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The Godly Father

Joshua 24:14-18

The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Her father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

A GOOD FATHER IS ONE OF THE MOST UNSUNG, UNPRAISED, UNNOTICED, AND UNAPPRECIATED HEROES IN ALL HUMANITY.

One time a little boy was asked to define Father’s Day and he said, “Its just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.”

The greatest number of long distance phone calls are made on Mother’s Day; the largest number of collect calls are made on Father’s Day!

WE COULD GO TO MANY PLACES IN THE BIBLE for an example of a godly father. One such is without a doubt, JOSHUA.

At the age of 110, he summoned the leaders of Israel to Shechem for a farewell address. He charged them to obey the Lord who had fought for them and given them an inheritance. He warned them of the danger of apostasy, saying, “Choose you this day whom you will serve….”

He chose the perfect setting, because Shechem was alive with sacred memories: Abraham’s altar, Jacob’s well, 25 years earlier, a tremendous dedication service had taken place here.

As Joshua spoke, he did so with authority of experience, for he had walked with Moses for 40 years and led Israel into the conquest of Canaan for another 25 years.

He reinforced his appeal with the POWER of a GOOD EXAMPLE. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

There are alot of things we could say about Joshua, but for the sake of time I want to mention just two—two qualities that he possessed that all fathers would do well to emulate.

I. Priest of the Home

A. He acknowledged his responsibility for the spiritual life of his family. He spoke for his family; he declared their intent.

(1) A priest cannot function unless he is in close contact with God.
(2) According to the Bible, the family was designed to be the basic educational unit (Deut. 6:6-9; 11:18; Eph.6:4).
It is the father’s duty, then, to make sure his children know how to be saved and how to walk in the ways of the Lord.

(3) The greatest thing a father can pass on to his children is the
love of God. We all know that love begets love. In chapter 3, verse 11, Joshua urges Israel to make love of God their special aim.

B. The family will usually follow the parent, especially the father.

Someone has said, “A boy loves his mother, but will follow his father."

Some months ago I heard a touching story about a humble, consecrated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son had a terminal illness. The boy had accepted Christ as his Savior, so the minister knew that death would usher him into Glory; but he wondered how to tell his son that he soon would die. After earnestly seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, he went with a heavy heart through the hospital ward to the boy’s bedside. First he read a passage of Scripture and had a time of prayer with his dear child. Then he gently told him that the doctors could promise him only a few more days to live. "Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my son?" asked his father. Blinking away a few tears, the little fellow said bravely, "No, not if He’s like you, Dad!"
C. As priest of the home, the godly father is also a man of prayer. He goes to God often on behalf of his family, asking for wisdom and courage for himself, and protection for his wife and children. Job is an example: “Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom” (Job 1:5).

The second quality that Joshua possessed is that he had a….

II. Plan for the Family

Being priest of the family is not enough. The godly father must also have a plan for the spiritual life of his loved ones. Joshua said, “…we will serve the Lord.”

A. We must strive with God’s help for family unity.
When Joshua spoke his voice rang with the sound of unity: “me and my house.” There was togetherness. And I believe that the reason that unity was there was due to his godly character, his example. His faith was genuine, authentic and as a result his family said, in essence, “Whatever you say, dad, we will agree.”

When marriage vows are kept, and the couple is devoted both to the Lord and to each other, there is no more powerful statement of family unity.

B. When the family is united, it will endure the trials that come its way. Joshua pressed a godly determination to persevere with his family. He was prepared to stand alone with his family if necessary.

First Baptist Church of Barberville

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GOD'S Word FOR TODAY

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (KJV)

IN THE NEWS
OBAMA NATION

GOP takeover of Congress would mean 'hand-to-hand combat,' Obama warns
http://lat.ms/dzXfci

Obama ignores plea for cross restoration
http://bit.ly/aw7jlb

Student Gets Violent Reaction After Shouting ‘You’re a Liar’ at President
http://bit.ly/bREov1

Three dozen fall ill at Obama rally in Md
http://bit.ly/9eQjSf

OBAMA CARE

Clinton Appointee Rules ObamaCare Is Constitutional
http://bit.ly/bTo8rc

Healthcare waivers = 'arbitrary government'
http://bit.ly/94PCDh

POLICE STATE NEWS

Operation "Rail Safe" amplifies DHS voice over loudspeaker
http://bit.ly/dpAqQW

Lawless Spying in America to Obstruct First Amendment Freedoms
http://bit.ly/9B91AI

Brave New Police State World
http://bit.ly/d81i8I

Government Seizes Newborn Baby Over Political Beliefs Of Parents
http://bit.ly/d4C80Z

SPLC, DHS, Community Officials Team Up to Attack Patriot Groups
http://bit.ly/cTy7IP

Uncle Sam Wants Your DNA: Privacy a price to pay for travel ticket?
http://bit.ly/aRwspA

Top Fed Repeats Ominous ‘Absorb Terror’ Rhetoric
http://bit.ly/aNgjR8

First Amendment Ruling Destined to Kill Internet Free Speech
http://bit.ly/aHW5fK

FBI Informant May Have Fired First Shots In Kent State Massacre
http://bit.ly/a5syAJ

Social Micro-Engineering Begins: NYC May Ban ‘Sugary Drinks’ From Food Stamp Buys
http://bit.ly/93S7dc

YouTube Censors Pro-Life Sermon Seen by Millions of Brazilians
http://bit.ly/dxDI5S

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

The feds' disease: Spending! Part 1
http://bit.ly/bTRcLY

Nullification Tour Heads to Orlando, Florida
http://bit.ly/dgg4l4

Recording Captures Brown Camp Calling Whitman a 'Whore'
http://fxn.ws/bgiiTq

72,000 stimulus payments went to dead people
http://bit.ly/btNEmZ

NEA's ties with Democratic Party ignored
http://bit.ly/bxJJpF

FDA has 'low view' of women, says Wright
http://bit.ly/bppduT

ECONOMIC NEWS

Government spending rises 9%
http://bit.ly/9VabBj

Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment at 10.1% in September
http://bit.ly/cMa0ej

Little-Noticed Bill Could Make It Harder To Challenge Foreclosures
http://huff.to/aNVg2X

Legal chaos forces US banks to halt repossessions
http://bit.ly/9xRQrt

Norcini, Sinclair – Financial Hurricane To Collapse the System
http://bit.ly/9u1xRO

23 Million Americans Hit by a Tax Hike, But They May Not Know It Yet
http://bit.ly/9edbdf

27 Signs That The Standard Of Living For America’s Middle Class Is Dropping Like A Rock
http://bit.ly/bVlBji

Goldman Sachs Says U.S. Economy May Be `Fairly Bad'
http://bit.ly/c0XgJx

JP Morgan ‘thug’ breaks into home not in foreclosure: report
http://bit.ly/98VSWJ

TOXIC SLUDGE IN HUNGARY

Hungarian officials recalculate volume of red sludge flood almost as much as Gulf oil spill
http://bit.ly/9491UI

Scientists Say Heavy Metal In Sludge NOT Dangerous? UMMM OKKKKAAAAY
http://bit.ly/alyQp9

Hungarian toxic sludge reaches Danube river
http://bit.ly/cdvAYu

CHRISTIANITY NEWS

'Abstinence' money goes to Planned Parenthood?
http://bit.ly/aGLuNn

Live your faith - lose your job?
http://bit.ly/dxwbbE

ILLEGA LIMMIGRATION NEWS

Report: Lou Dobbs employed illegal immigrants
http://yhoo.it/criKxD

HEALTH NEWS

The View Ignores Whether Government Should Dictate Citizens’ Diets
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Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s Disease
http://bit.ly/c82Ch9

Mobile phones responsible for collapse of honeybee populations?
http://bit.ly/dxlQ5f

Shameless flu shot pushers use strip clubs to entice people into medically useless vaccinations
http://bit.ly/dz5Qjp

CRIME NEWS

US offenders unmonitored as tagging system fails
http://bbc.in/byzEOr

MORAL DECLINE

Fight between mother and daughter turns violent
http://bit.ly/arWzdY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY & HACKING NEWS

Google Street View captures blood-spattered dead bodies in the streets of Brazil
http://bit.ly/bHa9Zr

Why you should never donate your body to medical science
http://bit.ly/avHSFs

Hackers hijacking your 'canceled' e-mail accounts
http://bit.ly/bby9uQ

Lights Out: US Smart Grid Vulnerable to Hackers around the World
http://bit.ly/bU0Y8J

Black hat tricks used by hackers
http://bit.ly/d9pzd6

Michigan Hackers Describe Voting System Vulnerabilities
http://bit.ly/bhsZ4l

Criminal Hackers Create 3 Million Fraudulent Websites Annually
http://bit.ly/ailks7

Discount Grocer Discloses Data Breach
http://bit.ly/9oKU4j

Worlds sexiest hacker may not be a hacker
http://bit.ly/aY8G3q

STRANGE EVENTS

Large crevice remains a mystery
http://bit.ly/9lptnm

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY
Genesis 2:1-3
King James Bible
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Obama's Blasphemous Speech
May 13, 2009

Those of you who are the elect and know and understand the sacred scriptures understand what Obama did as a "Christian" was nothing short of blasphemy.

Obama: I Believe My Next 100 Days Will Be So Successful I Will Be Able to Complete Them in 72 Days!

Blasphemy according to dictionary.com and for those of you who may think this to be an incorrect assessment is an "impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things."

Obama, claims to be a Christian, I am sure that this Chicago Sun Times article back in 2004 may be one of the first times he publicly made the statement, but read it for yourself.

Christians know and understand that we are to have the utmost respect and honor for the Word' of God by his little joke, he has defiled that which is held sacred by millions around the world.

We all know what happens if a person were to joke about another religion, there would be a public out lash or criticism and the old main stream media would be on it like buzzards.

Perhaps those of the Christan faith you to stand up and report on these types of issues and file our complaints with Obama and the state run media.

IN THE NEWS

REAL ID & PRIVACY NEWS

Grand jury blasts PennDOT licensing as reckless 5/13/09
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_624886.html

Ontario's high-tech driver's licences pose privacy risk 5/13/09
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/05/13/tech-ontario-enhanced-drivers-licences-cavoukian-high-tech-privacy-rfid-track.html

Department OF Homeland Security's (DHS) Information-sharing platform hacked 5/13/09
http://fcw.com/articles/2009/05/13/web-dhs-hsin-intrusion-hack.aspx

POLICE STATE NEWS

Police State Study Ranks U.S. As 6th Worst In The World 5/12/09
http://www.prisonplanet.com/police-state-study-ranks-us-as-6th-worst-in-the-world.html

It Is Getting Very Serious Now 5/12/09
http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin511.htm

The Electronic Police State 5/12/09
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/12/0012255

Speed limiters may be way ahead for drivers if M25 trial successful 5/11/09
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article6262108.ece

Brain scanning may be used in security checks 5/10/09
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/10/biometric-scanning-brain-security-checks

OBAMA NATION

Obama: Raise Death Tax to Pay for Healthcare 5/12/09
http://moneynews.newsmax.com/financenews/healthcare/2009/05/12/213380.html

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS NEWS

Gov't borrowing trend at unprecedented level 5/13/09
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=526760

ECONOMIC NEWS
Top Banker Warns: Expect European Union to Print Euros (Hyper Inflation?)5/13/09
http://moneynews.newsmax.com/headlines/eu_print_euros/2009/05/13/213807.html

Socialism Abounds: US official: Bailout funds to go to small banks 5/13/09
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Geithner-Bailout-repayments-apf-15228434.html?.v=2

RealtyTrac: April foreclosures rise 32 percent 5/13/09
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20090513/D985B3J00.html

April retail sales fall, raising recovery doubts 5/13/09
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30720373

Dead Woman Gets Federal Stimulus Check 5/12/09
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/19435100/detail.html

Gasoline prices jump in California and U.S. 5/12/09
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gas12-2009may12%2C0%2C4904609.story

Breathing easier after bank stress tests? You shouldn't 5/12/09
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/68039.html

Recession Comes to Berkshire: $1.5 Billion Loss 5/12/09
http://moneynews.newsmax.com/companies/berkshire_hathaway/2009/05/12/213375.html

Video: Federal Reserve Cannot Account for $9 Trillion 5/12/09
http://moneynews.newsmax.com/financenews/feds_lost_nine_trillion/2009/05/12/213463.html

US red ink rising even higher, to $1.8T 5/11/09
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/White-House-Budget-deficit-to-apf-15199183.html?.v=8

Chanos: Banks Pulled Off Biggest Heist Ever 5/11/09
http://moneynews.newsmax.com/streettalk/chanos_bank_heist/2009/05/11/213005.html

CENSUS 2009

The Reason Why the IBM/Lockheed Martin Census Worker Is On Your Doorstep Or IBMs Dirty Census Laundry 5/12/09
http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-reason-why-the-ibmlockheed-martin-census-worker-is-on-your-doorstep-oribms-dirty-census-laundry.html

CHRISTIAN NEWS

Prejean will retain crown 5/12/09
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=526394

Parenting: Embracing the sinful child 5/13/09
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=526682

Notre Dame snubber to receive pro-life award 5/13/09
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=526626

When it comes to our nation's Christian heritage, Obama is wrong
http://www.starexponent.com/cse/news/opinion/columnists/article/when_it_comes_to_our_nations_christian_heritage_obama_is_wrong/35482/

Hard Times Ahead 5/13/09
http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor179.htm

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Look Out, Spock! Pentagon Works on Real-Life Phasers 5/7/09
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/look-out-spock-pentagon-works-on-real-life-phasers/

Scientists unveil chocolate-fueled race car 5/5/09
http://www.mnn.com/transportation/cars/stories/scientists-unveil-chocolate-fueled-race-car

HEALTH NEWS

If you can't trust a Cheerios box... 5/12/09
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/05/if-you-cant-trust-a-cheerios-box.html

Medicare won't cover 'virtual colonoscopy' 5/12/09
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_go_ot/us_med_medicare_virtual_colonoscopy

Media Censoring Lethal Side Effects Of Flu Remedies
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/flu_remedies_177.html

Pregnant women at more risk from swine flu 5/12/09
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/

Vaccine: Coming to a farm stand near you 5/7/09
http://www.mnn.com/food/farms-gardens/blogs/vaccine-coming-to-a-farm-stand-near-you

NORTH AMERICAN UNION NEWS

Canada PM:EU Trade Pact Would Make Canada "Gateway To N Amer" 5/12/09
http://www.easybourse.com/bourse-actualite/marches/canada-pmeu-trade-pact-would-make-canada-gateway-to-n-amer-666646

MILITARY NEWS

Some US soldiers forced to steal water in Iraq 5/12/09
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090511_tnt_water-shortages-iraq-soldiers.16ebba1d.html

Father: Army 'broke' soldier accused of killing 5 5/13/09
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_shooting_suspect

American kills 5 fellow soldiers at clinic in Iraq 5/11/09
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_iraq

MORAL DECLINE

Nearly half of children born out of wedlock, official figures show 3/27/09
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5056489/Nearly-half-of-children-born-out-of-wedlock-official-figures-show.html

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION & BORDER NEWS

Trial begins for illegal immigrant accused of killing elderly woman 5/12/09
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Trial-begins-for-illegal-immigrant-accused-of-killing-elderly-woman-44840067.html

Thrice deported illegal alien declares: "United States Is Stupid" 5/12/09
http://www.examiner.com/x-5919-Norfolk-Crime-Examiner~y2009m5d12-Thrice-deported-illegal-alien-declares-United-States-Is-Stupid

HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA

Perspective: Why are they silent now? 5/13/09
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=527950