A Father's Day Lesson

A Father’s Day Lesson

Today we celebrate Father’s Day.

So to start I would like to share a poem with you written by Alvis

B. Christiansen.I believe it is very appropriate for this day we have set aside to honor the fathers and men

among us.

Honor Thy FatherSomehow a fellow can't express

The feelings he has had

While through the years he's walked and talked

And laughed and played with Dad.

He cannot put in words the love-

The pride that wells within,

The admiration in his heart

Whene'er Dad looks at him.

Honor Thy Father

Dad is the hero of his dreams,

The king upon the throne,

The pattern for that ideal life

Which he would make his own.

He knows that Dad well understands

The conflicts in his breast,

And shared the problems he must face,

Though often unexpressed.

Honor Thy FatherHow could a fellow go astray

Who with his Dad has stood

Within the secret place of prayer

Before a holy God!

And this my constant prayer shall be,

That until life is done,

My conduct shall honor him,

Who proudly calls me "Son."

Being a Father

When Doug was 1 year old, my sister gave to me a little plaque that said, "Anyone can have a child, but it takes a special man to be a father."

I wholeheartedly agree.

Being a father is much more than performing a biological function.

It is about loving and caring, guiding and sharing.

Being a FatherA father is the head of his family.

He does this, not out of insecurity, selfishness or pride, but out of the desire to be an obedient servant to God.

Paul wrote,

“For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the church, being Himself the Savior of the body.”

--Ephesians 5:23

Being a FatherA father offers wise council so that he may lead his children to a path of righteousness.

He is slow to anger, yet demands respect.

Speaking of father Abraham, God said,

"For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment…." Genesis 18:19

(See also Ephesians 6:1-3)

Being a Father

A father is strong, reliable and confident.

But, a father is also tender, loving and understanding.

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…."

--Matthew 7:12 (See also Psalms 103:13)

Being a Father

A father is a good provider.

As long as he is capable, he is willing to labor hard to provide shelter for his family, and food on the table: “...if any would not work neither should he eat….”

--2 Thessalonians 3:10

A father recognizes the importance of making time for those he loves.

Being a FatherLittle league baseball and school performances seem to be his favorite past time.

But he will not neglect teaching his children about the Lord.

Being a Father

"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

--Proverbs 22:6

A Christian father will teach his own children the way of Truth.

Being a FatherA father is not judged by how much he earns or how many material goods he provides.

What does matter to his children is how well he is being a father.

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord.”

--Ephesians 6:4SOURCE: Melanie Schurr

Happy Father’s Day!Sometimes, it’s not easy being a father.

Some days it seems we just don’t get the kind of respect we think we deserve.

It’s bad enough that our boss, or our coworkers, or the clerk at the store don’t treat us with the dignity we deserve, why do we have to be dismissed by those of our loved ones?

Consider the following, for example...

A LITTLE GIRL ONCE SAID TO HER MOTHER...

“Mommy, if Santa Claus brings our presents, and God gives us our daily bread, and Uncle Sam gives us Social Security, why do we even bother to keep daddy around?”

SHOPPING FOR DAD'S GIFT

Many people went out and shopped for a present for their father for Father’s Day.

Can you imagine being Adam?

If you think about it, Adam had more trouble than any of the rest of us buying His Father a gift for Father’s Day.

I mean, what do you get Somebody Who’s Everything?

DON'T SWEAT IT WHEN YOU MESS UP!

“Most men think that they have to be perfect when they’re with their kids.

“This is not only not good, it's bad training.

“Better you should just continue being a mess-up.

“Fall off your bike.

“Drop an easy pop fly.

DON'T SWEAT IT WHEN YOU MESS UP! (continued)

“Order a really dumb product from some lame infomercial you saw on TV. “Make a fool of yourself on the ski slopes. “The sooner kids understand that you’re not perfect, the sooner they’ll realize that they don’t have to be perfect."

Discussion Question:

Do you agree or disagree with what was just read, and why

or why not?

An Unlikely Source for Prayer

Douglas MacArthur was best known as an American general and medal of honor recipient, who was Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the South West Pacific Area during World War II.

Most people are familiar with this aspect of his life, but may not know that he also was a loving father who had deeply held religious convictions.

A PRAYER FOR MY SONGeneral Douglas MacArthur wrote this prayer for his son. He prayed:"Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid.

A PRAYER FOR MY SON (continued)

“One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory."Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds...


“...a son who will know Thee, Who is the foundation stone of knowledge. “Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.


"Here let him learn to stand up to the storm.

“Here let him learn compassion for those who fail.


“Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men, one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.


"And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor so that he may always be serious but never take himself too seriously.


“Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, and an open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.


"Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, `I have not lived in vain.’"

Fathers and Sons

SOME GOOD ADVICE

“I am still waiting for my father to talk to me about the facts of life and success, money and marriage, religion and raising kids.

“Since he died in 1991, I guess I don’t have much chance of ever benefiting from all of the lessons he learned in life.

“It’s not that he was a bad dad; he was just a quiet one.

SOME GOOD ADVICE (continued)

“Even in the best father-son relationships, there’s an uncomfortable familiarity that inhibits us from talking like friends. “It’s not that our fathers have too little to say to us, but rather too much.

“Some of them fought the Nazis and struggled through the Depression.

“They loved women, lost women, raised difficult kids, met every manner of person, good and bad.


“They witnessed the trajectory of their own careers and lots of others; watched heroes, fads, and politicians come and go; learned what’s important and what’s not.

“They’ve been so many places we have yet to travel.

“But since neither father nor son knows where or how to start these conversations, we talk about cars, sports, or the weather instead.


“The shame of it is, I don’t know a man my age who doesn’t feel that he’s navigating his life without a map.

“Our fathers may not have all the directions, but they sure know where a lot of the potholes and detours lie.

“There’s a lot of wisdom out there, if only we can ask and listen.”SOURCE: Joe Kita. Wisdom of Our Fathers. Emmaus Pennsylvania: Daybreak Books, 1999. p 1

A Father’s Instruction

The Bible teaches the importance of a father instructing his children:

"Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding."

--Proverbs 4:1

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord.”

--Ephesians 6:4

A Father’s InstructionA small boy was on the witness stand in an important lawsuit.

The prosecuting attorney cross-examined him, then delivered, he thought, a crushing blow to the testimony.

"Your father has been telling you how to testify, hasn't he?"

"Yes," the lad replied, and did not hesitate with the answer.

A Father’s Instruction

"Now," said the lawyer triumphantly, "just tell us how your father told you to testify.”

"Well," the boy said modestly, "Father told me the lawyers would try to tangle me in my testimony, but if I would just be careful to tell the truth, I could repeat the same thing every time!"

And Speaking of Attorneys….

"The greatest gift I ever received from my dad," said a successful attorney, "was a small box he gave me with a note inside, stating, 'Son, this coming year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner. It's yours.

“We'll talk about what you want to talk about. We'll go where you want to go and play what you want to play.

And Speaking of Attorneys….

“’They will be your hours.'

"My dad not only kept his promise of that gift," said the attorney, "but every year he renewed it, and it's the greatest gift he ever gave me.

“I am the result of him giving me those hours.”

What Do Father’s Do?

Discussion question:

How would you answer the question, “What do father’s do?”

The following is one person’s answer….

What Do Father’s Do?

“I received a letter from a single mother who had raised a son who was about to become a dad.

“Since he had no recollection of his own father, her question to me was ‘What do I tell him a father does?’

“When my dad died in my ninth year, I, too, was raised by my mother, giving rise to the same question, ‘What do fathers do?’

What Do Father’s Do? (continued)

“As far as I could observe, they brought around the car when it rained so everyone else could stay dry.

“They always took the family pictures, which is why they were never in them.


“They carved turkeys on Thanksgiving, kept the car gassed up, weren't afraid to go into the basement, mowed the lawn, and tightened the clothesline to keep it from sagging.


“It wasn't until my husband and I had children that I was able to observe firsthand what a father contributed to a child's life.

“What did he do to deserve his children's respect?

“He rarely fed them, did anything about their sagging diapers, wiped their noses or fannies, played ball, or bonded with them under the hoods of their cars.


“What did he do?

“He threw them higher than his head until they were weak from laughter.

“He cast the deciding vote on the puppy debate.


“He listened more than he talked.

“He let them make mistakes.

“He allowed them to fall from their first two-wheeler without having a heart attack.


“He read a newspaper while they were trying to parallel park a car for the first time in preparation for their driving test.


“If I had to tell someone's son what a father really does that is important, it would be that he shows up for the job in good times and bad times.


“He's a man who is constantly being observed by his children.

“They learn from him how to handle adversity, anger, disappointment and success.

“He won't laugh at their dreams no matter how impossible they might seem.

“He will dig out at 1 AM when one of his children runs out of gas.


“He will make unpopular decisions and stand by them.

“When he is wrong and makes a mistake, he will admit it.


“He sets the tone for how family members treat one another, members of the opposite sex and people who are different than they are.

“By example, he can instill a desire to give something back to the community when its needs are greater than theirs.


“But mostly, a good father involves himself in his kids' lives.

“The more responsibility he has for a child, the harder it is to walk out of his life.

“A father has the potential to be a powerful force in the life of a child.


“Grab it!

“Maybe you'll get a greeting card for your efforts.

“Maybe not.

“But it's steady work.”

SOURCE: Erma Bombeck, Field Enterprises

Grow Up Just Like YouThere are little eyes upon you

and they are watching night and day;

There are little ears that quickly

take in every word you say;

There are little hands all eager

to do everything you do,

And a little boy who's dreaming

of the day he'll be like you.

Grow Up Just Like You

You're the little fellow's idol,

you're the wisest of the wise,

In his little mind about you,

no suspicions ever rise;

He believes in you devoutly,

holds that all you say and do,

He will say and do in your way

when he's grown up to be like you.

Grow Up Just Like YouThere's a wide-eyed little fellow

who believes you're always right,

And his ears are always open

and he watches day and night;

You are setting an example

every day in all you do,

For the little boy who's waiting

to grow up to be like you.

Cats in the Cradle

Fathers, make the time to spend time with your children.

Time flies by, and their time in your care care is fleeting, as was captured so succinctly by Harry Chapin in his classic song from 1974, Cats in the Cradle.

Make the best of those times!

Cats in the Cradle

A child arrived just the other day,

He came to the world in the usual way.

But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.

He learned to walk while I was away. And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.“You know I'm gonna be like you."

Cats in the Cradle

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?"

"I don't know when,

“But we'll get together then.

“You know we'll have a good time then."

Cats in the Cradle

My son turned ten just the other day.

He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.

“Can you teach me to throw?"

I said, "Not today,I got a lot to do."

He said, "That's ok.”

And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed,

He said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.

“You know I'm gonna be like him."

Cats in the Cradle



"When you coming home, dad?"

"I don't know when,

“But we'll get together then.


Cats in the CradleWell, he came from college just the other day,

So much like a man I just had to say,

"Son, I'm proud of you.

“Can you sit for a while?"

He shook his head, and he said with a smile,

"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.

“See you later.

“Can I have them please?"

Cats in the Cradle



"When you coming home, son?"

"I don't know when,

“But we'll get together then, dad.


Cats in the Cradle

I've long since retired and my son's moved away.

I called him up just the other day.

I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind.”

He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.

“You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,

“But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.

“It's been sure nice talking to you."

Cats in the Cradle

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,

He'd grown up just like me.

My boy was just like me.

Cats in the Cradle



"When you coming home, son?"

"I don't know when,

“But we'll get together then, dad.


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A Father's Day Lesson