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Key Bible Verse: He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge (Proverbs 14:26, NIV). Bonus Reading: Deuteronomy 11:18—21

My dad never earned a million dollars, won't be able to retire early, or spend his latter years traveling the world. In fact, he's just a normal man who invested his life in his family. And it paid off.

I assume the pressures 40 years ago were the same as they are today. Men were expected to build careers, buy new cars and large homes, go out with the guys, and play golf on the weekend.

Not my dad.

Don't get me wrong. He wasn't one of those men you read about who led the family in two hours of devotions, read classic books around the fire, or took us to the local mission to serve others. He was no spiritual giant. But he did believe that family should be together. We ate dinner, watched TV, went on vacation, and faithfully went to visit my grandparents—together.

That was his secret. Today, like then, families spend much of their time—apart. They eat at different times and in different places, they watch their favorite programs on separate TVs, go on separate vacations, and do everything separately.

It didn't just happen; my dad worked hard at keeping us together. That's what dads are supposed to do.

—Todd Wilson in Indiana

My Response: One way I can be a magnet to pull my family together is …

Thought to Apply: I believe the family was established long before the church, and my duty is to my family first. I am not to neglect my family.—Dwight L. Moody

Prayer for the Week

Heavenly Father, help me to enjoy being a man in an antifamily culture, representing you faithfully as an earthly father.

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