Matt and I have a good friend by the name of Dr. Doug Stringer. Doug is the founder and dude-in-charge of a ministry based out of Houston, TX called Somebody Cares America. Doug is getting ready to release his new book, Who's Your Daddy Now. We are humbled to be included in this new publication. Please read the excerpt below:
Excerpt From Who’s Your Daddy Now?
By Doug Stringer
Chapter 5: Leading by Example
I gained some insight about a commonly used biblical phrase, “laying on of hands.” Even though hands were laid on people to impart healing and ordain them to ministry, one of the original roots of the practice was to pass on "the blessing" from one generation to another, like Jacob did with his sons.
Laying on of hands is not something you can do by phone, e-mail, or fax. You have to be there. One of the tragedies for many young people today is that they don't have parents who are truly there for them, in person and by example. They don’t have dads and moms present in person to impart to them the value or even the techniques of interaction. . .
Matt, an emerging generational leader, told me how he demonstrated the love of God in this way to his oldest son, Joshua, who was 12 at the time. Josh is strong and muscular and growing up very much in the image of his dad.
Matt and his wife, Katy, coordinate a youth initiative throughout the Northeast including Baltimore, New York City, and various locations in New England. One day, during an outreach in Lowell, Massachusetts, the teams of young people were in an intense time of prayer and worship. They had been out all day serving the community with work projects.
Just a year earlier, I had been the keynote speaker for their outreach in that same community. Several of the interns ministered to me during a time of prayer led by Matt and Katy’s 10-year-old son Caleb, who had been a pivotal part of the outreach with his energy, zeal, and enthusiasm. Just a few days after I left, Caleb went to be with Jesus as the result of a car accident.
Josh was also in the accident, but survived. A year later, he was still reeling from all that happened. During this time of prayer and worship, he went off by himself, feeling tired, fearful, and confused. As Matt tells the story:
Knowing Josh had suffered a loss no 12-year-old can easily endure, I walked up behind him and put my hand on his shoulder. He was slouched in his seat, and his face was covered so no one would see him crying. I leaned over to gently speak in his ear and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don't know.”
I knew that meant I should ask again.
“What’s the matter?”
He told me he felt scared, like God was far away from him.
The Holy Spirit quickened me to ask him: “Do you know how close God is?”
“No.”
I quickly replied, saying; “He is this close.”
I then scooped down and gripped him, putting my arms around him and hugging him as long and as hard as I could.
Josh didn’t need my theology or thoughts at that point. He needed a tangible understanding of how much God loves him and how close He really is.
Later that evening, he thanked me and asked, “What do kids do when they feel far from God and don’t have a dad to hold them?”
Even in his youth, Josh recognized the need for human touch, for the tangible touch of a father.
One Christmas, a team of five families from Warren, Pennsylvania came to Houston, giving up their own holiday to serve others during our Holiday of Hope ministry and other Christmas outreaches. As one of the dads on the team was helping a five-year-old girl and her mom pick out Christmas toys from our fellowship hall, the little girl looked up to him and said, “Could you give me a hug for my daddy? I don’t have a daddy.” He hugged her as he held back his tears.
God depends on us to be that father in the flesh to those who don’t have a dad to hold them. Let us not be afraid to impart this intimacy. Let us not be afraid to “be there,” in person and by example. It was no mistake He chose to pass on blessings through the laying on of hands.
Pretty cool, huh.
You can pre-order Doug's book by clicking here. We would be thrilled if you did.
