that everything can be fixed and it's all right, you know, and, you know, there's, you get another chance and do better the next time. That's kind of, that's kind of how we, how we do it at home. Um. I got really good kids, so I've kind of gotten lucky.
Like I, I don't think I've had to deal with the, the type of, uh, kids my parents had to deal with. You know what I mean? They didn't get too strong of the gene from at least those parts. I hope not. Yeah. So your, your, is your 12-year-old, your daughter, and then you have, and then what was the, what was her, what was that?
I said she thinks she's 20 right now. Oh. I just, I didn't, I never dealt, you know. All the stuff that the kids are dealing with now, like I just didn't do it. The social media, the tiktoks, the. I don't even, I don't understand any of it, you know, it's like, and it's just like that's all these kids are into. Um, and none of that was around whenever I was a kid.
I didn't even get a cell phone until I was like 23. So I just don't understand a lot of it. But, um, yeah, she's, uh, she's probably my most strong willed is my youngest. And it could be just because she's the youngest and she's kind of had to, you know, she feels like she has to prove herself all the time, I guess.
But yeah, she's, she is, yeah, she's tough. Tough. Well, my, my youngest is a, she's three and, uh, I just sent her off to her first day of preschool and she's my, she's my spiciest baby as well. Yeah, that's, that's the way my, um, what was the next oldest? So what's her older brother? Uh, he's, he's about to be 15, so 14.
So I have a 13-year-old boy and he's pretty chill. Like he's very, just, all he wants to do is play basketball. Okay. You can give him basketball. He's good. So that's what he's gonna do right now. What, how are you, are you like, one thing? So I have, he's my oldest 13-year-old boy, and then I have three girls.
Um, and I didn't grow up with a dad. My dad bailed when I was young. And so, um, I'm like. Probably over intentional about trying to raise him to be a man. Yeah. Probably smothering him to the, I'm trying to balance that. Like, yeah, don't smother him, but give him every tool possible. Um, how are you thinking through just like him about to be out into, or into manhood three years from now?
And like, are you, are you thinking through any, like, training, any rite of passage stuff? Any, like, what do you, how are you, where are you at? No, I, not really. I mean, he. I mean, obviously the, the, the thing I'm having trouble with the most right now, I was teaching 'em how to drive. Goodness. I didn't remember whenever I was growing up, it being so hard to drive.
But these kids, these days, like they, they just. I don't know. They live in the, the video game world and they think they can do it because they've done it on a, on a video game, and then you put 'em in a vehicle and it's like, what are you doing? But, uh, it's, and, and a lot of these kids are not, actually, they're not, they don't want to get their license, which, so when I was a kid, every kid, all of my friends, we were as the day you could get it.
We were like getting permits and license. Both drugs have a motivation. Yeah, I had like, I got like a hardship license or a work, A work, something where I could drive at 14. So as long as I could, you know, I would drive from school to work. Um, and I started driving, like there was a back road that went to my school, so I started driving early, but our oldest didn't even get his driver's license till he was 18.
Like, he had no desire. And I was like, dude, when I turned 16, like that was all I cared about was like getting out of there, like taking the car. Yeah. Um, you know, as far as like that type of stuff with him, I just. We do a lot of stuff together. You know, he's into, he's into sports, uh, not much into hunting.
Um, my dad, my dad's a hunter, so when we go back and spend the holidays and stuff like that, we hunt. But, um, you know, I don't know what he's, he's on a four wheeler all the time riding through the woods, you know what I mean? He, but I don't have any, any kind of rite of passage type things planned, you know?
Um, he's, he's doing all right, so, Hmm. Sweet man. Well, you got a new children's book. What is that all about? What, what motivated you to write that? Well, I've got a song, um, called Less Like Me that I put out a few years ago, and the tag was a little more like, uh, Jesus, A little less like me. And, uh, I just remember growing up as a kid in church and the, the fruits of the spirit, you know, it was always one of those, it seemed to be the.
The thing that really stuck out in my mind, you know, it was always the things that we're trying to, to be more like, and um, that song kind of fit with the, the song was kinda loosely based on the fruits of the spirit. So I just, I was talking one day and somebody, and it kind of came out and when I said it I was like, huh, you know, I didn't really mean it when I said it at first, but then it was like, I should write children's book about that.
And then I was like. Actually that's a pretty good idea. Like it would be, have pretty cool children's book. So, so that was really it. That was kinda the idea was how do we take the song, the fruits of the spirit and adapt it and make it a book for kids who struggle with their emotions and all the things that, you know, little kids go through, um, to, to have a book that they can try to figure out how to handle some of these things and.
You know, try to be more like Jesus and you know, less like ourself. And so that was, that was it. And, um, turned out really cool. Proud of it. That's awesome, man. What, like, talk, what is the premise of the book or how does it blow? So it's a, it's a book for, it's for four to eight year olds. Um, and it is basically in, in the music video for less, like me, I was driving a bus and we were picking up like strangers along the way to this, like revival to this church and, um.
And so that's kind of the premise of the book. It's, I'm driving a bus and we're stopping and we're picking up kids on the way, you know, hop, hop aboard for kindness and love and peace and joy. It's, it's kinda one of those. Um, and so at the end of it, we're all ending up at this little church, uh, for a first, you know, like a service or revival.
But it's, that's kind of it. And it, it just goes along, uh, with the fruits of the spirit through the whole book and kind of describes, you know, you know how to deal with. What's going on with your, your emotions and things? Yeah, fruit, the fruits of the spirit has been one of the easiest ways for me to talk to my kids about Jesus.
Like, uh, I, we probably use it once a week in our house, and it is just such an easy analogy, like, oh, an apple tree should make apples. If it doesn't make apples, then you know, it's not an apple tree. You know, and it's just like Christians. These are the things Christians produce as Christian fruits of the spirit.
And if it's not producing that. You have to wonder, is God working inside them? And if not, you ask God, cut down the branches that are not producing and make these branches, you know, uh, uh, produce the fruit and my kids for whatever. Like out of all the things I've tried to talk to them about Jesus, that always seems to resonate.
So it's just such an easy mental picture for them to get. So I That's super cool that you, I don't know, uh, I'm sure there are other books out there, um, that are doing that, but that's a really cool premise for you to do. I, uh, I think is the book out already? Yeah, it, uh, well, I'll say that. What's the date?
The, yeah, it's out. Okay. It came out last week. I, I think it did. Um, I know I'm filming it at my merch table. I saw it at the, okay. Last week. So it's either out, it's either out or coming out in. Next week. Okay. I can't remember. It'll, it'll be out by the time people listen. It comes out in August. I, that I knew.
I just can't remember the date that it, that it was released. Yeah. Yeah. Sweet man. Well, we'll encourage all our guys too, to pick up a copy of that book and to, uh, go see you on tour. Where you, where are you guys headed this tour? Golly, we're all over the place. Uh, my fall tour starts at the end of September and then, um, I mean, I'm everywhere.
Um. I'd have to look at the, the schedule, but we're all over the east and west coast and great kind of middle, middle America, the whole nine yards. So Sweet. Sounds like a good lineup too. Yeah, it's gonna be fun. Yeah. Awesome, man. Well, I appreciate your time, bro. Thank you for, for doing it. Yeah. And uh, I'm, I'm looking forward to checking out the book and hopefully catching you on tour.
Appreciate it, man. Oh man. Thank you.