To download a printable version of this transcript, click here.
 
iQuestions Faculty, Joe White 
 
 
Question: 
 
What's the best thing you did for your kids when they were growing 
up? 
 
Answer:  
 
What’s the best thing I ever did for my kids? I had four kids. I was 
extremely blessed. Two boys and two girls, and by far the best things I 
ever did for my kids was pick their mom! I married so far over my 
head you can’t even measure it.  
 
But, within their growing up years the best thing I did for my kids was 
laying by my kids at night before they went to bed. That was the only 
time in my house when it was calm. I don’t know how your house is, 
my house was a hurricane with four kids.  
 
But, at night, just before my kids would go to bed—I’m purposed, and 
I was home. I travel a lot speaking, but I was home about 235 days a 
years. And I purposed that every single night—in fact, the strongest 
word in parenting might be “every”—but I wrote that down one time, 
and I committed to the kids that every night I was going to lay by 
them before they went to bed, and I was going to memorize a little 
Bible verse with them.  
 
You know what? As the days went by those little verses became 
chapters and chapters became books. It was difficult for me, because 
I’m an old football player and football coach, but getting to memorize 
a little short Bible verse before they went to bed and praying for the 
kids before they went to sleep was just immeasurable as a dad, 
because I realized I had so many inadequacies in my life, and I failed 
 
so much as a dad. But you know, God never fails, and Jesus never 
fails. And if could put His Spirit and His Truth into their heart, just a 
little piece at a time at bedtime, when they were ready to listen, it was 
just unbelievable.  
 
Then, when they went to college—and here was the payoff—I knew 
they weren’t going to be with me anymore, and I wanted them to have 
morals in their life, and I wanted them to have somebody that was 
stronger than the influences of all the other voices that were going to 
be speaking into their head on the college campus. I knew that when 
they walked into that dormitory and I walked away and drove away, 
never to be that kind of dad again, that God’s Word would be hidden in 
their heart, and that He would always be there to coach them and give 
them answers. 
 
One time, my daughter Courtney was in junior high—man, it was 
tough. She was facing all this peer pressure and all these difficult 
choices. I said, “Courtney, is it worth the time we spend at night to 
memorize the Bible verses that we memorize at night?” And she said, 
“Daddy, it’s worth it!” And I said, “Courtney, why do you feel that 
way?” And she said, “Daddy, in junior high you have so many 
decisions to make. And if you have God’s Word hidden in your heart, 
you don’t have to go home and look it up.” 
 
So, without a doubt, the best decision that I ever made with my kids 
was the commitment to just spend a few minutes—maybe five minutes 
some nights, maybe fifteen some nights, maybe some nights even 
thirty—laying by them one-on-one and taking a little piece of God’s 
Word and hiding it in their heart.  
 
And then, when I’d walk out of their room to go upstairs, I would turn 
around—and in the case of my youngest son Cooper—I’d turn around 
and I’d say, “Cooper, I want you to know I love you, and I’m proud to 
White -2- 
 
be your daddy.” And that would be the last voice they would hear 
before he’d go to sleep. That was a treasure. 
 
White -3- 
To download a printable version of this transcript, click here.