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Faith Focus: A father to the fatherless

Dressed in a white T-shirt and bright orange sneakers, Bishop Putney stands out in more ways than one. While the other five boys glue pieces of wood together, he stands over a two-by-four, his right arm sliding a handsaw across a wooden plank. A flurry of dust falls to the ground.

He focuses intently. The cut must be made at precisely 30 inches just like Dan Molinski has shown him.

“He’s very good at fixing stuff, like tables,” Bishop says. “And he’s good at making stuff. He’s showing us how to be a man. Areal man.”

Surrounded by young men dressed in a variety of basketball shorts and tennis shoes, Dan Molinksi demonstrates, in simple terms, how the base of what will be a lemonade stand is constructed. The Boy’s Club at the Buckner Family Hope Center at Wynnewood in Dallas meets every week with a purpose: To grow as men and have fun.

“For many children at the Family Hope Center, emotional and spiritual fatherlessness is the norm,” Buckner Ministry Engagement Coordinator Sarah Jones says. “Consistent, strong, compassionate and reliable men are important to every child, but they leave a powerful impact on boys. Dan is teaching the boys valuable lessons about respect, honesty and kindness through these weekly Boy’s Club meetings. The boys are learning more than a cooking or construction skill; they are learning what a father looks like.”

Dan has taken a special interest in helping the young men at the Hope Center develop into men. He’s taken them under his wing each week, spent time with them and connected with each of them. As a result, he’s changing their lives by mirroring the nature of God.

We can tell much about the heart of Christ by examining who he spent time with while he was here on earth. He ministered to the poor and the outcast, those who were down and out. He cared for the most vulnerable such as children. He took people who did not know God under his wing and guided them to his loving father.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." -Psalm 68:5

Deeper reflection:

  • What does it mean to be "a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows?"
  • How do we live lives that can be described with those phrases?

Next steps:

  • Being a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows means spending time with the vulnerable. Look for ways to change the lives of vulnerable children and families through Buckner by visiting our Volunteer Central or our mission trip calendar.
  • This week is a special challenge for men. Look for an opportunity where you can invest long-term into the life of a child. 

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