Why Fathers Matter

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. (Malachi 4:6, ESV)

For You To Think About

dad and kidsWhen a father is involved in a child’s life, the child is …

  • 4 times as less likely to be poor
  • Two-thirds more likely to finish high school
  • One-tenth as likely to abuse chemical substances
  • One-quarter as likely to face a teen pregnancy
  • One-twentieth as likely to be incarcerated
  • Half as likely to commit suicide

It’s a fact: when a father is involved in a child’s life, the child is significantly at less risk for negative outcomes and more likely to experience a more positive and productive life.

For You To Pray

Loving Father,
Thank you for fathers and fatherhood. Help fathers know how important they are to their children. Move in them to be involved in their children’s lives.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More About Fathers and Fatherhood

At Father’s Day, One Birth Dad’s Story

Father’s Day: A Grateful Nation Honors Dads

Honor Your Heavenly Father on Father’s Day

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One Dad’s Story: Mentor Helps Troy Break Absentee Dad Cycle

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

Though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right …he shall surely live. (Ezekiel 33:14-15, ESV)

For You To Think About

Troy and Xavier

Troy and Xavier

Troy Gaines wanted his father’s approval but never received it. As a boy, Troy played football to get his father’s attention. His team won three championships. After each game Troy waited for his father to show up and see his star running back son … but his father never came.

Without a father’s presence, Troy found other people to teach him things, many of them illegal. Soon Troy was arrested.

On the day he entered prison, Troy left behind his girlfriend, Stacy, and his one-week-old son Xavier. Soon afterwards, Stacy was shot and killed by drug dealers.

“At that point, I had to make serious changes,” says Troy. “If I didn’t straighten up, then Xavier would probably follow in my footsteps.” Troy knew he didn’t have the answers but needed guidance on fatherhood and being a better man.

He found a mentor who met with him and coached him. Troy wrote down his goals. He wanted to get a job and he wanted to be involved in Xavier’s life. He knew that the choices he made would affect his son. A support group of dads stood behind Troy as he learned how to change.

Today, Troy and Xavier spend time together. Troy attends all of Xavier’s football practices and games and helps his son with his homework. “He is very good dad,” says Xavier. “He loves me and he would do anything for me.”

Troy took the initiative to change – and get support to follow through – to break the cycle of absentee fathers in his family.

For You To Pray

Loving Father,
Thank you for modeling what it means to be an active, loving Father. Move birth fathers to find a mentor who can support them in the changes they need to be active dads.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More Stories from Dads

One Dad’s Story: “I Needed Support and I Found It”

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One Dad’s Story: “I Needed Support and I Found It”

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17, ESV)

For You To Think About

Dave and Liberty

Dave and Liberty

“It’s easy to have kids,” says Dave Nogart, who has nine children. But Dave knows firsthand that being a good father is not so easy.

During the first season of his fatherhood experience, Dave’s kids didn’t want anything to do with him. Drugs were more important than anything to Dave, including his children.

That changed when his 4-year-old daughter Liberty was put in foster care. Dave came close to losing is rights as a father. In order to see his children, he needed to get clean and sober.

Dave completed an inpatient treatment program, an outpatient program, and then got additional support with a group of men who were determined to become better fathers. Soon, he was able to see Liberty more. That motivated Dave to continue his recovery.

Today, Liberty is home for good. Dave married Liberty’s mother and has restored his relationship with his other children.

With support, Dave moved from the depths of despair to becoming an involved, responsible, committed father.

For You To Pray

Loving Father,
Thank you for modeling what it means to be an involved, responsible father. Move birth fathers to get support so they can have a positive impact as dads for their children.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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At the Cross: Friends Stand With You in the Hardest Times

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

Many women were there (at the cross).
They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.
(Matthew 27:55, NIV)

For You To Think About

young woman hugging older woman

Different kinds of people were present when Jesus was crucified on the cross.

  • Romans carried out the act.
  • Jewish leaders mocked Him.
  • Observers insulted Him.
  • The centurion revered Him.
  • And women, who had cared for His physical needs during His earthly lifetime, were there with Jesus during His final moments. They grieved. But they stayed.

It was at the cross when women demonstrated the power of standing with another person during the hardest time.

Friends do the same that today with those who face an unplanned pregnancy.

For You To Pray

Loving Father,
Thank You for demonstrating Your love for us by sending Your Son and for loving us through my hardest times. Show me a woman or man who needs a Friend during an unplanned pregnancy. Let me stand with that person.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

More about Friends

Don’t Check Out of Life. Jesus Didn’t – Even At the End

How Jesus Honored Women

Friends: A Refuge in the Struggle … for Jesus, Too

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Friends: A Refuge In the Struggle … For Jesus, Too

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany. A dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served …then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet.
(John 12:1-3, NIV)

For You To Think About

friends hugging

Image: Ask In Your Face

In the days leading up to Holy Week, Jesus took refuge in the home of friends Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary.

The family lived in Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem. It was in their home that Jesus rested and prepared for what He would face during His arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

Friends provide a refuge.

Those who face an unplanned pregnancy understand how the presence of a friend offers a haven of rest during a turbulent time.

A trustworthy friend offers a safe place to prepare for decisions and challenges that are to come. A loving friend helps meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. A strong friend provides protection from without while you prepare within.

For You To Pray

Loving Father,
Raise up women and men to be Friends to those who face an unplanned pregnancy. Let them offer a safe, loving, secure place for women and men who are making life decisions.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

More About Friends

Friends Walk in When Everyone Else Walks Out

3 Essential Qualities in a Good Friend

 

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Medical Pioneer Paves the Way for Women to Choose Life

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. (Malachi 3:1)

For You To Think About

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was awarded an M.D. by Geneva Medical College (known today as Hobart College) in upstate New York. She was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States and later became the first female to be listed on the UK Medical Register.

Blackwell was appalled at the burgeoning abortion business and the term “female physician,” which at the time referred to abortionists. One reason she entered the field of medicine was to promote the true welfare of women.

“That the honorable term ‘female physician’ should be exclusively applied to those women who carry on this shocking trade (of abortion) seemed to me a horror,” Blackwell wrote in her diary in 1845. “It is an utter degradation of what might and should become a noble position for women (as mothers) … I finally determined to do what I could to ‘redeem the hells’; and especially the one form of hell forced upon my notice.”

To do so, Blackwell went on to open the New York Infirmary for  Indigent Women and Children, the first American hospital with an entirely female staff. She later helped to found England’s London School of Medicine for Women in order to equip more women to become physicians.

History remembers Dr. Blackwell as a pioneer who paved the way for women in medicine – and as an advocate for life.

For You To Pray

Loving Father,
Thank You for women in history who have taken a stand for life. Allow us to honor their work by continuing it. Move in hearts to value life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More Stories of Women Who Have Taken a Stand for Life

Early Feminist Takes an Outspoken Stand for Life

Actress, Single Mom Janine Turner Speaks Out for Birth Moms

Star Trek Captain Shares Her Story as Birth Mom

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What Is “Doe v. Bolton”?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit. (Proverbs 16:2, ESV)

For You To Think About

The United States Supreme Court’s Doe v. Bolton decision, a companion case to the landmark Roe v. Wade, was handed down on January 22, 1973.

doe v boltonThe Georgia law in question permitted abortion only in cases of rape, severe fetal deformity, or the possibility of severe or fatal injury to the mother.

The Court addressed the last of those conditions and ruled that a woman may obtain an abortion after the point of her unborn child’s viability, if necessary to protect her health.

The ruling’s language allowed physicians to determine danger to the mother: “The medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors – physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age – relevant to the well-being of the patient.”

By including emotional and psychological well-being as allowable factors, the Doe v. Bolton “health exception” ruling offers tremendous subjective discretion for physicians. It now serves as a loophole to justify terminating a pregnancy.

For You To Pray

Gracious Father,
Allow our nation to respect the sanctity of human life. Move our leaders to protect the unborn through legislation.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More about the Pro-Life Movement

What Is “Roe v. Wade”?

What Is the “March for Life”?

What Is the “Sanctity of Life”?

What Is the “Right to Life”?  

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What Is the “March for Life”?

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32, ESV)

For You To Think About

March for LifeOn January 22, 1974 – the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion – an estimated 20,000 committed Americans gathered on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to rally for the right to life on behalf of the unborn.

Now called the March for Life , this peaceful demonstration has taken place every year since 1974 on or around January 22.

The March for Life has become the largest pro-life rally in the world, drawing up to 400,000 – 500,000 participants to the National Mall each year. Many conclude their visit to the nation’s capital by meeting with their congressional representatives, urging them to take a stand for life.

For You To Pray

Gracious Father,
Thank You for the gift of life. Move our citizens and leaders to take a stand on behalf of the unborn.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More about the Pro-Life Movement

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What Is the “Sanctity of Life”?

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)

For You To Think About

unborn babyThe “sanctity of life” is a principle familiar in religion and law.

In each case, the term puts forth that human life is sacred. It is of such value that it is not to be violated.

The English word “sanctity” has its roots in Latin “sanctus,” which literally means “holy.”

In the Bible, the term indicates being “set apart.” God indicates that human life is consecrated and hallowed before birth.

For You To Pray

Gracious Father,
Allow all people of the world to respect the sanctity of human life. Move hearts and minds to respect and honor this gift as set apart by You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More about the Right to Life

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Christmas Choices, Part 5: The Magi’s Choice

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Kathy Widenhouse

For You From The Word

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2, NIV)

For You To Think About

Magi crossing hte desert

The Nativity Story

The nativity story’s Magi were part of a hereditary priesthood of the Medes, an ancient people dating back to 1000 B.C., who lived in modern-day northwestern Iran and southwestern Turkey.

Members of this select sect of priests were part of their king’s court and were often consulted by him. They were not only well-educated, but considered to be wise and knowledgeable in many matters.

It comes as a surprise, then, that the Magi traveled 1,000 miles at considerable discomfort and expense with one express purpose: to find the baby king of the Jews. Once in Palestine, the Magi made the choice to worship Jesus, even though he was not surrounded by the trappings of royalty.

They model a mindset central to the question of choosing life: hearts open to the leading of truth.

For You To Pray

Gracious Father,
Thank You for sending Jesus into the world so that we might live through Him. Work in the hearts of those who face an unplanned pregnancy. Guide them to choose life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More Devotionals about Christmas Choices

Christmas Choices, Part 4: Jesus’s Choice

Christmas Choices, Part 3: Joseph’s Choice

Christmas Choices, Part 2: Mary’s Choice

Christmas Choices, Part 1: The Father’s Choice

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