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I never thought about walking out on my family. But there was a season when I mentally checked out, and I was still sitting at the dinner table every night.

In this episode, Connor Sykes and Pastor Scott Stewart sit down with Galatians 6:9: “Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap a harvest if you do not give up.” Connor shares the season that almost broke him. His wife was days from giving birth to their son, he had no income, and the business he’d poured everything into was a month from opening with no floor, no equipment, and no answers. He didn’t leave. He just went quiet, carried it alone, and brought every bit of that stress home.

Together, Connor and Scott talk about the difference between being home and actually being present, why “I’m fine” is usually the moment we start checking out, and what to do with the weight you can’t control. Scott unpacks what “doing good” really means in the context of Galatians 6, why even David, Moses, and Jesus had a few close friends they could be honest with, and the simple prayer for wisdom that changes how you walk through a hard week.

If you’re a dad who’s still showing up but feels like he’s running on empty, this one is for you. You don’t have to carry it alone, and you don’t have to have it all figured out. In due season, you will reap, if you don’t give up.

If this episode meant something to you, send it to a dad who’s in a hard season right now. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is let another man know he’s not the only one.

Hosted by Connor Sykes and Pastor Scott Stewart. Faith, fatherhood, and the beautiful chaos in between.

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You got the raise. The number went up. So why does it still feel like it’s never enough?

In this episode, Connor Sykes and Pastor Scott Stewart get honest about money: what it reveals about our hearts, why lifestyle creep sneaks up on even well-meaning families, and how to tell if you’re chasing more for the right reasons. Connor opens up about his own struggle with impulse spending (yes, the gadgets), and Scott walks through 1 Timothy 6, Matthew 6, and Jesus’ parable of the rich fool to show why God cares less about the size of your paycheck than the posture of your heart.

In this episode:

• Why Paul warns about those who want to be rich, not those who are rich
• The one question that cuts through every money decision: what’s the more for?
• Why most money problems are heart problems, not math problems
• Why every spending decision is a spiritual decision
• A word for the guy climbing the ladder, and a word for the guy who feels like he’ll never have enough

If you’ve ever looked at your bank account and felt like you’re losing a race you never signed up for, this one’s for you. You don’t need a bigger barn. You need Jesus at the head of the table. Send this to a dad who’s carrying the weight of providing, and remember, you’re not in this alone.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6–10 | Matthew 6:21 | Matthew 6:33 | Luke 12:13–21 | Philippians 4:13

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Preschool waitlists. Which sport they'll play. Whether they know their colors yet. As dads, it's easy to get so focused on what our kids will do that we forget to focus on who they're becoming. And honestly, the same thing happens with us.

In this episode of Raising Arrows, Connor Sykes and Pastor Scott Stewart dig into Proverbs 22:1: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." They talk about why character has to come before achievement, for our kids and for ourselves.

Scott shares how he and his wife are using identity-based language with their son ("that's not what Stewarts do") instead of only correcting behavior, and why our kids are watching us far more closely than we realize. Connor opens up about the pressure to measure his kids by milestones, and a surprisingly wise line from Bluey that stopped him in his tracks. Together they get honest about why admitting we're wrong can feel so hard, what it looks like to "replace the divot" when we mess up in front of our kids, and the difference between godly ambition and worldly ambition when it comes to money and success.

You'll also hear a D.L. Moody quote about character and reputation, a fresh spin on "What would Jesus do?", and a reminder that the only perfect example our kids will ever have is Christ, which frees us up to just be real with them.

If you're a dad who wants to leave your kids something that outlasts any bank account, this one's for you. Your kids don't need a perfect dad. They need one who's real, who owns his mistakes, and who points them to Jesus. Share this episode with a dad who's building a name worth carrying, and we'll see you next week.

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A few years ago, Connor was spending hours at the gym just to avoid going home. His company had just been sold, he didn't know what was next, and his wife Hailey had a peace and joy he couldn't match. She was going to church alone. He was convinced he could figure it out on his own. Then he walked into a service, sat in the back, and everything changed.

In this episode of Raising Arrows, Connor Sykes and Pastor Scott Stewart open Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 and talk about what it actually means to have a marriage that is "a cord of three strands," with God as the strand that holds the other two together.

Connor shares how adding a simple habit, praying together with Hailey after two kids, quietly ended a lot of the small arguments in their home. Scott explains why so many couples slowly let their kids replace God at the center of the marriage, and why that's usually where the bickering, resentment, and scorekeeping begin. They also talk about why "us against the world" is a losing strategy, how the marriage you build today becomes the legacy your kids carry, and why you don't have to start from zero. Most of the time, you just have to go back to what worked.

For any dad who feels awkward praying out loud, like he needs fancy words or a pastor's vocabulary, Scott offers a reframe that changes everything: you're not addressing a drill sergeant or a distant authority figure. You're talking to a perfect Father who already knows what you need.

In this episode:
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 and the cord of three strands
What happens when kids replace God at the center of a marriage
Why praying together changes how you argue
Connor's story of depression, distance, and coming back to church
Building a generational legacy starting today
How to lead spiritually when your wife isn't in the same place yet
Learning to pray to God as your Father, not a formal figure

Scripture referenced: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, James 1:5, Ephesians 5, Luke 11:11–13

Book recommended: The Perfect Parent by Doug Lay. If the cost is a barrier for you, reach out to us and we'll get you a copy.

Brother, if your marriage feels more like two tired people surviving than three strands holding strong, you don't need a dramatic overhaul. You need one decision today. Pray with your wife tonight, even if it's short and clumsy. Then send this episode to a dad who needs the reminder that he's not doing this alone. Follow Raising Arrows so you never miss an episode.

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An affair doesn't start with a kiss. It starts with a thousand small yeses nobody else sees.

In this episode, Connor and Pastor Scott have an honest conversation about one of the most sensitive topics in marriage: guarding your eyes. Anchored in Job 31:1, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman," they talk about how temptation has become part of everyday life (even the commercials), why willpower alone won't get you through it, and what it looks like to protect your heart and your marriage.

In this episode:

• Why compromise starts long before any line is crossed
• Paul's call to flee, and why "I can handle it" is the trap
• Pre-deciding before the moment comes, especially with pornography
• The "first look vs. second look" principle
• Why guardrails aren't a lack of trust but an act of love
• Connor's story of the guardrails he kept to himself, and why you build them together with your spouse
• "Simple, not easy": getting honest, getting help, and getting free

Whether you're in a battle right now or want to stay ahead of one, this conversation is for you and your spouse. Who you are when no one's around matters.

Scripture: Job 31:1 · Matthew 5:28 · 1 Corinthians 6:18 · James 4:7 · Proverbs 24:16

If this episode helped you, share it with a brother who needs it, and leave us a rating or review so more dads can find the show.

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Ask the Pastor: How Do We Actually Release Control?

Letting go of control, sounds simple until you're the one white-knuckling your way through a situation that feels totally out of your hands. In this episode of Ask the Pastor, we tackle one of the questions every Christian wrestles with at some point: what does "releasing control" actually look like day to day?

Pastor Scott breaks it down into two shifts in perspective — first, understanding that your job is obedience and God's job is outcome, and second, learning to focus on the Person in control rather than the problem in front of you. It's a simple but convicting reframe: are you thinking more about how you're going to get there, or about who's already got it?

If you've ever prayed for peace and still felt like you were carrying the weight yourself, this one's for you.

🎙️ New episodes of Ask the Pastor every week.

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Ever seen a friend's highlight reel and thought, "Their life just looks easier than mine"? You're not alone — and you're not crazy. In this episode, Connor and Scott break down the comparison trap: the sneaky cycle of seeing what someone else has (the pool, the vacation, the "together" marriage) and starting to believe something's wrong with your own life.

They dig into Galatians 6:4-5 — "let each person examine his own work" — and unpack why comparison isn't really about what your neighbor has, it's about where your identity is anchored. Connor walks through the real difference between admiring something and coveting it (thought → inclination → will, straight from James), and Scott shares an all-too-relatable moment where a single old photo convinced someone they were vacationing every week.

They also get into a harder question: what do you do with your parents' marriage — good, bad, or somewhere in between — as you build your own? Drawing from Genesis 2:24 and 1 Peter 1:18-19, they talk about leaving and cleaving, breaking cycles, and why "we turned out fine" isn't the same as "we did it right."

If you've ever caught yourself wanting what someone else has and wondering if that makes you ungrateful, greedy, or just human — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• The comparison trap and Galatians 6:4-5
• Social media's highlight reel effect (and the Disney story that started it all)
• Where wanting something crosses into coveting it
• Comparing your marriage to your parents' marriage
• Breaking generational patterns without dishonoring your parents
• Why a "boring" marriage might be a healthy one

Scripture referenced: Galatians 6:4-5, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 12, Luke 12:15, Genesis 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, John 9

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We thought adding a second kid would just mean more of the same — a little more chaos, a little less sleep. We were wrong. It didn't add to our plate. It multiplied it.

In this episode, Connor sits down with Pastor Scott Stewart to talk honestly about the leap from one kid to two — and the ways it exposed selfish habits Connor didn't even know he still had. They dig into what "zone coverage" parenting actually looks like (spoiler: it's a lot harder than "man coverage"), the practical "eyes on / eyes off" system that saved their sanity in public, and why going from zero to one is a completely different transition than going from one to two.

This isn't a parenting theory conversation. It's two dads talking through the real stuff — split attention, marriage communication that has to level up, and learning to put your spouse's needs above your own exhaustion, even when you're running on fumes.

Anchor Scripture: Philippians 2:4 — "Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others."

Whether you're staring down baby number two or you're deep in the thick of it already, this episode is a reminder that multiplying responsibility isn't about doing more — it's about dying to self a little more each time. Because at the end of the day, we're not here to be served. We're here to serve.

Listen now and tag a dad who needs to hear this before their second one arrives.

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