Dear Cambria Family,

 

Although we are now gathering together again, I have decided to continue this weekly update. It will be renamed the Pastor’s Pen and will be available on our website as a blog as well. It was a joy to gather together again with you all. I have missed hearing you sing, watching you fellowship, and interacting with you in person. I hope that this time away has infused in you a love for the gathering of the body. 

 

Sunday is Father’s Day. This day serves as a reminder to us of the importance of fathers in the lives of their children. Many of the social ills we face today are exacerbated by the fact that fathers have failed in their responsibilities. Often as dads we may look to those who have abandoned their families and pat ourselves on the back that we are still present. But many have practically abandoned their families while still being physically present. They see the raising of the children, the discipline of the children, and the teaching of the children as the mom’s responsibility. Yet, Ephesians 5-6 demonstrates that, as the head of the home, the father has the responsibility of leading his family in Christ-likeness. Too many father’s are busy advancing their careers, paying the bills, and playing at their hobbies to spend quality time with their children. But the day will come when their children are grown and lost to the world. Of what value then is their job or hobby? So dads, let me encourage you to begin to do three things:

 

First, lead your family spiritually. Establish a time where your family prays together and reads the bible together. Perhaps you will read a devotional book, or straight from the Bible. Be in church. Make it a priority. Why would your children follow God when you don’t make it a priority? And speak to your children about God often. In Deuteronomy 11:19, God challenges fathers to teach their children about God “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many.”

 

Second, be with your family. Set aside that hobby or work your job around so that you can be with your children. Talk to them. Play with them. engage them. If they play a sport, be at their game. You cannot pass off the raising of your children to someone else. They are a gift from God, so engage in that gift. 

 

Finally, be patient with them. I believe that there is a reason that Ephesians 6:4 is addressed to fathers. We are our children’s protectors. And when we provoke them, we undermine that special place. So seek to guide them, not bully them. Love them and nurture them. In short, be a dad. 

 

I am thankful for the many great dads we have in our congregation. May God bless us as we follow him in this glorious task. 

 

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