June 18, 2026 | Pastor Spencer Beach

Ellen and I were eating dinner recently when we found out the majestic oak right in front of us was over 130 years old.

Let that sink in. Someone planted that tree long before any of us were born. They are gone now, but the tree still stands, strong and steady, giving shade to people they never met. They planted something they knew would outlast them. That is the calling of a father.

Our impact reaches past today. It reaches past us. The seeds we plant now grow into shade for our children, our grandchildren, and people we will never meet.

So plant well, dads. Plant seeds of Godly character. Plant prayer, intentional living, affirmation, and encouragement. Speak words of life over your children. Be the steady presence they can count on. And remind them again and again that just as you work to be faithful and present, our God is even more faithful, and He is always there.

Psalm 92 paints the picture: “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, ‘The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!’” (Psalm 92:12-15, NLT)

Did you catch it? Planted. Flourishing. Still producing fruit in old age. That is what happens when a life is rooted in God’s house instead of set in shifting ground.

And Moses handed fathers the strategy a long time ago: “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NLT)

Faith gets passed down at the dinner table, in the car, and at bedtime. In the small, ordinary, repeated moments. That is where roots grow deep.

This week, plant one seed on purpose. A prayer. A word of affirmation. A conversation about God. You may never sit in the shade of that tree, but you can trust the One who grows it.

Stay faithful. Stay planted. Stay present.

— Pastor Spencer

P.S. Bring the whole family to Building Church this Sunday for Father’s Day. Join us at 9:00am or 10:30am, and invite the men in your life to come with you.