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)

Why Tiny's baptism was a big deal

Pastor Rob served a tiny church in North Carolina that had a big problem with Tiny. “Tiny” was the nickname of a very large man who had harassed his Christian neighbor for years, but through the quiet testimony of this neighbor, Tiny had been converted to faith in Christ, and wanted to be baptized.

The little country church building did not have a baptismal pool, so a deacon had dug a hole in his backyard, and lined it in concrete. He told the preacher they could use his backyard baptistery, so they took a garden hose and filled it with water. Pastor Rob told Tiny that when they got into the water, that he would need to bend his legs, and then the pastor could lean him back and bring him back up. However, the little hole in the yard was only about four feet wide, and Pastor Rob was a big man himself, so when big Tiny got in the water with him, the water rose almost to the level of the grass in the yard. Pastor Rob leaned him back, and Tiny's heavy weight pulled Pastor Rob down with him, sinking underwater until their large frames got wedged together between the concrete! Pastor Rob held his fingers above the water’s surface to signal for help, and his deacon grabbed a water hose, cut off an end, and lowered it into the water so they could breathe. Then they got a pump and pumped the water out. Finally, Pastor Rob and Tiny got themselves loose from the tight space in the backyard baptistery, and climbed out, exhausted. Tiny looked at Pastor Rob and asked, “Well, am I baptized?” Pastor Rob said, “You sure are!”

Tiny and Pastor Rob almost drowned in that baptistery. But God doesn’t want dead sacrifices. God is looking for living sacrifices. Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice-- holy and pleasing to God..." (Romans 12:1, NIV) Since Jesus died for us, let's live for Him. Let's rise from the waters of baptism and offer ourselves in service to God.