Most would agree that King David was perhaps one of Israel's best leaders, but his own son might suggest otherwise.

I'm reminded of a story about a prideful preacher who was teaching a class about outreach and evangelism to his church. As his finger was elevated high into the air, gesturing to his class while he shared that he had reached hundreds for the Lord, closed his speech by asking his audience this question:

"And why do you think that even complete strangers label me a Christian?"

In the back of the audience the Pastor's son raised his hand and blurted out,

"Probably because the don't know you."

Ouch. What a comment coming form your own flesh and blood. Although humorous, a bit sad.

There is a verse in the Bible that my wife pointed out to me the other day that truly haunted me. It was about the great leader of Israel, King David.

As King David was nearing the end of his reign, there was a lot of talk about who would become the next great leader to take his place. And as one could imagine, King David would be a very tough act to follow, especially for a son.

And yet, tucked away in 1 Kings - verse 6 - is a sad commentary about David's relationship with his youngest son, Adonijah.

It reads...

⁵ Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, "I will be king." So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. ⁶ (David had never disciplined him by asking, "Why do you behave as you do?")

This is a story about investment. David and Adonijah missed out on those rare opportunities that a father and son share during the highs and lows of life. Because of this, Adonijah is ill prepared to lead. He is not at all like his dad. In fact, his behavior was never corrected.

Okay pastor dad. Is is possible to reverse this title to become dad pastor?

The Bible gives some important warnings to church leaders and their ability to manage their home. In other words, God cares for the ministry in our homes just as much, if not more, than the church we are overseeing. As Pastors we tend to be great at identifying the issues of our church, but often give little thought to the needs of our own children.

Unfortunately for David, he would never get that chance to seal the deal with Adonijah.