American dads

7 facts about American dads

BY KIM PARKER AND GRETCHEN LIVINGSTON

Elsiana Ruiz gets help learning to ride her bike from her father, Sinahy, at a playground in Aurora, Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Fatherhood in America is changing. Today, fathers who live with their children are taking a more active role in caring for them and helping out around the house. And the ranks of stay-at-home and single fathers have grown significantly in recent decades. At the same time, more and more children are growing up without a father in the home.

My Thoughts for Today

Well as you may know this is the 4th of July weekend. The once a year celebration of America's independence. I know countries all over the world have the same sort of thing at their own time. Anyway my family is here to visit for the weekend. We started last night by going to see Disney's The BFG which was actually pretty good. Then today I took my sons car to the dealer to get it serviced and then washed. It was so dirty, wish I would have gotten a pic of it before and after. Its like two different cars lol. Anyway while I was doing that the rest of the Family went to Redondo Beach, CA.  When I finally finished at the dealership (we all know that takes longer than what they estimate) I came home showered and met them at Joe's Crab Shack for lunch. It was good and fun. That is all for now. I will write more later. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe day. Enjoy!!

Thoughts for the Day

Seven times in the Gospel of Luke Jesus will say these words, “Fear not.” What Jesus said to Peter Jesus says to us. “I don’t care what you’ve done. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care how bad you’ve blown it. You have nothing to fear from Me.” Jesus didn’t come to bring fear. He came to bring forgiveness.

 -Pastor Merritt

My Thought for Today

Ok, this is puzzling to me (see pic below). I went to the movies and saw Central Intelligence as you might know from my review posted. It was sunny and warm out so I parked in the open garage. At least its shaded right so I didn't have to worry about the car being hot inside when the movie was over. Anyway I parked in front of this person. So my question is WHY?? Why do you put up a sunshade in the shade?? It doesn't make sense. Has everyone lost their common sense now a days? What the heck is going on with people in the world today? Anyway that's all I wanted to ask, leave your caption or opinion in the comments section. Let me know what you think and have a great weekend!!

My Thought for Today

Good morning all and Happy Friday. You know its funny, I was talking with co-workers today and it seems like we all work just to get to Friday. Why is that or why does it seem like that? We get up just like every other work day, get dressed, have our morning drink whether it be coffee, juice or whatever and then head to work. But since its Friday we are happy and good to go. Like I said we dont work to get to the weekend or because its the job; we basically work to get to Friday. I was just thinking about it, it seems real funny how that works out. 

I have another question/thought. So I got up at my normal time and left a little earlier (5-10mins) to make sure I make it to work on time since it is Friday. BUT when I got on the freeway it was empty! Why was that I thought. Every other day of the week its packed at 530am and even a little earlier. Mondays are just a tad lighter but still packed. So your thinking ok its Friday, maybe people are taking the day off or something like that. Well when I say empty I mean there were only a handful of cars on it. I did not have to slow down going from the 110 to the 405. Which never happens at all. In fact when I merged onto the 405 there were no cars there at all. So why all this you ask? Well I am wondering because even though its very empty in the mornings, going home is the most crowded of any day of the week?? How in the heck does that happen? Where do all the cars come from? I mean they can't be going home because there was no one going to work! The going home traffic on Fridays starts around noon and continues to sometime after 9pm. So if no one is going to work on Friday then how are all these people supposedly going home? If they are leaving town then why don't they start out earlier so they don't make the traffic extra slow like it always is at the end of the week? 

Just some questions/thoughts I had. Sometimes I tell ya, the traffic patterns here in Los Angeles do not make any sense at all. Most of the times its faster to take the surface roads and that's even if you get behind old people that are afraid to drive and should not be (that is a thought for another time). 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Its going to be hot in the SW so keep cool and stay safe. 

God Bless

Thoughts for the Day

"Nobody gets to determine how they enter this world. You didn't get to determine the place of your birth, the time of your birth, or even the color of your skin. What we do get to determine is how we leave this world. You didn't get to determine your entrance. You do get to determine your exit. But you don't make that decision at the moment you breathe your final breath. Rather, today's decision determines tomorrow's destiny."

 - Pastor Merritt

Thoughts for the Day

All God wants every one of us to do is play our part. God does not expect the same results, but He does expect the same effort. God never compares you with anyone else. God compares you with you. God doesn’t look at what you have. He looks at what you do with what you have.

 - Pastor Merritt

Thoughts for the Day

Accountability. It's a critical part of life. First, we are accountable to God. He is our Source of perfection, guidance, discipline and example. Then, we are accountable to those around us: our spouse, family, friends, co-workers, employers. But we must never forget that we are also to be accountable to ourselves. We must constantly guard our health, heart, mind and spirit, and always measure our spiritual stature at every moment of every day. Jesus set the bar that we must follow and seek to attain. To fall short of that goal is to live a life that has not reached its full potential.

 - Ron Lambros, President, Touching Lives

"Pain, sorrow, and suffering act as God's chief venue to experience His grace. More than anything, God wants you to luxuriate in it daily. There is no grace without suffering and no grace apart from suffering. So listen in your pain. You will hear God shouting, "My grace is sufficient for you." How does God spell relief? G-R-A-C-E."

 - Pastor Merritt

Verse of the Day

Thoughts for the Day

It is true that when it comes to God in His reality, we walk by faith and not by sight. But that’s all right, because “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) I can say, without shame, I would rather live by faith than to die in doubt.

I believe in God. But more than that, I know God through Jesus Christ His Son, and I can say today, beyond any shadow of any doubt, my God is real. 

– Pastor Merritt

Thoughts for the Day

"Spellbinding. Penetrating. Heart-touching. These are fitting adjectives for the stories Jesus told. No less than 35 percent of Jesus's recorded teaching were parables - stories designed to reveal truth - and no one knew how topspin a story better. More than ordinary "once upon a time" tales, Jesus tells earthly stories imbued with both eternal and practical meanings. The stories Jesus told were not for entertainment but for edification; not for information but for transformation. If you want to know who Jesus was and what He valued, take a plunge into the parables He told."

 - Pastor Merritt

Thoughts for Today

If you went to Wall Street and asked the question, “What is the secret of greatness?”, Wall Street would say, “Money, and lots of it.” If you were to go to Washington and ask, “What is the secret of greatness?”, they would say, “Political clout.” If you were to go to Hollywood and ask, “What is the secret of greatness?”, Hollywood would say, “Fame.”

But the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus Christ, had a different answer. He said, “Whoever wants to become great must be a servant to others.” (Matthew 20:26)

 - Pastor Merritt

God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, and deep within our hearts, He has added a special place for our hopes and dreams. All too often, we allow life or people to stifle those dreams and squash our hopes. But there is no mountain that God cannot level, no chasm that God cannot span! Whatever your dream is today, commit it to God, use it for His glory, and watch how your every hope and dream becomes a reality. And when you dream, dream big!
 - Ron Lambros, President, Touching Lives

Thoughts of the Day

Success and greatness in the Kingdom of God is far different than what it is on planet earth. In the Kingdom of God there is no easy elevator to the top. To get to the top in God’s eyes you’ve got to take the stairs of service.

Jesus said again, “For even I didn’t come to be served, but to serve others and give My life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). The secret to greatness in the Kingdom of God is not how many servants you have, but what kind of a servant you are.

 -Pastor Merritt

Galatians 2:20

Thoughts for the Day

If you are a Christian, growth should be your goal. Maturity is mandatory for every child of God. Because when a Christian stops growing, he starts backsliding; you never stay the same. Start a journey to grow in Christ this week. Spend at least 15 minutes in the Bible every day. If you really desire maturity, the Lord will encourage you to achieve it.

 - Pastor Merritt