Galen Woodward - A Matter of Time: Positioning Your Children to Change Their World One Moment at a Time

A MATTER
OF TIME

Positioning your children to change
their world one moment at a time

GALEN WOODWARD

Foreword by Dustin Woodward

Copyright 2020 Galen Woodward.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by
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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author
and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of
the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of
people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New
International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by
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ISBN: 978-1-6642-0219-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0218-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0220-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020915662

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/19/2021

DEDICATION

T his book is written in honor of my mom. Mom, its impossible to thank you adequately for everything youve done, from loving me unconditionally to raising me in a stable, consistent household. You instilled Christian values in our family, teaching us to embrace and enjoy life. I could not have asked for a better mother.

When you need real understanding,

when you need someone to care,

when you need someone to listen,

a mother is always there.

CONTENTS

SECTION 2 FOUR FOUNDATIONS
EVERY PARENT MUST MASTER

SECTION 3 FIVE CHARACTERISTICS
OF A GENERATIONAL LEADER

BONUS SECTION: A VIEW BEHIND
THE DOOR OF A PASTORS HOME

by Dustin Wood ward

I have been a pastors kid my entire life. For all my thirty-six years, church and ministry have been intricately intertwined with all aspects of our lives as a family. You may read that statement and think it sounds odd, or you may feel sorry for me, but I would ask that you choose to feel neither.

I loved being a pastors kid. Sure, there were ups and downs. Sure, there were negative people who said things they shouldnt have. Sure, there were times I felt like I had to share my parents with people, but can honestly say that I loved it all. Somehow, in the middle of all the craziness of growing up in ministry, my parents found a rhythm that worked well for our family. They seemed to always be at our games and school functions, and even when I watched my dad walk out the door during dinner to visit someone in the hospital who needed him, I knew we were still his priority. It was the way he got on the ground and played with my brothers and me when we were little. It was the way he treated my mom. It was the way he looked us in the eye when we were talking.

My dad has this way of being fully present wherever he is. Its comforting and reassuring. He may have been the churchs pastor, but he was always my dad. He was just dad wherever we were; no matter who he was talking to or whatever meeting he was in.

The way my parents modeled pastoring opened my heart to easily say yes to God when He called me to ministry at the age of sixteen. I wanted to be a pastor like my dad, because I wanted to be a man like my dad. Hes my hero.

After forty years of my dad and mom leading our church, my dad passed me the baton and Im now the Lead Pastor of Citizen Church. Serving my parents in the roles of youth and associate pastor over the last fourteen years has been the joy of my life, and I am living the dream God gave me twenty years ago.

To say it is a privilege to work with my dad would be a massive understatement. Has it been perfect? No. Have we had disagreements? Yes. Has he had to correct me? Yes. But no matter what was going on and no matter what we were facing, he never stopped looking at me in the eye and saying, Im so proud that youre my son. Youre my best friend. I believe in you. And I love you so much! That made the difference in my life!

Time goes by so fast, and how you balance life, marriage, children, and ministry matters so much. In this book, my dad opens up about what life was like with our family in the middle of all the craziness. He talks about how to create those moments that stand out with your children, just like the moments in my life that I mentioned earlier. My dad wasnt perfect. But, hes close, and Im not just saying that. To me, my dad represents peace, comfort, stability, kindness, courage, strength, support, and godliness. He is absolutely my best friend in the world.

I now have four kids of my own, and I have one goal: to be the dad to them that my dad has been to me. A dad that can say, Follow me, as I follow Christ.

Youre about to read a book that will change your life, if you let it. Open your mind to what God wants to show you. Let it soak in. Your children need you. They need you to be present, they need you to notice them, and they need to know theyre your priority. Whatever your story is, and whether you view yourself as succeeding or failing at parenting, know that with God, the best is yet to come.

A Matter of Time

T he fast pace of modern-day family life can make it easy to forget the simplicity of spending time with our children. Time is the most effective way to shape, mold, and prepare them to live in this world as a future influencer.

Our world desperately needs a generation of world-changers, those who understand that our society hangs in the balance of great spiritual stakes, and that a turning of the tide will only happen through those who are properly equipped.

As parents, we all intuitively understand the importance of spending time with our kids, but how can we make sure that were spending quality time with them? How do we know that were not occupying the same space, while focused on entirely different things, but actively engaging with our children and preparing them to lead their own generation?

Theres an old story thats told about Picasso sitting in a park, when he was approached by a woman who asked him to make a portrait of her. He agreed, quickly drew her portrait, and handed it to the woman. She was very pleased.

She asked how much the portrait was, and Picasso reportedly told her it was $5,000. Taken aback, the woman tried to argue that was too much for a quick sketch. The rebuttal? The skill and artistry in Picassos five minutes of sketching had taken a lifetime to master.

Why is this story important? Most people view the value of time incorrectly.

If you desire someones time, youre not desiring their
current time, youre desiring the value of all their past time
that went into making their current time desirable.

This is exactly the way it is with our children. They desire our time. They want us more than anything in the world. Parents are desirable because of all the years of experience and all the roads that have been traveled. Parents have experienced all the ups and downs of life, all the joys and all the tears. Its taken a long time for us to get where we are and become who weve become.