When I think of my father I think of the long hours he worked at two and sometimes three jobs. Being an immigrant in Canada and taking care of his family were very demanding. But I also think of the times we spent picnicking as a family, trips to the zoo, the Quebec City winter carnival, road trips, and camping in New York state.

As I reflect on my own kids growing up I feel a tremendous satisfaction in being a father to them. I haven’t been perfect by any means, particularly when it comes to doing things that I don’t especially enjoy, but we have had many great times together. What an incredible experience to have little children look up to you, trust you, and learn much of life from your own life experiences. What a blessing it is when I see other fathers taking time to interact with their children, playing with them at a picnic, rolling around “wrestling” in the living room (often at the chagrin of their mother), or enjoying the outdoors together. I have learned that children are quick to overlook your faults when they know you love them, which, in the mind of a child, is equated with spending time with them and doing things together. Long gone are the days when fathers were expected to be the “bread winner” while the mother was the only one who developed a relationship with the kids.

Unfortunately there has been a movement that promoted the idea that children don’t need fathers. From the entertainment industry that portrays fathers as buffoons to feminists who flat out reject the necessity of fathers, fatherhood has taken a beating.

The truth is that there are fathers who have really blown it. Let’s face it, some fathers have not been much of a father, (maybe because they didn’t have a father themselves?) and in some homes have made life worse by their presence. But to reject the importance of fathers because a small minority of people managed without a father in the house is like finding a 80 year old smoker and saying that smoking is fine because smoking doesn’t seem to have hurt the 80 year old. We know that smoking kills. Maybe not always, but almost always. And certainly, there will be a few homes in which a father is more harm than good, but by and large children do much better with fathers than without. Statistics confirm it again and again. The percentage of children who are content, productive, and responsible citizens is much higher in two parent families than in homes without a father. When it comes to raising children, there is no substitute for a mother and a father (which is all the more reason we need to stand by and support the single parents in our community).

If you are a father, take pride in raising the next generation of godly men and women. God has given you an incredible and awesome responsibility. Don’t listen to the voices that say you have no part in the lives of children. Enjoy your children. Be involved. Do things together. Teach them the things of God. Set boundaries. Lead by example. Treat their mother with love and respect. And you will be blessed.

God’s Word is true.  Psalm 127:3,5 says it well: “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him… Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

For additional resources on fatherhood, check out the Focus on the Family web site at Fatherhood Resources or for general family information, go to the Focus on the Family Main Web Page. They will provide you with much encouragement, resources, articles, research and support.

Pastor Norman

Dogs are great. I loved my dog. He came to us as a little puppy when my youngest was just 3 years old. There was much excitement in our house the day Frisky came home. She became a great part of our family. Most of our kids lives have been lived sharing the living room with our dog. We had her for almost 15 years. She was a great dog.

On the news recently I heard no less than three different reports about animals; a dog, some ducks, and a koala bear. The one closest to home was Trevor the dog. Trevor had a rough background, was given a new home, but things didn’t work out and was taken back to the shelter and slated to be euthanized.

The “news” part of the story was the fact that people were upset that this dog was going to be put down and that efforts were under way to save the dog. It seems the city was taken to court and the dog has been given a reprieve until an expert can come up and assess whether the dog is really dangerous or not. Then the dogs fate will be determined.

Then there was the story about the fellows shooting ducks (not in the Yukon). Someone posted a YouTube video showing these poor ducks being shot while the shooter celebrates. The “news” didn’t appear to be the illegal hunting; the news was that the otherwise happy ducks were being killed. How can people kill ducks? It was inhuman.

Finally, there was the story about the koala bears. I can’t remember what happened with these bears but apparently we needed to be informed about their plight.

Now, let me be clear, I love dogs, I enjoy seeing ducks (and I don’t mean on my dinner plate), and while I’ve never been up close to a koala bear, I have nothing against them either. They are all part of God’s creation. But it seemed strange to me that so much “news” was centered around these helpless little creatures when so many more helpless little children are not even given a chance to live.

I don’t have all the answers to what to do with so many unwanted pregnancies. I can not imagine the challenges of a single mother raising one preschooler, never mind two or three. But I do know that the answer is not to simply do away with them as if they were no more than an overgrown wart. It seems to me that dogs are given much more protection than unborn children. Something isn’t right.

Children are being aborted by the hundreds every day, approximately 100,000 annually in Canada alone. But the headlines don’t speak about it. Instead the headlines speak about dogs, ducks, and bears (and yesterdays news that a mouse was found chewing $20 bills inside an ATM machine in Oregon).

This is what our society has turned into; a society that is fragmented (little or no family support) and highly self-centered (I do what feels good for me). In that setting, it’s no wonder we see the lives of unborn children taken. What can we do? We can “do” three things.

First, we can pray. Pray for the generation that feels they can do whatever they want without worrying about consequences (including premarital sex). Pray for the moms and moms-to-be that are considering abortion. Pray for the fathers to take responsibility.

Second, we can support pregnant women. Help them so they don’t feel they need to go through this alone, or point them to agencies/people that are eager to adopt a child.

Third, we can educate. Many people don’t realize just how well formed an unborn child is extremely early in the pregnancy. The pregnancy is not just a “blob” of tissue. There are tiny feet and tiny hands that will one day clasp a finger.

Go ahead and love your dog. But let’s not forget the most vulnerable and pinnacle of God’s creation - the children of God.

Pastor Norman

A Yukon News article printed on May 22nd reported the decline in the number of children who attend the local elementary school in Porter Creek. From a peak of 510 children, in the past decade the school has seen its enrollment cut nearly in half. I’m sure there are a number of factors responsible for this decline, including the fact that the community itself is slowly aging, but one of the factors must also be the changing attitudes society has towards children. When I was young, I used to hear a phrase often: “Children are a blessing from God”. I don’t hear that often any more. Today, many people think of children as a burden rather than a blessing.

It is a fact. Children can get in the way of careers. They can get in the way of financial aspirations. They can get in the way of freedom to do what people want to do. And now, on top of all the other pressures against having children, we keep hearing about the environmental impact children have upon our world. I can’t remember what magazine I’d seen it in, but I remember seeing one ad that displayed exactly what kind of environmental impact each child would have in his or her lifetime. The message was clear: having children was bad for the environment. And the message is getting through. If you have more than 1 or 2 children, there are members of society who will frown upon you.

Of course, this goes contrary to God’s plan. In Genesis 1:28 God said, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth…” This command was repeated to both Noah (Genesis 9:1) and to Jacob (Genesis 35:11). Psalms 127 speaks of the man who has many children as the man who is blessed. And indeed, God does view children as a blessing. Often times when God blessed people, He almost always included in that blessing the promise of many children. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and many more were promised the blessing of many children!

Heather and I have been enjoying the blessing of four children. As with many other parents, we could not imagine our home with any one of them not here. Some of you have heard me say before that if I knew how much blessing our four children would be I would have wanted another four. They have filled (and continue to fill) our lives with love and excitement. Sure there are challenges, and there are sacrifices to be made, but right from the start our attitude needs to be that these little bundles wrapped up in tiny blankets are a blessing, and we need to believe and expect that they will continue to be a blessing even as they grow up. They are a gift from God that we need to treasure every day because [WARNING: cliché coming up]… “they grow up so fast”.

Today, as we celebrate Children’s Day, we hold a Children’s Service planned entirely with children in mind. We want to not only show the children that they are a blessing by having a church service focused on their needs, but we also want to remind every parent, every adult, every person who will one day be a parent, that children are a gift from God.

Proverbs 17:6 says “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” Psalm 127:3,5 says, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him… Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

Instead of being a burden, children are in fact a blessing. Certainly we need to take care of them, we feed them, we look after them, we make sacrifices for them, we teach them the ways of God, but ultimately, like everything else that is in our care, they come from God and they belong to God. They are not ours. They belong to Him. And somehow, in God’s wisdom, He entrusts us with the littlest members of His family and calls them a blessing.

What God considers a blessing, may we never turn into a burden.

Pastor Norman