Top Ten Things NOT to Give for Father's Day

In the old days before cell phones and national calling plans, telephone companies reported that the largest number of “collect” calls were made on Father’s Day. For the younger generation who don’t know what I’m talking about, that means Dad got a call and he had to pay for it!

Which caused me to wonder… what are the worst things a man could get for Father’s Day? Drum roll, please. Here it is….the Top Ten Things you should NOT give Dad for Father’s Day.

10. Necktie

9. “World’s Best Dad” coffee mug

8. “World’s Best Dad” t-shirt with a picture of Darth Vader

7. “World’s Best Dad” certificate signed by a Lazy Son or Daughter

6. The book, Fatherhood for Dummies.

5. A text message saying “Happy Father’s Day.”

4. Nose and ear hair trimmer

3. Big Mouth Billy the Bass singing fish

2. Book a cruise and charge it to Dad’s credit card.

1. Nothing.

Yep. Nothing. The worst gift of all is to forget Father’s Day and fail to call or say anything about it. Even a text message is better than nothing at all.

Having said that, what are the BEST gifts a Dad could get? From my informal survey of men, here’s my list of the Top Ten Best Gifts for Father’s Day.

10. Gear for his favorite hobby: golf clubs, fishing gear, etc.

9. Tickets to go with him to his favorite sports event

8. Spend the day with him at the beach or a park.

7. Write a letter telling your Dad why he’s the best.

6. Tell Dad “thank you” for all the things he does, and list what those things are

5. Pray for him every day and call him at least once a week and tell him you’re praying for him.

4. Give him a hug and tell him, “I love you.”

3. Let him sit in an easy chair and wait on him hand and foot all day long.

2. Bring the grandchildren to visit. (Did I mention that I’m going to be a grandfather?)

1. Accept Christ, and be baptized with your Dad on Father’s Day.

The last verse of the Old Testament prophesies, “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” (Malachi 4:6, HCSB) It doesn’t get any better than that!

(Copyright 2011 by Bob Rogers)

Dads, Dead Squirrels and Teachable Moments

A father and son were riding home from church, and the boy was filling out a crossword puzzle. The boy said, "How do you spell God?" The father was excited to help in his spiritual development, and gladly replied: "G-O-D," and asked, "Anything else?" The boy said, "Yes, how do you spell "Zilla?"
Brian Harbour tells about a little boy who told his dad that he saw a squirrel flattened in the road. The father saw it as a teachable moment about safety, and said, "That's what can happen to you when you play in the road."
Later, the boy was playing with his friends, and he said, "My Dad told me what happens to you when you die." His friends got wide-eyed, and asked, "What?" He answered: "You become a squirrel."
Sometimes our kids don't understand us, but we fathers have an awesome opportunity to influence the values of our children. Research shows that fathers have more influence than mothers in values development of children, especially spiritual values. A recent study found that when Mom attends but Dad does not, only 2 percent of the children grow up to be regular churchgoers. But if Dad attends and Mom does not, 44 percent of the children grow up to attend church regularly!
No wonder the Bible specifically tells fathers to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Hey men, this Father's Day, set the spiritual tone in your household, and take your family to church with you. You'll be glad you did!