Barry Cook, Pastor
Ambassador Family Church, Oceanside:

The single most important value I can pass on to my daughter is the understanding that there is a divine purpose for her life. The relationship she has with God is not to pacify a religious need, but a lifeline that connects her with Heaven’s plans and priorities. Through covenant connection with the Father, her calling is made sure.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus told His disciples to suffer not the little children to come to Him. As parents, we must not prohibit our children from operating in the fullness of all that Jesus has for them. To do so would cause them to spiritually suffer.

I believe the Holy Spirit is not concerned with how big or small the vessel is, but only with the willingness and obedience of that vessel. There is no age in the spirit. Just as infants and toddlers can sense the presence of God, children who are saved can manifest the gifts of the Spirit to the extent that adults can.

Joel D. Trout, Biship
North Park Apostolic Church, San Diego:
As a father of two daughters, I have found that it is vital for a father to pass on to his daughter a love for her mother. A daughter needs to see how a man properly loves a woman. That raises her baseline expectation for all men who enter into her life. Every man must love her at least as well as her father loved her mother!

A father must also pass along to his daughter a sense of security. Too many fathers have caused their daughters grief because they betrayed their daughters’ trust by violating their daughters’ purity. It shatters a girl’s sense of security when the man who was to provide it becomes the enemy of her peace.

And finally, a father must pass along to his daughter the proper image of God. For it is through her earthly father relationship that she sees the attributes of a loving Heavenly Father.