We Can’t Do It Alone

Happy Father’s Day

Today is Father’s Day, Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there today. This is a day set aside to honor fathers. The first known honoring of Fathers was in 1908 at a church in West Virginia. In the state of Washington the first Father’s Day was celebrated June 19, 1910 supported by a government entity. Woodrow Wilson & Calvin Coolidge both pushed to have Father’s Day to be celebrated nationally but it was not until 1972 when Nixon signed a proclamation to become a Federal holiday.

I would like ________________ to come and join and join me for a demonstration which will hopefully help us better remember my points today!

I am borrowing Pastor Adam’s sword and it is my understanding that this is not the first time this sword has been used.

I want you to hold the sword out straight, keeping it parallel to the floor. Are you up to the challenge? Good, stand here and hold and I will touch base with you shortly. You understand - you are to keep it straight.

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

We Can’t Do It Alone

Dad’s we have a persona that we can do it all! We can fix anything. My dad and Connie’s dad were handymen. My dad & his brothers built the house I lived in from Jr. High until I got my own place. Connie’s dad built his own work shed with the help of family and friends.

Our dad’s could not build the house or the work shop by themselves. They knew they would need others to come alongside them. Men we need one another and Solomon was well aware of our individual inadaquecies and that God gave each of us specific abilities for us to use to help others and to bring glory to God. I believe that was Solomon’s intent when he wrote Proverbs 27:17

How are you doing? It looks like you might not be as straight out as you were a few minutes ago. Is your forearm doing OK? What about your wrist, your grip?

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1634 Son Gets an Hour a Day

A young successful attorney said when asked about a gift:

“The greatest gift I ever received was a gift I got one Christmas when my dad gave me a small box. Inside was a note saying, “Son, this year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner. It’s yours. We’ll talk about what you want to talk about, we’ll go where you want to go, play what you want to play. It will be your hour!”

“My dad not only kept his promise,” he said, “but every year he renewed it—and it’s the greatest gift I ever had in my life. I am the result of his time.”

My relationship with my boys was pretty good but I have to admit if I had read & applied this thought I wonder what impact I would have had on my boys. Many may be thinking I don’t where I would find an hour each day, and I can totally relate but might I encourage each of the Fathers & Husbands in the room to prioritize setting time aside for your kids and for your wife. They need to know, see and feel your and care for them

Romans 15:5–6 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As a young father I was competitive and I do not think that I am alone. Baseball / softball was my sport & I worked on being the best I could be. I wanted the best for my boys, I would work towards helping them to be the best they could be. I determined early on that they would not play T-ball (I didn’t like that aspect) so I would take them in the backyard and teach them how catch, throw, how to field a grounder, how to judge & catch fly ball with two hands. Early on we got involved in soccer, I was at a loss, I developed friendships with other dads who knew the sport & I wanted my boys to learn from others and I wanted to learn so that I could help guide them. I determined I could not do it alone, I needed someone to stand with so that the boys could develop their skills.

How is your arm doing? Does anyone feel his pain? Would it be easier if you had someone else to help you hold the bat level. Who would like to come along side and help hold the sword. Maybe it takes more than one person. When we come alongside someone or allow someone to come alongside us it is to help build ourselves up and build up one another. Receiving help and is not a sign of inadequacy nor is giving help a sign of superiority.

Coming alongside another helps us in every aspect of our life and we need each other in our Spiritual walk. Life is tough and it’s easy to loose grip, to slip up, ask King David, Solomon, and others who were known as strong. Asking for assistance is not a sign of weakness, it is acknowledging that community is a place where everyone can be strengthened.

Hebrews 10:23–25 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”