Sunday, in case you haven’t heard, is Father’s Day.  When it came time for Mother’s Day (Sermon: Being Extraordinary) I wrote the following:

As a pastor I have come to realize how sensitive this day is to many women. I cringe when I think about how calloused I was in my approach to Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day). Leaving out a vital part of the church: women who have been unable to have children or lost them in various ways. That is why I no longer preach about mothers, but instead focus on being a godly woman.

So to stay true to what I wrote then, I am taking the same approach for this Father’s Day. While men tend to not be as emotional about some things, I KNOW men who hurt each time MD and FD rolled around. My plan this Sunday is to preach on Being Extraordinary II. (Hope you catch the wordplay in the title).

There is little doubt the church needs men to be men. Not dorks. Not dictators. Not selfish, arrogant, (they think they) know-it-all’s. Not MIA. We need men who are engaged with their families if they have one. Men who are conscientious about their work. Men who look beyond themselves. Men who look beyond the physical and treat others, especially women, like the unique creation God has made them to be. Men who take their relationship to God seriously.

My examples this Sunday will be Josiah (using 2 Chronicles 34 & 35) and Nehemiah (using Nehemiah 1). I’ll be looking at what makes a man extraordinary. If you are in the area, I look forward to seeing you. If not, you may listen online to the podcast. If you can’t do either, I covet your prayers. Thanks.