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 Father
Somehow 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,
 Honor Thy Father
How 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 Father
A 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 Father
A 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 Father
Little 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 Father
A 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 6:4
SOURCE: 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 SON
General 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 PRAYER FOR MY SON
(continued)
“...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.
A PRAYER FOR MY SON
(continued)
"Here let him
learn to stand up
to the storm.
“Here let him
learn
compassion for
those who fail.
A PRAYER FOR MY SON
(continued)
“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.
A PRAYER FOR MY SON
(continued)
"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.
A PRAYER FOR MY SON
(continued)
“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.
A PRAYER FOR MY SON
(continued)
"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.
 SOME GOOD ADVICE
(continued)
“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.
 SOME GOOD ADVICE
(continued)
“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 Instruction
A 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.
 What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
 What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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 Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
 What Do Father’s
“He read a
Do? (continued)
newspaper
while they
were trying to
parallel park a
car for the
first time in
preparation
for their
driving test.
What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
 What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“He will make
unpopular
decisions and
stand by them.
“When he is wrong
and makes a
mistake, he will
admit it.
 What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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.
What Do Father’s Do?
(continued)
“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 You
There 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 You
There'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 He learned to walk
the other day, while I was away.
And he was talking
He came to the
'fore I knew it, and
world in the usual
as he grew,
way.
He'd say, "I'm
But there were
gonna be like you,
planes to catch,
dad.
and bills to pay.
“You know I'm
gonna be like you."
 Cats in the Cradle
And the cat's in the "I don't know when,
cradle and the “But we'll get
silver spoon, together then.
Little boy blue and “You know we'll
the man in the have a good time
moon. then."
"When you coming
home, dad?"
 Cats in the Cradle
He said, "That's
My son turned ten
ok.”
just the other day.
And he walked
He said, "Thanks
away, but his smile
for the ball, dad,
never dimmed,
come on let's play.
He said, "I'm
“Can you teach me
gonna be like him,
to throw?"
yeah.
I said, "Not today, “You know I'm
I got a lot to do." gonna be like him."
 Cats in the Cradle
And the cat's in the "I don't know when,
cradle and the “But we'll get
silver spoon, together then.
Little boy blue and “You know we'll
the man in the have a good time
moon. then."
"When you coming
home, dad?"
 Cats in the Cradle
Well, he came from
college just the He shook his head,
other day, and he said with a
smile,
So much like a
"What I'd really
man I just had to
like, dad, is to
say,
borrow the car
"Son, I'm proud of keys.
you.
“See you later.
“Can you sit for a
“Can I have them
while?"
please?"
 Cats in the Cradle
And the cat's in the "I don't know when,
cradle and the “But we'll get
silver spoon, together then, dad.
Little boy blue and “You know we'll
the man in the have a good time
moon. then."
"When you coming
home, son?"
 Cats in the Cradle
I've long since retired “You see, my new
and my son's moved job's a hassle, and
away. the kid's got the flu,
I called him up just “But it's sure nice
the other day. talking to you, dad.
I said, "I'd like to see “It's been sure nice
you if you don't mind.” talking to you."
He said, "I'd love to,
dad, if I could find the
time.
 Cats in the Cradle

And as I hung up the phone, it