On Faithful Fathering’s summer adventures – the Father/Daughter Hiking & Father/Son Backpacking in the San Juan Mountains or Men/Young Men Camping on High Country in Central Colorado, the promise is to push participants physically, emotionally and spiritually. The prayer is that hearts will be opened to a new level of relationship with the Heavenly Father and those on the trip. Of course, as my son told a group on the backpacking trip, we can only control one of those dimensions – the physical. Thus, the significance of going hiking.
The mountains have a way of humbling a person. On several occasions ...read on
What responsibilities weigh on your heart as a father today? The world is performance-based, meaning the drivers typically involve self-improvement, self-motivation and self-promotion in status, career or influence. This can lead to priorities getting all discombobulated and key responsibilities getting pushed to the back burner. The Dad’s Armor study encourages and equips dads to keep hearts turned in the right direction.
The professor had a jar of rocks on his desk. He asked his students if the jar was full. There was a resounding “Yes!” Then he pulled out a jar of pebbles and poured them in the jar. As the pebbles sifted in around the larger rocks, he presented the same question to the class. This time the response was, “Absolutely this time!” Then the professor produced a jar of sand and proceeded to pour the contents into the original jar. Again, the sand settled in around the larger rocks and pebbles and he posed the question one more time. The class said, “We think so.”
They had worked together for several years. The older gentleman was a father-figure to the new-hire. Over long hours in the oilfield and many cups of coffee, he would share a lot of stories and wisdom gleaned from time served in WWII, from his thirty-plus years of marriage and over 20 years in the oilfield. Job changes put distance between the two but when travels brought the young man back through town, Lefty always had a pot of coffee ready and they would talk like no time had passed.
A number of years got by without a visit when a letter was received that simply said, ...read on
The Dad’s Armor study puts forth this concept of reconciliation with your earthly father. For those of us who experienced challenging times in relationship with our dads from a young age, it seems easier to just close the door and press on with life as an overcomer of a bad home situation. The father wound can be deep and it is understandable that some men just do not want to go there.
The Dad’s Armor study opens with a look at the heritage we have in relationship with our earthly father. Men typically father as they were fathered or go the opposite direction working to ensure a better result. I am reminded of the cartoon of a son bringing home a report card with a failing grade. The young man presents it to his dad and says, “What do you think Dad – heredity or environment?”
There is love for our Lord, love in marriage, love for family and love of country. Of course, on this 243rd anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, I think of the love those before us had for this one nation under God, particularly those that enlisted in the military after the Pearl Harbor attack – sixteen-year-olds saying they were eighteen; young working men that interrupted life to serve their country; and young marrieds that put family on hold.
He was choking up as he spoke a blessing over his daughter. They had just completed a week together enjoying a wilderness adventure that included day hikes, an overnight campout and a raft trip. Each evening they had a topic-specific discussion around the father-daughter relationship that resulted in more one-on-one dialogue than they had ever engaged in. Now, recognizing his ‘little girl’ as a young lady was overwhelming.
He had spent a couple of summers with his uncle. They were not anything out of the ordinary – the boy did chores like mowing and other small projects around the house. He enjoyed every minute of it because he got to be with his uncle, a father-figure in his life. This summer would be different because they were going on a 10-day backpacking trip. While they would be participating with a group of Boy Scouts, he knew there would be a lot of one-on-one time with his uncle.
THIS FATHER’S DAY, June 16th, 2019, I commit as a faithful father to:
Prioritize my physical presence in the home and with family. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning … The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.’ John 1:1-2, 14. Just as God provided a connection with Him through the physical presence of His Son, a father provides a connection to the Father by being present and accounted for in family.
On Faithful Fathering’s summer adventures – the Father/Daughter Hiking & Father/Son Backpacking in the San Juan Mountains or Men/Young Men Camping on High Country in Central Colorado, the promise is to push participants physically, emotionally and spiritually. The prayer is that hearts will be opened to a new level of relationship with the Heavenly Father and those on the trip. Of course, as my son told a group on the backpacking trip, we can only control one of those dimensions – the physical. Thus, the significance of going hiking.
What responsibilities weigh on your heart as a father today? The world is performance-based, meaning the drivers typically involve self-improvement, self-motivation and self-promotion in status, career or influence. This can lead to priorities getting all discombobulated and key responsibilities getting pushed to the back burner. The 
The professor had a jar of rocks on his desk. He asked his students if the jar was full. There was a resounding “Yes!” Then he pulled out a jar of pebbles and poured them in the jar. As the pebbles sifted in around the larger rocks, he presented the same question to the class. This time the response was, “Absolutely this time!” Then the professor produced a jar of sand and proceeded to pour the contents into the original jar. Again, the sand settled in around the larger rocks and pebbles and he posed the question one more time. The class said, “We think so.”
They had worked together for several years. The older gentleman was a father-figure to the new-hire. Over long hours in the oilfield and many cups of coffee, he would share a lot of stories and wisdom gleaned from time served in WWII, from his thirty-plus years of marriage and over 20 years in the oilfield. Job changes put distance between the two but when travels brought the young man back through town, Lefty always had a pot of coffee ready and they would talk like no time had passed.
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There is love for our Lord, love in marriage, love for family and love of country. Of course, on this 243rd anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, I think of the love those before us had for this one nation under God, particularly those that enlisted in the military after the Pearl Harbor attack – sixteen-year-olds saying they were eighteen; young working men that interrupted life to serve their country; and young marrieds that put family on hold.
He was choking up as he spoke a blessing over his daughter. They had just completed a week together enjoying a wilderness adventure that included day hikes, an overnight campout and a raft trip. Each evening they had a topic-specific discussion around the father-daughter relationship that resulted in more one-on-one dialogue than they had ever engaged in. Now, recognizing his ‘little girl’ as a young lady was overwhelming.
He had spent a couple of summers with his uncle. They were not anything out of the ordinary – the boy did chores like mowing and other small projects around the house. He enjoyed every minute of it because he got to be with his uncle, a father-figure in his life. This summer would be different because they were going on a 10-day backpacking trip. While they would be participating with a group of Boy Scouts, he knew there would be a lot of one-on-one time with his uncle.
Prioritize my physical presence in the home and with family. 
