This is my dad, Tim Carnes.
He has everything a man could want.
*Tools
*Bibles & Books
*Computer & Techy Stuff
*All of the Gather CDs and DVDs (Yes, he is a Gather fan đ )
Join the conversation and let me know…
What do you get a man for Father’s Day who really doesn’t need anything, but deserves something great?
Someday I’m going to get my hubby 8 laps around the track behind the wheel of a Nascar.
They have a track that does it in the ATL.
Write him a letter. There will come a time that you will wish that you could have, and should have told him something, beit serious or funny. It will be worth more than anything you could have “bought” for him, and a meal couldn’t hurt! đ
@Mandy, see that’s why I am asking…I don’t think about these things and I’m a guy. đ – Thanks!
these guys have an interesting opportunity. kinda fun…different. hard stuff. i’m watching your conversation cuz i’ve got the same difficulty.
http://www.fathers.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54&Itemid=90
@Polly – Letter is a great idea, I’ve written them before, but there’s always new stuff to say, and he should be in town for Father’s Day so a Dinner is doable too. – He may be reading so if and when I respond to these I am going to be vague…
@Tom – Thanks for the link & Definitely grab whatever ideas you can!
This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten – Netflix subscription. Get him 6 months or something. It’s awesome!
Nick, from what I know of you via the virtual world of blogging here and your responses concerning @pete, your dad already has all that dad’s really want just give him more of the same.
Congratulations Tim on a job well done!
@Harold…thank you for your kind words. đ
Well if he’s a golfer I love to suggest golf balls. Not just any old golf balls though, but personalized golf balls with one of his favorite photos on them. It’s quite possible to do that, and it’s something no one else would give him I’ll bet
Something for his new “fortress of solitude”– er, um, I mean Office, perhaps… I am still brainstorming too– I may have to mail mine, not sure yet…
@Custom Logo Golf Balls…thanks for the input, but he is not a golfer. Great idea for the golfing dad though.
@kb…that’s a thought, I forgot about his new man cave…maybe some Southern Gospel (other than the Gathers) to keep pests and rodents away? Hmmm….
Do they have autographed prints of the McKamey’s @ Lifeway I wonder?
@kb – Ha! I don’t think so…
Fathers Day – 2008
In 1977 I was blessed to marry a woman with as much of a Christ-like character as I have seen in another person. She is an example of His love, kindness and compassion for people. She was and is the perfect balance to my life and in any success that has been enjoyed; she is the silent reason behind it. It is so in all aspects of life as it is in our family. She is the best mother a man could hope to have for his children and she makes me a better father because of her support and sacrificial way of life.
I have reached that age; the one you think passively about when you are 25 or 30, the one you feel is still ages away, that age where a man cannot help but look backwards at the journey and the pathway he has taken. I am not implying that I live looking backwards, I do not, but I have reached the point in time when I cannot help but look back and analyze if, how, what and why. I still live in anticipation of the 12 – 12âs rule even though my body taunts the idea in greater measure than when I was 35. I appreciate my childrenâs memories when I hear them get together and talk of where we have been and things we have gone through as a family. I hear things now that I admit I did not hear as clearly years ago because I find myself now removed from the fire and the stress of getting through those times and I hear their perspectives from a new vantage point. As a Father, I wish I could have heard then like I do now.
I enjoy the laughter about the good times; times like vacations; the ones I thought the kids would endure but have become the standard of discussion for memories. I recognize that the times which seemed so difficult to get through, to make the ends meet, to see the bills paid; those served as instrumental in forming the values of what is valuable and how to save a penny. My part, I recognize, was not in providing the situation but in how to live in the situation and it is only now that I can begin to assess if those lessons were correctly taught and correctly received. There are no âdo-oversâ in this process. A Dad gets one swipe at the lessons provided in life to teach whatever values and principles he can to his children. My desire has always been to equip my children to face life with an unfailing trust in God and His ability to see us through even when we fail ourselves. Strength and faithfulness in our values may mean standing against the odds and being willing to stand in the company of a few or even alone but after you check your stand and verify it against the teachings and principles of scripture do not let the pressures of the day, the well meaning, the scoffers or the popular crowd dissuade you.
We are not better than anyone; our choices have brought about different results. You are not worse than anyone, our mistakes can be used to teach us how to do better and be stronger and more like He wants us to be. If we live so as to please Him, we do not have to answer to anyoneâs expectations. If we earnestly strive to learn His will and follow in those paths we will find ourselves exactly where we need to be. Trust Him to Open or Close the doors and work to reach a place where we can accept His will by not forcing or imposing our will and blaming it on Him.
Be conscious of those with less and be willing to share what has been placed in our hands, it will make us richer. Feed the hungry with food, clothe the naked with clothing and be aware that habits can make a man dishonest so give money to the beggar sparingly but rather meet tangible needs with tangible gifts of generosity. Look for opportunities to do good, whether itâs the lady outside the theatre, the homeless in the parking lot of Wal-mart or the migrant behind the Liquor store. Be soul conscious and eternally minded. Know how to share your faith in a variety of ways.
I can honestly say I get more pleasure from seeing my wife and children have the things they need than in having things myself. An hour spent now enjoying my children and their families is worth more than what a hundred dollar bill could buy. I am a Blessed man because I had a Father which taught me the lessons above and which demonstrated in His quite strength the principles which have formed the foundation for my life and the foundations I have attempted to lay for my children and watch as the foundations are being laid for my grandchildren.
I am a blessed man when I see the lives of my children. 4 precious gifts, all equally loved and all individually unique. The Bible says it well :
3 John 1:4 —
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (KJV); (NKJV)
I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children live in the truth. (NLT)
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (NIV); (ESV)
No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth. (RSV)
Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. (ASV)
I can say this scripture applies to my children. The following outlines what I consider the key aspects of this verse and why I believe it not only speaks of my children but verifies why I am a happy father.
Personal â This verse speaks of a personal experience. My children walk in truth, live in truth. It does not say they follow me or someone else. They have a personal relationship with the Savior and while individually unique, they each are following after a life of truth. Truth based upon the Savior. Have they faltered, possibly failed ? Havenât we all. The relationship is personal and a father can have no greater joy than to see his children seek after a life based upon truth. As I look at each of their lives, I can see a desire for truth and I am delighted as I see them over and over reaching that ideal and living in that reality. Each of them have had reason to become skeptical and life has not always dished out a pleasant round of experiences for them. There have been multitude of joy and happy times but there have been disappointments and betrayals as well. In and through those times I have watched their bearing center back on the level and though tossed at times they have not failed to keep their priorities in check.
Present â This experience is a present tense experience. The verse says âfollow the Truthâ, âWalking in Truthâ, âare Walking in Truthâ. This is an active present tense. We are not talking about an experience or state of being that formally existed while at home. An experience like many young people have who follow the wishes of their parents until freedom hits and then they abandon those principles. I am blessed because each of my children accepted Christ as their personal Savior in the early years of their lives and each have made a personal walk with Him a priority. Any father would be proud and blessed to know that his child had reached that important decision in their lives. My blessing is founded on this verse because their experience and their lives testify of a present walk with God.
Pressing (Powerfully) â All my children have reached the age of independence. They are each men and women of their own and are now making decisions on their own. (I am not saying that as their parents we donât have opinions which slip out from time to time. :>) But they are all old enough to make their own decisions and within the last year, I can tell you that people acquainted with my children, outside of our family, have for various reasons and observations made positive remarks about their lives, decisions, character and/or nature in a very positive way, a way that speaks of being impressed. How can a father ask for more than to see the lives of his children impacting others in a positive way ? They probably donât recognize the impression they make or the impact they are having. They would probably deflect the idea to one of their siblings and regard him or her as the one who others would be impressed with, but everyone of them has different gifts and talents and each are using them in different ways. Their personalities, while similar are also very unique and the âPressingâ of their character and their lives onto and into the lives of others is a reality for each of them. I am blessed by this verse and the reality that my children demonstrate this verse because in our world where most people rarely take the time to acknowledge the deeds of other people, it is a blessing to have individuals impacted(impressed powerfully) enough that they would take the time to share that with me.
Precious â No Greater Joy. What a Joy and a delight when my children were born. What a thrill to hear their first words. How I enjoyed humming them to sleep, rocking them, âburpingâ them. What a great time it was when they started walking, played Basketball or Soccer. Their first car, first date and the many friends I have watched them make. What enjoyment to watch them write songs, play instruments, create writings fit for publication, preach messages, challenge the logical thinking and rationale of convictions, teaching their children the values and virtues of Christ, to watch their demonstration of charity, compassion and steadfast principles. In all the things that bring Joy to my mind when I watch my children today, there is NO GREATER JOY than to watch them walking in Truth. This is of all things most precious.
So on this Fathers Day 2008, please do not fret about what to get or what to do. I could ask for nothing more than what each of you has already given. I will enjoy the time when we get together. I will enjoy immensely the conversation and the laughter. I will sit satisfied to watch your mother dote over her grandkids and to see the pleasure in her eyes at having all of you together. I have had Fathers Day over and over again and lack nothing that you have not and are not giving me on a daily basis.
Thank you Kelly, Nicholas, Benjamin and Jamela
Love Dad
@Dad – Thank you for the loving and kind words about us (your family). I hope that beyond making God smile, I am able to put a smile on your face as you are able to look back on our families history together as well as in present times. I Love You.
P.S. I think this is my longest comment in the history of my blog
**Everyone else…Ideas are still welcomed đ