Shift Gears, Surrender & Play with Tyler Wilkes

What if the best gift you could give your kids this year is a good old 90s summer? Tyler Wilkes and I get honest about screens, playing with your kids when you're running on empty, and the house that wasn't for sale until it was.

Tyler leads First Priority of North Central Georgia, helping students launch faith clubs on middle and high school campuses. He's a former youth pastor, a dad of three little ones, and a cyclist who rode 62 miles on a borrowed bike to raise support. We sat down face to face, no Zoom, to talk about what play looks like in the thick of raising young kids and building a meaningful career.

In this episode:

• Why Tyler wants to be a "human being, not a human doing"
• How having kids exposed his selfishness, and why men don't talk about the hard seasons
• Social media, Covid, and the real human connection today's kids are missing
• Bringing back a 90s summer: a DVD player, a landline, and kicking the kids outside
• Sunrise skate sessions, quitting drinking, and why I want a weekly taste of fear
• Snack-and-a-nap wisdom from Elijah, and John Mark Comer's The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
• The not-for-sale house, the front-porch swing that sold Tyler's home, and praying over every deal
• Surrender, King Saul vs. King David, and Proverbs 28:1

When you're building a career and raising little ones, it's easy to live on the grind and forget how to play. This conversation is a reminder that slowing down, staying present, and trusting God with the outcome isn't a luxury. It's how we stay whole.

If you're a dad or mom juggling work, faith, and a house full of noise, you'll walk away with simple ways to play more, worry less, and maybe dust off that bike in the garage.

About Tyler Wilkes

Tyler Wilkes leads First Priority of North Central Georgia, a church-based, student-led ministry that helps students launch faith clubs on middle and high school campuses, reaching roughly 75,000 students across nine counties. A former youth pastor of six and a half years, his passion for students grows out of his own mental health struggles as a teenager. Years ago he co-founded Recycled Bicycle Ministry, fixing up bikes for neighbors in need, and today he raises support through long charity rides. Tyler is a devoted husband to Heather and a dad of three young kids who loves cycling, small-town day trips, and good food.

Connect with Tyler and First Priority

• Website: https://www.firstpriorityncga.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstpriorityncga/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstpriorityncga/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-wilkes-934162a4/