A friend recently lamented his kids growing up without knowing their grandpa. His father had passed when the kids were very young. He said, “If my dad would have minded the temple better, he may have been able to share family stories directly with his grandkids. There is longevity in our genes - his mom and older brother both lived to be 99! But he smoked constantly and drank heavily. It was really a miracle that he reached his 70’s.” It was obvious my buddy had a lot he wanted to share with his dad, especially his legacy.
In the first month of the first year of his (Hezekiah) reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. ...read on
I talked with a dad the other day that has grown kids. He was proudest when he told me that they know the Lord and they know him. In addition, they have completed their formal education, are gainfully employed and have no debt. Now there is a dad that invested well and has been blessed with what I call a glimpse of God’s glory. We all do not experience such a visible return on investment. If it were so, we would call this ministry “Successful Fathering”. As it is, we focus on Faithful Fathering - investing well and leaving the results to Him.
I got to enjoy glimpses of God’s glory as dads invested well in their daughters this past weekend ...read on
Be a faithful father, resolve to be more engaged in raising a godly generation across 2015.
Tips for this NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION:
Prioritize your 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. read on ...
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands. – Deuteronomy 7:9. Our Father is a faithful Father. He has proven His faithfulness in loving us so much that He gave us the Christ child, Himself incarnate.
As you celebrate Christmas with your family, reflect on what kind of love this is, our Father’s love - A covenant of love so strong that He allowed His Son to walk this earth all the way to the cross, to put death to the sin that got between He and us. Death to sin, power in the resurrected Christ and indwelling of the Holy Spirit was birthed that first Christmas morn. What a Gift! Before you share gifts in family, read the story of The Gift as a family – Luke 1:28 - 2:20. read on ...
Are you like me when someone wishes you “Happy Holidays”? I always respond with a “Merry Christmas!” I think I do it in a loving way. When a friend asked me why I needed to put such emphasis on that issue I found myself being a little argumentative in suggesting the need to keep CHRIST in the Christmas season. I don’t know where that tone came from but my friend said something that woke me up. He said, “If we did a better job of keeping CHRIST in Christian, Christmas would take care of itself.”
That was the second time in as many days I had been busted with a pious attitude. The other was ...read on
A father-figure in my life served part-time as a deputy sheriff for the county. In that capacity, he would provide added security in the local retail stores leading up to Christmas. One time while on duty, a mom trying to deal with her son’s tantrum over a game, pointed to him and said, “Son, if you do not stop I will have the officer take you to jail!” He took a knee and told the boy, “Young man, you need to obey your mother. You also need to know that a police officer is here as a helper and protector if you are ever in trouble.” The mother realized that in her emotional outburst she had planted a seed not only for fear of an officer but potentially of disrespect for law enforcement.
There is a lot of emotion percolating around law enforcement recently ...read on
This time of year always carries a special significance for Faithful Fathering. We praise the Lord for the opportunities granted through your involvement in, and support of our efforts over this past fiscal year toencourage and equip dads to befaithful fathers. Dads that prioritize physical presence, are engaged emotionally and lead spiritually by example are the solution to many of the societal woes we face today.
THANK YOU for your commitment to Faithful Fathering. You are a blessing as we press forward on the journey the Lord has us on. This past year ...read on
Best wishes to your family for a blessed and restful Thanksgiving.
The Word on Thanksgiving – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7. Paul admonishes men to live with a thanksgiving state of mind. With thanksgiving, the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That means the noise and distractions of the world that work to keep us anxious even during this season will not be granted any power over us.
Tips to maintain a Thanksgiving State of Mind: read on ...
One of the most frustrating statistics on the fathering front is that less than one in ten families attending church weekly have any spiritual discussion in the home between Sundays. This lack of intentionality gives the world more influence than we realize and the result rests square on the shoulders of dads!
When my kids were learning to drive, I was very intentional in helping them to understand the rules of the road. I took them out to the country and downtown Houston in all kinds of weather to teach them how to handle a vehicle under various road conditions. And I equipped them to stay alert because other drivers will disregard the rules of the road and do the unexpected – there is no shortage of such educational opportunities while driving around Houston. We talked often about leaving enough room to have a way out of a bad situation. The intentional effort paid off in that both kids are good drivers.
In light of Veteran’s Day, this is a shout out to all those who have served in the military in defense of our great country, this one nation under God. Thank you!
I learned the hard way to honor our veterans. Growing up in a violent alcoholic home, I just knew I did not want anything to do with Dad nor have anything in common with him. After having our last run in, I left home at a young age. My eldest sister and her husband opened their home to me and I moved on with life. I had two prayers and one goal as a young man – I prayed I would be blessed with a happy and healthy marriage and family, and that I would keep my family well above the poverty line I had grown up below; My goal was to go as far as I could in the opposite direction of my dad.
All was going well with that plan. I had not effectively talked with Dad for 15 years - read on ...
