It's Father's Day Again

I really enjoyed Father's Day, and was wonderfully pampered by my family -- I watched parts of the US Open golf tournament!

It's good to have a day to honor our fathers.

But today is Father's Day. And tomorrow will be, too. And every day until we don't read about these kinds of statistics any more:

"According to the CDC, DoJ, DHHA, and the Bureau of the Census, the 30% of children who live apart from their fathers will account for 63% of teen suicides, 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions, 71% of high-school dropouts, 75% of children in chemical abuse centers, 80% of rapists, 85% of youths in prison, and 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders. In addition, 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. In fact, children born to unwed mothers are 10 times more likely to live in poverty as children with fathers in the home.... David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American values, adds '[The absence of fathers] from family life is surely the most socially consequential family trend of our era.' "

(I took this from the 6-16-06 issue of The Federalist newsletter.)

We sang "Rise Up, O Men of God!" at our church on Father's Day. The point of that hymn is that men need to rise up not just once but again and again. Today is another day for dads everywhere to be dads, honor the Lord, and save this and the next generation from darkness.

If you're looking for a good place to begin, check out this compilation of verses about family, by Kevin Nelstead.