M • E • N • T • O • R

The movement is of fathers to sacrifice for their children and become a M – E – N – T – O – R:

M = They Model the behavior. So that their children say ‘I want to be like that!’. Pastor Denny Henderson
said it best when he said his father told him that he could always be confident in ‘doing what I do. saying what I say, watching what I watch, reading what I read’. He would never do anything that he, his son, shouldn’t do.

E = They Engage and Encourage. It’s important to know what your son is interested in, what they are worried about, what they are excited about. As someone said, part of loving someone is caring about what they care about.

N = They Share the Good News. A firm foundation based on the Gospel. As Jesus says in Matthew 7 and Luke 6, you will not be able to stand trials if you do not have a strong foundation. The foundation is Jesus and we build on that foundation through obedience.

T = They Commit their Time. We need to spend time not only with our children but with our wives. How we treat their mothers teaches them a lot about how they should treat women. As Rev. Theodore Hesburgh said ‘The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.’

O = They Expect Obedience. There is a place for respect and displine in parenting. As we are obedient to God, we need to ensure our children our respectful and obedient to us and other people in authority.

R = And They Regulate. As parents we need to regulate the amount and quality of TV, internet and gaming that is consumed by our kids. We need to create boundaries of appropriate behavior. Ironically once they know the boudaries it creates a refuge for them because they know what is appropriate. It’s like the anology that rules in baseball allow us to enjoy the game. We don’t have to worry about someone running to first and hitting the first baseman in the head with the bat before they are tagged.

Are you willing to make this commitment? For your son’s sake, for your sake, I hope so. May God bless you!