Hooray for Dad! (Part 2 of 2)

Dr. baby in his arms he said would you like no longer will tears streaming down my face.

He said why not. I said, because she'll I never saw anything so fragile in all my life. Most of us who have children can remember those first moments we had with them, whether by birth or adoption. We were able to hold them in her arms.

Welcome to today's episode of Focus on the Family with your host focus. President Jim Daly I'm John Fuller today were continuing attribute to dad's featuring Ken Davis, John Father's Day is coming on Sunday and to all the dads listening.

We want to say so little you and the role you play in the home, and I also want to recognize the medical professionals who been working tremendously long hours in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic and without the comforts of home, we've seen new stories of doctors living in motels, RVs, and even tree houses to avoid spreading the virus to their family and let me say to all of our first responders and their families. If there's anything we can do for you here Focus on the Family please give us a call we want to help you in any way we can now as we continue Ken Davis's message let me just point out that he began with an Old Testament Bible verse Malachi 46 that contains a prophecy about Jesus Christ who would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children in the hearts of the children to their fathers that Ken is sharing ideas for encouraging that relationship between dads and their kids, such as making a real effort to spend time together as a habit. No big plans just hanging out together.

That's pretty doable and I was some more ideas here now is Ken Davis speaking to a crowd of about 50,000 men at a promise keepers event in San Diego. A number of years back and were enrolled back just a bit seeking here. His main point from last time that here's Ken Davis on Focus on the Family friends.

Jesus looked at his disciples just before he was about to die and he set a new command I give you that you love each other like I loved you.

He said by this man will know that you are my disciples. How did he love us. He made a commitment to leave his throne on high to leave all the glory that was and come down here to spend the time with us that would allow us to know the love and forgiveness of God. If you want evidence that your heart dad is returning to you the your sons, your daughters, make the commitment of time and I'm speaking to you sons to because this isn't easy. I remember sitting in a hotel room, weeping one set a message I heard how important it is for a father to spend time with their children and dad, you need to realize this dream. In reality, not in fantasy. I could hardly wait to get home. I got on that plane.

It couldn't fly fast enough. I wanted to leave my luggage. There I got my luggage.

I went home and I said to my daughter honey I love you.

I heard a message on television. I haven't spent enough time with you going to the cabin this weekend just you and me and my daughter was about 16. As time rolled her eyes, way back in her head and said is this going to be a family thing kids you will never know teenagers, young men, you will never ever know the value of you taking time to be with your dad, how many of you dads in here have discovered that when your kids reach 16, 17, 18, when your heart begins to turn back toward them.

Just when they get to be the age when they can be good companions.

They choose another companion young men.

If you claim the name of Jesus Christ make time for your dad. Honor your father with your time second commitment evidence that the father's hearts are returning to the children in the children's hearts to the fathers. Make a commitment to say the words I love you. I was speaking in a large church in the South and in the middle of this marvelous service several thousand people in the service. A boy about 12 years old walked up on the stage and the pastor stopped what he was doing. He grabbed the boys head between his hands. Any place that had that boy just right up to his face and you could tell he was whispering something in his ear. Then he held the boy just inches from his face and placed the ONE CHEEK IN A BIG THE OTHER CHEEK.

I WAS AT ATTENTION. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THE YOUNG MAN WALKED ACROSS THE STAGE OFF OF THAT STAGE AND OUT THE BACK DOOR NOT ASHAMED, NOT EMBARRASSED, BUT WITH CONFIDENCE AND SENSE OF PRIDE AND STABILITY. WHEN THE PASTOR GOT BACK.

I SAID WHAT DID YOU DO WHAT DID YOU SAY I THOUGHT PERHAPS THE YOUNG MAN HAD MISBEHAVED IN SOME WAY, AND THE FATHER HAD SAID YOU BETTER STRAIGHTEN UP. HE SAID ALL I PRAYED IN HIS EAR THAT THE ANGELS OF GOD WOULD PROTECT. I PRAYED THAT THE POWER OF CHRIST'S BLOOD WOULD PROTECT THEM FROM SATAN'S ATTACK AND THEN I WHISPERED IN HIS EAR. I LOVE YOU AND I WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE, HE SAID AND I KISSED HIM AND SENT HIM TO BED. HE SAID I DO THAT EVERY NIGHT SINCE THE DAY HE WAS BORN FOR 12 YEARS. HE SAID SOMETIMES. I'M TRAVELING AND I HAVE TO STEP OUT AND I HAVE STEPPED AWAY FROM A MESSAGE OR I HAVE ASKED TO BE DELAYED FOR A MOMENT SO THAT I CAN GET TO A PHONE AND WHISPER THOSE WORDS TO THEM EVERY SINGLE NIGHT AND THE TEARS BEGAN TO STREAM DOWN MY FACE.

WHERE DID YOU LEARN AND HE SAID TO ME, MY DAD DID EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. WE NEED TO BREAK THE CHAIN WE NEED TO BREAK THIS IDEA THAT BECAUSE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN GROW TO MATURITY. THERE IS A NECESSITY THAT THEY SEPARATE US FROM US SPIRITUALLY.

WE NEED TO BREAK THAT BY LETTING THEM KNOW THAT WE LOVE THEM BY SAYING THE WORDS. MY OWN DAUGHTER. STOP SAYING THE WORDS. WHEN SHE WAS 16 YEARS OLD AND NOW I'M SPEAKING TO YOU YOUNG MAN HERE AND I'M SPEAKING TO SOME OF YOU ARE 40, 50, 60, AND HAVE DADS AND YOU HAVEN'T SAID I LOVE YOU FOR A LONG LONG TIME. BOTH WORDS ARE SO IMPORTANT SHE STOP SAYING I LOVE YOU. I TRIED TO FORCE HER TO SAY IT, I WOULD LOOK HER IN THE EYE AND I WOULD SAY I LOVE YOU AND SHE WOULD SAY ME TO AND I WOULD SAY SAY AND SHE WOULD SAY I JUST DID 78 DEAN I COULDN'T GET HER TO SAY THE WORDS I SO LOVE TO HEAR SHE WENT TO COLLEGE I WENT TO SPEAK AT HER CHAPEL.

MY ONLY CONCERN WAS THAT I DIDN'T EMBARRASS MY DAUGHTER IT WAS NOT A GOOD MOTIVATION, BUT I JUST WANTED HER TO BE PROUD OF HER DAD. I SPOKE AT THE CHAPEL WENT OUT TO LUNCH WITH THE CHAPLAIN. AFTERWARDS WE WERE AT A WONDERFUL ITALIAN RESTAURANT, HE SAID, LOOK, AND HE HANDED ME A STACK OF CARDS IN THE STACK OF CARDS WERE RESPONSE CARDS.

HE SAID WE HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE FROM OUR STUDENT BODY. THEY WILL BE SAID BUT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS AND HE HANDED ME A LITTLE BLUE CAR.

IT WAS MY DAUGHTER'S RESPONSE CAR ON THE FRONT OF THAT CARD IN HER HANDWRITING WAS HER NAME, TRACY LYNN DAVIS. I TURNED THE CARD OVER PRAYING OLD DEAR GOD, I HOPE I DIDN'T EMBARRASS HER I HOPE SHE LIKES MY TALK AND WHEN I TURN THE CARD OVER WRITTEN ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND THOSE BIG ROUND LETTERS WAS I LOVE MY DADDY'S EYES SPIT SPAGHETTI ALL OVER THE PLACE. I RAN FOR THE BATHROOM. I TURNED AROUND AND LOCKED THE DOOR AND BEGAN TO WAIL OUT LOUD. THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY LOVE IS GOD'S LOVE. THERE WAS A GUY IN A BOOTH. I WAS NOT AWARE OF. I KNOW IT WAS BECAUSE HE SAID BIG GHETTO LIFE MAN HOW IMPORTANT THOSE WORDS ARE MY DAD WAS A PRISONER OF WAR IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR SPENT 3 1/2 YEARS IN A JAPANESE PRISON CAMP WHEN HE WAS LIBERATED HE WEIGHED ABOUT 87 POUNDS. THEY TOLD ME NEVER HAVE CHILDREN. HE HAS FIVE THEY TOLD HIM HE PROBABLY WOULD LIVE PAST 4070.

THEY TOLD HIM HIS HEALTH WOULD FAIL. HE CAN STILL WALK ME BUT MY DAD GREW UP IN AN ERA LIKE A LOT OF DADS IN THIS MARVELOUS STADIUM GREW UP WHERE IT WASN'T CONSIDERED A MANLY THING TO SAY I LOVE YOU AND SO I DIDN'T SAY I LOVE YOU TO MY DAD THE OTHER DAY I WAS ON A PLANE AT 30,000 FEET AND I DECIDED TO WRITE A LETTER TO MY FATHER. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW HE WOULD RECEIVE IT, BUT I WROTE AND I TOLD HIM DAD EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WRITTEN ON A PIECE OF PAPER HAS COME TRUE. EVERY GOAL I HAVE EVER PUT DOWN FOR MY LIFE HAS COME TRUE.

FINANCIAL GOALS CORPORATE GOALS SPIRITUAL GOALS. I SAID FATHER I DID ALL OF THAT TO MAKE YOU PROUD.

I WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING AS A MAN WHO IS 50 YEARS OLD. I WANT YOU TO BE PROUD OF ME. YOUR SON AND THEN I WROTE WHAT WAS COMING FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART. I SAID, BUT DAD AS I SIT ON THIS PLANE AT 30,000 FEET WITH ALL OF THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WRITTEN SEVEN BOOKS GOTTEN AWARDS FROM THE PRESIDENT. I SAID WHAT I'M PROUDEST OF MOST DAD IS THAT YOU ARE MY FATHER. I SENT MY DAD THAT LETTER AND I WAITED FOR THE PHONE RING AND IT DIDN'T RING GOING HOME TO VISIT MY FATHER ABOUT A MONTH LATER MY MOM THERE SO MARVELOUS SHE DID THAT THING WEEKLY WEIGHT WHEN MY DAD WAS OUTSIDE. SHE TOOK ME INTO THE GUEST ROOM AND THERE IN THE GUEST ROOM IN A HOMEMADE FRAME THAT MY DAD MADE FRAMEWORK. EVERYONE WHO COMES INTO MY PARENTS HOME CAN SEE WAS THE LETTER I WROTE TO MY DADDY THAT SAID I LOVE YOU I'M PROUD THAT YOU'RE MY DAD ALL HOW WE NEED TO HEAR THAT HOW WE NEED TO SAY IT TO EACH OTHER. I DON'T KNOW WHERE I WOULD BE TODAY IF IT WASN'T FOR THE FACT THAT GOD HAS SPOKEN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

I LOVE YOU. SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I BELIEVE THAT I WAS GOING TO DIE. IT WAS A RESULT OF A STUPID MISTAKE AND FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OVER THE PERIOD OF CHRISTMAS. I THOUGHT I WAS EXPERIENCING MY LAST CHRISTMAS ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH AND AS A RESULT OF THAT CRISIS.

I WENT INTO THE DEEPEST DEPRESSION I HAD EVER FACED IN MY LIFE AND IN THE MIDST OF THAT DEPRESSION. SATAN CAME LIKE HE HAS COME TO SO MANY OF YOU HE CAME LIKE HE HAS COME TO SOME OF YOU EVEN IN THIS MEETING. AS YOU HEAR THE MARVELOUS SPEAKERS AND YOU SEE THE TESTIMONIES AND YOU SEE THE CHILDREN ON THE SCREEN. I WATCHED SOME OF YOU WALK IN WITH THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE THAT SAYS I DON'T BELONG HERE.

THIS IS A MEETING WHERE GOD IS. I DON'T BELONG HERE THAT SATAN IS WHY AND DURING THAT DEPRESSION. I FILLED LOOK WITH MY SINS. YOU SEE, MY FRIENDS, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH BEING RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN HOME BEING RAISED WHERE YOUR AROUND CHRISTIAN PEOPLE ALL THE TIME. AS YOU COME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU DESERVE GOD'S LOVE.

I HAD TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD SPOKE TO OVER A MILLION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. I HAD SEEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE RESPOND TO THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST. I HAD GONE TO SOME OF THE TOP CORPORATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY TO GIVE MOTIVATIONAL TALKS AND AS A RESULT OF THEM SEEING THE LIGHT OF CHRIST IN MY LIFE TALK TO MEN AND SEEING THEM COME TO KNOW THE LORD IN HOURS OF CONVERSATION. AFTER THOSE PRESENTATION I THOUGHT GOD MUST LOVE ME. IT'S THE REAL BAD PEOPLE THAT HE HAS TO BE FORCED TO LOVE, BUT IN THE MIDST OF THAT DEPRESSION.

I CAME TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

MY HEART IS DECEITFULLY WICKED ABOVE ALL THINGS AND THAT TRUTH BORE DOWN ON ME UNTIL I COULDN'T STAND IT. SATAN POINTED IT OUT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I BEGAN PLAYING THE TAPE OF ALL OF THE SINS IN MY LIFE ALL OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN ONE DAY. I CLOSE THE DOOR TO MY OFFICE DETERMINED THAT I DIDN'T DESERVE TO LIVE, AND I BELIEVE IN ANGEL SAID CLEAN YOUR DESK.

YOU SAY HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WAS AN ANGEL SUGGESTS. ALL I KNOW IS WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR TO CLEAN MY DESK A LITTLE HEART FELL OUT. I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT HEART EXCEPT FOR THE DAY THAT I CREATED IT AND I HAVE NOT SEEN IT SINCE I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT IS.

BUT IT WAS A DOILY, A WHITE DOILY IN A LITTLE RED HEART AND WRITTEN IN CRAYON IN MY HANDWRITING WAS SOMETHING I HAD WRITTEN YEARS BEFORE AT BIBLE SCHOOL WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.

SATAN IS GOOD AT TELLING YOU HALF THE TRUTH OF US DESERVE TO BE HERE. NOT ONE MAN SITTING IN THE STADIUM DESERVES THE BLESSINGS AND LOVE OF GOD. BUT THAT'S ONLY HALF THE TRUTH. THE TRUTH IS HE KNOW THAT HE SEEN OUR VIDEO PLEASE READ OUR NOTEBOOK AND HE LOVES US ANYWAY AND HE IS TOLD US A THOUSAND TIMES. I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU MY LITTLE LABVIEW AND IF IT WERE NOT FOR THAT REDEEMING MESSAGE THAT HE SAW. SO FIT TO REMIND ME OF THAT DAY TO COUNTERACT THE LIES OF SATAN. I WOULDN'T BE HERE. YOU WANT TO SHOW EVIDENCE IN YOUR LIFE BUT YOUR HEART IS RETURNING TO YOUR SON TO YOUR DAUGHTER YOU WANT TO SHOW EVIDENCE IN YOUR LIFE YOUNG MAN OR OLDER MAN, BUT YOUR HEART IS RETURNING TO YOUR FATHER SAY THE WORDS SOME OF YOU NEED TO LEAVE HERE AND FIND A TELEPHONE, AND CALL YOUR FATHER NO MATTER WHAT AGE SHE IS AND SAY I LOVE SOME OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN MEANT TOWARD BY MEN WHO CARE ABOUT YOU NEED TO TELL THAT PERSON. I LOVE YOU.

SOME OF YOU WHO HAVE BEFRIENDED THAT YOUNG MAN ON A SKATEBOARD WITH A HAIRDO THAT COULD INJURE PEOPLE NEED TO CALL THAT YOUNG MAN, AND SAY I LOVE YOU ANOTHER ONE. A COMMITMENT TO TOUCH.

THERE'S A REASON A DOG IS A MAN'S BEST FRIEND. I BELIEVE IT WAS CS LEWIS WHO SAID WE AS CHRISTIANS NEED TO RESPOND TO EACH OTHER THE WAY DOGS RESPOND. HOW MANY YOU'VE COME HOME AND THE REASON A DOG IS A MAN'S BEST FRIEND IS BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU AND HE IS WILLING TO SHOW IT ANYWAY YOU CAN BE GONE FOR FIVE MINUTES FIVE HOURS FIVE DAYS YOU COME HOME.

THAT DOG IS RIGHT THERE AT THE DOG. I'M SO HOW COME AND SEE WHAT I'VE DONE, COME AND SEE WHAT I'VE DONE.

THIS IS WHY AM PRETTY SURE I Watched the Funeral Gets Awkward Being Moved by a Man Who Yearned for Peace I Would've Made It through the Entire Ceremony.

If It Hadn't Been for His Granddaughter. She Stood up and She Said These Words in Anyone Who Saw the Ceremony Had to Be Moved by Them. She Said, Pardon Me, That I Don't Want to Speak about Peace but about My Grandfather. She Said in the Middle of Her Speech. Your Appreciation and Love Has Accompanied Us at Every Step and Paste in All Ways. She Said You Are Our Hero Lone Wolf.

You're so Wonderful Once Greater Than I Have Eulogized You, but None Know the Softness of Your Touch and a Group of Men That I Am Accountable to. We Sat One Day and Asked What We Want When We Get to Heaven, and All Five of Us Wept Uncontrollably As One Man Expressed the Desire of All of Us to Climb into the Lap of Jesus Christ and Have Him Wrap His Arms around Us and Hear Him Say It's Okay Now You're Safe Now. I Love You I Love Some of You Have Daughter That Have Reached the Age of Puberty and Somehow You Believe That Now You Need to Back Away but You Can't Hug Them Anymore.

I Listen to a Woman at One of Our Communications Workshops. As She Wept and Talked about the Rejection She Felt from Her Dad He Had Loved Her.

He Had Held Her. He Had Touched Her in All the Right Way until She Became a Young Woman and Then He Treated Her like She Had Some Disease. I Have a Friend That Works in Minneapolis with Prostitutes.

He Says He Has Never Met One of Those Dear Ladies Who Have Sold Their Soul along with Their Bodies Never Met One Who Has Been Properly and Appropriately Hug and Held by Their Dad.

Jesus Touched the People, He Love Third and Last a Commitment to Christ and I'm Closing and Friends. This Is the Key.

You Cannot Go Water Here Saying I'm in Honor Those Four Commitments You Gave to Spend Time to Say I Love You to Touch My Son to Touch My Dad to Say It's Okay and Sons, Climbing Touch and How Come It's Okay Some You Dad Say My Son Would Be Embarrassed to Hug, Then Given Him One of Those Is You Go by but Talks but All Those Techniques Won't Work Unless We Are Committed to Christ. It Was John The Baptist Introducing Jesus That Would Turn the Hearts of the Fathers to the Children in the Hearts of the Children to the Fathers. It Was Jesus. In That Relationship, without Your Relationship with Christ Coming Tighter and Closer and Being Stronger. You Will Not Be Able to Do Anything on a Permanent Basis about the Relationship with Your Children. You Cannot Force Your Children to the Lord. You Cannot Build Character or Spiritual Integrity in the Lives of Your Children by Making Role, but Your Children's Character in Their Spiritual Integrity Will Be More Impacted by Watching Your Walk.

The Lord, and by Watching How You Treat Your Wife Than Anything Else on the Face of the Earth When They See You Following Jesus They Know More Thousand Men and a Promise Keepers Event a Number of Years Back, Jon. I Really Want to Emphasize What Ken Said There at the End That Our Own Spiritual Integrity Is the Best Witnessing Tool. The Best Way to Share Our Faith with Our Children.

So Let Me Encourage You Look for Those Opportunities to Just Hang out with Your Kids and Spend More Time with God As Well. The Bible Says That the Lord Rewards Those Who Earnestly Seek Him. Seek the Lord through Prayer, through Bible Study through Worship and See What Happens.

I Believe the Lord Will Not Let You down. If You Do That in Your Children. Most of All Will Benefit from That Relationship That You Have with Christ and I Might Add Jim, It's Never Too Late. I'd Say Even If Your Kids Are in Their 20s or 30s, There Still Watching to See If Your Walk Matches Your Talk Is so True. And Dad Said, Let Me Say. Also, If You're Involved in Something That Makes You Feel like You Want to Hide out from Your Family, or If You're Depressed like Ken Davis Was Please Give Us a Call. We Have Caring Christian Counselors Here Who Can Spend Some Time with You on the Phone and Give You Some First Steps and Then Recommend You to a Like-Minded Counselor in Your Own Area so Please Take Advantage of This Opportunity.

It's Free and We Are Here to Serve You.

Yeah, Call 800 the Letter a in the Word Family and Will Put You in Our Counseling Callback List We Do Get A Lot Of Calls from Programs like These, so Someone Will Get Back to You in a Day or Two and like John Just Said We Get A Lot Of Phone Calls about 2000 Counseling Requests Each Month and Her Counselors Tell Me That the Coronavirus Pandemic Really Increase the Intensity of Those Calls of Families Are Hurting and We Know That yet Because of the Impact That the Shelter Place Orders Have Had on Our Economy. Donations to Focus On The Family Are down so If You Can Give If You're in That Position. We Really Need to Hear from You Now, so Please Support Us As We Support Hurting Families, and As a Bonus, Some Generous Friends of the Ministry of Offer to Match Your Donations Dollar for Dollar so That Your Gift Will Have Twice the Impact of $50 Gift Becomes $100 Gift and This Is a Great Time to Give. When You Make a Donation of Any Amount Will Send You a CD Copy of This Complete, Two-Part Message from Ken Davis As Our Way of Saying Thank You for Partnering with Us. Get a Copy for the Man in Your Life Today and Will Be Happy to Send Your CD out When You Call 800 the Letter a and the Word Family. That's 800-232-6459 or Donate and Get the CD Online and Will Have the Link in the Episode Notes and When You're Online with Us. Check out Our Free Parenting Assessment Which Takes Just A Few Minutes to Complete and It Offers You Some Really Good Looks and Her Strengths and Weakness Are to Work on. You'll Also Learn about the Seven Traits of Effective Parenting. Those Are Biblically Based in Fact, by Research to Help You Raise Healthier Tour Responsible Children On Behalf Of Jim Daly and the Entire Team.

Thanks for Listening to This Focus On The Family Podcast If You Would Please Take a Moment or Two, Give Us a Rating and Sure about This Episode with a Friend, I'm John Fuller Inviting You Back. As We Once Again Help You and Your Family. Thriving Christ