Daddy I wanna be a Man

Daddy I wanna be a man
But I need someone to teach me how to take a stand

I can’t turn to you because you sell drugs

I can’t lean on you because you’d rather be a thug

Daddy I wanna be a man

I wanna be there for my wife and kids

Not jet like a coward as you did

I wanna be more than a rolling stone

I wanna be the undisputed head of my home

I wanna be there for every spelling bee and football game

I wanna be more to my kids than the source of their last name

When I think of you and all the pain I’ve endured

Because you thought you wanted to be a father, but then became unsure

It motivates me to seek the higher road

To be there as a father ; to help bear the load

Daddy I wanna be a man

A man in every sense of the word

 Because anything less is truly absurd

Something more than a sperm donor I desire to be

Something more than you’ve ever been to me

Someone my kids can come to when they need affection

Someone that will hold them when they need protection

Someone through whom they can see Christ’s reflection

Daddy I wanna be a man

To say that your absence hurt is an inadequate description

Buy being a better dad than you is the healing prescription

By the way, where were you all those years?

Why weren’t you there to wipe away the tears?

Why were you not at even one game?

That name on the back of my Jersey should have been your last name

You will probably say you were busy and couldn’t make it

That’s a lame excuse Pops, so don’t even waste it

Say what? You were in jail and it wasn’t your fault

I say, you wouldn’t have been there if you had been doing as you ought

Let me save you the trouble of even responding

Don’t worry, I’m doing fine, my grandfather and me, we bonded

Daddy I wanna be a man

I wanna give my kids what I didn’t have

Someone to tickle me and make me laugh

Someone to scold me when I did wrong

Someone to be an example of how to lead in the home

I don’t know what happened to make you leave

But it’s motivated me to be there for my kids as long as I breathe

I wanna be the one to follow God’s divine plan

That’s right daddy, I wanna be a man

Dr. Rick Wallace 

5 Ways Fathers Can Inspire Their Children

by Karen Anderson

They’re both called parents, but mothers and fathers bond with their kids differently. For the mom, the relationship begins at conception and grows through the pregnancy and throughout life. For the father, the bond is forged at birth, when he first lays eyes on and holds his child. Most dads have to work harder than moms to sustain and nurture the bond they have with their children, and when they share a special relationship, it’s easy to inspire their kids to go on to do great things in life. If you’re a father, here are a few ways to inspire your children:

• Set an example: Rather than teach your children with words alone, show them what needs to be done by setting an example. If you want them to be healthy, eat healthy food and exercise regularly. This way, it’s easier to get your kids involved in sports and also make them realize that junk food is not good for them. When you’re hardworking and responsible, you teach your kids to be so too. They look up to you and want to emulate you when they grow up.

• Treat their mom well: Kids are very attached to their mothers as they grow up, so if you don’t treat their mom well and accord her due respect, they’re not going to like you or respect you, leave alone be inspired by you. The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mom and be nice to her.

• Spend time with them: Fathers who are absent most of the time from their children’s lives don’t have much of an impact on them. So if you want to inspire your children, be around for them and spend time with them; help them with their homework, play games with them, drive them around for their activities, and get to know what they like and who their friends are. This way, the bond between you becomes stronger.

• Encourage them without finding fault: Kids have a natural enthusiasm that cannot be curbed. They are full of energy for the things they are passionate about, and as a father, it’s up to you to encourage your children to reach for the stars and achieve their goals. Don’t push them to do more than they want to or are capable of; rather, be there for them and offer support when asked or needed. Don’t find fault because they don’t live up to your expectations. There’s nothing like negative criticism to curb enthusiasm.

• Teach them right from wrong: The best way to do this is to be a moral and ethical person yourself; when your kids see that dad doesn’t lie, cheat or treat other people badly, they pick up these traits naturally. You’re an inspiration as to how they want to live their lives and treat their children. 
This guest post is contributed by Karen Anderson, who writes on the topic of online bible colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email id :karen.anderson441@gmail.com

Addressing the "Black Code" with our Youth

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — I thought my son would be much older before I had to tell him about the Black Male Code. He's only 12, still sleeping with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I needed to explain to my child that soon people might be afraid of him.

We were in the car on the way to school when a story about Martin came on the radio. "The guy who killed him should get arrested. The dead guy was unarmed!" my son said after hearing that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman had claimed self-defense in the shooting in Sanford, Fla.

We listened to the rest of the story, describing how Zimmerman had spotted Martin, who was 17, walking home from the store on a rainy night, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head. When it was over, I turned off the radio and told my son about the rules he needs to follow to avoid becoming another Trayvon Martin — a black male who Zimmerman assumed was "suspicious" and "up to no good."

As I explained it, the Code goes like this:

Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks are few. Understand that even though you are not a criminal, some people might assume you are, especially if you are wearing certain clothes.

Never argue with police, but protect your dignity and take pride in humility. When confronted by someone with a badge or a gun, do not flee, fight, or put your hands anywhere other than up.

Please don't assume, son, that all white people view you as a threat. America is better than that. Suspicion and bitterness can imprison you. But as a black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are.

I was far from alone in laying out these instructions. Across the country this week, parents were talking to their children, especially their black sons, about the Code. It's a talk the black community has passed down for generations, an evolving oral tradition from the days when an errant remark could easily cost black people their job, their freedom, or sometimes their life.

After Trayvon Martin was killed, Al Dotson Jr., a lawyer in Miami and chairman of the 100 Black Men of America organization, told his 14-year-old son that he should always be aware of his surroundings, and of the fact that people might view him differently "because he's blessed to be an African-American."

"It requires a sixth sense that not everyone needs to have," Dotson said.

Dotson, 51, remembers receiving his own instructions as a youth, and hearing those instructions evolve over time.

His grandparents told Dotson that when dealing with authority figures, make it clear you are no threat at all — an attitude verging on submissive. Later, Dotson's parents told him to respond with respect and not be combative.

Today, Dotson tells his children that they should always be respectful, but should not tolerate being disrespected — which would have been recklessly bold in his grandparents' era.

Yet Dotson still has fears about the safety of his children, "about them understanding who they are and where they are, and how to respond to the environment they are in."

Bill Stephney, a media executive who lives in a New Jersey suburb that is mostly white and Asian, has two sons, ages 18 and 13. The Martin killing was an opportunity for him to repeat a longtime lesson: Black men can get singled out, "so please conduct yourself accordingly."

Like Dotson, Stephney mentioned an ultra-awareness — "a racial Spidey sense, a tingling" — that his sons should heed when stereotyping might place them in danger.

One night in the early 1980s, while a student at Adelphi University on Long Island, Stephney and about a dozen other hip-hop aficionados went to White Castle after their late-night DJ gig. They were gathered in the parking lot, eating and talking, when a squadron of police cars swooped in and a helicopter rumbled overhead.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Trayvon-Martin-my-son-and-the-Black-Male-Code-3431857.php#ixzz1q3x4FGqH

The Believers Initiative

This went out to the Facebook open group "The Believers Initiative". Anyone that wants to better themselves in every aspect of life is willing to join. 

Anyone that knows me knows that I am intent on being informed about past and current issues. I was contemplating the objective of this Group Forum : To help advance believers in every aspect of their lives. So I took the 21 principles of Christian Living as revealed to me by the Holy Spirit and I wanted to address the 5 that are lacking the most.

21 Principles of Christian Living

1. God above all else ( When God is placed first the process of power begins)
2. Always know that God is in control (This is the essence of faith)
3. Constantly renew your mind and your thinking (transformation begins here)
4. Daily intake, digestion, metabolism & inculcation of Bible doctrine
5. Always look to give more than you receive (Fill your space)
6. Wholeness of Life (let no area be in lack)
7. Living in true abundance (finance is only a small portion of true abundance)
8. Guard Your Tongue & Understand its power. (Life & Death lie here)
9. Maintain the Temple (our bodies; health, fitness & nutrition)
10. Teach others as you learn (Of whom much is given, much is required)
11. Build up rather than tear down (Christians have become good at the latter)
12. Forgive (Forgiveness is one of the greatest ways to reclaim stolen power)
13. Live in your purpose (Your Purpose defines your pain)
14. Honor God in your Walk (This is your greatest testimony
15. Allow Praise to become a daily practice (Praise confounds the enemy)
16. Work in harmony with all believers (stop being a busy body & complainer)
17. Accept Correction (Only a fool despises it)
18. Maintain a heart of gratitude (take notice of the simple things)
19. Develop a sense of order (Without order chaos rules and little is accomplished)
20. Expand your vision & God will enlarge your territory (We have been trained to
        think small, criticized when we open up to the possibilities (God is not a god of
         mediocrity)
21. No surrender; No retreat (God takes not pleasure in those that draw back)

When we follow these principles victory is inevitable. When I began to delve into the things that were troubling believers most, I found the following 5 things to be most prevalent.

1. Financial Struggles (falls under principle #3)
2. Fitness and Nutrition (falls under principle #9)
3. Relationship Issues (falls under principles #11 and 17)
4. Poor Vision or Dwarfed Goals (falls under principle 20)
5. lack of Knowledge (falls under principle #3)

Each of this issues are due to lack. The issue is always lack.

25 “This is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

26 “Here is what these words mean:

Mene[e]: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27 Tekel[f]: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

28 Peres[g]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

This is the famous passage in Daniel dealing with the writing on the wall. Belshazzar was weighed in the balances or searched by God and found to be lacking. Any area of perpetual personal struggle is always due to a lack of the virtue that provides foundation and strength in that area of your life. This is why we are to have an abundance in every area of our life, not just focusing on wealth.

We are going to address these issues head on. The first thing that I want each of you to do is determine which of these areas of struggle apply to you. Determine what the exact need is. Second you are to determine which of thse areas you are strongest in and decide the best way to use your strengths to help others with weaknesses in the area of your strengths. If you know of courses, products, people and other resources, prepare to share them with the rest of the group beginning Monday. If you have something you want to share before then thats fine too. I need all of you Entrepreneurs, Life Coaches, Motivational Speakers, Spiritual Leaders to step to the forefront. I will provide support on several fronts. I will provide insight from my years of experience as a business owner; Health, fitness, health, and holistic living from my expertise in the fitness arena; and scriptural foundation in order to build the foundation on which we will build up each of these areas of weakness.

Let every one you know that is in need of help to come. Tell all the heavy hitters that this is a chance to give back as well as generate business within the guidelines of the program.

Together we will make a difference, not only in the lives of the people within this group, but the people we come in contact with outside this group.

Okay, lets do this.

Bishop Rick Wallace
http://rickwallaceministries.com
http://funnychurchclips.blogspot.com
P.S. Pastors, I have some special resources to share with you. Those of you in the Dallas and Houston area should contact me directly. This includes Author and Publisher Andrea Taylor of Third Chapter Press

A Father’s Lead, a Daughter’s Vision

by Adrienne Carlson


I consider my greatest blessing in life to be the fact that I have wonderful parents, people who have nurtured and supported me throughout my life. If mom was the one who went out of her way to make sure we kids were loved and pampered without being spoilt, dad played a stellar role in helping me become an independent and responsible adult. He showed me the way and allowed me to take it without holding my hand too tightly; he allowed me to make mistakes and was always there for me when I failed without every saying “I told you so”; and he took as much pride in my attempts as he did my achievements.


I could say that my father had the greatest influence in my life, and as far back as I can remember, he was my role model. In fact, I wanted to marry a man who was just like him. While that did not exactly happen, dad has remained a part of my life even though I moved across the country following my wedding. And nothing reinforced his presence more than his words to me during the bleakest period of my life. 


My husband and I were ecstatic when we discovered that I was finally pregnant after 5 years of trying hard to have a baby, but our joy was short lived. The first scan showed that it was an ectopic pregnancy and that I had to undergo an emergency surgery to save my life. I spent three days in the hospital, crying and refusing food and company after my doctor told me I could never have a baby of my own for various medical reasons. Until my dad walked in, that is. He had flown across the country to be with his baby girl and to offer his support, as he had throughout my life. 


I cried my heart out in his arms, and as he held me, he had just a few words for me – in fact, it was the words of one of our favorite hymns. As he sang the opening bars of The Lord is my Shepherd, I felt my tears fall faster. But my heart was finally at peace. I knew that my father was the real shepherd here, one whom Christ had sent to soothe my ravaged body and soul. He would lead me out of this horrible experience and into the light. 


I went home with dad to recuperate and get some much needed rest. We went on long walks together and talked about life and everything else under the sun. I wondered how I would be able to go forward knowing that my dreams of motherhood had been dashed forever. But dad, in his infinite wisdom, counseled me and gave me a vision to look forward to – a life spent in the service of orphaned and abandoned children. 


Today, I am satisfied as a foster mother – I have not one but hundreds of children, all of whom I love to bits. I don’t cry when they leave me because I know they have found good homes, but I make sure that I enjoy every single moment I spend with them. They are God’s gift to me, the vision that kept my soul alive and well during those dark days.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of Christian college online. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com
http://onlinechristiancolleges.net/

http://funnychurchclips.blogspot.com
http://rickwallaceministries.com

Fulfilling Your Design!

In the book of Genesis we find the story of the creation. Where God set out and brought an entire universe into existence. Everything was created with a particular purpose and was designed in specific detail for that purpose. The tree was designed for shelter, oxygen, and to produce fruit for food. We see in the New Testament that when a tree does not fulfill its designed purpose it is cut away or in the case of the fig tree in Matthew Chapter 21, cursed. The moon served its purpose by holding things in balance, keeping the waves within the boundaries of the ocean, all through its gravitational pull on the earth. Yes everything has a purpose and its design is in direct correspondence to its purpose.

Let us look at the greatest of designs and investigate its purpose in minor detail. We want to visit this topic long enough to find the connection between mans design and his failure or success in fulfilling that design. We will find that we can make a direct correlation between man walking in the fullness of his design and purpose and his success and the success of those in his periphery as well.

Gen 1:26,  Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

We find that man was created in the image and likeness of God.

The word translated image here is the Hebrew “tselem”

tseh'-lem

From an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, that is, (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence a representative figure, especially an idol: - image, vain shew.

Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

The word translated likeness is the Hebrew “d’muth”

H1823

דּמוּת

d^emûth

dem-ooth'

From H1819; resemblance; concretely model, shape; adverbially like: - fashion, like (-ness, as), manner, similitude.

Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

Both words denote resemblance to God, the conception of man in resemblance to God, silent in its expression or loudly proclaimed, is the undercurrent of all revelation. In Genesis 9:6 we see it given as the reason for prohibiting murder. In Colossians 3:10 is speaks of our regeneration. Therefore image and likeness refer to man being created as an expression of the essence of God. We see first of all that man was made in the image of God as a representation of God here on earth. So then our imagery is that of a shadow of divinity. This is the design, but we must search further to find the purpose. Remember that the design works in direct correlation to the purpose.

Gen 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

The first thing man is commanded to do is be fruitful and multiply. The words fruitful and multiply are words of redundancy stressing extreme relevance. Both words carry the connotation of bringing an increase. In this instance God is speaking of the propagation of the human race through natural reproduction. Please notice that God does not give them a choice, but requires it of them. So the first purpose of man is to reproduce to set forth offspring. As we have seen in previous articles, the fulfillment of this obligation comes with subsequent requirements and responsibilities.

Following the command to reproduce is the command to subdue the earth, take dominion over it. Man is given the responsibility to rule over every living thing. This speaks to his dominion. Subdue is to take control over. The key word is control. I will make my point momentarily.

So, from this one verse, we can see that man was designed with the purpose of reproducing as well as having dominion over every living thing. However, there is more.

Gen 1:29  Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

Gen 1:30  and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

Gen 1:31  God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God said to his human creation, I have given everything that I have created to be placed under you. Basically what he is saying to Adam here is that I have given you absolute authority over everything. I have designed you to function optimally for the sake of fulfilling your purpose. There is nothing that I am requiring of you that I have not designed you to do. Unfortunately, we all know the story. God gave Adam and eventually Ishah (the woman, she was not called Eve until after the fall) one simple negative command:

Gen 2:16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;

Gen 2:17  but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Now we have to be careful in analyzing this portion of scripture, we see that Adam is given the command before the woman is created, so one might assume that she did not know, but we see that she has knowledge of this command when she is engaged by the craftiness and subtleness of Satan. She either learned of this command by the teaching of her husband, or she learned as God taught them in the cool of the day. When speaking with Satan she embellishes the command when she says that they were told not to touch it. It adding to the Word she was dishonest, however since the only negative command was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, embellishment here is not the issue.

From a preliminary examination of the aforementioned passages we glean quite a bit. Man was designed to reproduce, subdue, and rule. He was created to have dominion over all that God had created before him. He had named every living creature displaying authority over it. Yet, in one moment of weakness, it was all taken away. Adam not the woman, failed in his responsibility to rule in his dominion. He was the first to fail in his design, but there is more to the design by implication. We must look a little deeper in scripture to search out the full function of the design.

The key is in the original passage of scripture we viewed:

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

We were made in the likeness and image of God. We said earlier that image and likeness connotes a resemblance and expression of the essence of God. We are the representation of God to the World. Based on the word order, we can say that man’s greatest purpose is the representation of God before the world. When the world looks at the Christian man, they should see a man whose words and actions properly portray the essence of God.

We know that God is love:

Zep 3:17  "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Rom 8:38  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

Rom 8:39  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Jn 4:8  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

So then when the man of God is observed those observing him should see the expression of God’s Love through Him. They should see love in the way that he treats his wife. They should see love in the way that he treats his children, they should see love in the way he engages fellow believers. They should even see love in the way that he engages sinners.

This love is not a love in the sense that most of us see love, but love that is unconditional and unwavering. God is not capricious in His love toward man. His love is not affected by our actions. God’s love is subjective, which means that His love is dependent upon who He is and not who he loves. Because God is love, he embodies its true meaning. I believe that there is no better scriptural passage than 1 Corinthians 13 to bring clarity to love in its truest form.

1Co 13:1  If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

1Co 13:2  If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

1Co 13:3  And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

1Co 13:4  Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

1Co 13:5  does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

1Co 13:6  does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

1Co 13:7  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1Co 13:8  Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

1Co 13:9  For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

1Co 13:10  but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

1Co 13:12  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

1Co 13:13  But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Paul tells us that all of the spiritual gifts, including tongues (so highly regarded by the Corinthian people) and prophecy paled in comparison to Love. He said that when prophecy ceased, love would still prevail. He gave instance of the virtuosity of love.

 Love calls for one to exude patience in dealing with others, even when they are wrong. It requires one to forgive when the deepest part of them desires to hold on to hurt. Love demands that we relinquish the natural proclivity to put ourselves first. Love believes in others when all have forsaken them. Love bears the failures of another with patience and gentleness. Love declares nothing will break the bond that has been established.

So when the world sees a man of God, they should see one that exemplifies the love of God. This is a part of the design. How many of us are living up to the design? We cannot aptly address IFS until we address this failure to fulfill the design. Let’s make sure that we understand that there is not a failure in the design, but a failure in fulfilling it. The design has become flawed by the sin nature, but that issue was rectified at Calvary. So, once again; there can be no excuses.

Another major characteristic of God is his incessant faithfulness.

Deu 7:9  "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

1Co 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

The Word of God is consistent in its establishing His faithfulness to His creation. We can see through the entire Old Testament the rebellious Nation of Israel as they constantly moved opposite the will of God, yet God remained faithful to His covenant with them. Even after the Jews rejected Christ, God set them aside and interpolated the Church age, however, he did not break his covenant with them, He simply delayed the fulfillment of that covenant until the tribulational period before Christ’s millennial reign. God has repetitively proven his faithfulness to the Church as well. The Word says that he is immutable, which means that he cannot change, so his faithfulness is perpetually executed throughout time.

We as Christian men must display this same faithfulness in our lives. We must keep our word and honor the covenants that we make with others and especially God. Our faithfulness speaks to our integrity. It is the cornerstone of our Character. When we introspectively analyze our behavior we should see the reflection of Christ in ourselves. Are we fulfilling the design?

Another characteristic of God is that of a loving and caring Father; a father that is caring, nurturing, protective, and providential. He is our Abba Father.  He covers us in our moments of vulnerability. He nurtures us with His Word, and yes, he chastens us when we rebel. Even his chastening comes for the purpose of improving us. God, as our Father is always present.

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

God designed us to represent Him before men, to represent His love, patience, and character. We have failed in this purpose and responsibility. We have allowed world views that foster secular paradigms to infiltrate the ranks of the Christian faith. Nihilism: the belief that life has no ultimate meaning; Relativism: the belief that truth is relative to the individual and the time and place in which one acts; there are no absolute or objective truths; Secular Humanism: a worldview based on atheism and naturalism in which man is the measure or standard of all things. This places man, not God, as the ultimate norm by which truth and morals are to be determined; Ethical Relativism: The belief that no absolute moral code exists and therefore man determines what is right in each situation according to his private judgment. These are just several of the philosophies that have found their way into the tenets of Christianity. With the surge of worldly philosophies, we have witnessed a steady decline in morality within the church and a measurable loss in effectiveness to minister.

It sounds crazy, but the world has lost faith in the people of faith. There was a time in which unbelievers looked to believers to set the moral standard, but somewhere along the way, we became distracted by the machinations of the enemy. We lost our way and became indistinguishable from those we were called to convert. The once extended respect the world had for the church has become swallowed up in the failure of the man of God to live Holy.

I am extending a call to every Christian man that reads this passage to rise up and live to the standard of your design. You have been designed for so much more than absentee fatherhood. You have been designed for so much more than mediocrity. You have been designed for so much more than being the bearer of dwarfed goals and the perpetuator of infinite pain. You were designed for greatness. You were designed for optimal function within the plan of God. You were designed to be the expressed image of God. I am starting with me. Today I stand and declare myself to be a part the fellowship of Godly men that refuse to be drawn in by the enemy. I stand alongside of any that will walk unashamed and undeterred by the tactics of the enemy.

      For those that are willing to make this commitment with me today, I promise that through us God will make a difference. Through us God will re-establish His people as a distinct and separate people. The great revivalist John Wesley once said, “Give me 100 men that fear no one but God and hate nothing but sin and we will change the world.” On that very premise I founded 100 Men of Purpose, an organization dedicated to leading men back into their God ordained roles as we ignite a revolutionary revival. Join me as we move forward.

Bishop Rick Wallace

Author: The Invisible Father 

A Loving Hand!

I have stated on more than one occasion that I do not preach from a platform of perfection. Therefore my admonishments and exhortations are never brought forth with the purpose of condemnation. When I wrote The Invisible Father I wrote it from a place of passion, not anger. There are a lot of statements that are direct; they may even seem accusatory; however not one of them is written with one iota of condemnation. The call I have sent forth to men is not based on blame, but truth.

I understand that there are many of you that yearn to be a good father, but you have not been afforded a wealth of role models after which you could pattern your life. You have grasped at the straws of possibility only to actualize shadows of your full potential. When you glance into the mirror, the reflection you see is of inadequacy and failure. You have been convinced by the enemy that you are all you will ever be. You are fatigued by the incessant turmoil that has become the story of your life. I would like to say, “I understand.”

I’m not implying that being a great Christian man is a simple and easy accomplishment. On the contrary, living out your destiny as a husband, father, leader and minister of the faith is a tall order to say the least. Yet, God has not left you to figure this out on your own. He has promised that he will never leave no forsake you (Josh. 1:5). He has promised that His design and plan for you would produce greatness as prosperity when applied and accompanied by faith and perseverance.

The world has written you off. You have been ostracized by those of the faith and ridiculed by those of the world. Around every turn there is someone to validate your fallibilities and amplify your failures. You have been emasculated in many ways by the women in your life. You have been systematically taught to be counterproductive. You are the downcast; you are forgotten, you are the ridiculed, but listen to what God has said about you:

  ²⁶For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.
    ²⁷[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
    ²⁸And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,
    ²⁹So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God. (1 Cor. 1:26-29 AMP)


You are the ones God will use to ignite the next great revival. He wants to take you with all your fallibilities and inadequacies and elevate you. He wants to fill you with His Spirit so that you may walk in your anointed purpose. No matter what you have done. No matter how far off course you have strayed. God wants to use you. He is simply asking that you surrender your life to him. He is asking that you trust him to blot out every blemish. Remember, it is because of your defalcation concerning your sins that Christ came to bear those sins, so give them to God.


There is an awesome husband on the inside of you; you were designed that way. There is a loving and exceptional father living on the inside of you; you were designed that way. There is powerful leader deep within your spiritual DNA; you were designed that way. The enemy has convinced you to walk contrary to your design. Maybe you did not have a father. Maybe your father was not a good role model. Whatever the case may be, God has made a way for you to be all that your were created to be. You were not designed for mediocrity. You were not designed for colorless dreams and dwarfed goals. You were not designed to live in the cul-de-sac of complacency. Your genetic makeup is not calibrated for passivity and incapability. No, you were designed for greatness. You were built for the battles you are facing.


No, I don’t project condemnation toward you. I extend a hand of love and acceptance. We must work together to become all that God has designed us to be. We must take ownership of our mess, but we cannot afford to wallow in it. You may have made many mistakes and I am sure that there are those that would love to use your mistakes to hold you emotionally captive. Please know that you are not required to mortgage your future to pay for your past, Christ has already covered the debt. Let those that are unable to let go of the past deal with their own inadequacies and emotional issues. Do what you can to mend the broken pieces and then place it in the hands of the Lord. The Invisible Father is not an assault on men, but a calling to task and a offering of support.


I cover you with the prayer that God will come into your immediate situation and make His presence immediately felt. I pray that as you surrender he will pour out his favor upon you and your loved ones. I pray that every severed relationship between a father and his child be mended. I pray that the mothers that may be holding on to old baggage will allow the love of God to open their hearts and remove the bitterness and resentment that has fostered the  wedge between father and child. I pray peace into every situation. Amen.
I invite every man that reads this to contact me directly for prayer and the seeking of God’s guidance. If there are any that know of resources available to men who are willing to make a change please come forth. 
To each of you I wish you a blessed coming year.


Bishop Rick Wallace
Author of The Invisible Father: 
Reversing the Curse of Fatherless Generation