The Fatherless Aren’t

June 14, 2025June 13, 2025Todd R Leave a comment

There are a lot of different perspectives on truth. Truth of the way the world is. Truth of the way it should be. Gospel Truth. But this Father’s Day, I’ll focus on one particular truth:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” – James 1:27

This verse tells us that God the Father has a special place for those who don’t have an earthly father. He will be Father to them. It tells us to be Jesus to the widows and orphans, showing them the Way to, and the love of, their Father. There is a reason the Lord’s Prayer starts with “Our Father” – because ultimately all depends on Him.

Many in the world reject God as Father because of the failure of fathers in the world. The Old Testament of the Bible is not full of great examples of parents, but rather shows people with all their flaws and warts, who by God’s grace became part of God’s plan to use sinners to reach sinners. To become the Father of His eternal people, despite the failure of His people to be good fathers. There are no Godly offspring without the sacrifice of Jesus. There is no human Jesus without a genealogy of sinners. There are none to inhabit heaven without the sacrifice of a human Jesus, God’s only Son, given for you.

This Father’s Day, take every opportunity to be grateful for fathers, for parents, for those who take on parenthood in other ways, but also think about those who have no earthly provision. Because those who see Jesus see the Father, help people see Jesus. God’s purpose for Godly offspring will be fulfilled and praise Him that you have the awesome responsibility and opportunity to be a part of that work.

Fathers matter. You matter. To God and to others. Whoever you are.

He is Always Abba, Father

April 8, 2025April 7, 2025Todd R 2 Comments

Fellow travelers,

Just before being betrayed by Judas and arrested, Jesus sought some solitude in the garden of Gethsemane, where “he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” (Mark 14:35-36). Jesus knew He was soon to die.

Donald McKim notes that “In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, Abba is the word for ‘Father.’ It is a term that expresses the closest and deepest intimacy of the relationship of parent and child.”[1] Jesus knew this intimacy even on the way to the cross.

McKim also quotes Philip Melanchthon, who said: “’Abba, Father’. By this he taught us that these two things are required in prayer, namely, the ardent affection of the mind and the faithful trust of children toward God: these two words testify that both of these aspects were present in Christ.”

The Father loves us always, even on our most difficult days. Trust Him in prayer today.

[1] McKim, Donald K. Everyday Prayer with the Reformers (2020). P. 73.

The Fatherless Aren’t

June 18, 2023June 10, 2023Todd R 1 Comment

There are a lot of different perspectives on truth. Truth of the way the world is. Truth of the way it should be. Gospel Truth. But this Father’s Day, I’ll focus on one particular truth:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” – James 1:27

Fathers matter. You matter. To God and to others. Whoever you are.

Steve’s Instruction Book for Dads

June 17, 2023June 10, 2023Todd R 2 Comments

Some years ago, I was a new dad. I also had a full-time job with a 1 ½ hour each way commute and was getting an MBA. As you may guess, time was at a premium for me.

My conscience, which I call my “Moral GPS,” was getting inputs from a couple of places. First was a coworker I’ll call “Steve”. He was a senior person at the non-profit where I was working at the time, had a book at his desk called “God’s Instruction Book for Dads”, and liked to speak his mind. He once told me his teenage daughter refused to ever talk to him, which he brushed off as “typical teenager”. What made that comment more interesting was that I later mentioned making sure to leave work in time to see my daughter before she went to sleep. She was only a few months old at the time. “Steve” asked me “what do you want to waste your time with that for? She won’t remember any of it!”

The other voice, and the one I listened to, was my wife. Any opportunity where I was home, and our daughter needed a bath or a book read to her, or anything, my wife often suggested I do it. “You’ll regret it if you don’t”. Of course, her voice aligned with “the right thing to do” and so I did my school or work at other times. I didn’t get fired, and I graduated in time. But, most importantly, I just told this story about Steve and mom to my daughter when she was almost an adult, as we were talking and having pancakes together for dinner[1]. Relationships take time, and they also take a commitment to sorting out the numerous influences in your conscience and choosing what glorifies God.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a perfect dad, but actions have consequences, and we shouldn’t take anything for granted. Fathers and mothers matter, and they sometimes need encouragement and reminders to be good parents. I once had a conversation with someone right before Father’s Day who said he wasn’t needed anymore because his kid was now a teenager. This was a lie. I told him that he mattered to his son and always will.

This Father’s Day, show someone specific that they are a priority, no matter what others might say or think!

[1] Breakfast for dinner is an amazing thing.