With all the news and media frenzy surrounding the untimely death of pop star Michael Jackson at the age of 50, this article takes a look at Michael’s life from a different angle… the role his father Joseph Jackson played in his life.

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When he was 12, his parents separated. He moved to Oakland CA with his father until the age of 18.

Then he moved to Chicago to be near his mother.

He was briefly married, then ended that marriage and married another woman.

He was a crane operator for a steel company, played guitar in a band with his brother, and later returned to his “day job” when the band failed to get a record deal while his wife “tended to the children.”

He discovered his children had musical talent and began to manage their budding careers. As their success increased, he reportedly required his children to call him “Joseph” instead of “father” or “dad.”

Over the years, his children told stories to the media of their dad’s physical and emotional abusiveness to them.

Holding them upside down, tripping them, pushing them into walls, screaming, shouting, and frightening them are just some of the stories they relayed about their father.

One of his sons, Michael,  shared that he often cried from loneliness and would sometimes get sick or start to vomit upon seeing his father.

He recalled that his dad sat in a chair with a belt in his hand when he and his siblings rehearsed and that “if you didn’t do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you.”

Who was this dad? He was Joseph Jackson, the father of the late pop music icon Michael Joseph Jackson.

As millions around the world have followed the recent story of Michael’s death in the news and media, it’s worth reflecting on how Michael’s life, behavior, and tragic death were impacted by the violent, abusive, wounded relationship he had with his father, again reminding us of the power of influence we fathers have in the lives of our children.

According to childhood friend Brooke Shields, Michael Jackson’s favorite song (not one of his own, by the way) was called “Smile” and included a line that said… ”Smile though your heart is aching.”

Life is short. Find healing from your own paternal past. Ask forgiveness where you’ve blown it with your children and spouse. And make the most of your influence in your family for good. Because, fellow dad, only you have “father power.”

Bio Source:

http://www.information.is-the-coolest.com/x/Joseph_Jackson.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jackson

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Joey Watkins is a husband, father of four children, and founder of FamilyDads, a dad-founded and dad-focused organization committed to helping dads prioritize and lead their family. In a culture that minimizes fatherhood, dads need to know the tremendous influence they have in their sons’ and daughters’ lives and destinies, and they need encouragement from other dads as they lead their family. Sign up for the FamilyDads eNewsletter at http://www.FamilyDads.com

This video is a great reminder to all of us dads about the influence we have EVERY DAY through the eyes of our children as they are growing up! Well done and impactful production. I know I need to be reminded of this every week. If you have a thought, comment, or story to share after watching this video, please leave it below for other dads to read and be encouraged by.

After serving as operations and marketing manager for a “workplace ministry” from 2004 to early 2008, I stepped down earlier this year so that I could give greater focus to prioritizing my family and discipling my children, as well as to launch a business/ministry to encourage other dads like you to prioritize your family and disciple your children. I believe this is one of the most important aspects of our lives as dads.

Every week, we men are tempted to consume ourselves with our work at the expense of our family — to make our work the highest focus of our lives. This is because of the amount of time we spend at work, the challenges we face at work, the level of responsibility we perceive in our work, and the money we receive in exchange for our time, our services, and our skills. And for many men, it is also because of the level of “calling” we believe we have in our work.

However, this focus on our work often results in neglecting the greatest influence we will ever have — in the lives of our children. Especially while they are young and still living in our homes.

This influence is our FATHER POWER. It is the level of influence we have in the lives of our children and their destinies simply because we are their fathers. It is the result of our relationship with them and our position of authority in their lives. Our relationship with each of our children will last for the remainder of our life, as well as impact them long after we are gone. And potentially for eternity.

Many of us dads miss this as we busy our lives with our work — week after week – month after month — while our children grow up receiving dominant influence from sources other than their dad.

If work is a higher priority in your life than your family, make a commitment to change that starting today. The FamilyDads emails are written to help you prioritize your family and disciple your children, to be encouraged as a dad, and to give you recommendations of helpful dad resources. Please forward these emails to other dads you know. And find one or two other dads to meet with regularly who share this desire to prioritize our families.

Two outstanding resources on today’s topic which I have personally read and give my highest endorsement are Father Power by Todd Wilson and Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley.

Your purchase of these books at www.DadResources.com
provides direct financial support to FamilyDads so we can reach more dads
with these critical messages of fatherhood.

by Joey Watkins, Thursday, September 4, 2008

In less than 60 days, many people across the United States will go to their local polling location and cast their vote for the next U.S. President. Predictably, the news media is fixated on John McCain and Barak Obama. Many, if not most, people look to the President as the individual who will solve the pressing problems facing the country.

However, there is a FAR more important and powerful leader than the winner of the upcoming presidential election.

That leader is YOU and me, Dad!

As dads, we are the most powerful person in our children’s lives. What do I mean by that? I’m talking about the level of INFLUENCE we have with them.

We influence them with our words, our actions, the time we spend with them, the time we don’t spend with them, what we teach them, what we model to them, how we relate to our children and our wife, our attitude toward our work, what we spend money on, what we do with our “free time,” and so on.

We have this unique influence JUST BECAUSE WE ARE THEIR DAD.

And it is FAR greater influence than the President has — both in this life and for eternity.

Dads who are committed to leading their families, demonstrating true loving fatherhood, praying for their spouse and children regularly, and instilling their values, faith, skills, and character into their children are the foundation for solving any country’s problems.

John McCain, Sarah Palin, Barak Obama, Joe Biden, or any other politician is NOT the answer… nor the problem.

Your thoughts? Encourage and challenge other dads with your comments below.