The Latest from Pastor Steve: Fathers Who Are Not Perfect

The Myth of Perfect Fathers

How did children ever turn out to be law-abiding, Christ-following, responsible members of society before we had organizations like Focus on the Family, Family Builders and the plethora of other organizations, books and seminars? And, with all the resources we have today, why do we have such problems with dysfunctional and fractured families?

There is no simple answer to either question. However, there is an indispensable factor for both. We had fathers who were involved in families in times past, and there is a glaring absence of many biological or functioning fathers in homes today.

Fathers of past generations didn’t really have an edge over fathers today. They didn’t have seminars to help them be a great dad. They didn’t listen on their iPod to messages on fathers. They pretty much carried an example of their father and did for their children what their father did for them. But I think one big difference was that fathers were there in the family. They didn’t up and leave when they got tired of their responsibility. They didn’t jump from one live-in girlfriend to another. They knew their role and sought to be a father first and did not worry about whether their child considered them a buddy.

I think there was also, especially to boys, a clearer sense and example of father-hero growing up. Maybe that’s because newspapers didn’t probe deep enough to dig up the dirt on people, or they were more constrained in what they reported. You didn’t have the pervasive paparazzi ready to shoot an embarrassing, unheroic picture at a moment’s notice whenever a hero-type person went out in public.

In any case, what many children are lacking today is a strong, godly father. And what many men are lacking is a strong, godly example of a father.

When you look around to see whom to pattern oneself after, you are visually plastered with a long list of men you would not want to emulate. How many Hollywood men and athletes are leaving a trail of kids with different mothers in their wake? Then you have some seemingly good examples, like Brad Pitt, but do we want our children to live with someone for eight years and have three children (plus Angelina’s adopted three) before they finally decide now is the time to, at least, get engaged?

It is easy to point the finger at bad examples and fathers with faults. I do that every morning when I look in the mirror. But we do have one perfect Father to use as an example. And that is God. It is interesting that God chose to use the term, “father”, to express one of his key roles to those who believe in him. And that term is more than just a name. It is a role that God fulfills with us.

It is too bad that today, for so many boys and girls, their perception of God as Father is taken from their earthly father. It’s no wonder why teens who have grown up in the church walk away and never return, and others never venture to church in the first place. Who would want to have a relationship with God if he is like one’s earthly father?

But because God is perfect as Father, and because he has chosen to express his relationship with us as our Heavenly Father, there is tremendous hope and encouragement to every person. First, for us who are fathers, there is his example that we can follow to understand what it means to be a father and how a father acts with his children. He can show us how to do it.

Then there is the relationship itself that God has with us as our Heavenly Father. That is not just a polite term we use to refer to him. It is God himself who is a Father to us and acts as a Father to us. The father wound that so many men and women carry because of imperfect earthly fathers, can be healed by our Heavenly Father as he carries out his role as Father to us.

So with this Sunday being Fathers’ Day, we can look to our perfect, Heavenly Father, to be what we need for us: an example of a perfect Father to pattern our father role after, or a giver to help fill what we didn’t receive from our earthly Father.

The message this Sunday will feature our perfect, Heavenly Father. Come to learn; come to receive.

Building Update

Workers continue to finish additional details on the building. The large kitchen exhaust fan unit is ready to be installed. The paving construction crew has cut out sections of the asphalt and prepared the area around the front entrance for paving. The plumbers have installed all the sinks and toilets and turned on the water in the bathrooms. Some lights are in, but more are still coming before that is done. We are almost ready to have the city come and give us the final approval. A few pictures that show the progress are below.