Nick Vujicic may have been born without arms or legs, but that hasn't stopped him from being a hard-working husband, inspiring father or New York Times best-selling author.
Vujicic has appeared on shows like CBS Sunday Morning, Oprah's Life Class, Inside Edition and 60 Minutes and he's bringing his inspiring message to Oklahoma City May 14 and 15.
He will be speaking at five services at Council Road Baptist Church (2900 N. Council Rd., Bethany). The church's senior pastor, Rick Thompson, said he's excited to encourage others through Vujicic's unique perspective on life and faith.
Vujicic said although he had a difficult time adjusting to his disability through his adolescence, he credits his victory through struggles to his faith in God. That's the message he will be sharing with the Oklahoma City audience as part of his Unstoppable Faith tour through his non-profit, Life Without Limbs.
With Father's Day fast approaching, we had a chance to interview Vujicic about his experiences as a dad. His inspiring responses are featured below.
MFM: Tell us about your family.
NV: My wife’s name is Kanae; our two sons are Kiyoshi, 3 and Dejan, 9 months.
MFM: What is your favorite thing about being a dad?
NV: How your heart opens up to a level you have never experienced before, a new level of unconditional love. And it gives me admiration for my mom and dad and thankfulness to them for being my parents.
MFM: What is the best piece of advice you've ever received about fatherhood?
NV: Do your best, learn from your mistakes, cherish their mother, and show them what it means to be the priest of the home.
MFM: Did you learn anything from your own parents that helped you be a better dad?
NV: My parents always made my home feel like a safe refuge, where no matter what happened in my day I could always come home and know that I am loved and encouraged.
MFM: What are you looking forward to most about fatherhood?
NV: I’m most looking forward to being able to talk to my sons about how their faith in God is the most important thing, and coming up with creative ways to interact and have fun together.
MFM: What's your best advice for working with your partner to be an effective parenting team?
NV: Spending quality time together, as a family and also without the children.
MFM: How is fatherhood different than what you expected in your pre-children days?
NV: Children are definitely a lot more work and stress than you first anticipate, but the joy of having them in your lives as a mother and father, totally supersedes any challenges.
MFM: How do you achieve balance in your personal life and life at home?
NV: I achieved balance in my own personal life with strategically planning my time management, priorities and having people around me who pray for me and keep me accountable to give attention to my priorities.
You can hear Vujicic speak at 6 p.m. on May 14 and 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 15. Children’s activities will be available for ages three months to third grade. Find out more information at councilroad.org or by calling 405-789-3175.