A good father takes time to play
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He has strong integrity
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He is someone
that is truly dedicated
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He is not
afraid to show his love
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He is a caring provider
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And, he's a
kind spiritual leader
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These are just a few ways
to describe a father's heart.
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Hi, welcome to A Father's
Heart. I'm your host Xavier
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Now today,
Perfection that's the topic.
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Perfection, are
you Father of the Year?
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I'm here to burst
your bubble. You're not.
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We're not perfect,
nor is anybody perfect.
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So today we'll be
discussing that. And with me
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to discuss this
are Denry and Gordon.
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How are you guys doin today?
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Good, pretty good. I'm, feelin
perfect. You feelin perfect?
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Man, so what is that about?
Are you Father of the Year?
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Are we Fathers of the Year?
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I've been Father of the Year
now for 9 consecutive years.
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And you can see it in my resume.
At home if you ask my kids
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Ok, alright. Let me stop. No,
No. Of course not. No I'm not
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perfect, you know. And sometimes
I try to be but I've ended up
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just workin myself to death.
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So I mean we dress the part
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act the part, we look the part
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what do we do with that? Are we
in character are we that part?
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I don't know about you but
I don't think I'm that part
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I try to be that
but I always fall short.
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You know I can't live
up to that perfect standard
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as a father and I have a wife
that always keeps me grounded
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when I think I'm
perfect she lets me know that
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you're really not perfect.
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So we're not perfect
then. Why not get comfortable?
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I agree man because
this suit is pretty tight
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We're not
perfect. I'm not perfect.
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Tired of wearing
this monkey suit.
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Tired of playing games
with this man because you know
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try to be perfect,
ah this is comfortable
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You know what? In
fact, in fact you know what?
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Let's just take off these
shoes. I can take it off, Oh man
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You know, Ah! Relax, Here it is.
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Right here, this right
here. This is what a father
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Yeah. Father heart
right? This is what we do.
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This is much better. This
is more fun. Relaxed. Hmmm
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So what about our children
though. Do they expect us
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to look that part? Do they
expect us to act that part?
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I think this is what our
children are really looking
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forward to. When we try to wear,
and I'm not talkin about the
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suit I mean, of course, in
context there's times when you
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dress up I'm not talkin about
that. I'm talkin about when you
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try to be a professional father.
Some of us are tryin to be
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professional fathers. And when
you try to be professional you
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are goal oriented. You are
always I gotta do better, I mean
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I'm I've accomplished this, your
time management. But children
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are not property. They're not
another client. These are your
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children And sometimes all they
simply just want is just your
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time. Just to play, to bond
that's it. For them that's a
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perfect father You give them
daily, not monthly not when you
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can, but daily bonding time I
think that's what it is to be a
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perfect father. Yeah they're not
looking for perfection in their
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fathers No way. What they're
looking for is love, what
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they're looking for is just
to know that they're important.
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And being able as a father to
single out some times you know
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you've got 30 minutes today
and my 30 minutes is for you
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I'm going to take my phone
off you know put the phone away
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just so that you and that
child spend one on one time
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That's what they're looking
for more than anything else.
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What about the Bible says, Be ye
perfect as your Father in heaven
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is perfect, though. Ohhh. I see
our side game is on point today
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you know, side game is on point
I'm trying to be imperfect but
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not matching. You know what I'm
just saying, if our side game
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is on point and the Bible says
Be perfect as your Father in
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heaven is perfect, why
can't we, what is perfection?
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you know in accordance
to the Father in heaven
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that's given to us.
You wanna try that one?
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Yeah I'll start you finish
off because you do much better
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at finish in making
sense of whatever I started
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But I think, see, our human
mind sees perfection as perfect
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flawless, never doing anything
wrong, never makin any mistake
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But in the context of Matthew
chapter 5. Jesus is talking
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about God's love. How perfect
God's love is and how complete
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that He's so perfect in
His love that He is willing
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to take a slap on His cheek.
He is slow to be angry with us
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He is so loving towards us that
He is always looking to bless us
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as His people. And so
being perfect like God,
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just like we say, is
making time for each other
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Making time, demonstrating
the love of God to each other
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not trying to walk around
you know, head high, you know
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being the perfect dad,
being the perfect such and such
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because you gonna fall
and because we're sinful
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there's gonna be a
point where we just break.
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That's why a lot of people I
think, like mentally unstable
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because they break because
they're trying to be this
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this thing in the air
that they can never reach
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So wait a minute, if I'm the
perfect father you talk about
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Christ's perfection, being
perfect as the Father in heaven
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is perfect. So if my
child messes up, yeah, they're
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choosin a different lifestyle
and I don't wanna go there
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but they're choosin a different
lifestyle than me whether
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it's a lifestyle or
drinking, smoking whatever it is
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what is my role as a father?
To shun them because I'm so
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perfect, I'm so good or should
I be inclined like the Heavenly
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Father when the prodigal
son went away in that analogy
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when the prodigal son went away,
to be that father that waits
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with love, hopin and
prayin for that child to return?
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Is that what we're talkin about?
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I mean, help me out.
Yeah I mean for example though
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let's bring it back over
to this. My dad was perfect in
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accordance to Puerto Rican
culture. He taught me to fix
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cars, he taught me how to work
with lumber, build things, fix
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things but emotionally, I
didn't learn how to cope with my
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emotions because that was
not the manly thing to do.
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You know you don't express
emotions. But I learned how to
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fix cars, I learned how to
build things with my bare hands
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I learned how to provide for
my family but the one thing I
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didn't learn was how to
be a priest to my family.
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Mercy. So how do we deal
with that in today's context
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is it a cultural perfection
or a God given perfection that
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we seek. How do we become
fathers? Like good fathers.
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Like the one we serve, like
the one we have as our heavenly
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father? How do we
accomplish that feat?
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You wanna go? Go ahead.
Let's look back at Matthew 5
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The text you're
talkin about, the last verse
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Be perfect as your Father in
Heaven is perfect but let's put
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that in a parenting sense, ok?
So the first couple of verses
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Bless your children they're poor
in spirit, you know, fathers
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should always bless their
children, alright? That their
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children should be such
a priority in their life
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that even their presence
should always be a blessing
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for their children. Fathers
should be slow to be angry
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with their children and
not be angry for no cause
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Uh Huh. Right? Don't put the
children down calling them names
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You know. Always lift,
we've talked about this before.
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Always lifting them up, lifting
your children up, you know
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lift everyone up. So when
you look at that, put those into
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practice, even when Jesus talks
about divorce, that we shouldn't
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be always ready to, a lot of
times I, sometimes I even get
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frustrated when I just, ahhh
just go to your room, you know
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like you just always want
to get rid of them, you know
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that's not how God deals
with us. When we look at how the
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Father deals with us, slow to
anger, He never calls us names
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always lifts us up, right? He's
patient with us and He always
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when we are tryin to run
from Him, He's pullin us to Him
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The more we run, the more
we want and you mentioned the
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Prodigal Son and I think one
of the points we miss out in the
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Prodigal Son story is the
fact of training your child up
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in the way he should go. Notice
the son when all his money
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was gone, right? When all his
friends were gone what did he
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remember? His father. If
that wasn't in his training
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if he didn't have that
relationship with his father
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he would never. I worked in
mental health and unfortunately
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I had some kids that I worked
with, that didn't have that.
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So they didn't have a
father or a parent or even a God
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to go back to when things went
wrong. So all they could try
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to do was figure it out them
selves and all it started was
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chaos. So if we
demonstrate and be as God
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in a loving way, that should
be the title that we should
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look up, to be loving
like God the Father is love.
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So that image of the father
waiting for the child to return
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Yes! I think it's the image that
we as fathers, having the heart
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of a father should always look
for our children to come back
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and whatever we do I think
we ought to be doing everything
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that we can, train them
up in the way they should go
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so they will not depart and
have confidence that they're not
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gonna depart, the training
is going to stay. So no matter
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how far they go, they
will always come back.
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Now I think the important
thing is that priestly father
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Uh huh, is to pray for
the children every morning
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Just pray for the children,
spend time covering them
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one thing that I learned from
one of the seminary professors
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in the Jewish culture is that
every Sabbath evening they would
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bless their children and I've
been doing that for a long time
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As a matter of fact I've
been doing that even before
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I knew that it was
something that was being done
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When my son was born, he's
the first born, I remember so
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vividly sitting down by his crib
kneeling by his crib, my hands
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on his back and I'm
praying and blessing him.
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Because I wanted God to cover
him. Yes! And as he grew older
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you know I would, every night,
I had to do that. Just lay my
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hands on him and
sometimes you know it took him a
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little while to go to sleep and
when I moved my hands from him
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he knew, he needed my hand.
He would just reach out and grab
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my hands and put it right
back on his back. Praise God!
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And I kept that posture, I
had to, he wouldn't let me stop
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I kept that posture
until he went to sleep.
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And then I was able to get up.
Sometimes I was there for 1 hour
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But I spent time
praying for him. I kept that up.
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And every Friday for devotions
Sabbaths, I would just bless
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my children individually.
Just asking God to cover them.
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Because I know they can't look
to me for perfection, they can't
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look to me for anything. They
had to be able to look to God
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to God and all I had
to was to cover them.
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Yes, I think that's important.
For example, my kids, my 2 girls
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in fact my 4 year old, she
doesn't look at me to go to work
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get money and provide for
her. She just wants me, one time
00:12:45.76\00:12:49.66
she said, Daddy can
you be the Princess for me?
00:12:49.70\00:12:52.13
I'm like, that's kinda
out of my manhood. But I don't
00:12:52.17\00:12:58.14
I looked at her, I looked
in her eyes and she didn't care
00:12:58.17\00:13:00.98
so she put a little tiara on
my head and I became a princess
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with her for a day, right
there in the bedroom. We played
00:13:04.81\00:13:07.78
with toys and little
things like that you know, and
00:13:07.82\00:13:11.95
that's the thing I learned.
I had to get outside myself
00:13:11.99\00:13:15.12
as a priestly father get outside
myself and just she's not
00:13:15.16\00:13:20.03
expecting a lot from me. I think
sometimes as fathers we put
00:13:20.06\00:13:24.00
expectations as being
given to us, previously,
00:13:24.03\00:13:27.54
by culture or whatever it might
be. Sometimes all we gotta do
00:13:27.57\00:13:31.24
is ask our kids what do
you want me to do and they just
00:13:31.27\00:13:33.68
ask the simplest things, to
play that satisfies their need
00:13:33.71\00:13:37.65
for you as a father. I don't
know, what do you think about
00:13:37.68\00:13:40.52
can you resonate with that?
00:13:40.55\00:13:42.28
My step father, when I look back
now, is the best father I had
00:13:42.32\00:13:48.32
besides God. You know I was hard
on him when I was young, I gave
00:13:48.36\00:13:53.03
him a hard time. But it was new
for him. He came into my life
00:13:53.06\00:13:57.37
when I was 10, 11 or 12
one of those age and he didn't
00:13:57.40\00:14:02.40
he didn't have a father in
his life and so here he is now
00:14:02.44\00:14:08.54
he starts a marriage
with a child that's not his.
00:14:08.58\00:14:12.55
How do I take care of
this? Do I treat him like mine?
00:14:12.58\00:14:17.39
Do I treat him like he's adopted
or do I treat him like he's a
00:14:17.42\00:14:20.36
bad, what do I do, how do I
treat him? And so, but when I
00:14:20.39\00:14:25.46
look back now I see that my dad,
things like, he'd always share
00:14:25.49\00:14:33.64
his tithes with me, he
showed me how to return tithe
00:14:33.67\00:14:39.54
Took me to a basketball
game, well he never took me to a
00:14:40.71\00:14:42.94
basketball game but every time
we'd go to a park, he didn't
00:14:42.98\00:14:45.88
know how to play basketball
all he knew was to put the ball
00:14:45.91\00:14:48.68
in the hoop but he
would play basketball with me
00:14:48.72\00:14:51.45
um umm once in a while
we'd go driving together
00:14:51.49\00:14:56.32
you know, those things, I
look at those things, I didn't
00:14:56.36\00:14:59.73
appreciate them because I
wanted more, I wanted a dad
00:14:59.76\00:15:02.36
I wanted somebody to
lift me up on their shoulders
00:15:02.40\00:15:05.43
somebody to help me conquer all
the things, he couldn't do those
00:15:05.47\00:15:10.31
things. He didn't know how to.
But the things that he did know
00:15:10.34\00:15:14.44
how to do he did give me.
He provided food on the table
00:15:14.48\00:15:18.98
he went out and worked. He set
that example and then he was my
00:15:19.01\00:15:23.59
you talked about Sabbath,
every Sabbath even till this day
00:15:23.62\00:15:28.82
as soon as the sun sets,
you can hear my dad in there
00:15:28.86\00:15:33.43
singin, Lead on worship. He
doesn't care what's going on
00:15:33.46\00:15:37.57
how much more cleaning
needs to be done, whatever
00:15:37.60\00:15:40.10
he says, Stop. Sabbath. It's
time to welcome the Sabbath.
00:15:40.14\00:15:43.77
And you can hear it, and from
that point on, this day on just
00:15:44.37\00:15:47.91
that example, those examples
I think it helped me to be a
00:15:47.94\00:15:52.88
better father and more caring
father. And so I thank my dad
00:15:52.91\00:15:56.55
I thank him. You know if I went
to see him again just wanted to
00:15:56.58\00:16:00.62
tell him, thank him for what
he did. He wasn't perfect but he
00:16:00.66\00:16:06.13
cared enough to try to be
a father for me who wasn't
00:16:06.16\00:16:10.27
his biological son.
00:16:10.30\00:16:11.63
I think I wanna raise something
here. All our children I believe
00:16:12.43\00:16:19.61
no matter how imperfect we are
look at us as if we are perfect
00:16:19.64\00:16:25.85
parents. I mean, do
you agree with that?
00:16:25.88\00:16:28.92
Yeah. So no matter how
flawed they still look at us
00:16:28.95\00:16:32.25
in our brokenness, in our
misery, whatever they still
00:16:32.29\00:16:38.76
look at us as if we're perfect.
How can we capitalize on that?
00:16:38.79\00:16:43.10
And help them to know
that we're not settin them up
00:16:44.20\00:16:48.47
for a fall? Yeah. I think
it's important to, you know,
00:16:48.50\00:16:52.51
to be real with them, you know
not saying, you're gonna try
00:16:52.54\00:16:56.68
you start crying, and you
know you pour out your heart
00:16:56.71\00:16:58.81
not sayin that but at least
spend some time talking you know
00:16:58.85\00:17:01.18
My dad I have a
strong relationship with him
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.75
even though my parents
have been married all my life
00:17:04.79\00:17:07.62
I have a stronger relationship
with him now than I did before
00:17:07.66\00:17:10.26
because I did look at him
as perfect, Superman, He man
00:17:10.29\00:17:14.20
Boom and I remember that I
did the prodigal son, I ran. And
00:17:14.23\00:17:20.74
I ran away, got my life, every
thing in the blink of an eye
00:17:20.77\00:17:25.17
everything was gone and I ended
up in jail and my dad was the
00:17:25.21\00:17:28.74
one that drove up with a U-Haul
truck from Florida to W Virginia
00:17:28.78\00:17:33.82
and said, son you're comin home.
Wow! You know he was the one
00:17:33.85\00:17:37.22
who was there to bring me out
and I looked at him, I told him
00:17:37.25\00:17:41.02
I'm sorry I disappointed
you. He said, you're not a
00:17:41.06\00:17:43.32
disappointment. You just made
a mistake. Wow! And I was like
00:17:43.36\00:17:46.59
man! like. Then I learned what
a real father is about. It's not
00:17:46.63\00:17:52.07
about condemnation. It's
not about, you need to do this
00:17:52.10\00:17:55.14
you need to do that, you need
to, it's about, you know what
00:17:55.17\00:17:57.67
we all mess up. I mess up, you
mess up, we're in this together
00:17:57.71\00:18:01.94
Yeah. That's the most important
part, for me at least, that your
00:18:01.98\00:18:05.21
children know that
you're in it together. Yes.
00:18:05.25\00:18:08.05
No, you go first this time. One
thing we don't do, I think we
00:18:08.08\00:18:12.52
as parents, we try not to
tell our kids where we've been
00:18:12.55\00:18:18.73
how we've messed up in the past.
We try to keep this persona that
00:18:18.76\00:18:23.77
we are this perfect parents.
I think we as fathers need to
00:18:23.80\00:18:29.30
really sit down and tell
our children, I messed up,
00:18:29.34\00:18:32.47
I've done this, I've done that
and you're going to make some
00:18:32.51\00:18:37.45
mistakes. But I want you to know
that you don't have to, uh huh
00:18:37.48\00:18:43.32
you can choose a different
route. I think we need to be
00:18:43.35\00:18:48.02
real with our children.
We're not real with our children
00:18:48.06\00:18:50.89
so they keep repeating
some mistakes that we have made
00:18:50.93\00:18:55.73
and even they go to the total
extreme. But we need to be real
00:18:55.76\00:18:59.40
with our children. We need
to tell them where we came from
00:18:59.43\00:19:02.67
if we expect them to go some
place different. And we don't
00:19:02.70\00:19:06.07
do it as parents. A couple
years ago my dad, my step father
00:19:06.11\00:19:12.41
and my sisters, my whole family
was by my house and we had a
00:19:12.45\00:19:16.79
heart to heart. And I
mentioned something that he said
00:19:16.82\00:19:21.76
20 years ago. Out of frustration
my dad called me a pest
00:19:21.79\00:19:27.93
20 years ago he said this. Maybe
even more, maybe 25 years ago
00:19:27.96\00:19:35.24
I think I was about maybe,
I'm puttin my age out there,
00:19:35.27\00:19:37.64
maybe I was 10 or 12 something
like that, it's just right as
00:19:37.67\00:19:40.81
they got married he said
this. He called me a pest,
00:19:40.84\00:19:45.51
and I remembered that. And
so it's been in my life like
00:19:45.55\00:19:51.95
and even sometimes I try to
set certain goals in my life
00:19:51.99\00:19:56.93
so I can prove to him I'm
no pest. I try to out do things
00:19:56.96\00:20:01.96
so I can prove, I'm not a pest.
I'm the best thing you know
00:20:02.00\00:20:05.27
next to sliced bread. And I
had a heart to heart with him
00:20:05.30\00:20:09.60
and he said to me, Denry I've
done what I thought was the best
00:20:09.64\00:20:17.68
but I've made a lot of
mistakes when I look back.
00:20:17.71\00:20:20.38
And I'm sorry. And he said,
but I thought I was doing best.
00:20:20.42\00:20:25.59
This is the way I was raised.
I realize I hurt you guys
00:20:25.62\00:20:30.76
and I'm sorry. And do you
know like, I mean, it's like all
00:20:30.79\00:20:34.60
no matter what he did in
the past, the strict years,
00:20:34.63\00:20:37.67
the negligence, all that, it
didn't matter anymore. Once he
00:20:37.70\00:20:42.14
said that, it all just fused,
just like. I'm just like finally
00:20:42.17\00:20:47.68
like, sometimes our kids just
want dads to be the real person
00:20:47.71\00:20:52.61
that they can, if we put this
persona like you said, up there
00:20:52.65\00:20:55.75
so high, they'll never attain
it. And then later on when
00:20:55.78\00:20:59.72
our parents are dead and
gone we hear all the bad stuff
00:20:59.75\00:21:03.22
they really did, we're like see.
And you know what we point to?
00:21:03.26\00:21:06.83
God. He was a man of God,
quote, unquote, man of God
00:21:06.86\00:21:10.53
but he did all this stuff. He
never apologized. You know God
00:21:10.57\00:21:14.70
you're not
real, you're not real.
00:21:14.74\00:21:17.97
I think we need to, I'm feeling
this emotionally now, we need
00:21:18.01\00:21:23.85
to come to a point in our lives
where we forgive our parents
00:21:23.88\00:21:28.52
and pray that our
children forgive us. Yeah
00:21:28.55\00:21:32.72
For the mistakes that we've made
Because we've made a mess of
00:21:32.75\00:21:36.29
a lot of things. And I thank
God that we have a loving Father
00:21:36.32\00:21:39.93
who forgives us. So my heart
is telling me that we just need
00:21:39.96\00:21:47.50
to, maybe just for one minute,
just pray for some father
00:21:47.54\00:21:51.51
there that really
needs forgiveness.
00:21:51.54\00:21:54.88
I think we should. We really
need to know that there's a
00:21:54.91\00:21:59.35
God that loves them even though
they've made some great mistakes
00:21:59.38\00:22:03.52
and that child that has been
the brunt of that mistake, or
00:22:03.55\00:22:09.89
know that they need to forgive
their father before they can
00:22:09.92\00:22:13.80
move on. Because unless we do
that we'll be in the same path
00:22:13.83\00:22:17.40
I just feel that we need to.
Before we pray, because what he
00:22:17.43\00:22:22.10
he's sayin, you asked what's
a perfect father.Hmm. A perfect
00:22:22.14\00:22:26.31
father, to me, is someone
who has experienced the grace of
00:22:26.34\00:22:29.88
Jesus Christ and now
demonstrates that grace
00:22:29.91\00:22:34.32
to his family. And
that's what we wanna pray for.
00:22:34.35\00:22:37.25
That these fathers experience
the grace of Jesus Christ
00:22:37.29\00:22:40.72
they're so captivated by
Him that they're so full of love
00:22:40.76\00:22:43.69
that they now have to
share it with their family.
00:22:43.73\00:22:46.16
Whether culture, whether race
whether religion, they just have
00:22:46.19\00:22:50.30
to give this grace
now to their family
00:22:50.33\00:22:53.00
So, let's pray. Let's.
00:22:53.03\00:22:57.04
Father, we're talkin a lot about
perfection and know we have
00:23:01.68\00:23:05.61
messed up. Father we pray you
will forgive us. Lord we pray
00:23:05.65\00:23:13.92
that You will help our
children to forgive us.
00:23:13.96\00:23:18.76
The only perfect father we have
is You, so God we can only look
00:23:18.79\00:23:23.10
to you for everything. So please
help us. Yes Lord. Help us to
00:23:23.13\00:23:27.57
live the life that you want
us to live. Bless our children
00:23:27.60\00:23:31.74
in our homes, in
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
00:23:31.77\00:23:35.44
And that's the thing we need
to understand is the fact that
00:23:37.01\00:23:40.58
we're not perfect. You know
where it's crazy because our
00:23:40.62\00:23:46.02
children see us as the image
of God but we have to continue
00:23:46.05\00:23:50.06
to remind them that we're not.
Yeah. And we're not God that
00:23:50.09\00:23:53.60
they need to guard our
relationship and I completely
00:23:53.63\00:23:56.26
resonate with in fact I grew
up like this, this is the way I
00:23:56.30\00:23:59.17
grew up, you mentioned about
your stepfather. Lot of times
00:23:59.20\00:24:01.77
I think we use that as a cop
out as an excuse, just because
00:24:01.80\00:24:05.21
we grew up a certain way,
because we grew up in a certain
00:24:05.24\00:24:08.48
culture, that's the norm.
No. Take an example, Jesus. He
00:24:08.51\00:24:12.05
always lived above the
cultural norm. Yes, Yes.
00:24:12.08\00:24:15.52
So we are, as the book of Romans
says, we are left without excuse
00:24:15.55\00:24:18.65
Yes. We need to start
rising above, as men of God
00:24:18.69\00:24:21.79
no matter what your race,
no matter what your skin color.
00:24:21.82\00:24:24.76
Stop using excuses. Start
rising above, and be the fathers
00:24:25.36\00:24:28.83
that God calls us to be not
who society says we need to be.
00:24:28.86\00:24:32.77
You know, is it Psalms 27?
Though your father and mother
00:24:33.40\00:24:40.48
forsake you, yet the Lord will
take you up. I think you got
00:24:40.51\00:24:44.41
a word on that. We were talking
about that when we were driving
00:24:44.45\00:24:46.98
down. I think you
have a word on that.
00:24:47.02\00:24:48.92
Yeah the fact that even though
00:24:48.95\00:24:52.22
our earthly
parents can forsake us
00:24:54.72\00:24:56.79
mess up, God promised to pick
us up. So instead of looking
00:24:56.83\00:25:05.03
to our earthly parents for
that perfection, we have to look
00:25:05.07\00:25:09.44
to our Heavenly Father. He
promised that He is going to
00:25:09.47\00:25:13.74
take us up. And there's lots
of parents that've made mistakes
00:25:13.78\00:25:18.48
and the kids are looking for
ways to mend the relationship
00:25:18.51\00:25:25.72
who's to start that, who's
to build that bridge, who's
00:25:25.75\00:25:31.26
supposed to build the
bridge to mend the relationship?
00:25:31.29\00:25:33.96
I think that when we understand
that our earthly father is gonna
00:25:34.00\00:25:40.70
mess up, don't hold them in such
high esteem, hold our Heavenly
00:25:40.74\00:25:44.67
Father in that high esteem
because we're gonna mess up.
00:25:44.71\00:25:48.21
Now when you find
yourself in a situation where
00:25:48.24\00:25:52.75
your home is a mess because
your earthly father is a mess
00:25:53.85\00:25:58.09
they're fightin and complaining.
They're fightin, the parents are
00:25:58.12\00:26:02.22
fightin all the time and you're
caught in the middle of the mess
00:26:02.26\00:26:07.30
look to Jesus man, and forgive
your earthly father. You reach
00:26:07.33\00:26:13.03
out first and try to make amends
and know that, man, God is gonna
00:26:13.07\00:26:19.87
bring the whole
family back together.
00:26:19.91\00:26:22.28
When your father and mother
forsake you, the Lord is gonna
00:26:22.31\00:26:26.08
lift you up. And earthly fathers
you know we should look to
00:26:26.11\00:26:30.65
the same Jesus to realize that
we are messed up without Him
00:26:30.69\00:26:37.86
and actually to
realize that we are a mess.
00:26:39.39\00:26:41.70
So no matter how perfect
you think your culture is
00:26:42.80\00:26:45.97
no matter how perfect
you think your upbringing is
00:26:46.00\00:26:49.00
you know how we do it, this is
how we did it back in the days
00:26:49.04\00:26:53.38
You know what Jesus said
in Matthew 5? Back in the days
00:26:55.01\00:26:57.88
you were taught this,
but this is what I say now.
00:26:57.91\00:27:00.95
And it all pointed to
who? To our Heavenly Father.
00:27:00.98\00:27:05.09
So earthly fathers, let your
Heavenly Father be your example
00:27:05.12\00:27:10.93
And one thing I wanna share
here is that we need to admit
00:27:10.96\00:27:16.40
that we mess up. The problem
is we don't admit that we're
00:27:16.43\00:27:19.47
you know we don't
admit that we're messed up.
00:27:19.50\00:27:21.60
I'd like to continue this
conversation but we're out of
00:27:21.64\00:27:25.91
time, so to viewers, you
know if you have any questions
00:27:25.94\00:27:30.15
please send them
in to AFH@3ABN.org
00:27:30.18\00:27:33.55
Again that's AFH@3ABN.org
00:27:33.58\00:27:37.95
You're not perfect and that's
okay. Your child needs you
00:27:37.99\00:27:41.86
no matter what you
are, no matter how you are
00:27:41.89\00:27:44.86
your child needs your presence
So please stop making excuses
00:27:44.89\00:27:48.36
stop trying to be perfect. It's
okay. Your child just wants you
00:27:48.40\00:27:51.83
to be there. To be present
in their lives. Love them
00:27:51.87\00:27:55.94
Cherish them, protect
them. May God be with you.
00:27:55.97\00:27:59.44
Thank you for watching
00:27:59.47\00:28:01.44