Freedom is a word that has been used a lot this past week. America celebrated 247 years of freedom from King George III’s efforts to extend English rule over her. The Declaration of Independence was written and signed by representatives from each of the colonies on July 4, 1776. With that document, a commitment to unalienable rights, “… that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, was initiated along with a pledge from each signature of “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

Eleven years later, May 25, 1787, the Constitutional Convention opened to discuss the Articles of Confederation, the boundaries that would be needed to ...read on

I was blessed these past couple of weeks to spend time in the mountains of Southern Colorado running Faithful Fathering’s early summer trips with our partner in ministry, Voice of Wilderness. The first week was with a group of fathers and daughters participating primarily in day-hikes on area trails. The second week we had fathers and sons spending five days on the trail backpacking in the wilderness.

With no phones or Internet access, these dads, with their daughters and sons, were able to ...read on

As you might expect, June is my favorite month of the year because it is Father’s Day month. So even though this blog is being posted a few days after Father’s Day, I want to issue this reminder for all men - dads, adoptive dads and spiritual fathers, as to how important a father is. Our Heavenly Father shares the moniker ‘father’ with us because He expects us to represent Him well in family. The charge is to embrace this high calling and honor Him. Commit this day to step forward and accept the charge.

THIS FATHER’S DAY, June 18th, 2023, I accept the charge as a faithful father to move forward with a renewed mind, grounded in scripture and the three tenants of Faithful Fathering. I will: ... read on

An annual tribute to the dad that raised me in hope that it is an encouragement to you:
Born in 1917, four years after his parents immigrated from the south of Russia, he spent his early years growing up in Nebraska. The family continued to speak Russian in the home so when it came time to go to school, the young boy was held back a year until he could learn English. Railroad work took his family to Missouri where he proved to be a good worker and strong athlete through school. He joined his dad working in the roundhouse at the railyard until the attack on Pearl Harbor changed the direction of his life. He enlisted in the Navy, completed flight school at Pensacola, Florida, and ...read on

As we continue in my favorite month of the year, Father’s Day month, I encourage you to look back and look in the mirror. Faithful Fathering’s study, A Dad’s Armor, opens with a look back at the heritage you have in relationship with your earthly father, how involved and engaged he was in your life, and what kind of role model he was. A look in the mirror is a check point on your own involvement, engagement and leadership in family.

On the whole, the fact that ...read on

It was not that long ago that all vehicles off the assembly line had manual transmissions. On-the-column or on-the-floor were the options. In the 1960’s, cars offered an optional automatic transmission and trucks followed suit in the 1970’s. Today, automatic transmissions and cruise control are standard on just about all vehicles. You no longer need to engage the clutch to change gears or step on the gas to get down the road.

One dad shared that he had unwittingly put his fathering on cruise control. He enjoyed ...read on

Throughout history, when kings built their castles and cities, foundations were laid, walls were built and gates were constructed to keep the enemy at bay. The enemy’s strategy was to isolate the city to cut off needed supplies, build siegeworks that helped breach the walls and destroy the gates to gain access.

Dads today still work to build castles and ...read on

He had not made one of his daughter’s events or a parent-teacher conference through the third grade. He was busy establishing himself with the company, climbing the corporate ladder. Now, busy-ness was putting strain on the family and his “little girl” was growing up quickly.

The dad saw an advertisement for ...read on

An annual tribute to my mother and an encouragement to you:
She was an incredible woman. Born in 1921, she aspired to be a vocal performer. As a senior in high school, she contracted tuberculosis. Her dream to perform was no longer possible and the vocal scholarship to attend college was rescinded. She married a handsome Navy pilot just before he was deployed to the South Pacific Theater in WWII. He returned quite a different man than the one she married. Post-Traumatic Stress played a major role in the alcoholism and other challenges the marriage and family would face over the ensuing years. Ma endured ...read on

It was a typical birthday party for a five-year old. There was cake, lots of balloons and lots of little friends running around. Then grandpa got the birthday girl’s attention for a few moments and asked her a question, “What do you remember about your very first birthday, the day you were born?”

The little girl was intrigued and confused by the question. But her ...read on