Father's Day

What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages...The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring...The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity...The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities...
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete...And so, He called it ... Dad.
~~Author Unknown.~~

Happy Fathers Day especially to my two sons, Charles Terrell Shaw and David Baird Shaw and to my five sons in law,
Gilbert Lewis Crouse, James Dow Turrentine, Ronald Johnston, Gregg Allan Lewis, Charles Hardy Roszel, all of whom are good fathers to my grandchildren.

Happy Father's Day to my seven Grandsons who are wonderful fathers: Gilbert Crouse Jr., Jack Yoest , Steven Turrentine, Ricky Davis, Joey Johnston, Joshua Hearn, Philip Rogers.

David Blankenship has written a book entitled, "Fatherless America.” Blankenship states that when a father dies, his fatherhood lives on in the head and the heart of his child if the family and friends seek to keep his memory alive and when they finds ways to help compensate for the father’s absence.He says that in this sense the child is still fathered.

Looking back I know I was profoundly influenced by my mother telling me about my father…how he prayed for me…how on his death bed he prayed for each child by name…that they would come to know Jesus.

I read an article recently entitled, “A Father’s Death Leaves Love Behind.” William Maddox write about his father-in-law, a man he never met because the dad died when his wife was only three.

His wife’s Dad had been a musician who sang in a quartet and had cut a few records. Maddox said his wife’s father’s legacy lived on because his words and music had a profound influence on his wife’s upbringing.

My father, Benjamin Wilson Baird had a profound influence on me even though he died when I was nine. My playmates would sometimes say, “I want to be a nurse “or “I want to be a policeman when I grow up” and I would think, “I want to be a Christian like Papa.” His Christian influence was a greater legacy for me than any amount of money or property he could have left me.

My mother’s dad also died when she was a baby. Mama told me how, when other children would wear a new dress or shoes and say, “my papa bought them for me” she would feel sad and think, “If my papa was still alive, I would have new things.”

I am glad for movements like “PROMISE KEEPERS” and other movements among men to help them and to help us all to realize how much men are needed in the lives of children and how rewarding it is for men to grow old with offspring who love and respect them because of the love and attention they gave to their children when they were young.

I especially remember one man who had two daughters. Both were beautiful young married women with 2 children each when I knew them. For the four years I was pastor of the church where their Dad and Mother were members, on every Father’s day, these two daughters and their entire family drove a great distance to proudly sit with their Dad on Father's Day.

These daughters loving attention to their Dad in his old age spoke volumes to me about a Father’s legacy.

At a Memorial Service at our church Conference a few years ago, Bishop Bevel Jones preached and one of the things he said was about Aristotle Onnasis, who amid his millions, never had a cause he supported. Jones said, “To leave no estate is not a disgrace but to leave no legacy is a tragedy.

As Father's day is approaching, My facebook friend , Donna Shine Wall, published the poem below that has a sentiment for those of us whose father is now in heaven.


Yellow roses grow in heaven,
Lord pick a bunch for me.
Place them in my daddy's arms and
Tell him they're from me.
Tell him that I love and miss him.
When he turns to smile,
Place a kiss upon his cheek &
H old him for awhile.
Remembering him is easy;
I do it every day.
There's an ache in my heart
T hat will never go away.