But I don’t like to pray out loud

This is a great article that that a father wrote to his son who was reluctant to pray out loud? The son loved to pray alone but didn’t feel comfortable praying out loud with others.

Fathers, share “This, then, is how you could pray” with your sons. And men, this is a good read for us all, especially if you feel a bit reluctant yourself to pray in small groups or in public worship.

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3 examples of a dad’s legacy

Beverly continues to be impacted year later by the memory of watching her dad chop down an idol in their backyard.

Barry shares a letter that one father, grand-father, and great-grandfather wrote which he intended to be read at his funeral.  Very moving.

Kathy shares moving memories of her father: a reminder that it is never too late to start changing, men (and ladies too).

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Urban Meyer: then and now

I have enjoyed Ohio State football ever since the days of Woody Hayes.  I was excited when they hired Urban Meyer to lead the Buckeyes. But I am even more impressed by the man now since I read this article.  The article chronicles his life up to the present–starting with what his life was like before he quit coaching at Florida.  That was then:

“Before you join Urban Meyer, who is walking toward the exit of the Ohio Statefootball office, there’s a scar you need to see. A few years ago in Gainesville, his middle child, Gigi, planned a celebration to formally accept a college volleyball scholarship to Florida Gulf Coast University. It was football season, so she checked her dad’s calendar, scheduling her big day around his job. As the hour approached, she waited at her high school, wanting much, expecting little. Some now-forgotten problem consumed Meyer, and he told his secretary he didn’t have time. He wasn’t going. His beautiful, athletic, earnest daughter would have to sign her letter of intent without him. Meyer’s secretary, a mother of four, insisted: “You’re going.”

Eighty or so people filed into the school cafeteria. Urban and his wife, Shelley, joined their daughter at the front table, watching as Gigi stood and spoke. She’d been nervous all day, and with a room of eyes on her, she thanked her mother for being there season after season, year after year.

Then she turned to her father.

He’d missed almost everything. You weren’t there, she told him.

Shelley Meyer winced. Her heart broke for Urban, who sat with a thin smile, crushed. Moments later, Gigi high-fived her dad without making eye contact, then hugged her coach. Urban dragged himself back to the car. Then — and this arrives at the guts of his conflict — Urban Meyer went back to work, pulled by some biological imperative. His daughter’s words ran through his mind, troubling him, and yet he returned to the shifting pixels on his television, studying for a game he’d either win or lose. The conflict slipped away. Nothing mattered but winning. Both of these people are in him — are him: the guilty father who feels regret, the obsessed coach who ignores it. He doesn’t like either one. He doesn’t like himself, which is why he wants to change.”

This is now.  Urban Meyer will be home for dinner! Keep reading and you will find some words of wisdom for dads!

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7 helpful models for fathers

Lina reminds us that there were some pretty great historical role models for us dads to emulate. They happen also to be all found in the Bible.  Click here to read about these seven dads and one characteristic from each that is worth imitating in our lives! Lina also reminds us of the best model of a Father we have.

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A great read for fathers, young Christian men and daughters!

This is inspiring and worth reading.  Byron Yawn writes an open letter to his daughter which is a veiled exhortation Christian fathers and young adult Christian men everywhere! Here’s an excerpt:

Dear child, do not settle. Love a man who loves Christ more than you – and you more than himself. Be attracted to tenderness, lowliness, self-restraint, consistency and sacrifice. Seek that man who carries the imprint of our Lord’s cross upon his life. Love that man who does not live in fear of your emotions, but in fear of your Lord.  Don’t marry a boy… no matter how old he may be. Do not fall for the first young man who comes along and shows you attention. Rather, follow that man whom comes along and resembles the unconditional grace of your Lord Jesus.

I am so sorry about the condition of the average young male. I regret that they confuse lust with love. I am saddened that they are more proficient at gaming than at balancing a checkbook. I cringe that they know more of sports trivia than doctrine. I apologize that they know better how to handle a gun (which is completely respectable in one sense) than how to treat a lady. I know godliness in a man is hard to find. But, find it. Otherwise, you will spend your life raising the man you thought you married. The church and this culture are filled with boys masquerading as men. Let them pass.

The man you are looking for is no boy. He is a servant. He cares for your needs above his own. If I am at all the man I claim to be, you may look at your father’s love for your mother and know what it is I’m describing. You should be able to recognize it when you see it. That man who will lay down his life for yours is the type of man you can easily give yours to. The man who sacrifices himself is easy to serve sacrificially.

Read it all,  men and daughters!

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An encouraging word to fathers

“Fathers are their children’s first pastors—the most influential humans in terms of life direction. Children are shaped by their father’s love or hate, interest or disinterest, presence or absence.

Fatherhood is a calling, and far more important than any vocation. Our children and grandchildren are an ongoing investment, a gift we leave to a world we won’t continue to be part of, but which we will impact for eternity through the generations that follow.”

Randy Alcorn in a post talking about his new novel that coincides with the new film Courageous that is soon to be released by the Kendrick brothers (producers of Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and  Flywheel).

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Godly, fatherly counsel to young people

Greg Lucas’ son Aaron just turned 16 and part of Greg’s gift was “Ten Things I Wish Somene Had Told Me When I Was Young.”  They are written for his son but with a few simple substitutions they could be applied to daughters as well.

1. The most important thing you can do is love God and love people. Everything in life flows from this one commandment. (Matthew 22:37-40)

2. Choose your friends wisely, they will influence you more than you realize. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Be a unique leader, not an average follower. Don’t let your desire to impress people make you do stupid things. Be yourself and people will be drawn to you, and respect you.

3. Who you are when no one is looking is a true test of your character. (But Someone is always looking, Proverbs 15:3)

4. Take your time with girls. Set the standard high. Find a godly woman. Look for a woman who most resembles your mother’s heart. She is the best example I have ever seen in a woman. If you find her–or she finds you, she will be more valuable than all the treasure you could ever dream of. (And she will be worth the wait, Proverbs 31:10-31)

5. Live your life in such a way that when people say bad things about you (and they will) no one will ever believe them.

6. Every decision that you make has a reward or a consequence. Your reputation is built over a period of many years, but can be destroyed in one minute with one bad decision.

7. Don’t just settle for a “job”. Find a career where your gifts (of care and compassion) can be used to the fullest. Move towards a vocation where you can live your life helping people. Your reward will be more than a salary.

8. Don’t waste the life God has given to you. You will have less regrets in the end if you do what God has called you to do.

9. Always be slow to anger, quick to forgive and quick to show grace. (James 1:19-20) Remember that Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins was a complete act of undeserved grace. Think about that when you are wronged or when you are treated badly by people. (Hebrews 12:2)

10. Be humble. (Proverbs 11:2) The truest form of strength lies in humility. Here is a good definition of what it means to be humble, “Humility is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing done to us, to feel nothing against us. It is to be at rest when nobody praises us and when we are blamed and despised. It is to have a blessed place in the Lord where we can go in and shut the door and kneel to our Father in secret, and be at peace when all around is trouble.” (Andrew Murray)

If you would like to read the rest, go here.

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Why we need gospel fathers

“You cannot feminize the church and kee men, and you cannot keep the children if you do not keep the men. . . . When the father is absent or passive, the family withers, and the ability to pass the baton of faith to the next generation is greatly weakened.  This doe not mean that parenting is hopeless for single parents.  god is a father to the fatherless. . . .Rather, it means that father-centered families are the norm. It means that winning and keeping men is essential to the local Christian church.  It means that fatherhood is vital to parenting, and therefore to the salvation of our children.”–William P. Farley, Gospel-Powered Parenting.

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Voddie Baucham: Agree/Disagree, but you should at least hear it

From the Crossway blog:

Dr. Gary Chapman says, “I’m not sure that American Christians are going to buy what he (Voddie) is saying, but I think we need to hear it.” Dads, daughters, and sons can listen in to a discussion with Gary Chapman and Voddie Baucham on What He Must Be…if He Wants to Marry my Daughter.

Fathers play a crucial role in both their son’s and their daughter’s lives. Baucham seeks to equip a new generation to know God, to follow God, and even more—to equip fathers in the next generation to do the same.

So what does a godly man look like? Does he lead like Christ? What is the man’s role as a husband? What if there are good men out there who don’t fit all of the standards of godliness? Baucham discusses these issues and exhorts dads to build into young men, to be willing to invest in their lives, and to disciple them.

Listen to the 4-part interview at this link under the heading “September 19, 2009 Broadcast: To Marry My Daughter.”

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What’s your answer?

What do you think is the most important thing a father can give to His children?

What do you think is the #1 thing children want from their parents?

Join in the discussion by leaving a comment below!  I will post some thoughts on Thursday.

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