Our community needs committed Christian fathers!  Too many families in our troubled nation do not have fathers, and too many fathers who still live with their families have not shouldered their responsibilities as God has commanded.  We are challenging the men in this community to rise up and commit themselves to being the kind of fathers God is calling them to be.  Fathers should commit themselves to bless their children by giving them a secure, positive, spiritually healthy relationship.  The presence of committed Christian fathers is crucial to the moral, social, and spiritual progress of our community.

    Committed Christian fathers first commit themselves to God.  Before God’s law instructs parents to teach their children it says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,”  (Deuteronomy 6:5).  Kids need dads who genuinely love God.  They can always tell if we really do, because they see us up close every day.  Our children will know if we supremely love money, prestige, power, or pleasure just as they will know if we love God.  It will be obvious in our voice, in our attitude, in our habits, in our activities, in our priorities, and in our willingness to admit our wrongs.  There is no way to be a powerful spiritual influence in the lives of our children apart from a sincere submission to God.

    Committed Christian fathers train their children in the context of an ongoing, positive relationship.  God’s law says to teach our children diligently “when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you  rise up,” (Deuteronomy 6:7).  Our real teaching is done amid the ongoing activities of life.  In order to do this kind of teaching we need to be involved with our children.  We need to work with them, study with them, eat with them, and play with them.  In many families, dad’s fishing or golf, combined with the kids’ full schedule, combined with wasted time watching the tube makes such a relationship impossible to achieve.  We need to take the responsibility of building a relationship with each of our children by spending time with them in a variety of contexts so that there is a comfortable, positive, communicative relationship with them.  Apart from a positive relationship, we cannot effectively lead our children to God.

    Committed Christian fathers bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  Just building a relationship with our kids in not enough.  The responsibility lies with us to actually teach them the values and commands that come from God.  It is our responsibility to pray with our children, read the Scriptures to them, and involve them in doing good.  It is also our responsibility to correct them when they do wrong and lovingly place them back on the right path.  God gave these responsibilities to fathers.  Will you accept them?

    Our communities need committed Christian fathers who will take their children by the heart and the hand and lead them toward heaven.  May all men firmly commit themselves to God and commit themselves to building relationships with their children so this vision of hope will become a living reality which permeates our community.