Who will be the next example our kids look up to when they need advice and guidance?

          Every so often a kid will come along and Shock and Amaze us with his Talent and Grace as it pertains to the sports and entertainment industry but they are few and far between by comparison to all the kids who don’t engage in these two activities. What will become of the kids who go from Rags to Riches once they hit the big time? On the other hand what will become of the kids who just happen to grow up and get thrust into the word by virtue of becoming of age?

When we hear of the success stories of Child Prodigies some of us are genuinely happy for them, as they tend to inspire our belief system that anything is possible if we apply ourselves and expose our children to different things in this world. Sadly, many of us count the days until their Fall from Grace so to speak, as far too many of these kids take on Success, Fortune and Fame far too early in life to handle the aftermath of that success later in life.

There are some pretty classic examples of success gone astray due to lack of education and role models in these kids lives as they are being dumped into our living rooms and over exposed on our TV sets to stumble and fall right in front of our eyes!

Iron Mike Tyson comes to mind, as he was one of the youngest Pro Heavyweight Champions of All Time, only to be riddled with huge debt, legal issues, rape charges, and divorce. As I looked a bit further into this phenomenon, I have been witnessing talents like Major League baseball great, Darryl Strawberry, whose drug use ruined an otherwise brilliant career. Actor, River Phoenix rose to fame like a rocket and died sadly on the streets of Hollywood in front of a night club and in front of a crowd of people for the world to see. Grunge Rocker, Kurt Cobain at the peak of his music career and the young age of 27, took a Shot Gun to his head and committed Suicide, ending his life of Success, Excess and Trials and Tribulations in the face of becoming a new father at the same time!

More recently NBA superstar, Kobe Bryant who skipped college and went straight to the Pro’s for the Fortune and Fame is now a spectacle on TV Screens and in Newspapers around the world, facing Rape Charges from a twist with a teenager from nowhere and now even she has become Infamous in the role of a victim.

Even more dangerous are those who do not have Fortune or Fame, as they are neither Famous nor Successful. This is where the bulk of our society resides and this is where our attention needs to be focused.

Where are the Fathers in all of this?

Where have our Role Models gone that they might show the kids of today the right path to follow in spite of all the Success, Fortune and Fame? There is definitely a need for Godly Fathers in this world if we are to protect our kids from themselves and this world! In a recent study, according to the National Fatherhood Initiative, the number of children today living in homes without father’s stands at twenty four million compared to six million in 1960. According to one expert, here in America we are in danger of becoming a Fatherless Society!

Pastor Greg Laurie has written a book on this very subject which challenges all men to stand up and deal with this very issue! He suggests that what our country needs is Godly Men- Men who will stand in the gap and who will be all that God has called them to be. Now this is not to suggest that some of our kids and young men out in the world cannot handle Fortune and Fame. However, there are a growing number of young men growing up in Fatherless homes that need examples by which they can witness and learn from. According to Pastor Greg Laurie, Fathers are so important because they provide a “Visible Link” between their children and the Father in Heaven.

Are we doing enough by the youth of today as grown men, setting examples by which the kids can follow and be proud of?

Before answering this question, let me refer you to: www.harvest.org

Here, you can order this book which answers what we should do in the face of losing our kids and our youth to “This World!”

Pastor Greg Laurie’s Book, “The Need for Godly Fathers” will rock the core of who we are as men and what we should be doing to secure our children’s future in Eternity with our Father in Heaven.

God Bless.