"The crisis of the Modern age is the crisis of fatherhood."
-Benedict XVI
All men are called to be fathers. For some, this will include a biological process, but the virtue of fatherhood is so much more than that. All men are called to be fathers. Oh, would this world be a better place if that truth was understood.
Being a father is not simply a state one finds one's self in...at least it shouldn't be for long. Fatherhood is a way of being in the world; a personal and existential commitment to the future. It is about being generous with one's time and experience, and teaching with words, but also by example. Fatherhood asks one to sacrifice for the good, to protect innocence, to respond proactively to the emotional and spiritual needs of others, and to care deeply about life.
Fatherhood is essential to becoming a real man.
Today I had the opportunity to speak on the topic of Fatherhood at a men's conference. The participants were there not because it was court-ordered, or work-ordered. There was no immediate gratification or external benefit, and on a cold, rainy Saturday it wasn't even convenient.
These men were there because they wanted to be better men, plain and simple. They wanted to be better equipped to love, and guide, and encourage others...and they understood deeply that the young are our hope, and that every child matters.
I think these men are heroes.
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About Me
- Ross Porter
- Dr. Ross Porter received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Master of Divinity (Theology) and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he first became interested in the integration of psychology and spirituality. He is a teacher, author, counselor, and consultant, specializing in integrative psychology, virtue ethics and family systems. He has taught at the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ross is also the Founder and Executive Director of Stillpoint Family Resources, a non-profit organization that offers counseling services to individuals, couples, and families in crisis, with nine different office locations throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties (specific office locations can be found at www.stillpointfamilyresources.org). In 2009, Dr. Porter was named an “Outstanding Angeleno” by the Los Angeles Daily News. Ross and his wife Jennifer have been married for 21 years, and have four beautiful children. John Michael, their son who has Down Syndrome is their first born.
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