This Sunday, dads across the nation will be recognized by appreciative families for all they do in loving, guiding, and providing for their children. Many will be given tools as gifts, and there is no denying that guys have a fascination with tools. I even know of one dad who would tell his kids, as he piled them into the car for Saturday morning errands to the local hardware store, that they were going to the “big boy toy store.” There’s just something about the gleam and heft of a new power tool that has warmed many a man’s heart. We’ve learned through countless home improvement projects that, when faced with an important job, having the right tools makes all the difference.

For any man with children, there is no job more important than being a dad. This is no mere Hallmark greeting card truism, but a statistically verifiable fact. Over 24 million children in American do not live with their biological fathers. Of those, nearly 75% will experience poverty before the age of 11. These children are also at increased risk for drug and alcohol abuse, and two to three times more likely to develop emotional or behavioral problems. Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school and significantly more likely to engage in premarital sex. Being a father is often an intense commitment of time and energy, but it is an absolutely essential job which God, in whose image we are made, designed men to do.

Here at MFI, we recognize that and seek to present dads with some of the right tools. Along with shiny pieces of hardware, I also like to have the latest good books. Perhaps, if you are able to achieve the elusive “Sunday Afternoon Nap” this Father’s Day, you might take one of these books with you to the hammock, lawn chair or couch.

Be a Better Dad Today! This book is #1 on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Top 20 General Best-Sellers list. Author Gregory W. Slayton, a former diplomat, professor, businessman, and philanthropist who now lives in New Hampshire, seeks to revive and empower dads in the most important job they will ever have. Be a Better Dad Today offers powerful, practical tools to help all fathers—regardless of their current relationships with their children—be better dads and a bigger part in their children’s lives.

5 Things Every Kid MUST GET From Dad Carey Casey spent 18 years working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and served as chaplain to two NFL teams. He is now CEO of the National Center for Fathering, whose goal is to inspire and equip men to be the involved fathers, grandfathers and father figures their children need. In his downloadable e-book, Casey gives fathers concrete examples of what their sons and daughters need from them, and how they can provide it.

Above all, just as we cherished and affirmed mothers last month (and how well they deserved it), let’s really show our love and appreciation this Sunday to all the dads out there!

Happy Father’s Day,
Kris