Let us Pray....
O' Gracious Father - bless now the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. Breathe your Spirit into us and grant that we may hear and in hearing be led in the way ...... you want us to go. We ask this in the name of your son Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Someone noticed that the word "father" appears in the dictionary ... just before the word ... "fatigued" ...and just after the word ... "fathead."
So, ... to all us fatigued, ... fathead fathers, ......Happy Father's Day! (Long Pause)
I recently found a site called.... Kids speak a different language:
Parents frequently make the mistake of thinking ......that they speak the same language... as their children.
We see this kind of misunderstanding ...all the time.
Even though we Americans ...and the people in England .... supposedly both speak "English" ... there is often ... misunderstandings.
For instance, ... when an American says ..."bonnet" they mean ...a kind of hat.
When the Englishman says "bonnet" ...they mean ...the hood of a car.
The same is true ... when speaking with your children.
At first ... it seems ......we are all speaking ...English,
Yet... on closer inspection, ......it becomes clear ......that children ....and parents ......speak entirely different dialects.
In the interest of better...... trans-gen-er-a-tion-al communication, ...here are some key phrases ... and their... translations.
"I cannot finish ... my hamburger." ...Meaning: ... Your son has definitely full.
"I can't finish my dessert." Meaning: ...Your child is defiantly sick.
"I didn't do it." .... Translation: ...It has not been conclusively proven ... beyond any doubt ... that I did do it.
"Frankie Smith is such a no-good rotten liar!"
Meaning: ......Expect a call from Frankie's parents.
"Mom said it was okay."... Translation: I am going to ask Mom ...as soon as you say.... "yes."
"Dad, can I have a dog?" Meaning: Your son wants a dog.
"Dad, can I have a boa constrictor?"
Meaning: ...Your son wants a dog, ...but figures asking for something really awful... will put him in a better ... bargaining position ... for a dog. (Pause)
I think that all parents ... and grandparents ... can testify ... that their children or grandchildren ...... often times do speak a different language.
And it is one of the reasons...... that it is difficult ......to bring up Children.
There are other reasons of course ...... but I won't go into those today.
Rather I want to speak to the men who are here ...both fathers and grandfathers.
To address ... some of the things...... we can do ...to make ourselves better parents ...and grandparents.
There is a wonderful wisdom saying .... in Proverbs ..."Bring up a child in the way he should go ......and when they are old ...they will not soon depart from it". (Proverbs 22:6)
We love our children and grandchildren .... and treat them well ... yet sometimes ... they turn away from us.
Sometimes they journey on roads ......that we do not understand ... or roads ... that we do not approve of.
Yet ... in the end ... if our hearts are open ... if the foundation is well laid ... we see them return to us ... much as the Prodigal Son ......returned to his Father.
This seems to be ... the record of things.
If the door is open, ... they will normally pass through it.
I am convinced ...that part of the problem we have as parents ......is not that we have difficult children ......or even that they speak a different language than we do ... though all this ......is very often ... true.
I am convinced ......a portion of the problem ......is that we as parents ......often do not know the way ......our children should go.
And more importantly ... even when we know the way ... we so often fail ......to live it.
So, ... our children become angry ... distant ... alienated from us ... and from God.
So, ... what is the way?
Well .... As men under the Lordship of Christ ... we must ... actually live .... Godly lives.
We must keep promises ... concerning our relationship ... to the Lord.
We must keep our promises ... in our relationship with our family... and our relationships ... with other people.
We must be mature in the faith ......and be the spiritual head of the family ......as God .... has called us ....to be.
We as men ...must commit ourselves ....to building strong biblical marriages ......and support the mission of Christ ......with our time, .... With our talent ... and with our prayers.
As men of Christ ......we must devote ourselves ...to demonstrating the love of Christ ...in our community.
As our Gospel Text in Luke clearly commands us: Hear God's Word. BIBLE "Be merciful ... even as your Father (in Heaven) is merciful." END (Luke 6:36)
We are to forgive others ... as we want to be forgiven ... by the Father. (Matthew 6:12)
As men of Christ ...we are to live moral and virtuous lives ......based on ... Scriptural principles.
The result will not only be the renewal of our own lives as men; ... It will bring renewal to our families, ... to our churches, ......to our community and ultimately ......to our world.
And it is working ... it is working because the secret of all successful marriages ......... of all successful parenting...... always rests ... in two sets of hands.
First and foremost, ... in the hand of God ...... and secondly ... in our hands.
If we allow those hands ...to be linked together ...... the results are ... incredible.
Lives are changed... Lives improve... Families are healed.
If we lead godly lives ...then the odds are ...that our children ...will lead ... Godly lives.
Now there are times ...when we men ....do not always say what we mean, ... ladies please allow me to translate ......for your future benefit:
When a man says, "IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN"
He generally means: ... "I have no idea ... how it works."
When a man says: ... "TAKE A BREAK HONEY.... YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD"
He really means: .... "I can't hear the TV ... over the vacuum cleaner".
When we say, ...... "I HEARD YOU."
It generally means: .... "I haven't the foggiest clue ...what you just said ...and I am hoping desperately ...that I can fake it well enough ...so that you will not tell me again ... that .... I never listen to you,"
When a guy says, "that's not what I meant."
He means: "If something I said ......can be interpreted two ways, ......and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, ......I meant the other one.
And lastly When a guy says 'I CAN'T FIND IT.''
He means: ...."It did not fall into my outstretched hand, ......so I am completely clueless".
Am I speaking the truth here ladies?
Is there an Amen!!
In Ephesians... and again in Colossians ... Paul shares the word .... that he received from the Lord ...concerning children and their parents. Here God's Word:
BIBLE "Children, obey your parents in the Lord ......for this is right. Honor your mother and father ... which is the first Commandment with a promise ...... that it may go right with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
Then he writes: "Fathers, do not provoke your children - do not exasperate your children - instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" END (Ephesians 6:1-4)
These words... are surely inspired.
Do not provoke, ... do not exasperate your children ...... do not break your promises to them ... do not neglect them ... or mindlessly indulge their every whim ...so that they lose ... all respect for you.
Instead .... bring them up in the training ...and instruction .... of the Lord. (Long Pause)
Someone once said, "A boy loves his mother, ... but will follow his father."
Parenting is never easy.
It is not easy being a father .... It is not easy being a mother ... they both have incredible challenges ...... incredible pains ... as well as ... incredible joys.
Yes, ... God loves ... His children.
And as fathers .... And as grandfathers ... We also should portray this complete love ... to our children ... and to our grandchildren.
God the Father Loves His Children ... and He is also quick to .... encourage His children. (Long Pause)
I learned that ... the hard way.
As a father ... you want the best for your children ... you want them to succeed.
To succeed ... at everything they do.
Kristin ... our first born .... was extremely motivated.
When she was told ... there was something that she could not do ... or could not .... accomplish.
Well ... she would ... press on ... and do whatever it took ... to make it happen.
I tried this same approach ... of negative challenges ... with our second child.
Our son Justin ... through grade school had wonderful report cards.
When 7th grade ... junior high came ... his grades began to slip ... and I would ride him ... and challenge him to do better.
And to be honest ... I became very critical ... of his commitment ... to his schoolwork.
At the end of the School year ... my wife Lee came to me ... and said ... you need to get right with your son.
You need to spend time together ... and work this out.
So that summer ... we spent a week together in Canada fishing.
Something we had done as a family ... in the past.
I know Lee was praying for both of us ... during that week.
And one evening ... while I stood under the stars looking toward the heavens:
God made it clear to me ... that as a father ... and as a follower of the Christ ... I Am called to be a light of encouragement ... especially to my family.
We had a wonderful time together in Canada ... it was a week ... with my son ... that I will always cherish.
Lee shared with me ... a few days after we got home ...that she had asked Justin ... how things were ... with your Dad?
His response was ... "Dad's my best friend". (Pause)
Beloved ... Each child ... and each grandchild ... is different.
Justin ... needed an encouraging father ... and with encouragement ... he did well.
We need to be ... we must be ... a light of encouragement ... and a light of encouragement ... to the world. (Pause)
"Be merciful ... even as your Father (in Heaven) is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
Some time ago ... I heard a touching story .... about a humble, ... consecrated pastor ... whose young son had become.... very ill.
After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, ...the father was told the shocking news... that his son ... had a terminal illness.
The youngster knew Christ ... as his Savior ... and his Lord, ...so the minister knew ...that death would usher his son ...into Glory.
But he wondered how to inform one...... in the bloom of youth ...that he soon .... would die.
After earnestly seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, ......he went with a heavy heart ...through the hospital ward ...to his son's bedside.
First .... he read a passage of Scripture.... and had a time of prayer .... with his son.
Then he gently told him .... that the doctors could promise him ......only a few more days.... to live.
"Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my son?" ...asked his devout father.
Blinking away a few tears, .... the little fellow said bravely.
"No, ... not if He's like you, Dad!" (Long Pause)
Beloved, ... the best thing that we can do for our children ... our grandchildren ... is for each of us ......to personally ... be right with God ... and to walk in the way ... of the Lord.
To never be satisfied ...... but to continually seek to be transformed .... into the image of Christ.
To finish this marathon of life ... the race laid before us ... and to finish ... well.
To give our all ... and when we cross over to the other side of eternity, ...... to collapse into our Saviors arms ... knowing.... we had no more to give.
(Very Slow) And to hear our Saviors voice; .... "Well done good and faithful servant.
You have fought the good fight, ...... you ... have finished the race." (Pause)
And all God's people said:
Amen!
Another Illustration
1.- Someone said, "Parents spend the first part of a child's life urging him to talk and walk, and the rest of his childhood telling him to sit down and keep quiet."
2.- One father said to his teenage son, "Do you mind if I use the car tonight? I'm taking your mother out to eat and I would like to impress her."
3.- Father said to his daughter, "What's wrong, Judy? Usually you talk on the phone for hours. This time you only talked for 30 minutes. How come?" Judy replied, "It was the wrong number."
4.- A letter from a college student to his parents read, "Please send food packages! All they serve here is breakfast, lunch and dinner."
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