This article was originally published and distributed on Medium.  Recently I started a 40 Day devotional with a group of online friends. Little did I know that by the end of the first week this would need writing. On day 3 entitled a Tale of Two Fathers the author paints a picture of fatherhood. Fatherhood is a loose term as many of us envision a father different from what we had. There are some where the father was absent or distant. Some where their loving hearts reflects the heart of Christ. Whichever father you did or did not have, neither can match the love of your heavenly Father. Men tend to get consumed with work, hobbies or the hopes of never growing up that their children never know them. Careers come before family, success matters more than anything. Meanwhile small hearts break wanting just to be noticed by their fathers. I spent most of my own childhood going unnoticed. Click To Tweet It seems in today’s world the only way these children get the attention they seek is through pain. Attempts to obtain a father’s approval seem to be in vain, the only time they are noticed is when they are in trouble. Many boys that want to become men turn to their friends as their fathers are absent. These friends are not friends really as they soon will find out when they abandon them too. Instead of focusing on the dreams of tomorrows, their dreams get squashed. Where their fathers should stand encouraging them […]

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When a patient learns they have an illness or disease, they look for ways to fight back. When we are struggling with failure and the ability to succeed, we look for ways to go to battle. Before we can truly move forward we sometimes have to look back.

Forgiveness is one weapon that we have to use yet many would rather leave it behind. We are embattled with struggles of self-worth and the emotional pain of our past we are unable to fight.

In the release of the pain, resentment, anger we break the chains that bind us. These chains could be from the way your father treated you as a child. Maybe you were betrayed by a friend or family member. You might be holding on to secrets of your own that are like a heavy weight around your neck. Perhaps your own decisions or lifestyle burden you.

Only you can break these chains. It may be through your faith in God, your healing Father that you can forgive. Absolution of your own wrongs through the healing power of repentance.

It may be someone else that you must forgive. Your own anger interferes with your forgiveness of them. Or you don’t believe that you hold the power to forgive because of your own sins.

Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved. ~ C.S. Lewis

Broken relationships between families can be the hardest to mend. Many men struggle in their marriages and relationships due to the resentment they still carry towards their fathers. Women suffer from esteem issues, eating disorders and worse due to they were abused or mistreated by the men in their past.

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Franklin Graham, son of the legendary Billy Graham brought his Festival of Hope to Jacksonville.

Almost all Christians, no matter the denomination know the Graham family. I remember when Billy Graham filled the Gator Bowl fifteen years ago. I heard of his son Franklin Graham bringing his tour to town and felt I needed to go.

I prayed about it and felt the compelling desire to attend. I mentioned the event to another Catholic, not as invite but more as a ‘this is what we are doing.’ When I did the reaction was that of surprise. They then went into a segue of how wrong they were and how right we were.

This did not sway my decision to attend, if anything just the opposite. As Christians if we spent less time judging one another and more time loving. Maybe just maybe the world would be a better place.

Friday nights event started off with music by the band Caves from Canada. The emcee for the weekend was spoken word poet Amena Brown. Her husband providing dj entertainment for the weekend. City Harmonic really got the party started. Franklin Graham spoke about his hope not only for America but even his hope for our own city. After hundreds of people were brought to Christ, the band Tenth Avenue North closed out the evening.

Saturday night Franklin’s talk was centered around the story of the prodigal son. A packed house witnessed hundreds more come to Christ. By standing up for God and publicly admitting there sinners

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