166-The Impact of Godly Fathers

The Spiritual Condition of America, Politics, Culture, and Current Events Analyzed Through the Lens of Scripture. Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. In Proverbs 4:20. God's word says, quote, my son, pay attention to what I say. Turn your ear to my words.

Hi, Alex McFarland here. As you're hearing this program, it is either on or very near Father's Day 2025. And I want to say a big shout out to all the dads out there. I want to be on record saying how much I thank God for my dad. My father is in heaven.

He passed away in 2007. But as we get to Father's Day 2025, I want to talk about the value of dads and use Proverbs to talk about the wisdom that can be gleaned from a godly father. You know, Proverbs is very famously God's book of wisdom in the Old Testament. And I'm going to, from Proverbs chapter 1, verses 1 through 3, pull out some crucial areas of life that the world can't teach us, but areas in which God wants to lead us and bless us. And it really does hearken to the wisdom that we learn from.

From our dads. I'm very thankful that my dad was a Christian. Many of you know we were, for 68 years, we were in the egg business. We had a chicken farm that my grandfather started, and there were ups and downs. My dad was a really hard worker.

He was a World War II vet. Actually, he crashed in a plane in Texas. My dad originally was a tail gunner in an SB-2C helldiver. I found out I was researching the plane that my dad flew in World War II, and there's like only one of those left in the world. He was a machinist, he was a tail gunner, then he became a pilot.

And in a test mission in Texas, where he was not flying, but a plane crashed. Four people on board, one survivor, my dad. I've got a picture of my dad in the wreckage of this crashed test plane. And he had a real sense of God's hand in his life, even when we nearly went bankrupt. And the bank came to put us out of our house at one time.

But. Through a friend, a neighbor, that lent us some money for 30 days, we were able to keep our farm. My dad always said, God is going to be with us. And He was. And my dad would say, You know, trust the Lord, say your prayers, work hard.

That was kind of his philosophy. But I think about the other things that I would always learn from my dad. My dad would say this, and I'm sure it wasn't original with him, but he said, You've got two ears and one mouth, so son, you're supposed to do twice as much listening as talking. And my dad would say, You know, everybody deserves a fair chance. He also taught me to put the tools back.

And to this day, whenever I'm doing a job, and I do love tools, but you know, you always got to put the tools back where they go and clean up your workspace before you leave it. Think about what you've learned from your dad. You know, all this week I've been doing media interviews about countering the tropes and really archetypes that are in the media that very often dads are portrayed as kind of a buffoon or a knucklehead or the other extreme, just this very stern, cold, unknowable authoritarian. And in reality, the vast majority of the world. Majority of dads are good dads and godly dads and just trying to put food on the table and provide for their families.

If your dad was a great, godly dad, thank the Lord for that. If maybe you've got some painful memories of childhood that aren't as ideal as they might have been, well, ask God to give you grace, to show grace, because we should show grace. We've all needed grace, and God, if we're honest, has extended to us a lot of grace. Do you know from Proverbs, though, drawing wisdom for life and wisdom for family and parenting, 23 times in the book of Proverbs, there's the phrase, my son. And really, Proverbs is basically like Solomon addressing his son or a young man in search of wisdom.

Proverbs 1 through 9 are sometimes by scholars called the my son.

Son poems, because over and over it says, My son, attend to my words. Listen, my son, and you will be blessed. Proverbs 1, verse 7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And over and over, Proverbs says, you know, get truth, get wisdom, seek it like fine gold.

Now, I want to share a couple of verses and then four areas of life right at the beginning, because many a dad has passed on similar things to their children. And even if we growing up, you know, so many people go through years in their youth of not having that great of a moral compass. But being married, trying to build a family. And especially having children, that will cause a moral and spiritual renaissance in many a person. And there's many a dad that maybe, after years of neglect of the spiritual side of life, wants kids to come along.

I mean, you think about the legacy that you're leaving. You think about, you know, you've got a miniature human in your care. And praise God, I do think one of the things that is just genius on the part of God, our Maker, is that He gave us this wonderful context in which to grow spiritually, and that is marriage and family.

Well, Proverbs 1:1 through 3 says, The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.

Now, listen to this: to know wisdom. And instruction, to perceive words of understanding, to receive the instruction. Of he Here are four areas: wisdom, justice, judgment. and equity.

Now, we're going to really do a deep dive on these words. I want to give you some statistics about how much we need to have a renaissance of family and parenting. And as a culture, and certainly within the church, we need to affirm the roles of manhood, maleness, masculinity. And fathering. but these words that will be a blessing and a foundation to any life to receive instruction in in what areas?

Wisdom. Wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective, not just data, And certainly not opinion, but to see life from God's perspective. We call this a biblical worldview. That is wisdom. And then justice, the Hebrew word for justice here is really righteousness, a life.

And moral boundaries that reflect the character of God. That is righteousness. And then judgment. And that's really the word for discernment, to know right from wrong, to make wise choices. You've heard the word prudence.

Do you know the word and we get the word like prudential? Or to show good prudence. It's foresight. That's what that word means. To really not only make good decisions for today, but planning.

and restraint and discernment for the future, and then equity. and equity is the true value of something.

Now what really, really matters? We've got to take a break. We're going to come back and we're going to talk about these areas of life that you probably did learn from your father. But even if you didn't You can begin to build your life on it now and not only be blessed personally, but pass it on as a legacy to your families. Stay tuned.

The Alex McFarland Show with Proverbs is back after this. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Charlie Kirk is coming to the Grand Strand August 21. He's one of the world's most influential social media voices and one of the people most responsible for the resurgence of young people standing up for America, getting registered to vote, and learning about our Constitution.

Hi, Alex McFarland here. You are invited to part three in our speaker series, Conversations That Matter, with Charlie Kirk, Thursday night, August 21, 7 p.m. at the Alabama Theater on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach. For tickets, visit the Alabama Theater website at alabama-theater.com. Hear Charlie Kirk, August 21, and there will be open mic question and answer.

For complete information on the speaker series, go to alexmacfarlane.com slash conversations. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here.

Happy Father's Day weekend and thank God for all the Christian fathers out there. And if your dad is still in the land of the living, I hope that you will be with him today or at least pick up the phone and say a prayer. And give a word of encouragement and really say thanks. Do you know, none of us, even if we had a hard upbringing, Or maybe it was painful. None of us really can comprehend what our parents sacrifice to pay the bills and to raise us.

And we are indebted to our parents. And the Bible says we're to honor our father and mother, we are to show them honor. And I hope that you're doing that. None of us are perfect. There are no perfect families.

But love and commitment. And this is what it is: commitment to family. It's a lifelong journey, it just is. And don't bail out on your family, and don't bail out on your parents. Every human being needs encouragement and affirmation.

You know, one of our great colleagues in ministry is Dr. Gary Chapman, who famously wrote the five love languages. And he says, really, that psychological and spiritual reality that all humans crave most is respect. And tied to that are words of affirmation. And maybe you say, well, my dad had Has not really been all that respectful.

Well, really, people do rise to the assumptions that we attribute to them. And that's why we don't like to use words like never and always, like you never come through for me, or you always let me down. No, don't say that, even if you think it, because it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Be grateful and just let this farm boy. Tell you the crop you want to yield, then sow the seeds to get that crop.

And if what you want is mutual respect and courtesy and honor, then sow respect and honor into the lives of those around you. And that's the yield and the return you'll get. But the Barner Research Group, talking about teenagers and Gen Z and younger, the Barner Research Group recently did a survey and they published their data recently. It's called the Open Generation.

Now, what's interesting about Gen Z and younger, 72% right now believe in God.

Well, that's encouraging because we survived, you know, 20 years ago, the renaissance of atheism. And there still are a lot of people, like 28%, that say they don't believe in God. But really, millennials, Gen Z, And younger are very open, says Barna, and I believe this, we certainly have seen this in the half million youth that we've surveyed in 25 years. They're very open to God, but many of them view the church negatively. And sadly, though, 44% believe that the church does more harm than good.

Now get this, only 26% indicate that they trust pastors.

Now, there's been a lot of press about clergy behaving badly, but I want to say to all the parents out there, and thank God for the moms, but how much we need the dads because there have been volumes of research on the values, the morals, the priorities, certainly the spiritual beliefs of a young person. They are more, listen to this, more than twice as likely. to latch on to convictions. when those convictions come from Dad rather than mom and this is in no way to undermine the value of mothers, godly mothers, we thank the Lord for the moms but there's just something about The gravitas and the presence of Dad. And Dad, when you convey convictions about God, Christianity, church attendance.

Certainly, respect for their mother, commitment, keeping your word, the value of things like a work ethic and education, and being a person of integrity, and keeping your word. When convictions come from the Dad, They are more than twice as likely to land and stick in the life of a young person as if it were just from mom alone. You know, the Barna study that I mentioned, the open generation, these are actually some fairly encouraging statistics. One of the questions in this particular Barna survey, and we know George Barna is a fantastic, brilliant Christian. We've interviewed him quite a number of times over the years, and he's a statistician, a sociologist.

Barna.com, B-A-R-N-A.com. I urge you to look at the data. It's incredibly thought-provoking. But they asked some questions of Gen Z and younger teenagers. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

For instance, here's a statement. It is important to believe in a God that provides meaning to human existence.

Well, 51% of teens say strongly agree. 30% say somewhat agree.

So that's 81% that at least somewhat, if not strongly, agree, that it's important to believe in God to have meaning for human existence.

Now, this is vitally important because there are a number of youth, in fact, it's true. Tripled in the last twenty-five years those that say their life doesn't have meaning. Isn't that amazing? 42 to 52 percent today, if asked, does your life have meaning? Say no, and that's triple what it was just 25 years ago.

But where do I find meaning? Eighty-one percent say in God. No. Here's a statement. I am attached to religion because of the values and ethics it is.

Endorsing. There are 78% who who agree or strongly agree. that religion is important for the values and ethics. That it imparts.

Now we know Christianity is a relationship with Jesus. It's not ritual and religion necessarily, but yet belief in God and the righteous character of God and the revelation of God's Word, we have moral boundaries, the ethical guardrails within which we are to live. And so this is encouraging nearly 80% of teenagers. And they might not have exposure to church like we did growing up, but they get it. Life depends on moral boundaries.

Morals come from God. For my life to have meaning, I need to believe in God. This is encouraging.

Now, Dad, when we come back, we've got to take a break. I want to give a challenge to the husbands and to the dads to impart wisdom. which begins with God, and we find that in God's Word. And we'll circle back to Proverbs from the wisest man that ever lived, Solomon, and talk about his wisdom gleaned from God, That we can live in our own lives. Father's Day weekend 2025.

Thank God for the family. Thank God for the fathers. We're back after this brief break. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this.

Christian author and speaker Alex McFarland is an advocate for Christian apologetics. Teaching in more than 2,200 churches around the world, schools, and college campuses, Alex is driven by a desire to help people grow in relationship with God. He arms his audiences with the tools they need to defend their faith, while also empowering the unchurched to find out the truth for themselves. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex is a sound voice who speaks timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. With 18 published books to his name, it's no surprise that CNN, Fox, The Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets have described Alex as a religion and culture expert.

To learn more about Alex and to book him as a speaker at your next event, visit alexmacfarland.com or you can contact us directly by emailing booking at alexmacfarland.com. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Welcome back to the program. We're going to resume our.

Consideration of the impact of godly fathers. But I want to thank everybody who's been praying for us. We've got a lot going on. Even as you hear this, we are in the midst of our second of four summer conferences, the Conversations That Matter. And by the way, the website is alexmacfarland.com/slash conversations.

Dr. Gary Chapman of the Five Love Languages is with us this week. A month ago, we had Dinesh D'Souza. It was fantastic. People came from 10 states.

And then in August, our next, after Gary Chapman, is Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA. It's going to be phenomenal. And if you're in the Myrtle Beach area, that's where these are conversations that matter. And as you hear this, I will be traveling to Iowa for our youth camps, the EQIP retreats we'll have in the seven youth camps that we are helping organize, and then I'll speak at a couple of others. We'll have over 1,200 kids in summer camp.

So please keep it in prayer. And then I'm on the road. I'm at the Billy Graham Training Center. I'm at the Cedar Falls Bible Conference. My website, alexmcfarland.com.

And please look at the calendar. I would love to meet you when we're in a city near you. And as always, we depend on the prayers and financial support of persons like yourself. You know, we are in front of tens of thousands of people every year, but every day on the radio, seven days a week, radio, television, millions of people hearing the gospel, coming to Christ, coming back to Christ. We just got 6,000 copies of our New Believers book.

What does God say about my relationship with Him? Got to pay the printer on that.

So your tax-deductible contribution in any amount really is being used by God to see people come to Christ, to build their life on Christ. Christ, for God and country, please stand with us. You can donate securely online at alexmacfarland.com, or you may mail a donation if you want to mail a check. Just AMM. As in Alex McFarlane Ministries, you could mail that if you would, please, to P.O.

Box 485 Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. Please consider becoming a monthly partner with us as more and more people are doing, and we're able to reach more and more people for Christ. And I sincerely thank you. You know, in the earlier segment, brought out these four words from Proverbs chapter 1, verse 3.

Solomon, led by God, was imparting these four words. Beautiful, wisdom. justice, judgment, and equity. Wisdom, that's truth and our responsibility to pursue it. Wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective.

And there are a lot of people now, they've got data. But they don't have wisdom. Do you know it is estimated this year that teens So we're talking middle school, high schoolers. They're spending seven hours and 22 minutes a day. On a mobile device.

You know, we watch TV or movies. We watch the big screen. Kids today watch the small screen. Seven hours and 22 minutes a day of screen time.

Now, get this, I said this last week. The most recent research says that 47 to 52 percent. of everything online is factually incorrect. I mean, all the time, because I've studied history and taught constitutional history, American history, 20th century World War II history, there are a few genres of history that I have taught, and I routinely study. See things online that are just wrong.

And of social media, now get this. It is estimated 86% of Of all statements. on social media are false. And yet, our kids are spending seven hours and 22 minutes a day on social media.

Now, what's really interesting is so much of the unhappiness, dissatisfaction with life, anxiety, all of this among our teens, depression. and panic attacks even. These begin to spike in the lives of teens from 2010 to 2012.

Now, what was so significant about 2010 to 2012?

Well, that was when social media really began just to, it went vertical. And it imparted what they call comparison culture. See, people, you know, they post the photos of their vacation, their best life, their best meal. And then we look at our mundane life, we think, oh, you know, wow, everybody's having a good time but me. And I get this when we do QA at our camps.

We were in Montana, now we're headed to Iowa. Kids say they're afraid and they can't really express what they're afraid of. And so, dads, look, all Christian people, but dads especially, we have to role model a trust in Christ, wisdom, that we're not just buffeted about by the trends of the world, just careening through life, wringing our hands in fear, just hunkering down till we die.

Someday. No, we have courage, and I'll come back to that. But wisdom, and then justice, which is really the Hebrew word for righteousness. That the most important thing in life is to know Christ and live for Christ. And, Dad, you are the priest of the home.

You must impart this. We have a relationship with Jesus and we are declared righteous. Then we grow in His Word. Romans 12 says we renew our mind and we grow in righteousness. And then we have.

judgment which is Self-control. Which really mean get this applied discernment. I'm sure you've heard the old joke that, you know, what's the last thing, you know, a wild Teenage guy says before he dies, hey, watch this. You know, no, we've got to have self-control, not just living some crazy, over-the-top, unbounded life. But we understand life is a gift, and we are to know Christ and leave a legacy of godliness.

And every one of us, and Dad, This is the stewardship that we must model. Every one of us our purpose in life primarily is to know the Lord. And that happens when we put our faith in Jesus. But then every one of us has the opportunity and, frankly, the obligation, at least on some. level to participate in Christ's great commission.

really like John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said. We have nothing to do but the saving of souls. I mean, really. And then finally, equity. Equity means the true value of something.

Like, let's say you buy a house for $200,000. You put $100,000 down, you borrow $100,000. Your equity is $100,000, right?

So equity is the true value of something. It's been said that we are a generation, we know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. Do you know it has value? Do you know it truly has equity?

Well, number one, God. and his word. Salvation. But think about this. Family.

relationships. The gift of life itself, just to be alive today. to be ambulatory, to be up and about, character. to have a reputation That's equity. And men, let's help our children understand that we do not compromise our reputation, our influence.

You can only lose your integrity and reputation once. You know, I think about this as I close. One of the greatest golfers ever was from North Carolina, Ray Floyd. He was one of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers. And he went pro in the 60s.

And by the early 80s, he was said to be the greatest golfer in the world.

Well, in 1987, Ray Floyd was at a tournament in New York, and the purse was the biggest PGA prize ever.

So far, it was $108,000 first prize.

So he had a nine-inch putt to sink. You know, most any PGA golfer could do that with his eyes closed.

So he goes up to he's in first place, and maybe he just accidentally grazed. The ball, maybe the wind blew it. But he looked down. and nobody noticed. the ball had moved.

And he looked down and he raised his hand, called the officials over, and he assessed himself. A penalty. point. meaning it knocked him out of first place. And he forfeited a one hundred and eight thousand dollar first prize, and several people said, Look, nobody saw you.

And he said, Well, God saw it. and my integrity is worth more than a hundred and eight thousand dollars. And that's why Ray Floyd assessed himself a penalty point. That is wisdom. that is equity.

And men God bless you. Lead your families. Your marriage, your children. as unto God and before God. And children, watch and learn.

And let's endeavour, all of us, men, women, boys, girls, Seniors, widowers, widow, but whoever you are, wherever you are. Let's remember what matters most in life is to know Christ and to serve Christ. Because all of life is a stewardship. Happy Father's Day. Alex McFarland ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you.

For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth. Learn more and donate securely online at alexmcfarland.com. You may also reach us by calling 1-877-YESGOD and the number one. That's 1-877-Y-E-S-G-O-D-1. Thanks for joining us.

We'll see you again on the next edition of the Alex McFarlane Show.