6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4:6  (KJV)

I often wonder why God inspired Malachi to write these words? I also wonder why it is the final 
verse in the Old Testament before 400 years of silence?

I wonder if God thought He would give us 400 years to get our act together…or else?

I think maybe God was describing a  world distracted...where households void of the spiritual leadership 
from the dad, becomes the norm and where chaos would prevail.

So I ask the question, “What if there were no dads?" No grandads, no uncles, no DAD figures? 
A world void of men, biological fathers or not, totally extinct from any paternal responsibilities?

Picture this world…What if...
No dads in the hospital passing out bubble gum cigars upon the birth of their child, no dads sharing diaper duty, loading the car seats, no dads to tuck their kids in bed at night.

What if…
no dads available for “donuts for dads” at school, no dads to escort daughters to the father-daughter dance or none to accompany their son’s a father-son camp out.

What if…
no dads in the stands for their kids games, none to be seen present, to fill the auditoriums for piano recitals. No dads to pick up kids after last night events. No dads to design and build a train track in the garage.

What if…
no dads to be there for graduations, birthdays, celebrations. No dads to give away their daughters one day... No dads to one day become grandads. No words to be spoken by children at funerals about a legacy left behind.

What if there were no more dads? 
A world full of men, where the only expectation placed upon them was to simply 
produce more children. 

Men, we are so close to this very bleak picture.  We are in a crisis. Our families are in a crisis.
If we lose our dads…we lose our families. 
If we lose our families, we lose our country.

The numbers are staggering and statistics show:
- 65 percent of all our children are growing up without a father in the home. 
- One third of our babies live in poverty.
- When a child grows up without a father, they are 20 times more likely to end up in prison. 

Poverty and fatherlessness is without a doubt a contributing factor to current societal issues. 
Data shows the number of unmarried women giving birth is in an upward spiral. 
 In 2008, 41 percent of births involved unmarried women compared with 28 percent in 1990. 
This information shows the digression of the family unit, and the decreased level of commitment among men 
to engage in as the husband and father to their family. 
Currently, an estimated 24.7 million children (33%) live without their dad.
The epidemic is not only evident in the unwed partners, but divorce contributes as well to the troubling effect upon children. Children of divorce without enough dad contact are prone to have poor social skills; to struggle with the five D’s (depression, drugs, drinking, discipline and delinquency); be suicidal; be less able to concentrate;  and to be aggressive but not assertive.

Raising DADs…is the motivation and drive behind DAD U. 
I know most of you reading this are strive every day fulfilling the God given blessings of being a DAD.

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day and so is every day…God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 
Psalm 118:24 
This is the day the Lord has made!

DADs…each day is a rich and precious gift from God, with new grace and new opportunities.

This month I am officiating one funeral and two weddings. Quite the reminder of the importance of each day God gives us.

In all three of these events, many will gather. 
They will gather to celebrate a great life lived, and celebrate two couples unions, as they begin their new lives together.  

Why do we wait for the major life events to acknowledge the beauty and the sorrow of each day?

Why do we wait to give thanks for the countless blessings, hold others close in their pain, and speak the words to those we love, in "all the days between" the milestones of our lives?

In Hebrews 3:13 it reads:
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

DADs…do not withhold blessings. Encourage others in your family and those that you lead. 

Don’t wait for funerals and weddings to speak the words and acknowledge the blessings of each day.

Do not wait till tomorrow. Encourage, love and rejoice even in "all the days between!"
Celebrate today!

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day and so is every day…God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 
(Jeremiah 29:11)

DADs…two words most men and DADs do not like to hear...“rest and wait.”

As men, we are often like the little boy fighting his mother at nap time to “rest" 
or like the anxious teenager who questions why he must “wait" until his 16th birthday to start driving.

As kids, many of our species are basically wired to work hard and play hard with little time to “rest and wait.”

We want it all and we want it now!

And as adults and DADs we carry those same characteristics into our many older life stage phases as well. 

And when it doesn’t happen on our schedule, and within our time schedule, 
many times we as men just forge forward, without guidance nor direction 
from anyone else besides our own self reliance. 

In Psalm 37:23, David shares, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord."
You see we as men we need order, and there is no one better to “order" our steps, than God.

In Proverbs 16:9, it reads, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” 
You see we can feel it in our heart, believe with conviction what we are doing is important, but we must allow our feet to follow on His path “directed" by our Lord.

If we truly desire to “have all and get now" the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 37:4,7 to
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass … 

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.”

Delight, Commit and Trust in the Lord!
And oh yea…Rest and Wait!

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 (NIV)

DADs…last week we reflected upon the preparation that God does. 

As we also mentioned last week, preparation of the heart is an ongoing process.

Today we will look at the preparation we do.

It involves holding our heart out before the Lord, with an attitude of desiring to please Him in all areas of our life. 

The preparation on our end requires each of us saying to God: “Prepare my heart, Lord, for what You have in store for me. I trust that any change initiated by You is for the better, no matter how it appears at the time. Help me to yield to Your plans for my life, which are always good and full of hope.”

DADs…how many times have we heard ourselves say, “I just don’t see God in this situation," "I didn’t connect with the pastor’s message today,” "I cannot seem to find God in this place."

It is in these circumstances, we must prepare our hearts and be still.

DADs...when we humble ourselves before Him, confess our great need of Him, and desire to do His will, we will meet God on the path He lays out for us always.

God is always on the job, but in order for us to be reMade, we must reflect and relent,
doing our preparation allowing God to change our hearts.

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

DADs…preparation of the heart is an ongoing process, providing each of us
accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, to be continuously reshaped and reMADE.

There are (2) aspects to preparation of the heart. 
Today we reflect upon the preparation that God does. 
Next week we will look at the preparation we do. 

Psalm 10:17 (HCSB) is a key verse of Scripture concerning God’s role:   
"You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully"
DADs...God desires a relationship, but He wants us to fully acknowledge Him along the way. 

He has the ability even when we are distracted and scattered to let our eyes see with His eyes and our ears to hear His voice calling in our lives. 

He not only prepares our hearts,He even prepares a path for our walk, He goes before us!

In Deuteronomy 31:8, it says, "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; 
He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." 

God does this work of preparation in our hearts, while reMaking us. 

He is always there. Always. He can be doing His work preparing us, in spite of us…
or He can do it with us!

DADS…God's preparation is unceasing, giving us countless opportunities daily to be reMADE!

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. - Jeremiah 18:4 (NASB)

DADS…so many versions all meaning the same thing:
- "so the potter formed it into another pot"(NIV);
- "so he made it again" (KJV);
- "so he made it into another jar" (HCSB);
- "and he reworked it into another vessel" (ESV);
- "so he made it again into another vessel" (NKJV),

but I think my favorite version is…

- "so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over." (NLT)

Maybe I favor this version because it reminds me of God’s mighty sovereignty 
and His almighty power to wipe it all clean,  while creating a new masterpiece from nothing.
Even a sinner like me!

I love this parable of the potter found in Jeremiah. 
Jeremiah says, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” Jeremiah 18:3-4.

Then Jeremiah went on to quote God as saying, “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand” Jeremiah 18:6.

DADs, here is a vivid picture of life painted by the Prophet Jeremiah. He portrays God as the divine potter and man as the clay that the Master Artist seeks to make into a vessel of usefulness. 

But in the process, the vessel becomes marred, a flaw appears in the work and the skilled Craftsman of life refashions it to His own liking.

DADs, we can identify three points standing out boldly in the parable of the potter: we were made; we became marred, and we are remade again.

Notice that the Book of Jeremiah doesn’t say the Potter mended the vessel; it says, “He made it again into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make.”

The great preacher Billy Graham, once shared, “every day a million scenes like the one in Eden are reenacted. Men trade their divine rights for a pittance of pleasure, their favor with God for the tawdry things of this world. Each day a thousand sons of Adam slip away into the shadows of their spiritual Eden."

But now as then, God in His patience and tenderness seeks to restore and redeem His marred vessels. 

Through Christ, a way has been opened to God, but now as then, we must approach Him in the manner which He has prescribed, and not our own.

DADs, in Christ, we are crushed into a lump of clay and reMade into a NEW Vessel!

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…
Today is game day ...
and so is every day God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

THROUGH HIS SPIRIT
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:16 
DADs...Romans 8 begins and ends with declarations of the Christian's absolute security before God. 
The book of Romans shares "There is no condemnation for those in Christ, and nothing will ever be able to separate us from His love."
DADs, if we believe in the gospel, we now live in the Spirit of God!
In this Spirit we have a direct line calling out to our Heavenly DAD!
We suffer with Christ, and we suffer along with all creation while we wait for God to reveal us as His sons and daughters!
With the help of the Spirit, we are confident that God is for us and loves us in Christ.

He hears from us "Abba! Father!”  Romans 8:26–27 goes even further, showing that the Spirit is the one who takes our prayers, even when we don't know what to pray, to the heart of our Father.
In this verse, God communicates from His Spirit to our spirit that we are His children. 
His Spirit "bears witness,"keeps communicating to us over and over that we belong in God's family now that we are in Christ. He confirms to us what is true on some deep and unspoken level.
The confidence we carry that we belong to God, not because of our goodness or effort but because of His love for us, comes directly from God's Spirit with us.
DADs…through His Spirit we are reMade!!
To God be the glory!
DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day and so is every day God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

THROUGH HIS WORD
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 NIV

DADs, in Hebrews chapter 4, the author refines the theme of chapter 3. An entire generation of Israel lost out on their “inheritance" of the Promised Land due to a lack of faith. 

*Israel failed to trust in God at the borders of Canaan - Numbers 13—14, which led to an entire generation wandering the desert, rather than finding their "rest" in the Promised Land - Hebrews 3:16–17.

Here, the author points out that the rest promised by God is still offered, through Christ! It is through Christ and His Word that we are “reMADE."

The razor-sharp truth of the Word of God will separate what is truly spiritual from what is faithless. 

DADs we should make every effort to obtain our "inheritance" in Christ, which is something separate from our eternal salvation. 

DADs...be confident, knowing Jesus can uniquely sympathize with our temptations and sufferings.

DADs…dive into your “inheritance” today and be “reMade!"

To God be the glory!

DADs...“Get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:4 NIV

DADs, the apostle Paul informs us in Romans 6:6:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

In other words when we were submerged in the waters of baptism,
"our old man was crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” 

Once this has occurred, "just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (verse 4).

DADs, every Christian, then, is a new man, no longer living the old life of sin and slavish obedience to human nature. Paul says later in the chapter that, "having been set free from sin, [we] became slaves of righteousness" (verse 18). 

Does this mean our temptations and sometimes falling short of the glory of God is over? No. Like the prodigal son, because we are “with Him” we also know where to come home when we stray or become distracted.

A home that is full of forgiveness and unconditional love. 

“With Him" DADs we have been reMade through His death and resurrection. 

“With Him" in both His death and resurrection Paul writes in Galatians 2:20 one of my favorite verses: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

DADs…grab on to this new life TODAY! "With Him" all things are possible!
You are reMADE “with Him."

If you want to learn more about being "reMADE" in Christ, consider joining Suit Up Ministries at Camp Caleb.
CLICK the BANNER BELOW to register TODAY! 

To God be the glory!

DADs...
“Get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day…God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free.
Psalm 118:5
DADs, one year ago this Labor Day, my DAD was made whole, free from all ailments, as he passed away from this place we call earth, and into his heavenly home with Jesus. 
Nonetheless, although my head understands the promise of God’s eternal healing, my heart still aches for my DAD. 
I miss my DAD!
My only solace in my hurting heart, is knowing with confidence that God is my refuge.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:9-10
DADs, whatever reason you are suffering and hurting today, or along your life’s journeys, you are not alone. There is a God who loves you completely and wants to heal your deepest hurts. He wants YOU to experience His perfect peace and surrender your burdens to Him.  
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ephesian 6:10
DADs…lay each burden at His feet and release yourself from the yoke of hardship. Trust that the Giver of Life has come to heal, restore, and redeem your brokenness.
DADs…whatever your pain, whatever your sorrow, whatever your loss, whatever makes your heart ache…for you and for all you love…make your heart ached known to God, and acknowledge His healing that only He can provide!
To God be the glory!
DADs...“Get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day…God gives you! 
So…C’mon men...
Suit Up!