Fatherhood Academy

Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA) is inviting you to her scheduled monthly prayer meeting.

Alliance of Praying Fathers
Date: Saturday, 16th May 2026
Time: 8pm
Venue is Telegram

It is a prayer meeting for fathers where we pray solely for our families.

Join us and invite every father you know.

At Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Join us using this link:

https://t.me/+RBOj1rqtErlmZGQ8

Reading through 1 Samuel 30:1-end, one cannot help but feel the pulse of the story.

In it, David and his soldiers had traveled for an assignment but were rejected. Heartbroken and dejected, they returned home to Ziklag their home only to discover a tragedy they never imagined. In their absence, the Amalekites had come and taken their families away.

That broke the men so much that they wept till they had no more power to weep, and they even thought of stoning David.

David went to God and eventually, they got all their families back. Heroic and heartwarming that a man would go to that extent to recover lost families.

Sadly, a few years after that landmark family recovery initiative that was etched in everyone's memory, David the same man who risked his life to save his family traded that family away for a few minutes of pleasure.

Sadly, the trade off had no reverse button as David watched his family disintegrate in bits and pieces never to be recovered.

The enemy within dealt him a fatal blow that even multitudes of Amalekites soldiers couldn't.
From this we learn that family preservation is an ongoing work.

Thank you fellow fathers for all you have done for your family in the past, please continue because if you misfire, all your past labor may be wasted. Be mindful of your actions as fathers. May the labor of fathers not be in vain.

At the academy, we equip men with knowledge that will help them preserve their families.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Adolescence is from ages 10 to 19 years and is a very remarkable period in a child's life. It is also their entry into puberty and transition from childhood to adulthood.

Some of the changes that occur in children at this stage are sexual, emotional, psychological, etc.

Girls begin to develop secondary sexual characteristics like the mammary glands, beginning of menstrual cycle, while the boys develop beard, their voice breaks, formation of semen and sometimes, wet dreams, rapid growth just as in girls too, effects of peer pressure increases, etc.

Many parents do not understand what their children go through at this stage though it is a time when they need all the support (emotional, psychological, etc from their parents.

If parents are not present to help children navigate this phase of life, children can become victims of wrong counsel which can derail them.

For many parents, relating with their children during this phase of life is a nightmare but that should not be so.

On Sunday 26th April 2026 at the Living Faith Church, SunnyVale, Abuja, I shall be interacting with parents on the theme HAVING A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR ADOLESCENT CHILDREN.

I am trusting that it will be a time of learning, healing, enlightenment and realignment, etc.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Physical touch is a fundamental human need that regulates the nervous system (which acts as the body's command, control and communication center, regulates bodily function like breathing and heartbeat)

Touch also reduces stress and fosters emotional well being and is known to reduce stress hormones, pain but boosts immunity. It is important for communication, connection and development.

The power and value of a touch is proportional to the quality of relationship shared with the person.

While we teach our children about proper and improper touches, a father's touch conveys love, acceptance, deep connection, etc.

Many children are yearning for their fathers touch and as fathers, we must understand this. One touch from a father is worth a thousand words and it is a love language.

The more frequently we touch our children as fathers, the more we bond with them.

Come Sunday 26th April at the monthly edition of the Fathers Interactive, we shall be looking at how fathers can use the power of touch in connecting more deeply with family members.

See flier for details.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA) is inviting you to her scheduled monthly prayer meeting.

Alliance of Praying Fathers
Date: Saturday, 25th April 2026
Time: 8pm

It is a prayer meeting for fathers where we pray solely for our families.

Join us and invite every father you know.

At Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Join us using this link:

https://t.me/+RBOj1rqtErlmZGQ8

MAXIMIZING THE HOLIDAYS

Mental and extra curricular Development.

It will be a good time to teach some of the following;

1. A new skill like how to iron clothes, wash the car,

2. A domestic chore they haven't mastered yet.

3. Give them a motivational book of average size to read and have them tell you the story in their own words. Ensure the book has specific lesson/lessons you want them to learn.

4. Tell them stories about life, yourself, family, etc. The aim is to let them see how you have overcome.

5. Let them accompany you to your office or business place. Doing that will help them appreciate you and your many sacrifices as a father. Many children think that OFFICE is a place where we go to have fun.

However, this depends on the situation of work/business. If this will unduly expose your children, please don't do it.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Holidays are unique opportunities for fathers to play CATCH UP with their families.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we celebrate holidays because they are opportunities for families to sit back, refresh and strengthen the family bond while creating colorful memories.

The Easter holidays have just started for our children and we encourage every father to maximize it and make it memorable.

HOLIDAY PLAN
Here are some ways we can make the holiday count;

Spiritual Growth and Development Plan (of your children)

1. Set time aside to study Scriptures with your children. Mind the word STUDY. Don't just read, but do some background studies yourself before teaching the children so you have a good understanding of what to teach

2. Be prepared for questions and be ready to answer, treat them as learning opportunities not distraction.

3. While speed is good, please focus on having them understand. Many times, we are in a hurry to finish a number of chapters in a week without really understanding much of what is read.

4. Make the learning sessions creative, fun and informal. They have been in school for the past three months so don't reinvent the school at home.

5. Bring out specific lessons from the passages read and have them write these down in a jotter.

6. Include a TO DO LIST (Action to take) based on lessons learned during the study.

7. Mark the notes they have written. It gives them a good feeling knowing that you checked their work.

8. You can watch movies relating to Easter to help them understand the meaning of Jesus death and resurrection.

Lastly, you need patience because the children may need to weave a story before asking that question.

If you need any assistance in doing this, feel free to reach us.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

DELILAH: VICTIM OR VICTOR?
Her name means ‘Delicate’ and she was the only Philistine woman mentioned out of the three Philistine women Samson had relations with (a). It still beats me why Samson had a penchant for Philistine women when he was raised to begin to deliver his people from bo***ge to them (b).

She lived in the valley of Sorek and would have remained unknown if Samson didn’t go looking for her in the course of his many escapades. She was the proverbial ‘last straw’ which broke his back because it was on her laps that he met his waterloo (c).

She gained national recognition when news reached the Philistine authorities that Samson was seeing her and the lords of the 5 Philistine states of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza visited her. The meeting was brief and straight to the point; find out the source of Samson’s strength and receive 1,100 silver pieces from each of us. That amounted to a whopping 5,500 pieces of silver, very mouthwatering.

The Philistines showed rare understanding and wisdom in their request; having been outwitted by Samson before, they realized the folly of capturing him, so they went for what mattered most. Not long before this time, he confounded them at Gaza when he lifted the city gates which were about 2 storey high and carried them up a hill that was opposite Ekron, a distance of 40 miles/64 kilometres.

Delilah presented herself as one who was adept in the art of seduction and brought all her feminine prowess to bear in executing that assignment. She was focused and consistent until she delivered Samson to her masters. Shamefully, Samson’s strength was no match for her wittiness which reminds us of the scripture which says, ‘wisdom is better than weapons of war’.

She pestered Samson to no end just like his wife had done to him earlier (d) and he forgot what happened the last time a Philistine woman pestered him. Apparently, Philistine women were experts at pestering and in both instances, it came in handy in saving their people from trouble (e). Like the man who wanders from the path of understanding and abides in the congregation of the dead, Samson landed in trouble (f).

Much as we love to hate Delilah for the ignoble role she played in Samson’s downfall, she deserves our pity because she is one of the most unfortunate women who ever lived. What she gained (5500 silver pieces) pales into insignificance when compared to the eternity she lost because meeting Samson would have been her salvation and through her, her family and perhaps, some Philistines would have come to know the God of Israel.

Rahab was a pr******te but one meeting with the Jewish spies changed her life forever, same for the widow of Zarephath whose singular meeting with Elijah immortalized her, what about Ruth the Moabitess who would have died unknown but is in Jesus’ lineage because she encountered a Jewish family (g).

Delilah’s ruination was meeting a child of God (Samson) who refused to let his light shine; Samson’s recklessness denied her that beautiful chance. As the mastermind of Samson’s capture, she may have occupied front seat at the celebration where everyone died meaning she didn’t live long enough to enjoy her loot (h). Samson denied God the harvest of the Philistines as Simeon and Levi did the people of Shechem.

Christian men who live immoral lives have much to learn from here; while living recklessly disrespects and dishonors God, it also brings trouble and denies those who do not know Jesus Christ the opportunity to know Him. So, head or tail, it is a loss.

Men arise! Say NO to immorality!

Scriptural References: (a. Judges 14:1, 16:1, 4, b. Judges 13:5, c. Judges 16:19, d. Judges 14:17, e. Judges 16:6-20, f. Proverbs 21:16, g. Joshua 6, 1 Kings 17:8-24, Ruth1, h. Judges 16:23-30)

A priest is a mediator ordained to stand between God and humanity, offering sacrifices, providing intercession and teaching God's laws.

Fathers as priests are mediators who stand between God and their families.

Our children do not know God and fathers have the primary responsibility of teaching them God's word diligently and telling them about God and His ways (Deuteronomy 6:7) From childhood, Timothy knew the scriptures which made him wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15)

The responsibility of teaching our children about God lies with fathers because our lips as priests over our families should preserve/keep knowledge and our family members should seek the law from our mouths (Malachi 2:7).

The danger is that a father may provide food, money, clothing, education, etc for his children but fail as a priest because of ignorance.

Come Sunday 29th March, 2026, the Fathers Interactive shall be holding and we will look at how fathers can be effective priests.

See fliers for further details.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers.

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Please see the link for the meeting;

https://t.me/+RBOj1rqtErlmZGQ8

Once in every month (third Saturday) the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA) organizes a prayer meeting also known as the Alliance of Praying Fathers (APF).

It is solely for fathers and during the sessions we gather as fathers to pray for ourselves as fathers, our wives and children.

Tomorrow Saturday 21st March 2026, we will be meeting again as fathers to pray for our families. In the place of prayer, we connect with God the Ultimate Father where we are empowered to succeed in raising super fathers. See flier for details.

At the Value Added Fatherhood Academy (VAFA), we are committed to raising super fathers

.. raising super fathers establishing families!

Please see the link for the meeting;

https://t.me/+RBOj1rqtErlmZGQ8

DON’T WE ALL? - RETHINKING MICHAL.
She was the second daughter of Saul whom David married after her father reneged in his earlier promise to give Merab her elder sister to him as reward for killing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:25; 18:17-27).

Her sister’s loss became a fleeting gain which ultimately made her life miserable. Pitifully, Michal is one woman that many still hate, even in death. The purpose of this missive is to objectively investigate her life and determine if she is really deserving of all the hatred she has received.

We first met her as a young girl who loved David but her power drunk father saw that as an opportunity to harm David by requesting him to provide a hundred foreskins of the Philistines as bride price. He figured that before David would get that number of foreskins, the Philistines would have killed him.

He was shocked when David brought two hundred Philistine foreskins instead of one hundred before the due date. Seeing that Michal also loved David, he had no choice but to allow them to get married (1 Samuel 18: 20-28)

David escaped after Saul threw a javelin at him the third time and went home and Saul sent messengers to the house to kill him but Michal instructed him to run away from home and let him down through a window. She saved him (1 Samuel 19:9-18)

A wife who protects her poor husband from her powerful father deserves to be praised. Admirably, Michal shared that trait of standing by and protecting the one they love at all cost with Jonathan her elder brother

Her emotional pain at the forceful separation from the man she loved is better imagined and those who have been forcefully and abruptly separated from spouses understand this better and there is no record that David made any attempt to reach her after he escaped.

She was later married off to Palti though we don’t know if she loved him but after ascending the throne in a politically motivated move, David sent for her. Again, she was forcefully separated from her second husband where she may have started healing and settling into marital life. Palti wept and followed her all the way until he was sent back (1 Samuel 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:13-16)

Nothing was said about her feelings, but we cannot deny that she was treated like a pawn in a dangerous power play between the two men who mattered most in her life; her father and husband. Did she not feel scorned?

She returned to David’s home though we don’t know her emotional state. Ordinarily, she was David’s first wife but so much had happened. Then came the day when the Ark of God returned to Jerusalem and an excited David danced with all his might before God but Michal rebuked him for stooping so low and David replied; ‘it was before God who made me king instead of your father, Saul’. Nothing was heard about her thereafter and the conclusion of Michal’s life was that she died childless (2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23).

Scorning David may also have been because Saul never modeled worship of God all through his reign and she never saw her father who was king behave that way.

Should Michal have ended that way? Don’t we all falter like she did? Didn’t Job’s wife tell her husband to curse God and die? Which is worse? Did the same woman not bear him ten wonderful children afterwards? Was David good to Michal after that day she goofed as he promised Jonathan? (1 Samuel 20:12-16, 42; 23:15-18)

I wish David left her with Palti where she would most likely have been happier. She suffered much and was a victim of circumstance.

This is not an approval for her outburst but a rethink; at least, she had no history of misbehavior.