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Its tIm t b th ddG o d h a s c a l l e d y o u t o b e .

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small group partIcIpants guIde

THE CHRISTIAN DADYour calling, privilege, an

eoniiliie

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Welcome to the Power Hour!

One o the frst important lessons I learned when I became a ather was that my

child would need my love, nurturance, and support around the clock. Indeed,

good dads engage their children physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In a

practical sense, that means that they provide, nurture, and guide their children

24/7. And thats how the term 24/7 Dad was coined!

Participating in the 24/7 Dad Power Hour is a great way to sharpen your

athering skills and to think about the legacy that you build through your

children. Tis program was developed by National Fatherhood Initiatives

team o nationally and internationally recognized athering experts and

atherhood practitioners, some o whom are ordained ministers. It ocuses

on the characteristics and skills that every ather needs to be a great dad.

Youll enjoy the opportunity to learn more about what it means to be a

great ather rom a practical and a Biblical perspective.

Our mission is to see that more children grow up with involved, responsible, andcommitted athers in their lives by educating the public about the importance o

good athers, equipping athers to be the best dads they can be (through programs

like this and others), and through engaging all sectors o society in this important

battle against ather absence. For more inormation on National Fatherhood

Initiative, I hope youll visit our website at www.atherhood.org.

Get ready to embark on an exciting and rewarding journey to becoming a 24/7

Dad. It will be rewarding or you and be lie-changing or your children as you

enhance your skills to help you love and raise them to be healthy adults. It will

also be rewarding and lie-changing or the athers you host in your groups.

Best regards,

Roland C. Warren

PresidentNational Fatherhood Initiative

Quick correction: In the introduction video, I stated that I got my girlriend-now my wie,Yvettepregnant when I was 19 years old. I misspoke because I got my math wrong.

I was 20 years old. For the record, I always get my wedding anniversary right. ;-)

Blessings to you...

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INTRODUCTION

welcome to the 24/7 Dad Power Hour, a Christian program for use in a

small-group setting (e.g. 6-12 dads). Te dads in your group will use this

small group participants guide before, during, and in between the times you get together.

Tere are currently two other small group studies available. Each small group participants

guide has 6 topics or sessions that engage dads, move quickly, and last about 1 hour.

Tis guide is titled 24/7 Dad Power Hour: Te Christian Dad: Your Calling,

Privilege, and Responsibilities. As the name implies, its focus is on what it means

to be a Christian dad. Te six sessions in it will help you explore what it means to

be a Christian dad in todays world; the calling, privilege, and responsibilities that

accompany fatherhood; the impact on your fathering of the expectations you have

for your child(ren); the dierences in raising boys and girls; and the importance of

developing a rst fruits mentality in your child Each session ends with activities you

can do during the week to enrich the relationship you have with your child and the

mother of your child based on what you learned.

If you havent gone through the other two studies, encourage your small group to go

through them aer you complete this one because they will help you and the other

fathers develop a well-rounded approach to being a Christian dad 24 hours a day,

7 days a week. All of us at National Fatherhood Initiative applaud you and the other

dads in your group as you seek to be the best possible Christian dads.

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the greeks of the

new testAment

erA hAD At leAst

five worDsthAt we cAn use to

Distinguish AnD Describe

the vArious AsPects of

love...AgAPe[the best AnD lAst

of the five] is

the totAlly

unselfish lovethAt hAs the cAPAcity

to give AnD keeP on

giving without exPecting

in returnit is the love

thAt PromPteD

christto come to eArth

on our behAlf.

Dr. Ed Wheat, MD,

The Five Ways of Loving from Love Life

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session 1

CHRISTIAN FATHERHOOD

time to reflect:

And a voice from heaven said, Tis is my Son, whom I love; with him

I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers

of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shallbe your servant.(Matthew 20:25-27 - NASB)

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head

of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.(1 Corinthians 11:3)

time to tAlk:odays focus is on how having a commitment to Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord

can play a part in your role as a father and how Christian fatherhood diers from ourpopular cultures model of fatherhood.

As Christian fathers, we are given the ideal father as a model to imitate: God the Father.

While certainly none of us can be perfect fathers, God calls us to strive to look like His

Son. When we do that, we reect the characteristics of Christ, such as patience, peace,

hope, joy, understanding, justice, love, and compassion to name a few. We are also called

to live a life of service and self-sacrice in the best interest of our families.

Tere are two other key characteristics that God has modeled for Christian fathers:

sacrice and service.

God made the ultimate sacrice for us with Jesus death on the cross as payment for

our sins. As fathers, we are also called to sacrice for our families. We are called to

put their needs ahead of our own. We are also called to a sacricial type of love. Tis is

an agape love (see sidebar) that says, Even if you dont love me, or treat me like I want

to be treated, my love for you is unshaken.

In Ephesians 5:25-30, Paul talks about how husbands should love their wives. Paul

instructs them to love their wives like Christ loved the church. Tis is another

example of this sacricial and passionate love.

Troughout the New estament, we are instructed to love our neighbor and to serve

others. For the Christian father, the rst place of service is in his home. It is important

ONE

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for fathers to prioritize their families to the top of their list. A dad meets the needs of

his family before he meets the needs of others. God actually requires us to serve Him

through caring for our families, which is the model that is reected through God the

Fathers relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, too many fathers, even

well-intentioned Christian fathers devoted to full-time ministry, have neglected their

families in the name of doing Gods work. God doesnt ask us to choose between

serving our families and serving others. He asks us to do both, in the proper order.

1 Corinthians 11:3 shows us Gods hierarchy for family leadership: Jesus Christ is the

head of the man, and although a man is placed in a position of spiritual leadership

over his wife, he is ultimately the one who will stand before God in judgment for how

well he did in that leadership position. In other words, God takes family leadership

seriously. Being head of the household is not a position of power; it is to be a posi-

tion of submission to a higher powera position of complete obedience to Christ ashead. Remember, true leadership is service, and Jesus modeled it.

Finally, it seems as if a Christian father has a distinct advantage over a dad who does

not know God. When the Christian father struggles with how to raise his child, he has

the opportunity to ask the One who created his child! When a Christian dad doesnt

know the answer, he has the chance to ask the One who does! And, in very real ways,

God speaks to us and answers us through the witness of His Spirit and the Bible.

WorldHow are fathers most oen depicted in our culture? How are Christian fathersdepicted in the media and in our society at large? Tink about television shows

you might watch, such as the popular cartoon sitcom Te Simpsons that has long

featured a character named Flanders who is a Christian father.

Do you think our culture values fatherhood more or less than it did 15 years ago?

WordHow does God model his ideal of fatherhood for us in His Word?

Read 1 Corinthians 11:3. What do you think of this hierarchy?

Who has the tougher jobthe man or the womanwithin this structure?

WithinWhat is the main dierence between Christian fatherhood and our popular

cultures view of fatherhood?

All fathers leave a legacy. What would you like your legacy to be and why?

Share your answer with the other dads if you are comfortable doing so.

TwO

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SESSION 1

time to connect

Reach UpRead, reect, and prepare to share your thoughts during the next session on the two

Bible passages that werent the focus of todays ime to Reectsection.

Reach Out

To Your Child

ake a few minutes and write a short letter to your child(ren)just a few sentences

or paragraphs that tell your child how much you value him/her and how you hope

to leave a legacy through him/her. Make sure to include what your dreams are for

your child. Include, for example, that you hope that your child grows to love and

serve Christ, and that he/she grows to be strong in his/her faith. Aer you completethe letter, think about a good way to give it to your child. Be creative! If your child

cant read at all or well enough yet to understand the letter, save it for when he/she

can read well enough.

To Mom

ake a few minutes and write a short letter to the mother of your child(ren)just

a few sentences or paragraphs that tell her how much you value her as a person,

mom, and, if appropriate, wife. Include, for example, that you hope that you want

to work with her to help your child grow to love and serve Christ and that, as a

family, everyone grows to be strong in his/her faith. Aer you complete the letter,

think about a good way to give it to her. Be creative!

Get inspiration on this weeks Reach Outassignment. Listen to the podcast

at www.fatherhood.org/powerhour.

THREE