A Father's Day collection of #MustRead curated content from around the interwebs.
Don't Waste Your Fathering
"The happiest part of being a father is seeing divine grace manifest in our children, as our Father in heaven performs the miracle of a new birth so that our children come alive to God (John 3:1–8). God is able to give our children a new heart—a new nature—that loves God, loves other believers, and cherishes the gospel (1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1–4). We fathers play a role in our children’s second, supernatural birth by praying for them and raising them in the paths of the Lord (Eph. 6:4)."
Our Father of Fathers
"In the Old Testament God is not usually referred to as the father of individual people, and Jews did not address him as “Father.” That is why when Jesus arrived, the intimacy with which he addressed God was so striking."
"Jesus’ frequent references to God as “Father” were unheard of in his context. “Father” was his favorite way of addressing God. We see Jesus using this word for God 65 times in the Synoptic Gospels and more than 100 times in the Gospel of John, in stark comparison to the 15 times the term is used for God in the whole Old Testament."
"Human fatherhood is modeled on the fatherhood of God.... What are some of the characteristics of a father described in Scripture? Gentleness & Compassion; Wisdom & Instruction; Discipline; Love; Exhortation & Encouragement; Protection; Provision"
Being a father is a high calling, a way to image our loving heavenly Father who loves and cares for his children better than any earthly father can hope to. Those of us who are fathers should feel the gravity of this calling. When we fail to love like our heavenly Father, let’s keep repenting and trusting in Jesus, who’s adopted us into the family of God the Father.
8 Reflections On Being Childless & Celebrating Father's Day
"I’ve been amazed at how many people know Pam and me at only a superficial level, but still feel comfortable asking us why we don’t have children – and then tell us what we need to do."
"Don’t forget that we’re in the congregation. We love the fact that churches honor fathers, and we want to rejoice without any twinges of pain – but it’s hard to do. At least pray for us, too."
Challenge us to get involved in the lives of others who need father figures. Push us. Connect us with young men who need guidance. To be honest, we often have time and resources that others may not have.
When You Grieve A Prodigal's Sin More Than He or She Does
"When you walk in the footsteps of the father of the prodigal son, hang on to these thoughts: Keep praying...; Keep believing...; Keep walking...; Keep standing...; Keep grieving...; Keep loving...; Keep listening...; Keep waiting...; Keep trusting...; Keep watching..."
25 Facts About The Importance of Fathers
"Increasing father involvement in their children’s lives is one of the most important ways to address material and spiritual poverty in this country. One way we can do that is to reiterate the importance of fathers and the difference their presence makes. Almost every study conducted in the social sciences confirms what the Bible teaches — fathers matter. Here are 25 facts from social science research on the effects of having a father in the home..."
Gravity and Stars: A Father's Day Reflection for the Fatherless
"A counselor once put it to me this way: “You have to grieve the loss of your dad ever being your dad, and then you get to decide if you want a friendship with him.” Fair enough. But how do you grieve the loss of gravity? How do you put the stars back into the sky? How do you teach yourself to shave? How do you pitch Smoltz to Olson by yourself?"
Something happened. I started to feel haunted by the wounds of Jesus. Slowly, at first. I began to see that his wounds meant something for mine, spoke to mine in their own language. My pain wasn’t foreign to him. My sins weren’t too big (or too small) for him. And, maybe most importantly of all, he knew what it was to feel abandoned by a Father. He cried out from the cross in a shout of pain, the pain of being forsaken, of being alone. And for a moment, gravity buckled, and the stars slipped from the sky in total darkness.
"I will never get back the father I lost. But I have gained, through Jesus’s suffering, another Father who has fathered me well. A Father who promises never to leave or forsake his children... God still hasn’t magically taken away my father wound. Sometimes I wish he would. Instead, he has begun the long work of healing. It has taken time."
Father Hunger
A review of Douglas Wilson's book, Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families
"Wilson argues that our understanding of fathers, and everything else in culture, cannot be put right until we rediscover God the Father."