Serving the Fatherless

Published on February 08, 2008 by Danny Strange

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." -Psalm 82:3-4

On a recent Wednesday night, I spent my evening talking to student after student who came to me for counsel. While the issues I faced ranged from struggling with purity to submission to authority, one common thread united these six students. All were growing up without a father.

We live in a time and in a place where the majority of our students on any given Wednesday Night come from broken homes. Still, as I survey the demographics of our Student Leadership Team, I find that the grand majority of these students live with two loving parents. The truth behind these facts is that fatherlessness is not only widespread, but is an epidemic that is keeping a large number of our students from growing.

The gravity of this issue was made clear to me as I listened to Donald Miller share from his new book, To Own a Dragon, where he explains teenage life without a Father. This author's words are a call to us to take up arms and "defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless" among us."

Listen to this recording and ask yourself, "How can I live out this command from Psalm 82?"