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

"Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law....
'Let your heart retain my words;

Keep my commands, and live." Proverb 4:1-4

"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 son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding...
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

"For the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints."

Proverbs 2:1-8

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..."

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..."

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Gifts for Men

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these rules and you should have no problems.

Rule #1: When in doubt, buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17, and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word "ratchet" or "socket" on it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. By the way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?" Again, no one knows why.

Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car: a 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of de-icer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4:  You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money, buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.

Rule #5:  Buy men label-makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. saucers. Door. Lock. Sink." You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #6: Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly required" on the box. It will ruin his Special Day and he will always have parts left over.

Rule #7: Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook, although they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"

Rule #8: Tickets to a Leaf /Raptor/BlueJay game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone knows why.

Rule #9: Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chainsaw. If you don't know why, please refer to Rule #7 and what happens when he gets a label-maker.

Rule #10: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8" manila rope.  No one knows why.

These "suggestions" were distributed by email. This may be the source: http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

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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.'"

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When I was...

Four years old: My daddy can do anything.

Five years old: My daddy knows a whole lot.

Six years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.

Eight years old: My dad doesn't know exactly everything.

Ten years old: In the olden days, when my dad grew up, things were sure different.

Twelve years old: Oh, well, naturally, Dad doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.

Fourteen years old: Don't pay any attention to my dad. He is so old-fashioned.

Twenty-one years old: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out of date.

Twenty-five years old: Dad knows about it, but then he should, because he has been around so long.

Thirty years old: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience.

Thirty-five years old: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.

Forty years old: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise.

Fifty years old: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.  [Author Unknown]