Pastor's Perspective

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 Words have power in matters of life and death, and those who love them will savor their fruit. (The Voice) Proverbs 18:21 

In the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, there is a song that celebrates a change of season called, June is Bustin’ Out All Over. There are many things about June and the summer season that are worthy of celebration. One of them is fatherhood. This year Father’s Day falls on June 15 th. If your earthly fathers still living, you will love on your dad that day in one way or another – and you should. For those of you who have seen your dads go on to glory, you will remember them. For those of you who are fathers, thanks for working so hard at it. For me, fatherhood has been one of the most supreme blessings of my life. In his bible study, Every Man a Warrior , pastor and author Lonnie Berger takes Proverbs 18:21 and applies it to fatherhood by stating: “The words spoken to a child will determine his or her destiny.” Proverbs 17:6 says: “Grandchildren are the crowning glory and the ultimate delight of old age, and parents are the pride of their children.” Berger applies this meaning: “Children get their self-image from what they believe dad thinks of them.” Clearly, the importance of the role of fathers in the lives of our children cannot be understated. How will our daughters know what to expect from future men in their lives if they don’t see godly behavior modeled by their earthly dads? In a culture that would have us believe that masculinity is toxic, all masculinity, how do our sons learn how to be godly men if their fathers don’t show them. Values are both caught and taught but either way, it doesn’t happen by osmosis. While I stand on the authority of scripture, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the bible isn’t the only source that speaks to the importance of good fathers. Secular study after secular study suggests that kids who have dads who are consistently present in their lives are far more likely to succeed than those whose fathers are either absent or toxic. No matter how you look at it, dads are important – vitally so! None of this is to suggest that moms aren’t important. Moms, good ones, are irreplaceable and irreducible. All I’m saying is that the very best mom is at best a mediocre dad and vice versa. Both parents have unique roles in the raising of their children – a view that is admittedly politically incorrect these days. So be it! My job as a Jesus follower is not to win the culture. My job as a Jesus Follower is to do my part to redeem the culture through the grace of God. That redemption happens in the day to day. Last year for Father’s Day, Luke and Rhonda took me to a local steak house for Father’s Day dinner. We had this lovely young waitress who was personality plus. She made a big deal about Father’s Day and Luke and Rhonda’s celebration of me as a dad. Since she had made such a big deal about the three of us celebrating Father’s Day, I did something that I should have known not to do. I asked her, “are you going to get to celebrate with your dad today?” She said, “My dad doesn’t really want anything to do with me or my mom.’ Ouch! Ouch that I was socially inept to ask and ouch for her circumstances. God redeemed this moment though. I said to her, “I don’t know anything about your dad, but you deserve a dad who sees you as the apple of his eye.” Proud young woman that she was, she insisted that she was fine and that her life was going to be great. Deep respect for a young woman who refused to see herself as a victim. Nevertheless, I said to her, “Hey, I know I’m not your dad, but I am a dad. Would it be alright if I gave you a dad’s hug?” She accepted and we hugged each other for a long time. To be clear, it was a father’s hug for a daughter and maybe it was just a little bit healing for her. I hope so. I know what it was for me. It was an opportunity to be Jesus for someone who needed a Jesus sized hug. A heavenly Father’s hug. Ephesians 6:4 suggests that it is a father’s God-given responsibility to train their children. Dad’s, both biological and spiritual dads, and those of you who would like to one day be a dad, please take this seriously. The consequences of not doing so can be quite high. 

Happy Father’s Day! 

Blessings, Pastor Jeff