An American dad typically receives two messages. The first is made up of motivational teaching, coaching, and cajoling about what he must do to be a better dad. But he hears, This is where you fall short. The second message focuses on absent dads as the core of all that's wrong with families, communities, and our nation. This delivers an even lower punch: You and your kind are the problem.

This is quite a drift from how the Bible refers to dads—often with references to honor, respect, and strength wrapped within weighty responsibility. How has this happened?

I'm going to leave the battle for whom to blame for another day. For today, let's blatantly ignore what dads do wrong and the problems that absent fathers cause. Not deny; ignore. Instead, let's look at reasons to thank our dads—yours and mine and all the dads out there. A multitude of folks contributed ideas to create this list. Read on, and find your dad—or yourself—on it. No dad could ever live ...