We have two locations this year, one in Nashville, TN at the YMCA’s Camp Widjiwagan,  and one in Ridgecrest, NC (outside Asheville) at LifeWay’s Camp Ridgecrest.  Come and experience a life memory with your son as you and he “Celebrate the Boy” and “Call Out the Man.” This weekend is an adventure-filled environment designed for fathers to succeed, be inspired, equipped, and empowered, to really connect, or reconnect with the boy within and with their own son. This experience will contain moments that will make powerful memories to last a lifetime, for you and your boy. Download a flyer of the events to promote in your church, office, small group, etc!

Learn more about the NASHVILLE, TN weekend at the YMCA’s Camp Widjiwagan

Learn more about the RIDGECREST, NC weekend at LifeWay’s Camp Ridgecrest

Are parents called to lead their families in spiritual matters? In Deuteronomy 6:5-9 we read “Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love Him with all that’s in you, love Him with all you’ve got…Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.” (The Message)

So what about this command from God to teach our children about Him? The command isn’t directed to the Sunday School teacher. It’s a message for parents! One reason we may not have entered our children’s spiritual lives is that we may not be taking our own spiritual lives seriously. You remember the old adage—you cannot give away what you don’t have. So the first step in helping form our children’s spirituality is to simply become authentic worshippers of Jesus ourselves. Seeing their parents pray, and hearing them talk about faith matters, paves the way for children to have spiritual discussions and interactions with their parents. Living out your faith in front of your family can be especially challenging for fathers. According to George Barna, only four out of ten men attend church on a given Sunday. Dan Erickson and Dan Schaffer write, “The typical adult male in our society is more likely to spend his Sundays watching sports on TV that attending a church service.” But there is a trickle-down effect for families when men neglect their own spiritual lives. One source states that when a mother comes to faith in Christ, the rest of her family follows 17 percent of the time. But when a father comes to faith, the rest of the family follows 93 percent of the time. Fathers can be a powerful influence in leading their children to God. The role of both parents is vital, and men need to step up to the plate.

Where do we start?
The Puritans, like earlier Jewish families, understood the great soul-forming power of the family. They perceived the home as “the church in miniature” and therefore a place to pray, worship, and focus on God. If “worship at home” is a new concept to you, you’re not alone. According to a poll conducted at my own church in 2008, only 27 percent of families had a regular time of worship together in the home. I’m not suggesting that parents conduct formal mini-church services at home. But there are an infinite number of ways to bring spirituality into your home, in both structured and free- flowing activities. Following are nine suggestions for family worship (and spiritual formation) that might sound like more fun than you expected.

1) Sharing meals together. Let each person share high points and low points of the day. Remember to bring yourself to the conversation, sharing appropriately the challenges and joys of your life. Speaking about how you trust God during a difficulty at work, or praising God for life’s blessings will model spiritual language for your young ones. You’ll be delighted to see how they enter the conversation as well!

2) Sing the Doxology at mealtime:
“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.”

3) Pray Aaron’s Blessing over children at bedtime. Taken from Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon
you and be gracious to you; the LORD
turn his face toward you and give you
peace. Amen.” (NIV)

4) Read Bible stories together as a family. This can be a daily or weekly activity, based on the age of your children.

5) Recite the Lord’s Prayer at bedtime and/or pray over the children. We also ask them “how can we pray for each other?” They learn that there are no silly prayer requests, that it all belongs.

6) Pray about world affairs. News events affect children more as they age, so let conflicts, disasters, and other news stories become an opportunity for prayer.

7) Create and use a Blessing Cup. After reflecting on a passage of scripture and praying, young and old alike drink from the blessing cup. This expresses praise, celebration, and unity on special occasions.

8) Honor the life of a family member by reminding them that they are special, especially on birthdays. In our family, the celebrated family member eats from a “You Are Special” plate, and we remind the child that he/she is valuable to God and our family.

9) Sponsor a child via World Vision or some other agency. We allow our kids to sponsor a child with the same birthday as their own. This is a great way to develop compassion in your children and allow them to pray for others.
You may have excelled in sports as a young person. You can excel as a spiritual leader in your family in your adulthood. If you focus a little time and creativity, you’ll find your skills will expand quickly. This is what you are called to, and God will empower you to answer this call.

Glenn McClure holds a Masters degree in Worship Studies and is co- founder of Abba’s Way, www.AbbasWay.com, a ministry dedicated to drawing the hearts of fathers to their children. Abba’s Way hosts sold-out Fathers Heart Weekends for fathers and sons each summer. Glenn lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and three young children. His new musical project, Songs From the Father’s Heart can be purchased on iTunes.

www.abbasway.com

Glenn McClure is a worship leader, songwriter and co-founder of Abba’s Way, a ministry dedicated to drawing the hearts of fathers to their children, which hosts Fathers Heart Weekends each summer – a place for many of these songs to be sung by campfire.

Click here to listen to the music and purchase!

Produced by Scott Dente and Ken Lewis for Global Genius Productions, globalgeniusproductions.com

Tracking Session and lead vocals for Shadow Road, A Hymn To Life, Blessed Trinity, Brother Will You Help?, and Door Of Hope Produced by Paul Marino, paulmarinomusic.com

For more about Glenn’s worship leading and workshops, visit www.glennmcclure.org. For more about Abbas Way, visit www.abbasway.com.

Many men (including myself) in our community have been disillusioned by poor masculine leadership…many of us are desiring to be better and more loving leaders…found this in Proverbs this morning…qualities that make a good Christian leader…Eugene Peterson notes that “transforming leadership is the kind where the first one transformed is the leader.”

Pr 16:10

A good leader motivates, doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit.

If you notice, the values that we are learning (embodying) in our community are helping us become better leaders. We should motivate others and not mislead or exploit them. Can you imagine this type of leadership in the workplace? Can you imagine a boss (or being the kind of boss) who motivates with truth and honesty and desires your ( employee’s) ultimate good? What ripple effect would that have on companies and careers?

What about at home? The best way I know to motivate my wife is to serve her. She especially loves acts of service. She loves when I help clean up the house, do the dishes or make sure the kids are bathed and put to bed. When I serve my wife this way she lights up like a star. When she gets “Mommy time” and is able to enjoy solitude and recharge her batteries-she comes home not feeling mislead and exploited but cherished.

With my brothers-it is the practice of continued honesty, taking my turn on the mat, bringing current sin to confession-this keeps me from misleading or exploiting my friends.

As a father, apologizing to my son and daughters when I sin against them, deposits in them a gift that Dad is leading and loving with authenticity and not rhetoric. Bottom line: leading with honest weakness and current struggle will ensure that I am not exploiting and misleading the people around me.

Read more

Find out more about this father and son at Boehm’s Blog

SUNDAY, JUNE 21ST, 2009 AT 10:27 AM

Responsible Fatherhood

Posted by Macon Phillips

On the 100th anniversary of Father’s Day, the President writes a piece on fatherhood in Parade Magazine talking about his own life and highlighting the responsibilities all fathers must step up to:

In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. We can do everything possible to provide good jobs and good schools and safe streets for our kids, but it will never be enough to fully make up the difference.

That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.
On Friday the President hosted some well-known fathers and everyday dads from across the country to discuss what fathers are doing to strengthen themselves, their families and their communities.  One of the guests at that event was Chief Quartermaster John Lehnen, who adds his thoughts to the President’s in this video:

Chief Lehnen is a devoted husband and father of four special needs children, and with over 10 years of service, he has shown extraordinary dedication to his family and country.  That dedication has been honored with multiple awards including the Sailor of the Quarter and Navy-Corps Achievement and Commendation Medals and the 2009 Military Fatherhood Award from National Fatherhood Initiative.  Chief Lehnen also cares deeply about his fellow sailors and their families, encouraging sailors to participate in the United Through Reading campaign and family readiness groups.

Celebrating with you the Father’s Heart,

Glenn, Phil, Tom

]]> http://abbasway.com/2009/08/27/celebration/feed/ 0 glennmcclure FHW09 GROUP http://abbasway.com/2009/05/08/father-and-son-weekend-only-349/ http://abbasway.com/2009/05/08/father-and-son-weekend-only-349/#comments Fri, 08 May 2009 20:28:41 +0000 Glenn McClure http://abbasway.com/?p=490 ]]> WEEKEND IS SOLD OUT AND REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

You are invited on an expedition of the heart, to remember the boy within, and for you and your son to truly experience the Father’s heart through a weekend that is much more than a typical father/son retreat. This will be a guided journey that pours affirmation into your son (and yourself) just as God was intentional in affirming his son (Matt 3:17). This weekend will create an environment that fills your son with AWE (Affirmation, Wonder, & Exploration).

Join us on August 21-23 at Deer Run Retreat Center in Franklin, TN. For fathers and their sons, ages 6-11.

Some of the weekend’s activities include:

* Lord of the Rings Adventure
* Ropes Course
* Survivor Challenge
* Bonfires with s’mores
* Movie Night with popcorn
* Canoeing, zip lines and other water activities
* Affirmation Ceremony
* Father’s Blessing Ceremony
* Rite of Passage Experience
* And much more!

To receive updates on The Father’s Heart Weekend, send your email address to:

Glenn McClure // 615.294.5072 glennmcclure@mac.com
Phil Davis // 615.400.8019 philbdavis@gmail.com

Weekend is SOLD OUT and registration is now closed.

CLICK to register for August 21-23 Weekend

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“This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.” Matt. 3:17 (MSG)

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons…” 2 Cor. 6:18 (NIV)

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Jn. 14:18 (NIV)

Why does it take a weekend retreat for us men to get in touch with our deeper selves? Why must we go deep into our own history and story to reveal the pain and glory of our own pilgrimage? As I am going on nearly six months in my new gig with Awana, I am coming to the conclusion that we men have been hoodwinked. By whom you might ask? By the Church itself? Let me unpack this statement.

First of all, let me say that most of the men and women in full time ministry to children and teens are overwhelmed with the responsibility of pouring into children. Most are humbled and deeply desire to have parents be a part of the process. However, there has been the unwitting message that the Church is the place these children are ultimately going to be lead to the Lord and nurtured in that walk. Unfortunately the competition amongst churches has lead the Church to over promise and under deliver. Some of this comes from the tendency of Churches to market their ministries like we sell products and services.

Nashville is replete with dynamic seemingly thriving churches with great facilities and a burgeoning staff. Given the size and fiscal demands of churches and their behemoth budgets, it is no wonder they consistently tout their expertise in ministry and stewardship. “Come to our services, worship with us on Sunday, and involve yourself and your family in our programs and tithe, tithe tithe.” “If you do,” they say “God will bless you with a great life, your marriage will be without stress and your children will all be gloriously obedient and walk in the ways of the Lord.” This is of course exaggerated for the sake of my point but we are all living in the age of the expert. Give me your kids and I will help form them into disciples. Drop them off at our door and watch us work magic.

Unfortunately, statistics are now telling us that kids are leaving the church in groves when they graduate. Statistics are also telling us that kids no longer see any conflict between their faith and lying, cheating and stealing. The Church experts have somehow missed the trend. Our kids are going to be the first post Christian culture in a long while. By that I mean we have raised a generation of children that are no longer followers of Jesus. What to do? Well I could offer one more attempt to farm your kids out to experts or I could offer up a much more biblical and yet challenging alternative. Start a home church! As the father, see your children as the first ones you lead to the Lord and regard this as teaching them what it means to evangelize the world. What a novel idea. Or is it?

As spiritual manhood and masculinity have been under attack in the last half century through various cultural shifts, we men have found that women and the experts have seemingly taken over a job we were destined to have from the foundations of the earth. We men, who are fathers, have been given a mandate to raise our children in the admonition of the Lord.

So that this communication remains encouraging, let me say that I realize how many men have not been fathered themselves. My experience with New Adam and Samson in recent years has revealed to me the very thing I am bringing up in this letter. Without actively engaged fathers teaching their children the very Word of God, the children will have a large hole in their spiritual formation and ultimately in their character.

The Father’s Heat Weekend is a place to start. The weekend is planned by fathers and there are no experts pontificating from an ivory tower. The very nature of this gathering is to offer fathers and their sons an opportunity to come together through spiritual encounters that reveal the supernatural bond God has placed in their hearts for one another. Young boys get to see firsthand just how much their fathers love them. Fathers get to see firsthand how sons respond when offered lovingly an experience that leads them into the depths of our heavenly Father’s heart. For many men, it has become a jumping off point to fulfill much of what this letter reveals & challenges men to become. For other fathers, it is a weekend of confirmation as they see their boys blossoming and interacting in ways that honor the relationship that has been already formed over the years. It becomes a time of tremendous intimacy with your own child and with other fathers.

Seldom does or culture offer time where both fathers and sons can sit under the power and presence of God together and drink in just how much our God desires for the family to be a reflection of His family – the trinity. The very nature of God is communion. The Father’s Heart Weekend can be the very place for this deep communion to begin.

There is an uprising of men in our Church today. We are taking back our responsibilities to be the head of our home (I speak of this teaching with full understanding that mothers are deeply involved as well). In this headship there is tremendous leverage given to us by the Father Himself. As He covers us so we cover our children and wives. The great Messianic prophesy of Psalm 22 shows how God brings the glory of salvation from one generation to the next through those who take seriously the charge to teach their children: A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this. (Psalm 22:30-31) Give your children a thousand reasons to believe. Maybe this upcoming weekend will be one of the first reasons. Pray about it.

David Bunker (someone who had a father teach him God’s ways)

Research

Researcher George Barna maintains that if current trends in the belief systems and practices of the younger generation continue, in ten years, church attendance will be half the size it is today.

Dawson MacAlister, national youth ministry specialist, remarked that 90% of youth active in high school church programs drop out of church by the time they are sophomores on college.

Data from the Southern Baptist Convention indicates that we are currently losing 70-88% of our youth after their freshman year in college. In a report to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, T.C. Pinkney observed that 70% of teenagers involved in church youth groups stop attending church within two years of their high school graduation. The Southern Baptist Council on Family Life**reported an even more staggering statistic — that 88% of the children in evangelical homes leave church at the age of 18.