• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

BJU Press Blog

  • Home
  • Shop
    • Shaping Worldview
  • Simplified Homeschool
  • Successful Learning

father

A Father’s Faith in Pulling Together

April 11, 2016 by Cosette

I thought at first glance that Pulling Together by beloved children’s author Dawn L. Watkins might be just another and-the-ranch-was-saved story. But I was delighted to find rare elements that raise it to a much higher plane. Although told from the perspective of Matthew, the younger of John and Addie Briggs’s two sons, the real hero of Pulling Together is a strong, God-fearing father figure. John Briggs’s faith comes to light in his family’s severe trial and radiates in some way from every page.

book cover of Pulling Together by Dawn L. Watkins

When the family barn─one of the most essential elements to their early-twentieth-century sustenance─is struck by lightning and engulfed in flames, this father immediately takes the reigns. With the brave command of a modern superhero, Mr. Briggs saves what he can and resigns to God, without complaint, what he can’t. But young Matthew despairs when he finds out that to offset their losses they may have to sell one of the family’s two beloved workhorses.

Reflecting his father’s resourcefulness and strength of character, Matthew hatches a plan that, if successful, will enable them to keep the horses. He works hard and hopes big. With an eye to entering his well-matched team in the horse pull at the Cherry Springs fair, he sets the stage for the story’s dramatic conclusion.

Competition day finally arrives, and nerves are put to the test. In contrast to the humble integrity of Matthew’s horses is a flamboyant team of large, muscular show horses. The “Baily Grays” don’t appear to be workhorses as specified in the entry guidelines, and reflecting the temperamental nature of their owner, they present a formidable foe. But Matthew sees his father’s calm trust remain steadfast in spite of all that is at stake.

The story’s exciting ending raises yet another interesting question about the impact of one man’s faith. Are John Briggs’s strength and patience so powerful that even his horses reflect their influence? In an age starved for positive role models, this novel published by JourneyForth decidedly delivers. It’s a rare treat for young boys everywhere.

Click on “Look Inside the Book” to read Chapter 1 from Pulling Together.

Filed Under: JourneyForth Tagged With: faith, father, horses, role model

The Servant Father

June 11, 2015 by Cosette

book cover of Family: The Making and Remaking of a Christian Home by Ronald HortonIt is the father’s responsibility to rule his family in a loving, considerate way while maintaining the necessary firmness. He leads in sacrifice. He asks more of himself than of his family. He leads in love. He is energetic in generosity, delighted to provide those extras he knows will please his family as he is able and to the extent he can.

He also leads in sensitivity. A wife needs continuing reassur­ance of her husband’s love and of his appreciation of her role. Children need continuing reassurance of their parents’ love and of their own importance in the family. The father leads as a pro­vider of the physical and emotional needs of the family but also of its spiritual needs, situating his wife and children agreeably in a church where they can spiritually grow and be blessed. Wise fathers are sensitive to these needs and endeavor to satisfy them.

In the family order described by Paul, who then serves? The children serve upwardly. They are charged with obedience to their parents. They must serve their parents if their parents are to serve them. The wife serves both upwardly and downwardly. She is charged with submission to her husband and with the care of her household. The father, the earthly head of the family, serves upwardly his divine Head and reports to Him directly. But he also serves downwardly. He serves his wife and children and the family in aggregate. He is charged with their well-being.

His obligation rests mightily on his shoulders. It includes more than his family’s subsistence. He is its giver-in-chief. To serve his family as he should he will need to join with his mate in seeking the help of the greatest Servant of all.

That great Servant put the question of service and status bluntly to His disciples, who from their behavior to one another needed to ponder it. “Whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). Jesus shamed them by washing their feet, a lowly task they would not have considered doing for one another. To resist service for the sake of status is to resist the example of God.

[Excerpt adapted from Family: The Making and Remaking of a Christian Home by Ronald Horton (Chapter 6, pp. 27–28).]

Filed Under: JourneyForth Tagged With: excerpt, family, father, father's responsbility, Ronald Horton, servant

Primary Sidebar

As parents, teachers, or former homeschool students, we are passionate about homeschooling from a biblical worldview. We hope these teaching tips, fun activities, and inspirational stories support you in teaching your children.

Email Signup

Sign up for our homeschool newsletter and receive select blog posts, discounts, and more right to your inbox!

Connect with Us!

                    Instagram     

Read Posts on Specific Subjects

Early Learning
Foreign Language
History
Language Arts
Math
Science

Footer

Disclaimer

The BJU Press blog publishes content by different writers for the purpose of relating to our varied readers. Views and opinions expressed by these writers do not necessarily state or reflect the views of BJU Press or its affiliates. The fact that a link is listed on this blog does not represent or imply that BJU Press endorses its site or contents from the standpoint of ethics, philosophy, theology, or scientific hypotheses. Links are posted on the basis of the information and/or services that the sites offer. If you have comments, suggestions, questions, or find that one of the links no longer works, please contact us.

Pages

  • About BJU Press
  • Conversation Guidelines
  • Terms of Use & Copyright

Archives

© 2025 · BJU Press Homeschool