The family meal: We set the table not only with food but also with conversation and leadership. Efficiency is not the priority of the day. We must slow down, guide the conversation, even after a long day at work. Time at the family dinner table serves as a microcosm of life. A father must concern himself with worship, etiquette (showing kindness to others), and directed conversation, while remembering that it takes discernment to determine which hills he will die on when someone says something obtuse.

Family meals and devotions should not be guilt trips. Keep them simple and focus on what you and your family enjoy most. Many husbands perform at the dinner table and during devotions to meet their wives' expectations and aspirations.

For more, read or listen to Tim's Daddy Tried: Overcoming the Failures of Fatherhood.