Happy Fathers' Day: It Starts With You!
First allow me to give a “man grunt” to all the men out there who are dads! Happy Fathers’ Day!
In 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon on Mothers’ Day. As a child her mother had passed away and the duties of raising a young girl fell on the shoulders of her father. During difficult times her father’s sacrifice, love and words laid down a strong foundation in Sonora’s life. To show her gratitude and appreciation towards her father, she decided to celebrate her daddy in June of 1910, on his birthday…June 19th. In 1926, a national Fathers’ Day Committee was formed, with a recognition from Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. It was not until 1972 that President Nixon established it as a permanent national observance.
Today I write to you with a burden on my heart to all dads. Working with young people these last twenty-three years, you see a lot. I have seen students grow up with no fathers. I have watched fathers walk out of their life. I hear the stories from students who have no relationship with dad. I have seen the results when a father does not live up to his Godly responsibilities. The results, lack of self-esteem in young men and women. Boy’s filling they need to pick on others to make a point on campus. Girl’s going to one relationship to another in hopes of filling a void of not being told they are loved. I have seen what happens when the father is not the spiritual leader in the home. Many times a battle incurs in class between the words I say and what takes place at home. I have had students come with tears wanting to know their dad, as well as dads wanting to know their children. Checkout the following top ten list on absent fathers (http://www.innocentdads.org/stats.htm):
1) 43% of US children live without their father [US Department of Census]
2) 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
3) 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. [Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978]
4) 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, Friday, March 26, 1999]
5) 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
6) 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. [Center for Disease Control]
7) 90% of adolescent repeat arsonists live with only their mother. [Wray Herbert, “Dousing the Kindlers,” Psychology Today, January, 1985, p. 28]
8) 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. [National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]
9) 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. [Rainbows f for all God’s Children]
10) 85% of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. [Fulton County Georgia jail populations, Texas Department of Corrections, 1992]
Gentlemen, you are important! Fathers you are priceless! In the last twenty to thirty years we have seen an attack on fathers, spiritually and culturally.
Our Culture
In preparation for this week’s blog, I came across this article from the Christian Science Monitor, titled, Father's Day 2011: Are men on verge of a manhood crisis? You can read the article by clicking the site address below.
Television sitcoms are often a reflection of trends in the wider culture, and the coming fall TV season exhibits a rising role for embattled or uncertain males. On one network alone, a show called "Man Up" will explore the travails of a young generation of men, while "Last Man Standing" focuses on a middle-aged father, played by Tim Allen, who feels adrift in a changing world. "Three modern men try to get in touch with their inner tough guys and redefine what it means to be a 'real man,' " ABC says in its description of "Man Up." "It's a woman's world. He just has to live in it," says one trailer for the new Tim Allen show. Although the TV shows mine men's insecurities for comic effect, cultural experts say the programs hint at a genuine need for a new understanding of manhood. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0619/Father-s-Day-2011-Are-men-on-verge-of-a-manhood-crisis)
As a kid I remember watching TV and the father was always the leader. He was seen as the head of the household. Wise. Respected. I am sure you can name them. Jim Anderson (Robert Young) from “Father Knows Best”. Widower Steven Douglass (Fred MacMurray) from “My Three Sons”. Michael Brady (Robert Reed). Ozzie Nelson. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby). Today the examples that shine in our culture…divorced dads with live in girlfriends and Homer Simpson. Even commercials get into the act to lower the authority and wisdom of a father.
We have a culture trying to feminize men. Parents trying to mesh genders and proclaim that there should be no difference between a boy or girl. If there is a time for men to rise as strong fathers, is now!
Spiritual Leaders
David Kinnaman, President of The Barna Group and the director of the study, clarified the role of gender in shaping a person’s spiritual profile. "Whether they are a parent or not, women in America have high levels of spiritual sensitivity and engagement. Men generally lag behind the spirituality of women - and particularly so if they are not a father. In other words, having children intensifies the spiritual commitment of men, but even so most fathers still do not measure up to the spiritual footprint of their parenting counterparts. (http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/104-the-spirituality-of-moms-outpaces-that-of-dads) ".
I believe this attack on men in our culture is a spiritual attack. Satan knows the importance of a strong leader in a family. If Satan can take out the Spiritual leader of the family, he changes the course of history for that lineage. As much as I respect the women in my life, I appreciate the men who have influenced me.
As I look back at my lineage, I never knew my great grandfather Camacho, but I heard the stories of his life. He was an alcoholic and womanizer in his younger years. Yet through the prayers of a loving wife he came to know the Lord as his savior! I was told he was a quiet man, yet loved the Lord with all his heart. He changed the course of history.
My grandfather, Joe Camacho, later in his life came to know Christ as his savior and laid the foundation for his future lineage. My grandfather Gerardo Limon grew up living a life of poverty. Once again through the prayers of his loving wife, he came to know Christ as his savior. Here was a man who taught himself to read by reading the Bible!
I remember as a child walking into the rooms of my grandfathers and hearing them pray or reading God’s Word. Their example and choice to follow Christ changed the history of their lineage. There have been pastors, missionaries, entrepreneurs who are living out their faith in ways that these men may have never dreamed of. I appreciate my father for teaching me to be a hard worker and the importance of right and wrong. These men lived life knowing there responsibility as a father. In the midst of their failures they knew who to turn to for their strength. Their weakness propelled them to be better men, not a case for therapy. They may not have had all the answers, yet their wisdom and endurance gave them status as a leader in the family. Because of their mistakes in their earlier life, I believe they felt compelled to set an example to the children and grandkids of God’s mercy and grace. They saw it as an opportunity to point towards Gods’ forgiveness and faithfulness, so that those after them would not have to experience what they did. They lived out Psalm 78! Look at what Psalm 78 says:
1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old— 3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8 They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.
For my grandfathers, they changed the course of history! Their influence laid down the foundation for me to love God, family, and country. They planted the seeds for future generations they did not see to serve the Lord. Today because of them my girls have been given a chance to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ! They do not know divorce. They do not know abuse. They do not know alcoholism. The chains of bondage broke with them! Now its my turn to build upon that which they laid! My youngest wrote in a litter to me, “I can’t imagine my life without you! You are making it hard for my future husband to top you off!” My eldest wrote, “Thank you for being the daddy and husband figure. I swell up with pride when people talk about you and the things you do.” Gentlemen it may take some work and getting out of our comfort zones, but you too can have such a relationship with your children! Never give up! Keep pushing forward to be the example to your children!
When the girls were younger we started a tradition where the girls would cook for mom on Mothers’ Day and vice a versa for Fathers’ Day, of course with the help of mom and dad. Now that the girls are older, they plan the night before and they cook breakfast! It’s really sweet. As we sat in bed together talking I asked the girls to write down a “Top Ten list of the Expectations of a Daddy”. I explained to them this needed to be thought out because I was going to share it on the blog. I left the room and the girls came back to me with the following list.
Now gentlemen heed the words of my girls. Apply it to your life, for I believe this is the heart of a generation that is crying out to you, “Daddy, I need you to be…”
1. Protector
2. Provider/caretaker
3. Encourager/be there for us
4. Wise
5. Loving/caring/selfless
6. Handyman
7. Understanding
8. A good husband to mom/to set an example for us
9. Fun/serious, who knows there is a time for everything
10. Leader
What a responsibility we have gentlemen! It is time to rise and stand to be counted in the life of our children. It is time to be counter cultural and be the men God has called us to be! Spiritually Strong! Wise Leaders! Faithful to our wives! Warriors for our families! Men who live up to the call of God in their life!
His call to be a daddy. His gift to you, your children. Your purpose to be the Spiritual Leader. Irrevocable!
In 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon on Mothers’ Day. As a child her mother had passed away and the duties of raising a young girl fell on the shoulders of her father. During difficult times her father’s sacrifice, love and words laid down a strong foundation in Sonora’s life. To show her gratitude and appreciation towards her father, she decided to celebrate her daddy in June of 1910, on his birthday…June 19th. In 1926, a national Fathers’ Day Committee was formed, with a recognition from Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. It was not until 1972 that President Nixon established it as a permanent national observance.
Today I write to you with a burden on my heart to all dads. Working with young people these last twenty-three years, you see a lot. I have seen students grow up with no fathers. I have watched fathers walk out of their life. I hear the stories from students who have no relationship with dad. I have seen the results when a father does not live up to his Godly responsibilities. The results, lack of self-esteem in young men and women. Boy’s filling they need to pick on others to make a point on campus. Girl’s going to one relationship to another in hopes of filling a void of not being told they are loved. I have seen what happens when the father is not the spiritual leader in the home. Many times a battle incurs in class between the words I say and what takes place at home. I have had students come with tears wanting to know their dad, as well as dads wanting to know their children. Checkout the following top ten list on absent fathers (http://www.innocentdads.org/stats.htm):
1) 43% of US children live without their father [US Department of Census]
2) 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
3) 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. [Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978]
4) 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, Friday, March 26, 1999]
5) 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
6) 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. [Center for Disease Control]
7) 90% of adolescent repeat arsonists live with only their mother. [Wray Herbert, “Dousing the Kindlers,” Psychology Today, January, 1985, p. 28]
8) 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. [National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]
9) 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. [Rainbows f for all God’s Children]
10) 85% of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. [Fulton County Georgia jail populations, Texas Department of Corrections, 1992]
Gentlemen, you are important! Fathers you are priceless! In the last twenty to thirty years we have seen an attack on fathers, spiritually and culturally.
Our Culture
In preparation for this week’s blog, I came across this article from the Christian Science Monitor, titled, Father's Day 2011: Are men on verge of a manhood crisis? You can read the article by clicking the site address below.
Television sitcoms are often a reflection of trends in the wider culture, and the coming fall TV season exhibits a rising role for embattled or uncertain males. On one network alone, a show called "Man Up" will explore the travails of a young generation of men, while "Last Man Standing" focuses on a middle-aged father, played by Tim Allen, who feels adrift in a changing world. "Three modern men try to get in touch with their inner tough guys and redefine what it means to be a 'real man,' " ABC says in its description of "Man Up." "It's a woman's world. He just has to live in it," says one trailer for the new Tim Allen show. Although the TV shows mine men's insecurities for comic effect, cultural experts say the programs hint at a genuine need for a new understanding of manhood. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0619/Father-s-Day-2011-Are-men-on-verge-of-a-manhood-crisis)
As a kid I remember watching TV and the father was always the leader. He was seen as the head of the household. Wise. Respected. I am sure you can name them. Jim Anderson (Robert Young) from “Father Knows Best”. Widower Steven Douglass (Fred MacMurray) from “My Three Sons”. Michael Brady (Robert Reed). Ozzie Nelson. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby). Today the examples that shine in our culture…divorced dads with live in girlfriends and Homer Simpson. Even commercials get into the act to lower the authority and wisdom of a father.
We have a culture trying to feminize men. Parents trying to mesh genders and proclaim that there should be no difference between a boy or girl. If there is a time for men to rise as strong fathers, is now!
Spiritual Leaders
David Kinnaman, President of The Barna Group and the director of the study, clarified the role of gender in shaping a person’s spiritual profile. "Whether they are a parent or not, women in America have high levels of spiritual sensitivity and engagement. Men generally lag behind the spirituality of women - and particularly so if they are not a father. In other words, having children intensifies the spiritual commitment of men, but even so most fathers still do not measure up to the spiritual footprint of their parenting counterparts. (http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/104-the-spirituality-of-moms-outpaces-that-of-dads) ".
I believe this attack on men in our culture is a spiritual attack. Satan knows the importance of a strong leader in a family. If Satan can take out the Spiritual leader of the family, he changes the course of history for that lineage. As much as I respect the women in my life, I appreciate the men who have influenced me.
As I look back at my lineage, I never knew my great grandfather Camacho, but I heard the stories of his life. He was an alcoholic and womanizer in his younger years. Yet through the prayers of a loving wife he came to know the Lord as his savior! I was told he was a quiet man, yet loved the Lord with all his heart. He changed the course of history.
My grandfather, Joe Camacho, later in his life came to know Christ as his savior and laid the foundation for his future lineage. My grandfather Gerardo Limon grew up living a life of poverty. Once again through the prayers of his loving wife, he came to know Christ as his savior. Here was a man who taught himself to read by reading the Bible!
I remember as a child walking into the rooms of my grandfathers and hearing them pray or reading God’s Word. Their example and choice to follow Christ changed the history of their lineage. There have been pastors, missionaries, entrepreneurs who are living out their faith in ways that these men may have never dreamed of. I appreciate my father for teaching me to be a hard worker and the importance of right and wrong. These men lived life knowing there responsibility as a father. In the midst of their failures they knew who to turn to for their strength. Their weakness propelled them to be better men, not a case for therapy. They may not have had all the answers, yet their wisdom and endurance gave them status as a leader in the family. Because of their mistakes in their earlier life, I believe they felt compelled to set an example to the children and grandkids of God’s mercy and grace. They saw it as an opportunity to point towards Gods’ forgiveness and faithfulness, so that those after them would not have to experience what they did. They lived out Psalm 78! Look at what Psalm 78 says:
1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old— 3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8 They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.
For my grandfathers, they changed the course of history! Their influence laid down the foundation for me to love God, family, and country. They planted the seeds for future generations they did not see to serve the Lord. Today because of them my girls have been given a chance to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ! They do not know divorce. They do not know abuse. They do not know alcoholism. The chains of bondage broke with them! Now its my turn to build upon that which they laid! My youngest wrote in a litter to me, “I can’t imagine my life without you! You are making it hard for my future husband to top you off!” My eldest wrote, “Thank you for being the daddy and husband figure. I swell up with pride when people talk about you and the things you do.” Gentlemen it may take some work and getting out of our comfort zones, but you too can have such a relationship with your children! Never give up! Keep pushing forward to be the example to your children!
When the girls were younger we started a tradition where the girls would cook for mom on Mothers’ Day and vice a versa for Fathers’ Day, of course with the help of mom and dad. Now that the girls are older, they plan the night before and they cook breakfast! It’s really sweet. As we sat in bed together talking I asked the girls to write down a “Top Ten list of the Expectations of a Daddy”. I explained to them this needed to be thought out because I was going to share it on the blog. I left the room and the girls came back to me with the following list.
Now gentlemen heed the words of my girls. Apply it to your life, for I believe this is the heart of a generation that is crying out to you, “Daddy, I need you to be…”
1. Protector
2. Provider/caretaker
3. Encourager/be there for us
4. Wise
5. Loving/caring/selfless
6. Handyman
7. Understanding
8. A good husband to mom/to set an example for us
9. Fun/serious, who knows there is a time for everything
10. Leader
What a responsibility we have gentlemen! It is time to rise and stand to be counted in the life of our children. It is time to be counter cultural and be the men God has called us to be! Spiritually Strong! Wise Leaders! Faithful to our wives! Warriors for our families! Men who live up to the call of God in their life!
His call to be a daddy. His gift to you, your children. Your purpose to be the Spiritual Leader. Irrevocable!
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