Last weekend, ninety men gathered at the picturesque Tops Conference Centre for the Dads4Kids Men’s Leadership Summit. The photos tell the story.

I’ve written previously about how life-changing my first Men’s Leadership Summit in 2018 was, and 2024 was no different. In fact, the Summits just keep getting better every year!

We were honoured to hear from three world-class keynote speakers, but the secret sauce of the Men’s Leadership Summit is our small groups, or bands of brothers, as we like to call them.

Inspired by the award-winning 2001 American World War II drama miniseries Band of Brothers, which takes its name from William Shakespeare’s Henry V, our band of brothers small groups are all about iron sharpening iron.

The Bible puts it this way, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17 ESV) This concept of men being sharpened, or improving themselves, is a key component of Dads4Kids’ mission to “transform the nation by inspiring fathers to help their children be the best they can be.”

A blog post from Michael Davis DPT sheds more light:

‘This process of sharpening parallels those processes of building, developing, acquiring, raising, etc… Whether it is building a team, developing a body/mind, acquiring knowledge, or raising a child, the fundamental process is the same. One formulates a base and works off that base, shaping and honing it to get the desired effect.’

‘In order to sharpen another, one must have the ability to apply the necessary pressure to shape and hone that entity into a “better” product. If the two are exactly the same, they have nothing to offer one another and as a result they will remain the same, dull. There is no teacher without the student and vice versa.’

This process of one man sharpening another is at the heart of the Men’s Leadership Summit. The truth is, we need each other!

A final word from Michael Davis DPT:

‘What are you doing to sharpen yourself and those around you? Each decision that you make or do not make, along with each action that you carry out or do not carry out WILL affect your “blade”…

This does not mean that you will not sometimes nick your blade, as there is error in being human, but that is no excuse for you not to strive to attain an impeccably sharp edge to your blade.

Let this seed of truth plant itself in all areas of your life. Do not compartmentalise it and use it in one realm of life that you may find “easy” and neglect it in another that you may find “hard”. Apply it in ALL areas and watch your collective whole improve.’

Lovework

If you can, round up some mates – or fathers, bring your sons (16+ years old recommended) – and get along to the 2025 Men’s Leadership Summit at Stanwell Tops Conference Centre, 8–10 August 2025. The team at Dads4Kids are planning and praying for another great weekend of iron sharpening iron. More details coming soon!

Yours for being sharpened,
Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. Dads4Kids’ Planning for the 2025 Men’s Leadership Summit at Stanwell Tops Conference Centre 8 – 10 August is well underway. We’d love to see you there – please save the dates and keep an eye on your inbox for more details coming soon.

P.P.S. We wouldn’t be able to send you this free Weekly Email Newsletter without the generous support of our amazing donors. If you enjoy receiving weekly inspiration and encouragement from Dads4Kids, please consider supporting Dads4Kids on a monthly basis.

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Photography by David West from Five Islands Photography.