Josh Turner - Man Stuff: Devotional Thoughts on Faith, Family, and Fatherhood

I was introduced to Josh Turner one winter day while driving the back roads of my familys hunting property. My radio was blaring when the song Long Black Train by Josh came on. I immediately fell in love with the tune, and Joshs deep bass voice was impressive. However, I was surprised and delighted to discover the lyrics of the song had a spiritual connotation and dealt with overcoming various forms of temptation. Anyone who knows me understands that I am not ashamed to declare that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. I believe God uses human beings, despite our flaws, to spread the good news of Jesus to this world we live in. The good news that Jesus Christ became God in flesh, died on a cross for our mistakes, and rose from the dead to give us hope of living forever gives meaning and purpose to our lives. I surrendered to Christ when I was fourteen years old and was privileged to be baptized by my father in the river that ran in front of our house. Jesus Christ produced a relationship with God in my life and brought my family together in a special way. My work as a duck call builder and my role on the TV show, Duck Dynasty, is my platform for making the gospel of Christ known.

Jase Robertson and me, West Monroe, LA

I felt a common connection with Josh as I followed his singing career because he seemed to be using his talents as a platform for God, much like I do. I met Josh for the first time in person at a charity event put on by a mutual friend. Josh and I formed a friendship that night and, even though I was a bit disappointed with his lack of facial hair, I was impressed with his heart for God. I figured any man with that kind of booming voice should be a pass for frequently shaving. Even though I am joking about having a beard, I do think this world needs men that are proud to be men and should assume spiritual leadership roles in our society and homes. My dad once told me that an endangered species on our planet was men who are the spiritual leaders of their family and are not ashamed to declare Jesus as Lord.

Josh and I have a common goal to go to heaven, and we understand that our top priority is to get our family there as well. Through our growing friendship, Josh was nice enough to join my family in the making of our Christmas album, Duck the Halls, A Robertson Family Christmas. Josh wrote the song Why I Love Christmas and performed it as a duet with my wife Missy. My favorite line of the song is the Child that was born on that mornin brought the gift of salvation to us. That line sums up the power of Christ in our lives by offering mankind forgiveness and a relationship with an eternal God. The night the Christmas album was released, Josh and his family came to my house for a celebration in hope that God could use us all to promote Christ through our album. We laughed, shared and prayed together as members of Gods forever family often do.

I am honored that Josh asked me to be a part of this book because the principles of faith, family and fatherhood are qualities that bring joy to our homes, communities, and ultimately heaven. I am proud to call Josh my friend and brother, and this book inspires me to be a spiritual leader through Christ. Josh shares from his heart and experiences and is sincerely honest about how God uses us in our strengths, despite our weaknesses. If God can use Josh and me to spread the knowledge of his Son, He can use you as well. Lets do this. We will plan on seeing you in heaven if not sooner.

Jase Robertson

Colby, Jennifer, Hampton, Me, and Marion, November 2012

I was raised in a strong Christian family in a tight-knit community in rural South Carolina. I was taught essential life lessons, like the value of a dollar, what hard work feels like, and how important an education is. I was taught why being thoughtful, respectful, and considerate of others makes life more fulfilling, and why trusting God with your lifes decisions is wise. If all that sounds a little old-fashioned, well, thats because it is. And Im okay with that.

But, frankly, Im not okay with the fact that its hard being a man of character, especially when mens roles have changed so much over a relatively short period of time. Things just arent like they used to be twenty or thirty years ago. Not even five years ago! Life has become much faster and more complicated; traditional values arent politically correct. And even with my grounded upbringing, I find myself wishing it were easier to be the man I want to be in my roles as husband, father, son, friend, but its not. Yet the challenges that go with the territory make me look to God all the more. And thats a good thing!