Faith & Finance with Rob West
“For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you, and encouraged you, and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God.” - 1 Thessalonians 2:11–12 With Father’s Day approaching, it’s worth asking a deeper question: What kind of legacy are we leaving as men, as dads, and as stewards of what God has entrusted to us? Jonathan Lewis, President of Eastport Financial Group and Founder of Fathers for Fathers, joined the show today to discuss fatherhood, faith, and the financial discipleship that can shape generations. Fathers for Fathers is a faith-based organization that restores hope, healing, and purpose in the lives of men, especially fathers.

With Father’s Day approaching, it’s worth asking a deeper question: What kind of legacy are we leaving as men, as dads, and as stewards of what God has entrusted to us?
Jonathan Lewis, President of Eastport Financial Group and Founder of Fathers for Fathers, joined the show today to discuss fatherhood, faith, and the financial discipleship that can shape generations. Fathers for Fathers is a faith-based organization that restores hope, healing, and purpose in the lives of men, especially fathers.Jonathan’s passion for fathers is deeply personal. At 15 years old, he experienced the traumatic loss of his father in Nova Scotia. In the years that followed, he carried guilt, grief, and brokenness. He couch-surfed, slept in his car, and eventually joined the Canadian Armed Forces, where discipline helped steady his life.
Looking back, Jonathan sees how God used even the painful parts of his story. The wounds and scars that once felt like liabilities have become part of the way he ministers to hurting men today.
He points to Revelation 12:11, which speaks of overcoming God did not waste Jonathan’s story. Instead, He redeemed it and now uses it to help other men find hope and healing.
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Many fathers carry silent shame or regret. Some feel they have failed their children. Others feel absent, discouraged, or unsure how to begin again.
Jonathan’s message to them is simple: Your story is not over if you are still breathing.
Too often, men rehearse their failures and live in what Jonathan calls the “depreciation room,” constantly reminding themselves of what they have done wrong. But the gospel invites men to step out of shame and into repentance, responsibility, and renewed purpose.
That does not mean minimizing sin or pretending failure has not happened. It means acknowledging what is true, bringing it into the light, and receiving the grace of Christ. As Jonathan explained, change requires contrition. It requires owning mistakes. And ultimately, it requires the substitute who has already stepped in for us: Jesus Christ.
For fathers who feel distant from their children, the first step may be small, but it should be faithful.
Jonathan especially encourages absent fathers not to hide behind excuses. Many men who are not actively involved in their children’s lives genuinely want to be, but they feel trapped by regret, conflict, or past failures. Still, faithfulness begins with taking responsibility.
That may mean reaching out. It may mean providing financially. It may mean supporting your children's mother with humility and integrity. It may mean confessing hidden sin to a spiritually mature man and inviting him to hold you accountable.
The goal is not to shame men, but to call them forward. Fatherhood requires courage, humility, and community. Men were not meant to carry the weight alone.
A man may be generous with money but neglect generosity with his love, presence, patience, or encouragement. That misses the point.
Faithful stewardship begins at home. It starts with loving one’s wife, caring for one’s children, and dying to selfishness. Ephesians 5 calls husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. That kind of love is not merely dramatic sacrifice in a crisis; it is daily self-denial, service, and humility.
Jonathan encourages men to “board up the depreciation room” when it comes to their wives and families. Instead of rehearsing frustrations and failures, men should intentionally practice gratitude, honor, and appreciation.
From there, stewardship extends into work, provision, financial management, generosity, and spiritual leadership. Providing for one’s family matters. Managing finances wisely matters. Going to work matters faithfully. But all of it should flow from a heart submitted to Christ.
Fathers teach financial stewardship whether they realize it or not. Children notice what their fathers value, what they fear, what they chase, and what they trust.
A father’s legacy is not only measured by what he leaves behind financially. It is also measured by the priorities he models. Does he hold money loosely? Does he give generously? Does he trust God in uncertainty? Does he speak about provision with faith rather than fear? Does he show that people matter more than possessions?
Financial discipleship begins when fathers connect money to worship, responsibility, generosity, and dependence on God. It is not merely about teaching children how to budget or save, though those skills matter. It is about showing them that everything belongs to God and that we are called to manage His resources for His glory.
Some dads feel discouraged. Some feel like failures. Others may be doing many things well, but still sense that God is calling them deeper.
The hope of the gospel is that no father is beyond the reach of God’s grace. Romans 8 reminds us that nothing can separate God’s people from the love of Christ. Not failure. Not regret. Not past sin. Not years of absence. God’s grace is not permission to remain passive, but it is the power to repent, return, and walk in newness of life.
Fatherhood is a calling that requires courage, but no man has to walk it alone. Through Christ, through the help of godly brothers, and through daily steps of obedience, fathers can leave a legacy of faithfulness that reaches far beyond finances.
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