{"id":301951,"date":"2010-01-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-01T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men\/"},"modified":"2010-01-01T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-01-01T17:00:00","slug":"its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On today&#8217;s broadcast, Chick-fil-A president and founder, Truett Cathy, tells you how you can make a difference in the life of a child.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-01-01.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"22.46M","filesize_raw":"23551907","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2850],"tags":[4875,5077,2209,5078],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[8937],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-301951","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-character-development","tag-boys","tag-character-development","tag-parenting","tag-truett-cathy","cwp_profile-truett-cathy","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/301951\/its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/301951\/its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"rUd9ndF9Yq\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men\/\">It&#8217;s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/its-better-to-build-boys-than-mend-men\/embed\/#?secret=rUd9ndF9Yq\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;It&#8217;s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"rUd9ndF9Yq\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"On today's broadcast, Chick-fil-A president and founder, Truett Cathy, tells you how you can make a difference in the life of a child.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-01-01.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Our children need us as moms and dads the question is how often are we available?\u00a0 Here is 86-year-old Truett Cathy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 When you've talk with your children, you have to talk at their convenience, not when it's convenient for you.\u00a0 A lot of times they're ready, but you're not ready to listen.\u00a0 And so you have to grab those times of opportunity \u2013 rare opportunities probably \u2013 just to listen to a kid, and you know, when you sit in front of a TV screen for two or three hours, or you're off on a golf course leaving the home, that's not quality time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is FamilyLife Today for Friday, January 1<sup>st<\/sup>.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We'll hear today the wisdom of a dad and now a grandfather who did his best to keep his priorities straight.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Friday edition.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Happy New Year!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Happy New Year!\u00a0 Are you going to call it 2010?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think I\u2019m going to call it 2010.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Just don\u2019t call it 010.\u00a0 It\u2019s either 2010 or \u201c20\u201d \u201c10\u201d.\u00a0 I guess you could just call it 10.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I guess we could.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 You really have something that is on your heart as we start this new year for our listeners, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I do.\u00a0 I want to encourage listeners this year to get in the Bible.\u00a0 As a husband and a wife, a mom and dad and your children, as a single mom with your children, just read a verse every day.\u00a0 If you miss a day don\u2019t beat yourself up.\u00a0 I believe in light of the culture and how difficult it is to stand for Christ today I think we need to be getting the Bible in our marriages and in our families.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 And to remind folks about this at the beginning of each day here during the month of January we are going to take just a minute or two and introduce a verse or passage.\u00a0 In fact we are going to use the verses that are found at the beginning of the <em>Moments With You<\/em> daily devotionals.\u00a0 It\u2019s the devotional guide that you and Barbara wrote.\u00a0 Each day begins with a Scripture verse and we\u2019ll use that verse and give couples something to interact about as they kick off the new year.\u00a0 What is the verse for today?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Genesis 1:27, \u201cGod created man in his own image in the image of God he created him.\u00a0 Male and female he created them.\u201d\u00a0 Now that is a great verse for a family to kick around because it takes a mom and a dad, husband and wife to ultimately have a family.\u00a0 It would be good to talk about what that means today.\u00a0 Then take the discussion question that is found at the end of the <em>Moments With You<\/em> devotional that says in what ways in the past and the present has God blessed your life through your family?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe made us to be image bearers which means a husband and wife are reflecting who God is to their children and to the world.\u00a0 There is blessings and privileges that come with that.\u00a0 Take a few moments at the dinner table and talk about how God has blessed your family in the past and also in the present.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Again, at the beginning of each program this month we\u2019ll give you a different passage to kick around and consider and we hope you\u2019ll use that as a way to engage your family and have all of you thinking a little more about that Bible in 2010.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I know you had talked about the possibility of coming to the studio today dressed in a cow suit I\u2019m glad to see that you chose not to do it.\u00a0 You might want to explain to our listeners why you would even consider it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Anyone in the Southeast \u2013 well, I guess, maybe 35, 36 states \u2013 may recognize the cow commercials, because it's talking about \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Oh, the \"Eat more chikin.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 \"Eat more chikin,\" yeah, \"Eat more chikin.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 So you're here with the \"Eat more chikin\" logo today, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I'm not dressed in a cow suit \u2013 in case our listeners are wondering \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Go with me on this \u2013 it's theater of the mind, Dennis.\u00a0 You've got to go with me on this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Somehow picturing you and me interviewing the CEO and Founder of Chik-fil-A with me dressed in a cow suit \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That's probably not the image we want to go with \u2013 good point.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Truett Cathy, the founder of Chik-fil-A joins us on our broadcast, <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 Truett, welcome to our broadcast.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, it's my delight to be here with you, Dennis.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Truett is the proud father of three children, two sons and a daughter.\u00a0 He has 12 grandchildren, about to have his first great-grandchild, and he and his wife Jeannette have been married for 56 years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 And heads up a huge fast-food company, and I guess one of the greatest claims to fame that I can give Truett is that five of my six children have worked for Chik-fil-A.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Intentionally \u2013 you sent them there to go to work.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely \u2013 because they're not open on Sunday and, secondly, their values are to honor God in all that they say and do, and they teach young people how to treat a customer, how to embody biblical principles.\u00a0 When I heard that Truett had written a book called <em>It's Better to Build Boys than to Mend Men<\/em>, I told you, Bob, let's get him in here, and let's talk to him about this, because I believe, Truett, in the message you're talking about here.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is a generation \u2013 in fact, I just want to quote some of the statistics from your book.\u00a0 Ninety percent of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes; 71 percent of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes; 85 percent of the youth in prisons grew up in fatherless homes; and 75 percent of all adolescent patients in drug treatment centers come from fatherless homes.\u00a0 You're passionate about men building boys.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 God can't make a man out of anything except a boy.\u00a0 You've got to prepare early for his later life.\u00a0 If you start early enough you can give proper direction but we\u2019re in a world of materialistic things and we are very conscious to give our children the needs and things that we didn\u2019t have as kids but we are failing on giving them important things.\u00a0 The important things are here to stay.\u00a0 It is important to realize that you\u2019ve begun building a teenager for the cradle up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Now, Truett, you grew up in a home with a father and a mom, and yet you say you grew up in a home that was fatherless?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 I would say so.\u00a0 I had a father figure there, but he had gone through the depression of the '20s, and he never overcame that.\u00a0 It was necessary to move to Atlanta, and my mother became the breadwinner of the family.\u00a0 She rented a house, she took in boarders, didn't furnish a room but a bath and a room and two meals a day.\u00a0 So that's why I got started in, really, the restaurant business.\u00a0 She's taught me how to shuck corn and shell peas, set the table, and go shopping with my mom at the corner grocery store there, and that was the time that you could buy Coke, six for a quarter.\u00a0 And I thought in my mind at age 8 that if I accumulated six bottles and a quarter that I could buy those and peddle them around to my neighbors for a nickel apiece and recognize a five-cent profit.\u00a0 I knew if I ever had anything in life, I had to work for it, so that was very good for me.\u00a0 At the time, I didn't think as well.\u00a0 As I look back at the formative years, I always believe from that experience, the harder you work the more successful you would be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Truett, let me ask you \u2013 growing up with a dad who was absent, do you remember, as a boy, wishing Dad was around more?\u00a0 Or when you got to be older, do you remember thinking, \"I wish my dad had been more involved in my life?\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, he was there.\u00a0 That was kind of the bad part about it, because of the fact he \u2013 I don't think he ever cheated on my mother and never experienced alcohol, but he had a very hot temper.\u00a0 He was very strong-minded, and maybe in the fashion that he was brought up \u2013 that you dare not sass your dad or disagree with him, and he was the last person I would go to if I had a problem.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The last person?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 The last person.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Why?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, because he would look at it from his personal standpoint \u2013 how he was brought up, and one of the things I hold in my mind \u2013 maybe I should discard \u2013 but I had a paper route, which I carried seven straight years, and much of that money I earned went to the family, and, at the same time, my dad, you would dare not disturb him on Sunday morning when I had to get up early before daybreak to go and carry papers, and that was the largest of the day so you couldn't handle it on a bicycle without making a lot of extra trips, but I dare not ask him, though I might have been sick or the weather was terrible \u2013 you just did not \u2013 he would refuse to go with me.\u00a0 I knew better than to disturb him.\u00a0 So that's not the kind of father that I could imagine being an ideal father.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you think your passion for older men building in the lives of younger men is related to the fact that your dad didn't do that with you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I missed out on that, because I could see other boys with a paper route, their father was with them to help them, and they could put the papers on the running board back then.\u00a0 But I did have a man that helped me on my paper route.\u00a0 His son carried papers, so he would spot mine \u2013 that's what we'd call it when a package of each block or space so you wouldn't have to travel with a big bag of papers back and forth on a bicycle.\u00a0 So that was very meaningful to me, and he took up time with me, and at the end, my mother was in ill health, so we got a house \u2013 an apartment \u2013 at government housing.\u00a0 Back then, I think we was paying something like $85 a month for everything \u2013 for the rent, for the utilities, and so forth.\u00a0 But even \u2013 we couldn't make it there.\u00a0 We had to go back to keeping boarders, because that was our livelihood.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut it's been good for me.\u00a0 I've learned some lessons.\u00a0 I've tried to improve on that situation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You actually have taught Sunday school for the past 50 years \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2026 that's right \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2026 to 13-year-old boys.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Now, you do that because you believe in passing on what you've learned to the next generation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I'm sure that had a bearing on my desire to be that because of my Sunday school teacher, and the effect that he had on my life when I was coming up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you think 13-year-old boys are different today than they were 50 years ago?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 I feel like 13-year-olds are doing what 15-year-olds used to do.\u00a0 So, really, I should go back and maybe teach 11-year-olds, but, really, 13 is last because a lot of them have already experienced sex and drugs and alcohol, and you have to overcome that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 What issues need to be driven home by moms and dads and Sunday school teachers and aunts and uncles and teachers and coaches?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, every year, as a new class comes in \u2013 I get a new class every year \u2013 I give them a questionnaire, and one of the questions I ask \u2013 what would you change in your homes if you could change it?\u00a0 And my present class, the number-one thing \u2013 objection \u2013 that a good percentage of them state, \"I would stop the arguing.\"\u00a0 If you've ever been around two people that's arguing, it makes you feel very uncomfortable when you can't side with either one of them and just hear them argue and think about living in a household where the mother and dad is all the time arguing, cutting each other.\u00a0 I had one boy in my Sunday school class, and that was back when I had a small class, when I was taught 11-year-olds.\u00a0 I had set that I was going to have a perfect class.\u00a0 That mean they was all there, they brought the Bible, they're staying for church, they studied the lesson and give in the offering.\u00a0 We used to do that in Sunday school.\u00a0 We don't do that any longer, but that's what we call \"100 percent.\"\u00a0 I had 10 boys, so my challenge was let's have a perfect class.\u00a0 No teacher that I know of has ever had a perfect class; I never had.\u00a0 And so I had them all there, and all 100 percent \u2013 they brought the offering, the Bible, and everything, but one boy, he wasn't going to stay for church.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, I kind of scolded him at the time.\u00a0 I said, \"Now, could you stay here for church if you wanted to?\"\u00a0 He said, \"Yes.\"\u00a0 And so I scolded \u2013 \"Come on and stay for church so we can have 100-percent class,\" and he refused, and at the end of the class, he said, \"Could I speak to you?\"\u00a0 I said, \"Yes.\"\u00a0 He said the reason I don't go home is that my dad is there, and my mother and my sister is in church, and it's just he and I, and he gives me his undivided attention.\u00a0 And I said, \"Well, isn't he there Saturday, and don't you get to spend time?\"\u00a0 He said, \"Yes, but he's drinking beer and arguing all day long, but when I go home after Sunday school, he seems ready to listen to me.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo I said afterwards \u2013 I apologized to him for scolding him, because I said, \"You made the better decision.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Interesting.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Going home and listening, be with your dad, just you and your dad.\u00a0 So I think dads miss that opportunities to spend quiet time, quality time with the children.\u00a0 And, you know, when you set before a TV screen for two or three hours, or you're off on a golf course leaving the home, that's not quality time.\u00a0 Quality time, as I say, is bedtime, on a one-to-one basis.\u00a0 Oftentimes, kids are very anxious to talk with you and share with you.\u00a0 When you talk with your children, you have to talk at their convenience, not when it's convenient for you.\u00a0 A lot of times they are ready, but you're not ready to listen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You know, Truett, you've got something in your book that I wanted to share with our listeners at this point, because you've already mentioned two or three of these things.\u00a0 It's called \"Seven Reminders for Building Children,\" and one of them was stop arguing in front of your children.\u00a0 Another one was \u2013 \"You may think children have outgrown the desire to be rocked to sleep at night.\u00a0 They haven't.\"\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tStill yet another \u2013 \"Every child I know who overcame long odds and grew into a responsible adult can point to an adult who stepped into his or her life as a friend, a mentor, and a guide.\"\u00a0 That's good stuff.\u00a0 \"Don't be too concerned that your children don't listen to you.\u00a0 Be very concerned that they see everything you do.\"\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s important.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You believe for young people today to see their parents doing the right thing is a more important sermon than a spoken sermon.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 You can\u2019t have beer sitting in the refrigerator and then expect your kids to not drink alcohol.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You had a conversation with a father on board an airplane about the subject didn\u2019t you.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 I did that.\u00a0 He recognized me and I sat down with him with bulkhead seats and we started talking.\u00a0 During the conversation we talked about concern he had for his 15 year old son and 17 year old daughter and the many temptations that young people have today that maybe we didn\u2019t have when we were youngsters.\u00a0 We talked about drinking and drugs and sex and there is a lot of temptation for our young people.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe thing that bothered me was that during the conversation he stopped the stewardess and ordered a beer.\u00a0 So when he got that beer in his hand I didn\u2019t want to turn him off so I asked the Lord to give me some words to wake this guy up.\u00a0 For him to see that what he is practicing is in violation of what he is preaching at home.\u00a0 I asked him if he let his teenagers drink and he said no.\u00a0 He looked down at the beer in his hand and got the message without me saying a word further.\u00a0 He even thanked me for it and told me he appreciated me bringing that to his attention.\u00a0 I think a lot of times our children observe those good things we are doing but are failing to give them the things they really need.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy daughter Trudy was at the university and came home on a weekend and she said to me Dad, you know the thing I remember so favorably about you.\u00a0 I asked her what that was.\u00a0 She said the times you used to come to my bedside and permit me to tell you all the things I did that day.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow what I thought Trudy would remember about her dad by was the nice home we lived in, nice clothes, new automobile I bought for her when she was 18 and a good education.\u00a0 Those things were secondary.\u00a0 What impressed her was me just giving her my time just the two of us together.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t cost anything we just have to do it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want finish your list of seven things here.\u00a0 Number five \u2013 \"Be so consistent in your discipline that you're boring.\"\u00a0 You're talking about just being down the line so your kids can count on you and what you stand for as you discipline them.\u00a0 Number six \u2013 \"Children will never believe in the covenant of marriage unless they see you living it with their own eyes.\"\u00a0 I want to tell you something, I really agree with that.\u00a0 I agree with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I had two boys in my Sunday school class, and their parents were going through a divorce.\u00a0 They also had a three-year-old in the family as well as those two teenage boys, and they were going to get a divorce because the husband was cheating on her.\u00a0 And she said, \"Michael, don\u2019t cry.\u00a0 Your mother loves you.\u00a0 Your daddy loves you.\u00a0 We don\u2019t love each other.\u201d\u00a0 But you know that\u2019s not very satisfying to a boy.\u00a0 They need a mother and a dad.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSingle parents are doing the best that they can.\u00a0 It\u2019s bad when the mother has to play the part of a mother and a dad.\u00a0 A boy needs a dad.\u00a0 A girl needs a dad.\u00a0 But it\u2019s up to the parents to make it work.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOperating a business and operating a family you have to work at it.\u00a0 Success does not come easy.\u00a0 Home is the same way.\u00a0 I think some parents think there has to be a perfect marriage or no marriage but that isn\u2019t the way it works.\u00a0 Even though I\u2019ve been married for 56 years, I wish I could say for 56 perfect years, but there has been peaks and valleys in our marriage where we have disagreed.\u00a0 God made us all different.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Did you ever have a time in the valleys of your marriage when you looked at your wife and thought\u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 I always thought that man was the head of the household.\u00a0 That is foolish thinking.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI finally found out that a happy wife is a happy life.\u00a0\u00a0 A lot of times you have to see it from their viewpoint.\u00a0 We are blinded and we think our decision is the best decision.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want to finish your list of seven reminders for building children.\u00a0 The last one is \u2013 \"How do you know if a child needs encouragement?\u00a0 Well, if the child is breathing, they need encouragement.\"\u00a0 How do you encourage boys?\u00a0 You talk about in your book it's better to build boys than to mend men.\u00a0 How do parents build boys by encouragement?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, encouragement has been right by what you do.\u00a0 Parents are the prime example, but, you know, words of correction are good, but even better than that, words of encouragement.\u00a0 Among the employees that work for you, it's easy to find fault in your employees and what they're doing wrong, but you also want to find them doing something right and same way with your children.\u00a0 If they clean up their room and cleaned up especially good, commend them for it.\u00a0 And when you tear them apart when they do something wrong, but when they go out of their way to do things right, we'll recognize that and commend them for it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tParents are made not only to give instruction but give encouragement.\u00a0 Encouragement goes a long way.\u00a0 I have a lot of people that encourage me, but I've never gotten an overdose of it.\u00a0 I'm always waiting for somebody to encourage me.\u00a0 Every day is not a perfect day, every day is not a rose garden, but it's how we handle the difficult situations that make the difference.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Whenever you sign one of your books for somebody, you include a citation, a Bible verse from Proverbs.\u00a0 What's the verse?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, Proverbs I've latched onto, which I learned early in my life was Proverbs 22:1 \u2013 that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.\u00a0 Now, I went to public school, and it was required that on Monday morning in your homeroom that you brought a Bible verse with you.\u00a0 From those Bible verses, the teacher would determine what would be the Bible verse for the week.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo for a little fellow that didn't receive much recognition, that my Bible verse was selected and Proverbs 22:1 \u2013 that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches \u2013 I don't know what an impact it had on my life, but I feel like it has a lot, because the longer that I live, the more I appreciate the fact that a good reputation, a good name, is something that you have to earn.\u00a0 It's not anything you get, and it stays with you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI teach my 13-year-old boys about, well, I told them that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.\u00a0 My first question to them \u2013 how many of you would like to have $1 million.\u00a0 You know, all hands go up \u2013 yes, mom and dad get a new home, dad would get a new pickup truck with shotguns, and I could get my bike, and all those good things that we all think at 13, if you had enough money, everybody can have a good time.\u00a0 But it doesn't come that way.\u00a0 And one boy asked me, he said, \"Well, what happens if you already have a good reputation?\"\u00a0 I said, \"You have to earn it every day.\u00a0 It's not anything you can earn one day and keep.\u00a0 You have to re-earn it every day.\"\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd being in the food business, Chik-fil-A, we have to remember to do things right each and every time, not just sometime, but each and every time, because the customer have a good experience in a place for 50 times, and then be disappointed of treated rudely, they're liable to never come back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Truett, I know one of the things you teach boys is to respect authority.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Why is that such an important principle to pass on to the next generation of young men?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, in my counseling with boys \u2013 some of them, you know, drop out of school.\u00a0\u00a0 One boy I know got a job washing dishes in a restaurant and he came by my office to get a ride to Jonesboro and on the way I asked he what he was doing.\u00a0 He said he was out looking for job because I just lost my job because the guy who used to work there came back.\u00a0 He said as soon as I find a job I\u2019m going to move from home.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI said Kevin that is the worst thing you could do.\u00a0 If you can\u2019t take orders from your parents how can you expect to take order from your boss?\u00a0 We all like our independence.\u00a0 People resent being told what to do.\u00a0 I mean, that's kind of the nature \u2013 we like to do our own thing.\u00a0 But, growing up, you have to teach the chain of command and obedience, and it's so important, and it reflects on people in their career.\u00a0 Sometimes they are high-tempered and haul off and quit the job or sometimes refuse.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe've had one of my foster kids lost his job with Chik-fil-A because he refused to take the trash out.\u00a0 He said, \"That's not my job.\"\u00a0 But, you know, working a business, you have to work together.\u00a0 You have certain responsibilities.\u00a0 It doesn't mean that you're limited to that, but we expect all of our employees to mop floors, clean restrooms.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI tell the young people, if you want to get ahead in business, choose to do those jobs that other people don't like to do.\u00a0 You can distinguish yourself by doing that.\u00a0 It doesn't enumerate [ph] the level, but it proves the fact, if you have people that don't want to clean the restrooms and mop, you make it a point to volunteer for that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd when you clean a restroom, that means cleaning the restroom, and it's a lot of joy when you do a job and do it at your very best, and this individual, I told him, you know, you clean the mirror in the lavatory.\u00a0 When you get to the commode, I said, \"You clean that commode just like you want to drink out of it.\u00a0 I know that doesn't sound very nice, but that's exactly what I meant, because a lot of people's definition of clean is one thing, and another is quite different.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2026 something else.\u00a0 I know we've only got a few minutes left with you \u2013 how can I get the recipe for the carrot-raisin slaw?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, could you tell me the two major ingredients in our carrot and raisin salad \u2013 think now, that's a difficult question to ask, because it's a secret -- the two major ingredients.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Carrots and raisins, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Hot dog, you get it, you got it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That's all I need to know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Those are the ingredients.\u00a0 You can figure out what the rest of it is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Actually, what I want is, I want the spices.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You want the chicken recipe.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want the spices.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We don't have the colonel, we've got the general right here.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, let me ask you \u2013 can you keep a secret just between you and me, you can keep a secret?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, so can I.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You know, our listeners, I think, have picked up on why Chik-fil-A is such a great place to work and why I chose, for five of my six kids, to work there and why Barbara and I were really behind that.\u00a0 Truett Cathy is a great boss, but, more importantly, he's a great man.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTruett I appreciate you as a CEO and I want to brag on you.\u00a0 You said you can always use encouragement.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur country today needs more CEOs and chairmen of the board like Truett Cathy who protects the next generation of young people by holding to standards of decency, morality, and not working on Sunday.\u00a0 He calls young people to tell the truth and not get by with stealing, lying or cheating.\u00a0 He is a true patriarch.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI feel like this visit that we\u2019ve just had for our listeners has been an opportunity to eavesdrop for how God turned a boy who maybe he didn\u2019t have a father who built him as he should but God sure did.\u00a0 We have an opportunity to experience that grace and pass it on to the next generation.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Truett:<\/strong>\u00a0 My privilege.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You\u2019ve given us a lot of wisdom today and you\u2019ve given dads a lot of wisdom in the book <em>It's Better to Build Boys Than to Mend Men<\/em> and I like what Truett said about this book.\u00a0 It\u2019s a book you can read on an airplane between Los Angeles and San Francisco.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t take a long flight to get through this book but it\u2019s full of practical wisdom for dads.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 It is.\u00a0 It is a lot of common sense.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And, again, Truett, thanks for being on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I have to tell you all this talk about being a better dad has made me hungry for some Chik-fil-A chicken strips, sauce and a chocolate milk shake.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the sad thing some of our listeners have tried Chik-fil-A but they live in a part of the country that they can\u2019t get it.\u00a0 I know this because I tweet back and forth on twitter when I\u2019m at the drive thru or I\u2019ll post something on Face Book about it and I\u2019ll get a note from my friend Jan who lives in Montana and she says quit talking about Chik-fil-A.\u00a0 It\u2019s hours from here.\u00a0 Enough of that.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stop talking about that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me encourage you to stop by our website today at FamilyLifeToday.com especially if you are looking for more help on how you can connect as a dad with your children especially with your sons.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m thinking about the book that our friend, Dr. Robert Lewis has written called <em>Raising A Modern Day Knight<\/em> that many of our listeners have gotten a hold of and it\u2019s given them a strategy or plan for helping boys become men.\u00a0 Again you can find it on our website.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me also take a minute here and say a word of thanks to you who over the last several weeks have been very generous in contacting us and making a year-end contribution.\u00a0 We have been trying to take full advantage of the largest matching gift that we have ever received as a ministry and I don\u2019t have the final numbers today.\u00a0 We probably won\u2019t for another couple of days but we will let you know on our website whether we were able to take full advantage of the matching gift offer.\u00a0 Thanks again to those of you who were able to give.\u00a0 We\u2019ll keep you posted.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, I hope you have a great weekend.\u00a0 I hope you and your family are able to worship together this weekend.\u00a0 I hope you can be back with us on Monday.\u00a0 We are going to be talking to a pastor from Austin, Texas and his wife Will and Susie Davis.\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk about the power of prayer in a marriage relationship.\u00a0 We hope you can be with us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We'll see you back Monday for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts for you. However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>www.FamilyLife.com<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/301951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301951"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=301951"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=301951"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=301951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}