Ep. 528 Jake Stemo: Living A Bold, All-In Life as a Family and Resurrecting the Meaning of the American Dream
In this heartfelt episode of Fatherhood Field Notes, host Ned Schaut sits down with Jake Stemo, Founder of Presence Worship, to explore what it truly means to embrace fatherhood. From raising four kids—including a 15-year-old entrepreneur launching her own thrift shop—to navigating loss, adoption challenges, and faith-driven parenting, Jake shares how presence, hard work, and an “all in” mindset shape his role as a dad. Together, Ned and Jake tackle cultural expectations and the pressures of the modern American dream, challenging fathers to rediscover what success truly means for their families. They discuss multi-generational living, marriage that requires dying to self, and the beauty of raising resilient kids who say yes to risk and creativity. This episode is about rejecting passivity, leading with integrity, and resurrecting a vision of the American dream that is rooted in faith, family, and legacy.
Jake & Micah Stemo are the founders of Presence Worship, a ministry with a vision to equip worship leaders both spiritually and musically for the Kingdom of God. Over the past 10 years, they have equipped and discipled hundreds of worship leaders through Presence Worship’s Residency Program. Their ministry is based in Newton, Kansas, where they host a year-long equipping school that sends singers, musicians, and worship leaders to the nations. Jake regularly leads worship in rural churches as well as on ministry trips around the world. He carries a deep passion for the Presence of God and for raising up a generation of leaders rooted in intimacy with Him. Jake and Micah met at age 16, married at 19, and have now been married for 17 years. Together, they are raising four amazing children while continuing to pursue God’s call to equip and release worship leaders globally.
Chapters:
- 00:00:00 - Welcome to Fatherhood Field Notes
- 00:01:23 - Jake's "Dad Moment": Launching his daughter's shop
- 00:03:44 - The story behind their large age gap
- 00:05:55 - Jake's Vocation: Running a worship nonprofit
- 00:08:26 - Fostering his daughter's entrepreneurial dream
- 00:11:35 - Defining the role of a father
- 00:12:48 - When Jake embraced fatherhood
- 00:15:28 - A father's perspective on young marriage
- 00:17:44 - The "adventurously expected" mindset from Romans 8:15
- 00:21:49 - Guiding a daughter's ambitions and dreams
- 00:24:05 - The tension between God's plan and taking action
- 00:29:19 - Navigating conversations about dating and early marriage
- 00:32:04 - Redefining "hard" in marriage as dying to self
- 00:35:37 - Lessons learned from his own father
- 00:39:57 - Rebelling against the "American dream" status quo
- 00:44:02 - Creating a new example for families on mission
- 00:47:08 - Passing down faith through legacy songs
- 00:52:40 - A final blessing for fathers and their unseen sacrifices
Guest Link:
- Jake Stemo LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/jake-stemo-b8944a28
- Jake Stemo X (Twitter) – x.com/jakestemo
- NewSpring Church – newspring.org
- Presence Worship (Jake and wife’s nonprofit equipping young worship leaders) – presenceworship.org
- Heaven Sent Vintage (Jake’s daughter’s curated thrift shop) – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavensentvintageks/
Links and Resources:
- Transform Your Body with Ned & RUK Fitness:
- RUK Fitness
- This episode is sponsored by The Adventure of Fatherhood
- Order The Adventure of Fatherhood children's book here
- Check out the TEDx
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