My 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

My Father's at the Helm

The curling waves, with awful roar, a little bark [boat] assailed,
And pallid Fear's distracting power o'er all on board prevailed--
Save one, the captain's darling child, who fearless viewed the storm,
And, cheerful, with composure smiled at danger's threatening form.

"And can you smile," a seaman cried, "while terrors overwhelm?"
"Why should I fear?" the boy replied; "my father's at the helm!"
So, when our worldly hopes are crushed, our earthly comforts gone,
We still have one sure anchor left -- God helps, and He alone.

He to our prayers will lend his ear, he gives our pangs relief;
He turns to smiles each trembling fear, to joy each torturing grief.
Then turn to him, mid terrors wild, when wants and woes o'erwhelm,
Remembering, like the fearless child, our Father's at the helm!

~ Author Unknown ~

Proverbs from the Bible

"My son, do not forget my law,

but let your heart keep my commands....

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart...." Proverbs 3:3-4

 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

"Fear the Lord and depart from evil." Proverbs 3:5-7

 

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor detest His correction;

For whom the Lord loves He corrects,

Just as a father the son in whom he delights." Proverbs 3:11-12

 

My Father's Footsteps [Persecution in Russia]: "After nearly eight years of relative freedom, I had once again been arrested.... When I returned to my sisters’ house after midnight, they had come out to greet me. Two officers had appeared out of the shadows and told me I was under arrest....

     "Now, in my cell, with no one around, I spoke out loud. 'Oh, Papa! Did you ever think about your son following in your footsteps and ending up in the same prison where you were held? I am a privileged son to have had such a wonderful, godly father, who taught me the ways of the Lord! I praise the Lord for this privilege—that I am counted worthy of the honor of following you!”

     "I was so glad I was alone. I began praying out loud. 'God, I thank you that your Son wore the crown of thorns and suffered for us so that we get our strength from Him. I thank you for all those in the church who were willing to suffer for you that we may know the truth of the Lord in our time..."

 

The History of Father's Day

h  1910. The first formal "Father's Day" was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, for his selfless and sacrificial love. A  faithful Civil War veteran, he had been widowed when his wife died during childbirth. While farming his land in eastern Washington, he raised his six children, including the newborn infant.

 

h  1972. Father's Day became a perpetual day for honoring the wisdom, patience, perseverance and love of fathers.

 

h  1988. President Ronald Reagan said:

"Children, vulnerable and dependent, desperately need security, and it has ever been a duty and a joy of fatherhood to offer it. Being a father requires strength... and more than a little courage...to persevere, to fight discouragement, and to keep working for the family....

"With God's grace, fathers find the patience to teach, the fortitude to provide, the compassion to comfort, and the mercy to forgive. All of this is to say that they find the strength to love their wives and children selflessly....

"Let us...express our thanks and affection to our fathers, whether we can do so in person or in prayer."

Statistics show America's changing values

Honoring Thy Fathers: "...about 28% of our nation's children -- more than 20 million kids -- now live in a household without their father, up from 10 million kids (14%) in 1970, according to a recent Census Bureau report. Moreover, because most of these boys and girls see their dads infrequently (once a month or less), Father's Day will offer cold comfort to many of these children....

 

"'Boys are in trouble today primarily because their parents, and especially their dads, are distracted, overworked, harassed, exhausted, disinterested, chemically dependent, divorced, unable to cope or simply not there.' But how successful have churches and synagogues been in getting the men in their congregations to put family first?

  

"Churchgoing fathers are also significantly more likely to keep tabs on their children, monitoring their activities and friends. Finally, religious fathers are about 65% more likely than unaffiliated fathers to report praising and hugging their school-age children 'very often.'"

Please remember to pray for fathers!

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