Fathers Day To those who became fathers this year—we celebrate with you To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you To those who have experienced loss through death, miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. To those who are foster parents, mentors, and spiritual fathers – we need you To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you To those who lost their fathers this year – we grieve with you To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own father – we acknowledge your experience

To those who are single and long to be married and fathering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren - yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you And to those who are to become fathers this year, both expected and surprising – we anticipate with you This Father’s Day, we walk with you. Fathering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

Men of God I acknowledge the call of God on my life. I WILL seek to be a visual representation of the character of God I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy. I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged. I WILL break the chain of destructive patterns in my family history I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion. I WILL be faithful in loving, protecting and serving my life-long relationships I WILL honour authority and live responsibly. I WILL work diligently to provide for my needs and the needs of others I WILL mentor others, teaching & encouraging them to love God

Celebrating Discipline May: inward disciplines meditation, fasting, prayer, study June: outward disciplines service, simplicity, submission, solitude July: corporate disciplines confession, guidance, worship, celebration

Ephesians 5-6 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord. 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children. 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6:9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Submission Giving love unconditionally Choosing the good of the other Championing the rights of others Giving up “rights” to be loved in return to retaliate to be heard to get my own way Set free from anger and bitterness selfishness Not self hatred loss of identity Love given and received as a gift, not as a right

Mark 8: Submission 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." Love given and received as a gift, not as a right

Philippians 2: Submission 1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. King of Kings

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Submission Giving love unconditionally Choosing the good of the other Championing the rights of others Giving up “rights” to be loved in return to retaliate to be heard to get my own way Set free from anger and bitterness selfishness Not self hatred loss of identity Love given and received as a gift, not as a right Stand up for Jesus It’s amazing

Blessing May the Father from whom every family in earth and heaven receives its name strengthen you with his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, and that, knowing his love, broad and long, deep and high beyond our knowledge, you may be filled with all the fullness of God; cf Ephesians And may the Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Love given and received as a gift, not as a right

Look out for people being left out