The HOA: Habits of Abba
Welcome to the HOA: Your Sunday newsletter with 3 recommendations to live the CHA (Call Him Abba) mindset
To truly be called "Abba," men must commit to forming themselves, not for personal gain or admiration, but to give themselves away to others. This formation allows others to depend on them, making them a strong foundation for their families and communities.
Physical formation ensures they can engage with their children at every stage of life, from playing on the floor to being present in old age.
Intellectual formation strengthens their ability to think critically, navigate complex problems, and resist the noise of the world.
Human formation, through good habits, creates a balanced life where responsibilities are rightly ordered.
Ultimately, men must be reliable in every aspect mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually—so that others can trust and lean on them.
Each Sunday, I will provide my three recommendations for how men can form themselves based off my experience:
Intellectually
Physically
Humanly (Habitually)
Here are this week’s HOA (Habits of Abba) recommendations:
Intellectual Formation
Read “Show Us the Father: 7 Secrets to Be a Father on Earth Like the Father in Heaven” written by Devin Schadt
This an absolutely powerful read. A friend of mine bought me this after my wife and I learned that we would be expecting a special needs child, as the writer, Devin Schadt is the father of a special needs child himself. Frankly I totally judged the book by its cover and thought it would be cringy, cheesy and full of cliche phrases that I would find annoying.
I was quite wrong. It is a beautiful reflection on the author’s experience of fatherhood and how it has revealed the face of the true Abba to him time and time again. Whether you are an Abba with children or without children we can all understand the power of understanding our relationship with God, the Father.
Linked Here → (Show Us the Father by Devin Schadt)
Physical Formation
Meal prep Lunches
For the first 6 years of my Adult life, my lunches were as consistent as a slot machine. Leftovers, Chipotle, McDonald’s, a piece of bread with peanut butter, no lunch at all, a protein bar, I have done it all.
Breakfast was consistent, and controllable, eggs, fruit and coffee. Dinner was typically provided by my wonderful wife, and nutrient dense cause she is a great cook and healthy. But lunches, a whole ‘nother story.
The biggest problem was time I realized, I just didn’t have enough time in the mornings to consistently make lunch, so I was in grab and go mode.
Then I started meal prepping on Sundays. Ground turkey, ground beef, pr ground bison and a carb like quinoa, brown rice, and then some broccoli, or brussels sprout thrown together in a bowl. Throw some sauce on that, and it adds great flavor. Takes an hour to make on Sunday. And I just grab and go each morning. Nutrient dense, protein packed and low time investment. The key is the sauce there. Got to have some flavor.
Linked Here→ Best Sauce Ever
Human Formation (Habit Formation)
Habit Tracking
This is all about accountability and progress. If you want to hug your children when you get home from work- track that habit. If you want to drink more water, track it. If you want do the dishes more after dinner right away track it.
Saying you want to create a habit without holding yourself to accountability for it is like fighting a boxing match with one hand behind your back. You are missing 50% of the formation of the habit.
I will talk more about the Full Focus Planner in later HOA’s, but it has drammatically changed this for me and allowed for easy habit tracking.
Linked Here →Full Focus Planner