A Good Father

This is becoming a habit, but another good article appeared on Heartlight's website today. "Thanks Dad!" by Phil Ware may be found at http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200706/20070611_thanksdad.html.

Here are two paragraphs:

Two powerful memories...really stand out in my mind above all the rest.

The first memory is of my dad, extremely ill and weak, going out to stop a guy down the street from beating his kid out front of their house. Other men--physically well and strong men--stayed inside their homes not wanting to risk involvement. Not my dad. No one should get away with beating his kid, especially not in public. On dad's watch, no one did. At that point of my dad's illness, the drunken father could have killed him, but that was a risk my father took. The well being of the child was more important to my dad than his own physical safety. So, dad intervened, protecting the kid until the police arrived on the scene with the abusive man spewing threats and profanities.

Second memory occurred when I was in middle school. The dad of a friend got up front at church. He was holding my friend's adopted baby sister. He told everyone that the home for "unwed mothers" that helped them adopt this little girl was very short on money and needed help. Otherwise, they might not make it. My dad wrote a check for more money than we had in the bank. Somehow we made it financially--actually, my folks received an unexpected check in the mail the next day. It was just enough to cover the gift.

At the end of the article, Mr. Ware makes an appeal to raise money for a couple of his favorite charities that benefit children. I would like to do the same. If anyone would like to help pre-born children find Christian families, please consider supporting the adoption agency that helped Janet and me in adopting our son, Christian Services of Oklahoma (http://www.christian-adoption.org/). Also, please consider supporting the Contact Church of Christ, an urban ministry which reaches many at-risk kids in Tulsa (http://www.contactchurch.net/).

As a disclaimer, I am not on staff with the adoption agency or the church, so none of the money goes to me. However, I have seen both groups at work, and I truly appreciate them.