Who is your Daddy?

A belated Happy Father’s Day to the fathers receiving this e-mail, I hope that your respective families “honored” you (deservingly or undeservingly) on Sunday as they should do on everyday (and as we should for the Mothers as well). Remember participating in the creation of a child doesn’t make you a Father. Participating in the development, nurturing and life of that child is what makes you a Father, so even if you don’t have a biological child, you should still be honored as a Father if you are playing that role in the lives of others. If not…you need to step up (nuff said)

I feel extremely blessed to have not only my Father in my life, but I also have a great team of men who are “Fatherly” to me. I’m also encouraged by the Fathers who I know that are right in the trenches with me. Fighting to provide for, to protect and to prepare their children to continue this Christian Race and to win souls for the Kingdom is the job of an unsung hero. Good men and especially good Fathers are hard to come by. It is a “thankless” job. J Ladies if you have a good man who is a good father, consider yourself immensely blessed (so let that man watch the game while you rub his feet tonight…nuff said) J

On a more serious note…

This Father’s Day was a time of reflection for me. As I watch my kids grow up, I realize that every moment is precious. I never know what impact my words, my deeds, the time I spend with them, the things I expose them to or the places that I take them will have on the rest of their lives. It is a great responsibility. That recital that you miss because of “work” may be the thing that causes your child to lose faith in his/her gift. The discouraging word that you say to them in anger or in disappointment may cause their hearts to become bitter and hard toward others. You never know…Many times we don’t think about it in this manner, but sometimes in protecting our kids from themselves and from the bad influences and the dangers that others subject them to, we forget that we must also protect them from potentially one of their most dangerous threats…Us.

We have the power to inspire and we have the power to be dream killers
We have the power to encourage and to discourage.
We have the power to instill strength and to create cowards.
We have the power to show love and to plant seeds of hate.
Most importantly we have the power to point our kids to Christ or to make it difficult for them to accept Him and believe in God.

As parents and especially as Fathers, we must make it our duty to create lasting memories for our kids. Many times our natural inclination is to throw $ or material things at our kids to make them happy, but that is not what they really want or what they will remember when they get older. They will remember the time that you spent with them not how much you spent on them.

Special thanks to my dad (Zachary Jeffers) for riding bikes with me, playing catch with me, taking me jogging with him, letting me work in the yard with him, picking me up from school, reading the Bible with me, going fishing with me and coming into my room early in the morning or late at night to tell me that he loved me. I don’t remember what I got for every Christmas or for every birthday, but I do cherish the memory of the times that we shared (and still do share together). When I think about them I am filled with joy. Thanks for being a Man of God first and the Best Dad in the World…second…

Take every opportunity you can to honor the Fathers in your life, but above all make a special effort to honor, praise and brag about your Heavenly Father to the “fatherless” of the world. Make them jealous of your Heavenly Dad, the relationship that you share with Him and the influence that He has on your life. Then when you hear them say that they wished that their dad was like your Dad, tell them that your Heavenly Father has plenty of room in His heart and His home for them and would love to adopt them into the family too.

Make every day…Father’s Day.

Be Blessed,
B