Foundational Family Integrity

FOUNDATIONAL FAMILY INTEGRITY—Ephesians 6:1-4...

points 3-4 of MUTUAL SUBMISSION-IV—Ephesians 5:21—6:4

Attention:

READ excerpts from—Focus on The Family’s—‘Celebrate Dad’s Unique Contributions This Father’s Day’ AND ‘How to Reignite Your Fatherly Fidelity’...

From Focus On The Family—'Celebrate Dad’s Unique Contributions This Father’s Day':

"What happens when a researcher tries to measure the parent-child bond using the same standard yardstick for both moms & dads?

Dads lose.

That’s what Kathryn Kerns discovered when she talked to teens & preteens about their parents.

But something wasn’t adding up: the kids were describing “rich, warm relationships” with their dads. So why weren’t the fathers scoring better?

Because the researchers were using the wrong yardstick.

Turns out you can’t evaluate dads the same as moms, because fathers parent their children very differently than mothers do.

Dr. Kerns talked about her findings with the Wall Street Journal recently. The article, “Mom, Let Dad Be Dad,” describes how her team needed to create new tests & techniques to better capture “the father factor.”

And once they did, dads started scoring much better. We’re now learning about “the nuances, & the value, of the seemingly random, sometimes silly play many dads engage in with their children.”

Where previous mom-oriented tests minimized the importance of exploration & risk-taking, new studies are capturing just how much fathers contribute in this area. Through play, silliness & even a certain level of “pushiness,” dads help children develop & become well-rounded adults.

...Sometimes dads get a bum rap. If only they could be more sensitive, more tender, more … like mom.

Don’t get me wrong – sensitivity & tenderness are great qualities in a dad.

But so are a love of roughhousing & laughter!

So this Father’s Day, celebrate dads. Thank God for all the unique ways they contribute to their children – the zany antics they go through to make a baby smile, the wrestling on the floor with the kids, the corny “dad jokes” they share.

And when Dad throws his toddler high up into the air this weekend? Smile & let him be. Turns out, he’s just doing his job.”

From Focus On The Family—'How to Reignite Your Fatherly Fidelity’:

"Men have a special role in the family.

They show their daughters what to look for in a future husband & how a man should treat his wife. They show their boys how to be a committed husband, a loving father, & a man of integrity.

At least that’s what we’re striving to do."

We don’t always hit the mark, but I can tell you, there are a lot of good men out there. They’re dedicated fathers & husbands who are committed to their families & work hard to instill strong values in their children.

Still, guys get busy building their careers or working hard to make ends meet, & they can always use some encouragement to remember that the needs of their wives & children are their greatest responsibilities.

Ken Davis(Christian comedian) suggests four commitments for fathers...

1)The first is a commitment of time. Men can often get so busy they don’t make time for the most important people, particularly their wives & children.

To our families, “love” is spelled T – I – M – E.

2)The second commitment is to say, “I love you.” There are many different ways to demonstrate our love, of course, & those are important, too. But our wives & children need to hear us verbalize it.

3)Another commitment is to touch. Some dads stop hugging their daughters around the time their daughters reach puberty. But that may be the time their daughters need to experience appropriate touch from their father as much as any other time in their lives.

As for your sons, touch them, too. Hug them, give them a playful shove, or wrestle with them. Find a way to make a loving connection with them through touch.

4)And finally is your commitment to Christ. You can’t force your children to love the Lord, & you can’t instill spiritual character or integrity in your children through discipline & rules alone. Perhaps more than anything else you may say or achieve, your children will be impacted by watching your walk with the Lord & witnessing how you treat your wife. When they see a strong commitment to Jesus that endures through the good & the bad, they’ll see a faith that works."

Need:

We are a country embroiled in individualistic endeavors to the exclusion of & to the ruin/destruction/devastation of others....manifested in Hedonism(drugs/sex/possessions)

Work-ism or busy-ness(Work=Good)...borne by financial indebtedness, etc.

It is not possible for a marriage & family to survive, when one or more of the members is into themselves to the exclusion of others!

We may learn to live ‘with’ one another but not ‘for’ one another, thus we will have no power in the world!