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for Kids Update are from The New Living Translation of the Bible.
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  • Father’s Day is almost here! Are you ready to celebrate your dad?
  • Our godly heritage--Father’s Day began as a worship service!
  • How to pray for your dad—he’s a leader too!

Things to pray for
President Bush watches as Air Force One lands in secret at Baghdad International Airport last Tuesday. About this trip he said, “It was an exciting trip...I was up there in the cockpit of that airplane coming into Baghdad, watching Colonel Tillman steer us in. It was -- it was an unbelievable, unbelievable feeling.” Photo courtesy of the White House.

  1. Wow! Lots of things have happened since last week! A key terrorist leader, al-Zarqawi, was killed on the same day that the Iraqi Prime Minister completed his cabinet! President Bush took a surprise trip to Baghdad, Iraq to meet with Iraqi leaders. He felt it was important to look these people in the eye and see if they have the resolve and the ability to succeed. He also wanted to tell our troops what a fantastic job they are doing and tell them how very proud he is of them. It was a very dangerous trip. It was a very successful trip. So it’s the perfect time to give thanks and praise to God for this successful trip—that even though the President and those traveling with him were in quite a dangerous situation—God protected them! We can also thank God for the good meetings the President had with Iraqi leaders, encouraging them and reminding them of our resolve to keep helping them until the job is done.
  2. Iraqi leaders have just made a move to crack down on violence and insurgency in several of the most dangerous parts of Baghdad, so it’s a great time to pray for the success of this effort to make Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, more secure and safe for Iraqis and coalition troops alike. Pray that people who want to hurt others will lose the desire to do so.
  3. President Bush has a busy schedule in the coming days, so it’s a really great time to pray for God’s strength, help and wisdom as he speaks to the graduates of the Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island, NY on June 19, and on June 21 as he travels to Vienna, Austria for the annual U.S.-EU Summit when he will meet with key European leaders and have many important discussions. Pray for God’s presence in these gatherings and for safety and protection at every moment.
  4. This weekend is Father’s Day—a great time to celebrate our dads and to pray especially for them and their influence in our lives. Pray for all the dads in America to be strong and effective as they love, influence and provide for their children. Pray for President Bush as he spends time with his family, and especially as he continues to parent his daughters Jenna and Barbara.
President Bush went to Baghdad, Iraq this week, in part to thank our troops for the good work they are doing in the war on terror. Photo courtesy of the White House.
  1. Pray for our troops—especially those who are dads! Pray that they will stay safe as they serve our country and that their children will thrive, even if they are enduring times of separation from each other.

Leaders to pray for

Secretary of Veterans Affairs--Jim Nicholson
Mr. Jim Nicholson is our country’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Secretary Nicholson has a terrific background to do this job! He served in Vietnam as an Army Ranger and Paratrooper and did such a great job that he was honored with many awards, including the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry. You many not know what each of those represents, but we can tell you this--a person has to be very brave and a very good leader of others to receive those awards.

Mr. Nicholson is also an ambassador! That’s right, he represented the United States to the Vatican for the past three years. He has also served his local community in Colorado with integrity and compassion.

It’s good that he is a former member of the military, because in his job as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Ambassador Nicholson will be responsible 25 million military veterans who served our country and preserved our freedom when we needed them. Now the VA must make sure we give them back what they need, including health care, retirement benefits and more. He will also be responsible for a department of over 230,000 employees! That’s a lot of people, so Secretary Nicholson will really appreciate your prayers.

With his wife of 37 years, Suzanne, Secretary Nicholson has three children. He grew up in a small town in Iowa and attended West Point. His home has been in Colorado for several years.

Chaplain Black portrait courtesy of the United States Senate.

Chaplain of the U.S. Senate--Rev. Barry Black
Rev. Barry Black serves our nation as Chaplain of the United States Senate. Appointed in June 2003, Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.) served in the United States Navy for more than 27 years, ending his distinguished career as the Chief of Navy Chaplains.

Rev. Black opens each Senate session with prayer and makes himself available to the members of the Senate, their families and their staffs—that’s a “congregation” of over 6,000 people. He works to assist them with their spiritual needs, providing counseling, Bible study and spiritual advice. On occasion Chaplain Black will be called on to advise senators on moral issues, researching from the Scriptures.

Barry Black was raised by a single mother in inner-city Baltimore, Maryland, and attended two historically black schools, Pine Forge Academy in Pennsylvania and Oakwood College in Alabama, on his way to becoming a preacher. As a pastor in North Carolina, he met a group of sailors who had driven miles to attend his church because there were no black chaplains on their naval base. This prompted Black to help with that need. Seeking to pursue military chaplaincy, he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral, commanding all the chaplains of the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. After retiring from military service, he was called to ministry in the Senate.

Rev. Black is the first African-American, the first Seventh-day Adventist, and the first military chaplain to hold the office of chaplain to the United States Senate. He is the 62nd chaplain of the Senate, the first having been appointed in 1789. He is married and has three sons.

Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
—Deuteronomy 5:16

I love the Lord because He hears and answers my prayers. Because He bends down and listens, I will pray to Him as long as I have breath!
—Psalm 116:1-2

Did you know that we have a fun and easy way to say happy birthday to President Bush? Presidential Prayer Team for Kids invites you to send a greeting, a prayer, a favorite verse of Scripture or just good words and happy wishes that will help the President celebrate his big day!

Lots of kids and families have already taken advantage of this great opportunity! Here are some of their words:

I pray that you will be given peace in your heart and mind. We love you and back you in all areas. God bless you on your birthday and every day. With love, John, Jean, Olivia, Jerusha, and Rhoda Street.

Happy Birthday to you, President Bush. I am 7 and love history. I live in Georgia and love to learn about Washington, D.C. I hope I can come to the White House to see you sometime. You have a very hard job. God bless you.

May the Lord use this card to lift your spirit, encourage your heart, build your faith, and brighten your day! We are praying (in Jesus' holy name) for you and your family - may you have the courage and strength to seek GOD's will! Gayla

Dear President Bush, I hope you get lots of good things from your birthday party. I hope you have a nice birthday. I hope you stay president for a long long time.

Click HERE to include your greeting!

By offering guidance, support, and unconditional love, a father is one of the most important influences in a child's life. On Father's Day, we honor our fathers and celebrate the special bond between a father and a child. Click HERE to read more.

This picture shows what a Puritan family like Obadiah Holmes’ might have looked like--except that Obadiah had lots more children! Image courtesy of Columbia University.

Obadiah Holmes lived a long, long time ago. He was a good and godly man who raised eight children along with his wife, Catherine. They came to New England’s shores in 1638 and settled in Massachusetts. Obadiah became a leader in his church, but he experienced some difficulties because he didn’t always agree with the strict leadership of his church. In his heart, Obadiah knew that he loved and honored God, and he wanted his children to do the same thing.

In December of 1675, Obadiah was near the end of his life. He loved and cherished all eight of his children, and even though he knew that he couldn’t continue to parent them, he trusted that God’s Word would keep on guiding them. He wrote a final letter to his children quoting Scripture and encouraging them to stay strong in their faith in God. His advice to his children in 1675 is very good for children in 2006! Most of it comes from Scripture. Here is part of Obadiah Holmes’ letter to his children:

Be you content with your present condition and portion God has given you. Make a good use of what you have by making use of it for your comfort (solace). For meat, drink or apparel, it is the gift of God. Take care to live honestly, justly, quietly with love and peace among yourselves, your neighbors and, if possible, be at peace with all men.

In what you can, do good to all men, especially to such as fear the Lord. Forget not to entertain strangers, according to your ability; if it be done in sincerity, it will be accepted, especially if to a disciple in the name of a disciple. Do to all men as you would have them do to you.

Thus, my dear children, have I according to my measure, as is my duty counseled you. May the good Lord give you understanding in all things and by His Holy Spirit convince, reprove and instruct and lead you into all truth as it is in Jesus. So that when you have done your work here, He may receive you to glory. Now the God of truth and peace be with you, unto Whom I commit this and you, even to Him be glory forever and ever, Amen.

Obadiah Holmes must have been a pretty neat dad because he wanted God’s very best for his kids. How do we know that? Because he used God’s wonderful Word to tell them his hopes for their future.

Read the first paragraph of Obadiah’s letter to his kids. What Scripture verse might Mr. Holmes have been thinking about when he wrote this advice? Hover here to read one.

Photo courtesy of fathermag.org.

Now check out the second paragraph of Mr. Holmes’ letter. Can you think of a Bible verse that goes along with his words? Hover here to read one.

How about Obadiah’s third paragraph? Can you think of a Scripture verse that goes right along with his hopes in that part of the letter? Hover here to read one.

This photo shows a Chicago father and daughter from the early 1900’s. Do you think this is what Sonora Dodd looked like? Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Some of the holidays we enjoy seem like a big commercial. And Father’s Day could be that way. But that’s not how it began! Did you know that Father’s Day began as a worship service? That’s right! The first person to come up with the idea of a day to honor fathers believed that our dads should be honored in a worship service! Not with a lot of commercial hype! Keep reading and you’ll learn more.

Did you ever wonder how we got a day just for dads? It’s a really great idea, isn’t it? When we set aside a time to honor our dads (or our moms), we are doing just what God tells us to do in His Word! Dads and moms are part of God’s wonderful plan to take care of and to teach you how to love God and have a good life.

Whoa there, Pardner! Before we go any further, let’s make sure you know exactly what we are talking about when we say that the Bible tells us to honor our mom and our dad. Can you think of a Bible verse that encourages you to do that? Hover here to read. Isn’t that great? It’s the first commandment that has a promise! And remember, God keeps His promises, so it’s a really good thing to honor your dad—and your mom!

The idea for Father’s Day began in 1909 with a young woman named Sonora Dodd, of Washington State. Sonora was sitting in church listening to a Mother’s Day sermon when it struck her that her dad had made a lot of sacrifices and had done a fantastic job raising her. Sonora’s mom died when Sonora was still a young girl. She felt that there should be a special day just for her dad because he worked so hard raising her and her five brothers and sisters all by himself.

Sonora Smart Dodd helped start the very first Father’s Day. Photo courtesy of the YMCA.

Even before Sonora had this great idea to honor her dad, a man named Dr. Robert Webb held a service in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1908. Sonora kept working on promoting the idea of a worship service to honor dads. She talked to the ministerial association of Spokane, Washington, and they agreed to celebrate the day. A funny thing happened, though, because Sonora wanted to honor her dad by having the service on his birthday, June 5, 1910. The ministers felt they didn’t have enough time to prepare so they moved the date to June 19, the third Sunday in June.

Members of Congress were slow to accept the idea of a special time to honor fathers because they were concerned that Americans might think they were giving themselves a pat on the back! In spite of this, there were others, like William Jennings Bryan, who believed it was a good move. He said, “Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the relation between parent and child.” Isn’t it great to know that there have always been people concerned with the well-being of families in our country?

Click here to see a memorial to Sonora Scott Dodd.

The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.
—Proverbs 23:24

When you read this verse, it’s really simple to see what you can do to bring joy and delight to your dad this Father’s Day! Do all you can to be a good and godly kid and that will bring a lot of joy to your dad!

Although President Woodrow Wilson was very interested in a holiday to honor America’s fathers, it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge, the president who followed Wilson, that the first proclamation was signed. President Coolidge is shown here with his father in a portrait taken that same year. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

As the idea for Father’s Day caught on, and more and more people got involved. Eventually, President Calvin Coolidge got behind the idea in 1924, and in 1966, it was finally signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. It’s always observed on the third Sunday in June, just as it was that very first time, nearly 100 years ago.

Being the president of the United States is a pretty challenging job--even for the best educated and strongest people! And it’s a great deal of work to get elected president. Some families do it so well that they have multiple members in the highest office in the land!

QUESTION 1

How many times in the history of America have both a father and a son held the office of President?

  1. That has never happened.
  2. There are three sets of father-son combos who have held the office of president.
  3. It’s only happened twice.

QUESTION 2

Which of these two presidents was a father-son combination?

  1. President Andrew Johnson and President Lyndon Johnson.
  2. President William Henry Harrison and President Benjamin Harrison.
  3. President John Adams and President John Quincy Adams.
John Adams portrait courtesy of the White House.
Portrait of John Quincy Adams courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.
President George H.W. Bush grabs the hand of his son, George W. Bush during an emotional moment at the National Service of Prayer and Remembrance at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The service took place just days after the September 11 attacks. Photo courtesy of the White House.

QUESTION 3

True or False Both John Adams and John Quincy were men of godly faith who believed that their office was a great responsibility given to them by God.

  1. True
  2. False

John Quincy Adams was a great president and a very godly man. He was very open and clear about the fact that his relationship with God and his love for the Scriptures would impact every part of his presidency. Do you think that’s a good idea? Should a president allow his faith to affect the decisions he makes? Hover here to read some great words of President John Quincy Adams on those very questions.

QUESTION 4

True or False Both President George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush have expressed a sincere faith in Almighty God.

  1. True
  2. False

HOVER HERE for a quote from President George H.W. Bush.

You can honor your dad on Father’s Day—or on ANY day—by doing chores and being helpful around your home!

Sonora Dodd had a really great idea when she decided to honor her dad with a special worship service on a special day. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience--where you’ve just been thinking about your mom or your dad and you realize how much you love them, or you think about all they have done to help you, or you just appreciate the home and the food and the clothes they provide for you.

It’s pretty easy to take your dad or your mom for granted, because they do so much! So Father’s Day is the perfect time to let your dad know that you love and appreciate him so much. There might be some other special things you want to do to honor your father, like mow the lawn for him, shine his shoes, make him a special treat or sing him a song!

Photo courtesy of familyfaith.org.

Since you are a kid who prays, one of the greatest things you can do for your dad is to pray for him. That’s right! Just think--your dad is the leader of your family just like President Bush is the leader of our country. Every leader needs prayer, whether they are leading a country, a state or a family.

Here are some ways you can pray for your dad this Father’s Day. Can you think of others?

  • Ask God to keep him strong, with the strength and courage that come right from God.
  • Pray for your dad to have God’s wisdom. Wisdom from God helps in every situation, and especially in the awesome job of being a dad.
  • Pray for your dad to always have time to spend with God--reading the Bible and praying. Nothing makes for a better dad than one whose heart stays close to God and His Word.
  • Pray for your dad to do well in his job. Whether he works in a very hard job or one that has fewer responsibilities, ask God to bless him with good things on the job.
  • Pray for your dad as he leads your family--your mom especially. Their partnership is really important to the well-being of the whole family, isn’t it?
  • Pray for your dad to know when you need help--even if you don’t realize that you need it! Pray that your dad will do a great job teaching you right from wrong.
  • Ask your dad how you can pray for him. You might be surprised at the things he feels like sharing with you.
Remember to tell your dad that you are praying for him because you love him and you know that God loves him. Then, be sure to ask how God is answering your prayers!

Isn’t it awesome that Father’s Day began with a worship service? Even in simple things like our “secular” holidays, the root of Christian faith is there! So as you celebrate Father’s Day this year, be sure to worship God and thank Him for your father, whether he is a part of your life or not. And take the advice of Obadiah Holmes, remembering that the best thing you can do to honor your dad is to live a godly life, to pray for him and to honor God in all your choices, just like President John Quincy Adams says to do! We hope you have a really happy Father’s Day!

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