SET ME IN A FAMILY/ Psalm 68:4-6

"Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
     extol him who rides on the clouds - 
 his name is the LORD -
     and rejoice before him.
 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
     is God in his holy dwelling.
 God sets the lonely in families,
     he lead forth the prisoners with singing;
 but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."
 Psalm 68:4-6

I am been blessed with a wonderful godly wife and four children who all know God's Name. 

When I first became a Christian I knew I was not called to be single. I thought God would provide a wife pretty quickly because it just wouldn't be good to be single (for me). Well, God had other plans and I ended up not getting married until I was thirty six. Yes, that was a long time. I didn't like being single and when I did meet my wife, everyone wanted to know what kind of women could deal with me. 

One of the things that I found attractive about her was that her two boys were good boys. So, at thirtysix, I married into a family. The boys were and are to this day great young men. I sort of felt like Rip Van Winkle and I had somehow slept through this huge portion of my life. I woke up, was married and had two sons! 

The point here on Father's Day is that I thank God for setting me in a family. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you for being my Father and giving me such a great wife and children. Praise be to you, my Father. Praise be to you in us today!

IT IS YOUR DUTY: II Timothy 4:5

"But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." 
II Timothy 4:5

What are my duties? Maybe, the real question is: What are not my duties? 

Now, I don't want to just focus on the obvious ones like be the spiritual leader. Because, if I am not Christlike in that I am willing to serve...all I say is just bla, bla, bla, clanging cymbal.

As a husband and father my duty is to make sure that whatever needs to be done, gets done. That does not mean by delegating it all to my wife. For me, sometimes that means when I come home from work and I just want to crash on the couch, I may need to cook. Other times it means vacuuming. 

Remember, trying to lead/serve a family is not about our own innate abilities, it is about the power of God working in and through us to meet the needs of our families. He is faithful. Paul said, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). I do believe in knowing when it's time to call the plumber, but, you know what I mean. If I see a need in my family, get it done.

Father, give us the strength and love to serve our spouses and families. Praise be to you in us today!

KEEP YOUR HEAD: II Timothy 4:5

"But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."   II Timothy 4:5

What is your primary ministry? Your primary ministry is first to your spouse and then your family. Think about that for a second or two...If there is ever a place where you might not "keep you head" it is usually with your family. Sometimes we come home after holding everything in all day at work and we sort of vent or just sort of relax and then ,"BAM", a little drama, a little or not so little family crisis slams us right in the face! It can be hard to "keep your head" when all you want is just fifteen minutes of peace. 

I think the key is to still remember the grace of God and to let him reign. We can never let down our guard and never give up the reign of Christ in our hearts and minds. The day is not over until I lay my head on the pillow and that is not when I forget about God but when I thank God for bringing me through another day on planet earth. 

Father, bring us through this day and help us to keep our heads in all situations! Praise be to you in us today!

HOW TO TREAT OTHERS: I Timothy 5:1-2

When I first started teaching I was single and my approach and perspective toward my students was sort of as an older brother. After I got married and had children my point of view changed. I began to see them through the eyes of a parent. Now, part of my philosophy as an educator is that I try to treat each student like I would like my children to be treated. As a Christian and a leader Paul gave these words of direction to Timothy and they still hold good for us today.

"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."        I Timothy 5:1-2

Paul's basic message is to treat each other like family, like a godly family, because we are the family of God. If something needs to be said, say it, but say it with respect and love. I have been in several situations as an administrator where I needed to "correct" someone. Delivery is everything. Sometimes teachers had much more experience than I did, but, they still needed "guidance". I tried my best to be respectful yet truthful. I even wrote up one of our long time security guards once. I did not do it with anger and gave him opportunities to do what was being asked by the district mandate. Just recently our school got a new principal (I recommend him and think he was a great choice). The security guard came up and said he wished I was the principal. 

So, I encourage you to treat others, no matter who they may be, in a godly manner. God will bless that and use you. 

Father, help us to treat others with love because you first loved us. Praise be to you in us today!

DON'T MISS THE MOMENT: I Timothy 4:13

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching." I Timothy 4:13

I'm off today and I went to my churches' Men's Study this morning. I began attending these early morning studies about a year ago. It has been a very encouraging experience. One of the reoccurring themes is leadership in the home. 

I'm not advocating setting up a pulpit in your home, but, I do believe sharing a verse and maybe a word or two is very beneficial. However it is that you place the Word of God before your family, do it, and do it on a daily basis. I once spent a few weeks with a family that the father read the Bible to his family at breakfast every morning. Here's the deal: you just need to take a step of faith and read the Bible yourself and with your family.

If you think about it there are plenty of moments where you can encourage your spouse and children if you are sensitive to the moments that God places before you. Last night when I prayed with my daughter she shared with me a few success's she hand in school. I caught myself sort of rushing out to get to bed myself. I stopped and sat down with her. I listened to her and encouraged her to continue doing what she was doing and let her know that I love her and am proud of her. Her tone when she said, "Thanks dad!" let me know that she was glad her dad approved of her effort. 

What will be the moments that God puts before you to share the Word of God, to encourage and teach your family? Are you looking for them? Be ready, they'll be there.

Father, help us to see the opportunities to lead our families when they happen and not just realize in hind sight that one just went by us. Praise be to you in us today!

LET TRUTH HOLD YOU: I Timothy 3:9

The writers of the Declaration of Independence wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." and then they listed the them and led a revolution that changed the course of history. Those core beliefs have guided the United States of America ever since. The Apostle Paul reminded young Timothy that church leaders should be people who hold the truths of the faith. Holding on the the deep truths of the faith, as a husband and a father, is good practice.

"They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience." I Timothy 3:9 

When my oldest son was in middle school he attended a "Christian" school. One of his teachers questioned the validity and authenticity of the Bible in front of the students. I was, to say the least, a bit upset. I wrote him a "note" to the effect that we did not send our son to a Christian school to learn how to doubt God. We  could do that for free by sending him to a public school. Also, I told him that if he had any questions regarding the reliability of the Bible or the existence of God I would be glad to "discuss" them with him and maybe encourage him in his faith.

My youngest son is like a sponge when it comes to information. So, after watching some programs that spoke dogmatically about evolution as if it were unquestionable truth, we had some discussions about the cartoon religion called evolution verses the Creator of all things and the truth of the Bible. It is my responsibility as his father to teach him that God is the Sovereign Lord and Creator of all things and that God has spoken to us through Christ and his Word, the Bible. 

Having a clear conscience does not mean we are perfect. Having a clear conscience means we keep our relationship with God clear. This is why the daily disciplines of prayer and reading the Bible are so important. But, the truth is, they remind us that God loves us and he longs to daily commune with us. That is what we teach our children.

Father, help us to hold fast to the deep truths of the faith and keep our consciences clear. Praise be to you in us today!

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR FAMILY: I Timothy 3:4-5

Experience is respect sometimes. Being able to say to other teachers that I spent my first 16 years in education in South Central LA has always been a bit of a respect factor. When another teachers sees how I run my class, they know I am not all talk, I practice what I preach. It's all about trying to act godly.

"He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)" I Timothy 3:4-5

There are three things Paul mentions concerning family leadership:management, guidelines and respectful relationships. 

I think management is all about planning and execution. I try to have a plan because even when things don't go according to plan I have some bearings to go by when reacting the current crisis.

My family guidelines are God's. I must be in the Word on a daily basis and I want my children and wife to see that I am. I want my life to reflect that God's Word gives me direction, not my whims. Plus, when my children live out on their own, they know to seek God's ways.

Finally, I need to "encourage" godly relationships by continually pointing myself, my wife and my children to Christ as we interact with each other. If you can love your sister and or brother, you can love most anyone. 

May God enable you to manage your family by teaching them to obey God's Word and love each other as Christ loves them.

Father, help us to love as you have loved us. Enable us to lead our families with love and grace. Praise be to you in us today!