Fathers Turn Their Hearts to Their Daughters

I used the Catholic Bible, Douay-Rheims version, when I needed to quote the Bible.

The CHARIS homeschool home economics group closed the school year with a sparkle by hosting a Father-Daughter Banquet on the evening of May 2 at Moss Hill Pentecostal Church. More than fifty fathers and daughters filled the church hall to honor their relationship and feast on ham, green beans, pasta salad, tossed salad, rolls, potatoes, and a delectable variety of desserts.

Mr. Dwayne Sisk welcomed the attendees to the night's festivities. Remarking how blessed he was for the privilege of raising daughters and being able to homeschool them, he encouraged the fathers to turn their hearts to their daughters.

After the meal, Miss Rebecca Sisk, the young lady who organized the home economics group, recognized the mothers who had helped her present the lessons and gave them each a gift box of Ghiradelli chocolates. Over the course of the school year, the monthly lessons included jam making, bread baking, table settings, a Christmas tea, sewing, and cake decorating. The lesson on table settings was done in the context of setting the tables for and serving Thanksgiving dinner to the residents of the Dayton Retirement Center.

Mr. Sisk then introduced Paul Renfro, the pastor of Grace Family Baptist in Spring, TX. Renfro's talk began with an overview of the situation in which Christian families find themselves today. He explained the importance of the Christian family and how it has been targeted for destruction because it is the only thing preventing communism (in its many forms) from completely overtaking the country.

Pointing out how entertainment and the government schools are used as lethal weapons in the attack, he instructed the fathers to protect and guide their daughters--to preserve their innocence and build a close relationship with them. By building this kind of relationship, the father will elicit in each daughter a strong desire to please him and honor his decisions for her, Renfro said.

He talked about "dating" as a means of daughters finding husbands on their own and asked, "I don't think it's been too successful, do you?" Instead, he asserted that daughters need their fathers to guide them. Renfro challenged the fathers to plan their parenting with their future grandchildren and great grandchildren in mind.

"What is the purpose of a daughter?" he asked. "She is to be a helpmeet," he answered, going on to explain that fathers should prepare the daughters to spread the kingdom of God by teaching them to love children and encouraging them, once they are married, to have a large family. "Do you know what the second most popular name in England is now?" he asked. "It's Mohammed.

As in Proverbs 31, Renfro encouraged fathers to ensure their daughters learn everything necessary to manage a household well and suggested helping them start a small home business.

In concluding his talk, Renfro related the Genesis story of Rebecca. He invoked upon the daughters at the banquet the blessing that was given to Rebecca when she left her home to marry, "Thou art our sister, mayst thou increase to thousands of thousands, and may thy seed possess the gates of their enemies."

The evening closed with happy chatter as the fathers and daughters mixed and mingled and talked of upcoming camping trips, 4-H events, and summer vacation plans.