In light of so many recent events, my own time here with fatherless grandchildren in the Adirondacks and regular meditations, I am preparing a new series.
I would like your help. It is not very technical, but it is a thought process I would like to learn from as I write on this. Continue reading A Short Survey For A Dad Series
I am a dad. I want the best for my children and my grandchildren and all the generations to come. And as I come up to Fathers Day next week, it is my heart to write on 5 things that I think are important to dads. As I listen to my grandchildren pray for their “dad” to return to their life, I cry inside. I hurt for them. So, if as a dad, I can stop one child from going through that, then I feel it is all worth it.
Continue reading Fathers Day Week Part 5 – Love As The Father Loves You
I am a dad. I want the best for my children and my grandchildren and all the generations to come. And as I come up to Fathers Day next week, it is my heart to write on 5 things that I think are important to dads. As I listen to my grandchildren pray for their “dad” to return to their life, I cry inside. I hurt for them. So, if as a dad, I can stop one child from going through that, then I feel it is all worth it.
I am a dad. I want the best for my children and my grandchildren and all the generations to come. And as I come up to Fathers Day next week, it is my heart to write on 5 things that I think are important to dads. As I listen to my grandchildren pray for their “dad” to return to their life, I cry inside. I hurt for them. So, if as a dad, I can stop one child from going through that, then I feel it is all worth it.
Continue reading Fathers Day Week Part 3 – Love, Discipline And Affirmation
Today was my dad’s birthday. He would have been 88. 88… What a number! May 15th, 1926.
And on this day of celebration, my oldest daughter is in labor expecting her first child. How ironic. We shall see…
My dad will always be one of my heroes. He wasn’t the best, but he was always mine. I know some might not agree with him and his techniques. (I am still looking for my head…) He was a drunk. But he always loved me. He may never have known how to show it. I am not sure how I would be growing up without a father, finding out in your 40’s someone else was your mother, being in the military and receiving 2 Purple Hearts. Losing foxhole buddies at 17 years old. Just not sure…
So today is your birthday dad and I think you would be proud of me, of your children and your grandchildren. Today is bittersweet for me as I see Amy getting ready to deliver her first child. How much you cared about her and did everything to be her grandfather. (Between Amy and Mandy he was pretty much in love with the grandkids.) He put in a pool and such just so everyone would have a “place”.
I miss my dad. I certainly remember the day of his death. But mostly I remember his life. As you read though my stories, you can see how he taught me baseball, football, basketball and even soccer. He taught me horseshoes and Jarts. He taught me how to build and to fish. To repair motors and bikes. To see the world differently.
Dad-today is your day. Even now tears run down my face as I think about you. I miss you. I think you would be proud of your family.
“Dad, please let me drive the boat,” I asked. I was 8 years old and my parents had a new boat. A 16 foot aluminum boat with a 50 horsepower motor. “Please,” I begged. And then one day my father said “yes.” As soon as he said it, my mom picked her stuff up off the cement platform that the boathouse rolled out on. She told my father he was “crazy.” (She later told me she went up in the woods to pray.) I jumped into the boat, hardly listening to my father’s instructions. The next beach over was a private beach owned by a motel. The people looked over as I climbed into the driver’s seat. Continue reading On My Own – Seasons Of Greatness
Yesterday I was walking around my community and I thought look at all these adults and no kids walking. I thought I would love to be walking with one of my children or grandchildren. My children would probably keep up with me while the younger ones would stop for leaves and bugs and rocks.
The more I walked the more I thought.
Jesus said “I only do the things I see my Father do.” Let me tell you children are like that. As the influencing male in Jacob’s life, he has wanted to dress like me, read like me and kid around like me. Continue reading Your Child is Watching
When I was a child there was a TV program, Car 54 Where Are You?. It was about two police officers who drove about the city. This sitcom dealt with a funnier side of police life. This morning following a dream in which I kept getting lost this story appeared to me about dads. (The short version is there was a round building owned by the Haman Corp. In it, there were 4 stores, no wait 5 I found out. The difficulty was you would climb the stairs in one location, only to come down the stairs and find out the décor and store at the bottom of the stairs had changed. At one point I walked up the stairs to talk to the garage owner, as I walked down the stairs it had me in a country store setting. I later found out the circular building had been divided into five stores but never figured out how the change came about.)
I thought “Dad’s? Where are you?”
As a dad and now a granddad, I am concerned about the dysfunctional parenting skills displayed by so my parents, but today my “focus” is on dads. Not because I am mad or think there are not problematic moms, just where my focus is. Continue reading Calling All Dads – Where Are You?
Today I took my friend Mark (A leader on our church team.) to the airport. He is a younger dad (37 years old) who has 5 children. His oldest from a previous relationship is 15 and his four others from 2-10 years of age. During the week this man takes care of his family, whether he is doing dishes, cleaning the house, helping his children with home school or taking them to soccer and dance. He is an awesome dad and I value his friendship.
Recently (The last month or so it seems.) I have had a burden for men and the lives they live. Whether walking through being a son, a husband or a dad. I was not the greatest son to my parents nor was I always the greatest husband at times. God knows my kids might have something to say about my parenting skills or lack of them. My grandchildren by far are getting the best of my life so far. I am super blessed that I get to spend so much time with my children and grandchildren. Continue reading A Father’s Role In His Children’s Lives
A Dad
Over the last few weeks I have had this “thing” on my mind about being a dad. What is the value of a dad? How can one help? What do we do with this currently “dadless” generation? So many young people are running around without dads or dads that left mom hanging to struggle in the realms of finance and support.
In full disclosure at one point I was that dad. After the loss of my first marriage, I moved on, having two more children. A second divorce came not long after. I now had child support to pay to two ex-wives and three children. But the Lord entered my life and I saw the need to become more responsible not just financially but to provide support emotionally, spiritually and with physical things like warm housing, food and peace. Paying child support, undergirding two step children and maintaining life was not easy but I made it. At the end of “child support” season I had letters from my ex-wives thanking me for being the man I was.
Last night some of this topic was coming up in our prayer time but the Lord has been speaking to me about it for a long time. Over the years of ministry I faced many challenges with a variety of folks in our church fellowships. They included:
I could and have gone off on wayward parents of children who have left them empty handed, broken and busted. Today is not that day. Today is a new day and I see new focus on men and in particular, dads. Grace tells me God believes in reconciliation and restoration of all things. He also tells me one of our “jobs” is to redeem the time. And so I am moving towards that.
What I see happening….
Years ago, in a small Baptist church I prophesied that when the men dance the church would change. Only days later the Toronto outpouring began and men danced. The last few weeks (September of 2013) I have felt the church’s unprecedented growth will be shaped by men understanding who God has called them to be.
I see that the following are readying to change.
We are about to see some amazing things amongst men in this land. Men stepping into place. Balanced in all things of God.
I suspect that young men are going to need help here. Young women and young men will have questions. Older men will question how they plug in.
Malachi 4:6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers
Luke 1:17 “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
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