Fathers

Brant spending floor time with our kiddos and some friends!

Our pastor is doing a sermon series on fathers and preached specifically yesterday on "Father Hunger." For anyone who feels (or doesn't feel for that matter) like they need encouraged in this area please go here to listen to his teachings! Yesterday's sermon was quite moving and I have been pondering it ever since...in fact Brant and I listed to one of the previous weeks sermons last night to give us more to think and pray about. Here are some interesting points from yesterday's outline that I found astonishing!

We are suffering today from a severe case of "Father Hunger"

• In 1816 only one in a hundred marriages ended in divorce. Today it's almost half.


• A recent presidential report: Today around 60% of our nation's children will spend a significant portion of their childhood without a father.


• In the USA, 30-60% of children will grow up without a father physically present.


• Abortion, 1.3 million in our country will be abandoned in the womb.

While he started with these major national statistics we were also reminded that even just "being around," is not enough. Fathers need to love, instruct, discipline, spend floor time and affirm our children daily. Abusiveness is far more than physical..there is emotional and spiritual as well. Spiritual abuse was defined as being legalistic, hypocritical, having standards without grace and having standards with out explanation....things I think are sometimes easy to fall into when in the thick/heat of child training...
Like always Pastor Gene did a beautiful job of remedying the "Father Hunger" problem. I am going to copy his words right off the outline...REMEMBER to truly understand these points you should click on the link and listen to the "Father Hunger" sermon.

• Understand, acknowledge and begin to pray against the devastating effects of "Father Hunger."


• Craft and Preserve a Masculine Liturgy in the Lord's Service. "Our Father, who art in heaven..." "I believe in God the Father..." Preaching that reveals the true fatherhood of God, e.g. "The Prodigal Father." Preaching that declares rather than suggests, and unashamedly adopts not only the message but also the method of holy scripture. Psalms and masculine hymns. Men leading in worship. Men serving at the Lord's Table.


• You Fathers, bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Be physically present, spiritually and emotionally engaged (including discipline), helping, healing and encouraging. Giving our children a living, albeit imperfect picture of their Heavenly Father. Remembering what God requires...