Good morning!

Abraham Lincoln said the person who has a heart to help is the person who has a right to criticize.

Coming off Father’s Day weekend, we begin with another discussion of the importance of giving and receiving honest feedback:

1.The best Father’s Day gift my sons ever gave me 

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly writes in the Christian Post:

My sons Trent and Troy have given me some great gifts over the years. When they were very young, there were the construction paper cards and the watercolor handprints, then the polo shirts, golf balls, and even a beautiful watch.

But of all the presents I’ve received from them, the most meaningful has been a report card.

Not their report card – a “Dad’s Report Card” providing me with honest feedback on how I’m doing as their father. 

In the corporate world, it’s known as “360-degree feedback” or a “multi-source assessment” — basically, a thorough review of one’s professional performance from a wide range of people, including subordinates, colleagues, and one’s supervisor.

As a father, I’m keenly interested in how I’m doing as a parent. It’s not that I’m hungry for affirmation or even acceptance from my sons. Instead, I want to make sure that I’m being as effective and as impactful as possible in certain key areas of their lives.

But let’s be honest – sometimes the truth can hurt.

Some time ago, it occurred to me that I was regularly looking at their report cards. Why not turn the tables in a way and let them “grade” my parenting?  Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive at first. After all, nobody’s perfect, and we all have blind spots.

Each time the boys came home with a report card, I asked them to evaluate me across seven categories. Here’s how I broke it down. If you’re a dad, how would you fare?

Click here to see the list.

RELATED: 

Fathers today more engaged with their kids ‘than ever before,’ study finds 

From Study Finds:

Researchers say a shift in how fathers in the United States view their roles as parents is likely the cause of dads more routinely showing up at their children’s baseball games or piano recitals, or playing a more active role in a child’s social and emotional development. The study indicates that this change in attitude  has led to fathers generally being more supportive in tough times, and to provide their children with more warmth and reassurance.

2.   ‘Life Without Father’: Less College, Less Work, and More Prison for Young Men Growing Up Without Their Biological Father 

Dr. Brad Wilcox writes for the Institute for Family Studies: 

The percentage of boys living apart from their biological father has almost doubled since 1960—from about 17% to 32% today; now, an estimated 12 million boys are growing up in families without their biological father. Specifically, approximately 62.5% of boys under 18 are living in an intact-biological family, 1.7% are living in a step-family with their biological father and step- or adoptive mother, 4.2% are living with their single, biological father, and 31.5% are living in a home without their biological father.

Lacking the day-to-day involvement, guidance, and positive example of their father in the home, and the financial advantages associated with having him in the household, these boys are more likely to act up, lash out, flounder in school, and fail at work as they move into adolescence and adulthood. Even though not all fathers play a positive role in their children’s lives, on average, boys benefit from having a present and involved father.

This Institute for Family Studies research brief details the connections between fatherlessness, family structure, and the increasing number of young men who are floundering in life and pose a threat to themselves and their communities. We do so by exploring the links between family structure and college completion, idleness (defined here as twenty-somethings not in school or working), and involvement with the criminal justice system (measured by arrests and incarceration) for young men in the 2000s and 2010s, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 (NLSY97). We specifically examine how young men who were raised in a home with their biological father compare on these outcomes to their peers in families without their biological father.

3. Mitt Romney says this bill would promote families and marriage 

Senator Romney writes in the Deseret News:

Over the last 50 years, Congress and federal agencies have inadvertently discouraged marriage by creating numerous policies and programs that cause unmarried couples to often see their taxes go up or benefits go down if they if they decide to marry. Little, if anything, is done to help large families. And too many programs trap people in poverty by making sure it pays better to stay on welfare than to work.

Federal policy should do the opposite in every case. That is why I, along with my Senate colleagues Richard Burr and Steve Daines, have put forward the Family Security Act 2.0 — the pro-work, pro-marriage, pro-life sequel to welfare reform for the 21st century.

This reform would replace multiple complex federal programs with one straightforward monthly benefit that directly empowers working parents to best care for their children how they see fit. And importantly, unlike proposals offered by Democrats, our plan would not worsen inflation because it’s fully paid for by consolidating existing federal spending.

Families would receive $350 a month for each young child, and $250 a month for each school-aged child. Every parent knows that the cost of raising a child doesn’t begin the day the baby arrives, but long before. Expectant parents would be eligible to receive the benefit four months prior to an unborn child’s due date, helping them tackle the expenses that start even before a baby is born. Important anti-abortion voices, like National Right to Life, have said, “this life-affirming provision not only empowers mothers, but acknowledges that life begins before birth.”

Our plan would also ensure that families don’t have to wait a year to get much-needed support. The average working family will pay a tax preparer a few hundred dollars simply to find out how much of the child tax credit or earned income tax credit they will receive. Instead of making families wait for a once-a-year payment, our plan lets families get a portion of their benefit each month to help with everyday costs associated with raising children, such as child care, groceries and gas.

4. FBI Investigating Pro-Abortion Violence, Asks for Public’s Help 

From The Daily Citizen:

Following a rash of violence at churches and pregnancy resource centers across America after a draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case on May 2, the FBI has announced it is investigating the threats and violence and is seeking tips from the general public.

The FBI National Press Office shared the following statement with various news agencies on Friday, June 17:

“The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country. The FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities. We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI field office, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov.”

The FBI is already looking into firebombings at the offices of Wisconsin Family Action, an ally of Focus on the Family, as well as at the First Image Pregnancy Resource Center in Gresham, Oregon. The agency is also investigating vandalism that occurred at two churches in Colorado.

RELATED: 

Pro-abortion protesters descend on Coney Barrett’s home with blood and doll props 

From Fox News:

Pro-[abortion] protesters congregated outside Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Virginia home on Saturday, dressed in clothing appearing to be soaked with blood and holding baby doll toys.

“Abortion on demand and without apology,” signs held by members of the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights read on Saturday as they stood outside Barrett’s home in Falls Church.

The protesters were armed with baby doll props and were wearing pants appearing to be soaked in blood to show a future of forced births if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Protests erupted outside of conservative Supreme Court justices’ homes in recent weeks, following the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion signaling the nation’s highest court might overturn Roe v. Wade.

5. Kamala Harris claims abortion doesn’t require a change in faith 

From the Post Millennial:

Kamala Harris went on record this Friday to state that abortion does not require a change in religious faith. Harris, whose mother is Hindu and father is Baptist, has self-described as on a “faith journey.”

“You know, for those of us who have faith, I think that we agree many of us, that there’s nothing about this issue that will require anyone to abandon their faith or change their faith,” Harris stated.

Harris has doubled-down on her pro-abortion stance in wake of the leak, being featured at a gala hosted by EMILY’s List, a political action committee focused on placing pro-abortion Democrats into office. On May 22nd, Harris said overturning Roe v. Wade “would be a direct assault on the fundamental right to self-determination.”

6.   Bracing for Roe’s fall, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s sets June 25 as last day for abortions 

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin officials say they will not schedule abortion services after June 25 in anticipation of a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

“We are anticipating that the ruling will likely come before the end of June, so we are not scheduling our typical day one/day two procedures after June 25th,” Allie Linton, an obstetrician and gynecologist and associate medical director at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.

7. 7. FINA effectively bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s swimming events 

From USA Today:

World swimming’s governing body effectively banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s events on Sunday.

FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The organization also proposed an “open competition category.”

“This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” James Pearce, who is the spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press.

“They’re not saying everyone should transition by age 11, that’s ridiculous. You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage.”

8. Disney’s Woke “Lightyear” Fizzles at the Box Office  

From CNN:

The opening is a disappointing launch for Pixar — one of the most successful and popular studios in all of Hollywood. The animation studio — which has produced hits including “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo” — has made $14.7 billion at the global box office.

To give some context to how “Lightyear” did compared to other Pixar films, it finds itself on the back-end of openings for the studio. The $51 million opening puts it behind 2017’s “Cars 3,” according to Comscore (SCOR).

9. 9 Things You Should Know About Juneteenth 

From the Gospel Coalition:

Here are nine things you should know about “America’s Second Independence Day.”

1.    Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery.

The observance has been called by various names—African American Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Second Independence Day, Emancipation Day. The term “Juneteenth,” a portmanteau of “June” and “Nineteenth,” first began to become popular around 1903.

2. The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t end slavery or free all slaves in the U.S.

The proclamation only applied to states that had seceded, though, which left slavery intact in the six border states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia.

3. Freedom for slaves in Texas began in Galveston.

Freedom for slaves in Texas officially came on June 19, 1865. On that day, Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 to the people of Galveston:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.

4. Slavery still persisted in the U.S. even after Juneteenth.

While Juneteenth celebrates the official end of slavery, the evil institution persisted in the United States for almost a half year longer.

5. Juneteenth celebrations spread through migration.

The observance of Juneteenth spread across the U.S. as black people from Texas migrated throughout the nation.

6. Juneteenth led black Americans to start public parks.

Black Americans were often forbidden from using public spaces—so some chose to start their own.

7. Segregation dampened the enthusiasm for the observance.

While some observances were retained in Texas, segregation caused the observance of Juneteenth to decline in other parts of the U.S. from the early 1900s until the 1960s.

8. It took 114 years for Juneteenth to become a state holiday . . .

Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday in 1979, with the first official observance in 1980.

9.  . . . and 156 years to become a federal holiday.

In 2021, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and cosponsored by 60 senators.

10. NFL Player Leaves Million Dollar Salary to Pursue Ministry, ‘Advance Gospel of Jesus Christ’ 

From The Daily Citizen:

One professional football player is leaving behind his million-dollar salary and hanging up his football cleats for good. Instead, he’s getting in the game and putting on the helmet of salvation to pursue full time ministry.

Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis is retiring after three seasons of playing for the NFL.

In a post on Instagram, Willis thanked the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts organization, his teammates and coaches for giving him the opportunity to compete at football’s highest level.

Then, he explained his decision to retire.

“With much prayer and deliberation, I have elected to officially retire from the NFL as I endeavor to devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Willis wrote.