One evening a little girl and her parents were sitting around the table eating supper.  The little girl said, "Daddy, you're the boss, aren't you?"   Her Daddy smiled, pleased, and said yes.  The little girl continued, "That's because Mommy put you in charge, right?"

The story is told of a father of five children who came home with a toy. He summoned his children and asked which of them should be given the present. "Who is the most obedient one here? Who never talks back to Mom and does everything that Mom says to do?" He inquired. There were a few seconds of silence, and then all of the children said in one accord: "You play with it Daddy!"

The typical Father's Day sermon usually tells father's what we aren't and highlights our shortcomings. I believe the calling of a Christian Father is one of the highest callings any man can achieve in his life. I want today to be a day of encouragement and empowerment for Fathers.

Ephesians 6:4 - Fathers, don't exasperate and anger your children to a place of resentment by coming down hard on them. Instead, take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.

1.  Let me first encourage you to walk with God yourself.

What does it mean to walk with God as a man?

• It takes courage to live by your beliefs and not conform to the world.
• Men serve God differently than women.
• Men and women are tempted differently: Women with their words and men with their eyes.

Jesus was a man's man! The reason most men don't serve God is that they don't believe they can!

2.  You can do this!

Take your place and lead, don't wait to be asked. Trust your heart and instincts. Teach, empower, and respect your son. Love, protect, and encourage your daughter. Don't let the "disconnect" happen. Adjust to their needs. They need you more during the teenage years than at any other time. Your son will want to know he has your verbal approval. Your daughter will need to spend time and hear you speak words of affirmation. If we don't give our daughters words of approval some other man will!

John 15:1-3 - "I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Gardener. 2 He lops off every branch that doesn't produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops.  3 You have been made clean already by the words I have spoken to you.

3.  It is never too late to start.

Don't believe the lie that it is too late! Don't try to be something you're not. At the end of the day, if your children walk with God they will have a voice that will lead them when you no longer have a direct voice into their lives.

I asked my son what he thought I did that benefited him the most as his father and he said: Kids in school walk around with blindfolds on and you've show me how to make decisions with my eyes wide open. You have equipped me to see beyond my school building. You mentor me. You believe in me.