I’ve learned that love has to be both shown and spoken

Mike Ogburn

Ogburn Family | Mission Viejo CA

I grew up on a big cattle and olive ranch, the kind of place where work started before the sun came up and ended long after it went down. My biological parents divorced when I was two, and when I was about four and a half my mom remarried. Her new husband, John, adopted me and became the man I call “Dad.”

He was a steady man. He wasn’t around much—work always came first—but he made sure we had everything we needed and that we never missed church. He wasn’t one to show emotion, and I don’t remember hearing the words “I love you,” but I always knew it. His quiet strength shaped my early idea of what a father should be: steady, devoted, and duty-driven.

Now that I’m a dad with a son and daughter (11 & 9), I feel that same pull between work, faith, and family. I promised myself I’d never get too busy for my kids, yet too often I find myself at the computer in the evenings instead of being fully present with them. I’ve also struggled to balance our faith with my son’s passion for baseball. I’ve always believed sports should never come before church, but I also believe if you start something, you finish it. When Sunday tournaments came around, those two values started to clash. Dad Academy teaches that our values drive our decisions. So we had a decision to make...

The Bible says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” With that in mind, we made the tough call to step away from travel baseball and refocus on what matters most—our faith and our family time.

Being part of Dad Academy helped me see fatherhood differently. I’ve learned that love has to be both shown and spoken. My kids won’t remember how many hours I worked—they’ll remember how much time I spent truly with them. I’m learning to communicate better, to listen deeper, and to lead with faith instead of fear. The ranch taught me responsibility, but Dad Academy is teaching me relationship—the kind of relationship that builds legacy. That’s what I want my kids to carry long after I’m gone.