Faith is not meant to be limited to a Sunday routine. It is meant to shape how we parent, lead, serve, heal, and show up for the people entrusted to us.
On Living My Faith with James Fenimore, Pastor David Mendonca, Executive Director of The Show Up Dad Foundation, brings a powerful perspective on faith, fatherhood, ministry, counseling, and personal transformation. His work centers on helping fathers become present, intentional, and engaged in their children’s lives while encouraging families to build stronger relationships rooted in faith.
Through The Show Up Dad Foundation, Pastor David helps create a supportive space for dads who want to grow in their role as fathers, overcome challenges, and embrace the responsibility and privilege of parenting with purpose.
Faith That Shows Up in Real Life
For Pastor David, living out faith is deeply practical. As a pastor and Christian counselor, he disciples men and women through many of life’s challenges, with a special focus on parenting and marriage.
That kind of faith is not passive. It is lived at home, in difficult conversations, in seasons of uncertainty, and in the daily decision to remain present with God and with others.
The phrase “Living My Faith” becomes especially meaningful in this context. It is about allowing faith to influence the way a person responds to hardship, leads a family, and serves a community.
The Mission of The Show Up Dad Foundation
The Show Up Dad Foundation is a podcast and ministry dedicated to empowering fathers in their parenting journey. Through engaging discussions, expert interviews, and real-life stories, it offers practical advice and inspiration for dads who are striving to be present and involved in their children’s lives.
The foundation emphasizes fatherhood as a vital role in family dynamics and community building. Its mission encourages dads to overcome challenges, embrace responsibility, and cultivate meaningful relationships with their children.
Why Fatherhood Matters
Fatherhood is more than a title. It is a calling that requires consistency, humility, courage, and love. The Show Up Dad Foundation reinforces the idea that fathers have an important role to play not only in their own families, but also in the health and strength of their communities.
For dads who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of how to move forward, the message is clear: showing up matters. Presence matters. Growth matters.
Abiding in God: A Core Message for Spiritual Growth
When asked what advice he would give to someone struggling to live out their faith or grow spiritually, Pastor David points to the importance of abiding in God.
In his counseling work, he sees many challenges connected to a lack of abiding. People may attend church on Sundays, but still feel spiritually weak during the rest of the week. Pastor David’s perspective is rooted in the words of Jesus: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
Abiding means remaining connected to God, not just occasionally acknowledging Him. It means seeking strength, wisdom, direction, and renewal through a living relationship with Christ.
Practical Ways to Abide Daily
For readers who want to grow spiritually, Pastor David’s message offers a simple but challenging invitation: move beyond surface-level faith and cultivate daily connection with God.
- Prioritize time with God beyond Sunday. Spiritual strength is built through consistent relationship.
- Bring your real struggles to prayer. Faith grows when we invite God into the places where we feel weak.
- Stay rooted in Scripture. God’s Word provides perspective, correction, comfort, and hope.
- Seek discipleship and wise counsel. Growth often happens in the context of honest, faith-filled community.
- Practice obedience in everyday responsibilities. Faith is revealed in how we love, lead, forgive, and serve.
Scriptures That Bring Hope in Hard Seasons
Pastor David shared two Scriptures that have been especially meaningful to him in this season: Revelation 21:5 and Isaiah 43:18.
These passages point to renewal, restoration, and the hope that God is actively at work even when life feels heavy. Pastor David described how God gave him these Scriptures before a difficult season and continued bringing them back to his attention through friends, family, billboards, and other reminders when he felt discouraged.
For anyone walking through hardship, these verses offer an important reminder: God is not finished. Seasons change, healing is possible, and faith can be strengthened even in moments of loss or uncertainty.
How Personal Challenges Can Deepen Faith
Pastor David shared that going through a divorce significantly deepened and shaped his faith journey. That experience also connected him more closely with the kinds of challenges faced by the men he works with.
This kind of lived experience can bring compassion, humility, and understanding to ministry. It allows a leader to walk alongside others not from a distance, but with empathy for the pain, confusion, and rebuilding that often come with difficult life transitions.
For many people, faith becomes more than an idea during painful seasons. It becomes the anchor that helps them endure, reflect, repent, rebuild, and keep moving forward.
A Veteran’s Perspective on Transition and Identity
Pastor David is also a veteran. When reflecting on the most impactful moment of his transition out of the military, he described the challenge of trying to fit in.
That experience is relatable for many people who go through major life transitions. Whether leaving military service, navigating divorce, becoming a parent, changing careers, or stepping into ministry, people often face questions of identity, belonging, and purpose.
Faith can provide a foundation during those transitions. It reminds us that identity is not limited to a role, title, season, or struggle. In Christ, there is room for renewal and direction.
Lessons for Fathers Who Want to Show Up Well
The message of The Show Up Dad Foundation offers practical value for fathers in every season of parenting. Showing up does not require perfection. It requires presence, honesty, and a willingness to grow.
Be Present, Not Just Nearby
Children benefit from fathers who are emotionally available, engaged, and intentional. Physical presence matters, but meaningful connection requires attention, listening, and consistency.
Lead With Humility
Strong fathers do not have to pretend they have every answer. Humility creates room for growth, forgiveness, and healthier relationships.
Strengthen Your Faith Foundation
A father who abides in God is better equipped to lead with patience, wisdom, and love. Spiritual growth influences emotional health, decision-making, and family leadership.
Seek Support When You Need It
No father has to walk alone. Community, counseling, ministry, and discipleship can help men face challenges with courage and accountability.
Why This Conversation Matters
Conversations about faith and fatherhood are essential because they address some of the most important relationships in life. Families are shaped by the presence, choices, and spiritual health of parents. Communities are strengthened when fathers embrace their role with purpose.
Pastor David Mendonca’s work through The Show Up Dad Foundation speaks to men who want to do more than simply get through parenting. It encourages them to grow, lead, heal, and show up with intention.
Conclusion: Faith That Leads to Presence
Living faithfully is not about having a perfect life. It is about remaining connected to God through every season and allowing that relationship to transform the way we love and lead.
Pastor David Mendonca’s story and ministry remind us that hardship can become a place of deeper faith, that fathers have a vital role in their families, and that abiding in God is essential for lasting strength.
For anyone seeking encouragement in faith, parenting, marriage, or personal growth, this conversation points back to a simple but powerful truth: show up, stay connected to God, and keep growing.
Learn more and follow the conversation at Living My Faith.
