Defining Dad

Today is Father's Day. My sister sent me this poem, which she thought captured the essence of our dad. The poem highlights much of his character and the character of many a caring father throughout the ages . . .

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

~~Author Unknown.~~

Happy Father's Day, American Dads!

Restoring Fatherhood in America

There is an excellent article posted on NewsWithViews.com this weekend by Carey Roberts entitled, “Father Knows Best.” Carey notes that the 1950's TV show starring Robert Young “played to a romanticized image of middle-class Americana. But that beats the modern-day alternative of a raging epidemic of sexually-transmitted diseases, safe havens for abandoned infants, and 11-year-old girls wearing thong underwear.” I grew up in the 50s and 60s right on the cusp of the change from Father Knows Best to No Father is Best .

Carey describes how that notion of fatherhood was destroyed beginning in the 1960s primarily due to radical feminists who demanded “equality” even if it led the destruction of the traditional family. He quotes feminist Robin Morgan who accurately predicted, “We can’t destroy the inequalities between men and women until we destroy marriage.” Well, she and her ilk have done a great job with the help of such laws as no-fault divorce, using the media to depict husbands as bumbling fools and entirely optional.

Carey recited additional factors that helped to destroy the American family most notably government intervention through “A series of legal opinions, laws, and government programs came along, all claiming to “empower” women: Roe v. Wade, Violence Against Women Act, welfare programs, maternal custody preference, draconian child support programs. . .”

As evidence of the destruction of the family unit, he cites the statistic that the number of kids living with their biological fathers plummeted from 82% to 62% in the 30 years following 1960. This fact shows that not only is the family hurt, but society is weakened and is badly damaged as well.

In his article Carey offers several websites for several organizations who are trying to restore fatherhood in America.

Being a parent, being a father or a mother is a high calling. If it is done right it takes a lot of love and resolve, especially when so many factors in our troubled society work against effective parenting. Instead of supporting parents and family our government agencies, courts and schools work in opposition to parents. It is also a proven fact that intact families where the father and mother are present is the ideal situation to raise a child.

Father's Day 2007

Anyone can be a father, but it
takes someone special to be a
DADDY!

Happy Father's Day to all the
Daddys in the World!!

HISTORY

"Father's Day is a special day for everyone! We use this day to honor our fathers all over the world! We celebrate this holiday on the third Sunday in June. A woman named Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Her father, Henry Jackson Smart, had raised Sonora after her mother died and she wanted him to know how special he was to her. Her father was born in June, so she chose that month to celebrate the new holiday! . . ." See source here

GOOD NEWS FOR DAD

The morning message which I heard in church this morning was based on four biblical admonishions repeated throughout scripture to everyone regarding relating to our earthly fathers:

(1) Honor them - respect them, value them

(2) Listen to them - listening involves our wills, hearing merely involves our ears

(3) Obey them - they offer guidance, protection and wise advice

(4) Bring joy to them - we do this by demonstrating that we live our lives making wise choices

For the true Christian we can apply the above sermon outline to our relationship with our heavenly Father, God Almighty, who deserves - (1) all the glory, honor and respect due Him, (2) attention by listening to Him through reading, studying and meditating on His word, the Bible , (3) conforming our lives to Biblical standards, and (4) continuously seeking to do what is right living by biblical standards and principles.

WHAT MAKES A DAD

God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

~Author Unknown~