In terms of the Jeremiah passage of building, dwelling, and planting as pilgrims, the call to fathers is especially to put that in the paradigm, I believe, of the most effective way of childbearing, which I just simply call the office-bearing model, in which we seek to be conformed to Jesus by being prophets, priests, and kings. So as a prophet, I'm called to teach my children, I'm called to live what I teach them, and they're to see in my walk of life and in my conversation this kind of allegiance to all that the scripture commands so that they could say after they grow up and look back on their childhood, you know my dad had his flaws and faults but one thing, one thing he did is he was always, always talking to us and modeling for us how to live the Christian life. You know there's an old Dutch saying that says, your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks more than your talk talks. So if your children see that in you, they hear it from your lips, but they see it even modeled from your life, you're a real prophet among them if you're bringing them the Word of God every day through both walk and talk.

Then we're called to be priests, aren't we? Priestly office has two dimensions, two big dimensions to it, well three actually. One to be sacrificial, one to be intercessory, one to be blessing. Three main tasks of the priests of the Old Testament as well. So the sacrificial dimension of building, dwelling, planting is evident to my children in how I treat my wife.

I want them to see that I'm building dwelling planting in my marriage by living sacrificially as Christ loved the church, giving his all for her, so I am to love my wife, giving my all for her. And then in terms of the intercessory dimension, I'm to be like Job, you know, offering sacrifices for my children every morning. I love what Spurgeon said. He said, early in the morning Job got up and offered sacrifices, so he hurried to bring his children to the cross every day. And what a beautiful thing that is.

Privately I'm to do that, but also I'm to do that in family worship, in the family circle. It's amazing the power this has in children's lives. I mean, I could rattle off 30 quotations right now from my father's prayers that were often repeated that impacted me greatly as he poured out his soul for us to live in Carmel and to the glory of God as children growing up. And you know, he really stressed that he wanted us to live like Caleb, to follow the Lord fully. And that just came through in his prayers.

Like, just, I'll mention just one thing. He would often pray this petition with the tears streaming down his face. I mean, earnestly. Lord, we just can't miss any of our children on the right side of Christ on the great day of days, save them all Lord. And then when we all got saved, I think the oldest of the five of us was about 20 when she got saved.

And then he's, and she was the youngest, and then the older ones were already having grandchildren. He'd say, and now Lord, the grandchildren, we can't miss any of them in heaven either. So that kind of pleading intercessory prayer life is very, very important. And then of course, if we're really going to build, dwell and plant we need to be kings as well. We need to guide them, we need to discipline them, we need to show leadership, we need to protect them, need to defend them and and things like that.

So I think a father's call to action is an office-burying call.