Barack Obama

good morn __PUNCT__

it good to be home on thi father dai with my girl __PUNCT__ and it an honor to spend some time with all of you todai in the hous of our lord __PUNCT__

at the end of the sermon on the mount __PUNCT__ jesu close by sai __PUNCT__ whoever hear these word of mine __PUNCT__ and doe them __PUNCT__ shall be liken to a wise man who built hi hous upon a rock __PUNCT__ and the rain descend __PUNCT__ and the flood came __PUNCT__ and the wind blew __PUNCT__ and beat upon that hous __PUNCT__ and it fell not __PUNCT__ for it wa found upon a rock __PUNCT__ matthew___NUM__ __PUNCT__

here at apostol __PUNCT__ you ar bless to worship in a hous that ha been found on the rock of jesu_christ __PUNCT__ our lord and savior __PUNCT__

but it is also built on anoth rock __PUNCT__ anoth foundat __PUNCT__ and that rock is bishop arthur brazier __PUNCT__

in forti __PUNCT__ eight year __PUNCT__ he ha built thi congreg from just a few hundr to more than __NUM__ strong __PUNCT__ a congreg that __PUNCT__ becaus of hi leadership __PUNCT__ ha brave the fierc wind and heavi rain of violenc and poverti __PUNCT__ jobless and hopeless __PUNCT__

becaus of hi work and hi ministri __PUNCT__ there ar more graduat and fewer gang_member in the neighborhood surround thi church __PUNCT__

there ar more home and fewer homeless __PUNCT__

there is more commun and less chao becaus bishop brazier continu the march for justic that he began by dr __PUNCT__ king side all those year_ago __PUNCT__

he is the reason thi hous ha stood tall for half a centuri __PUNCT__

and on thi father dai __PUNCT__ it must make him proud to know that the man now charg with keep it foundat strong is hi son and your new pastor __PUNCT__ reverend byron brazier __PUNCT__

of all the rock upon which we build our live __PUNCT__ we ar remind todai that famili is the most import __PUNCT__

and we ar call to recogn and honor how critic everi father is to that foundat __PUNCT__

thei ar teacher and coach __PUNCT__

thei ar mentor and role_model __PUNCT__

thei ar exampl of success and the men who constantli push us toward it __PUNCT__

but if we ar honest with ourselv __PUNCT__ we admit that what too mani father also ar is miss __PUNCT__ miss from too mani live and too mani home __PUNCT__

thei have abandon their respons __PUNCT__ act like boi instead of men __PUNCT__

and the foundat of our famili ar weaker becaus of it __PUNCT__

you and i know how true thi is in the african __PUNCT__ american_commun __PUNCT__

we know that more than half of all black_children children_live in singl __PUNCT__ parent household __PUNCT__ a number that ha doubl __PUNCT__ doubl __PUNCT__ sinc we were children __PUNCT__

we know the statist __PUNCT__ that children who grow up without a father ar five time more like to live in poverti and commit_crime __PUNCT__ nine time more like to drop out of school and twenti_time more like to end up in prison __PUNCT__

thei ar more like to have behavior problem __PUNCT__ or run awai from home __PUNCT__ or becom teenag parent themselv __PUNCT__

and the foundat of our commun ar weaker becaus of it __PUNCT__

how mani time in the last year ha thi citi lost a child at the hand of anoth child __PUNCT__ how mani time have our heart stop in the middl of the night with the sound of a gunshot or a siren __PUNCT__ how mani teenag have we seen hang around on street_corner when thei should be sit in a classroom __PUNCT__ how mani ar sit in prison when thei should be work __PUNCT__ or at least look for a job __PUNCT__ how mani in thi gener ar we will to lose to poverti or violenc or addict __PUNCT__ how mani __PUNCT__

ye __PUNCT__ we need more cop on the street __PUNCT__

ye __PUNCT__ we need fewer gun in the hand of peopl who shouldn't have them __PUNCT__

ye __PUNCT__ we need more monei for our school __PUNCT__ and more outstand teacher in the classroom __PUNCT__ and more afterschool program for our children __PUNCT__

ye __PUNCT__ we need more job and more job_train and more opportun in our commun __PUNCT__

but we also need famili to rais our children __PUNCT__

we need father to realiz that respons doe not end at concept __PUNCT__

we need them to realiz that what make you a man is not the abil to have a child __PUNCT__ it the courag to rais on __PUNCT__

we need to help all the mother out there who ar rais these kid by themselv __PUNCT__ the mother who drop them off at school __PUNCT__ go to work __PUNCT__ pick up them up in the afternoon __PUNCT__ work anoth shift __PUNCT__ get dinner __PUNCT__ make lunch __PUNCT__ pai the bill __PUNCT__ fix the hous __PUNCT__ and all the other thing it take both parent to do __PUNCT__

so mani of these women ar do a heroic job __PUNCT__ but thei need support __PUNCT__

thei need anoth parent __PUNCT__

their children need anoth parent __PUNCT__

that what keep their foundat strong __PUNCT__

it what keep the foundat of our countri strong __PUNCT__

i know what it mean to have an absent father __PUNCT__ although my circumst weren't as tough as thei ar for mani young_peopl peopl_todai __PUNCT__

even though my father left us when i wa two year old __PUNCT__ and i onli knew him from the letter he wrote and the stori that my famili told __PUNCT__ i wa luckier than most __PUNCT__

i grew up in hawaii __PUNCT__ and had two wonder grandpar from kansa who pour everyth thei had into help my mother rais my sister and me __PUNCT__ who work with her to teach us about love and respect and the oblig we have to on anoth __PUNCT__

i screw up more often than i should __PUNCT__ but i got plenti of second chanc __PUNCT__

and even though we didn't have a lot of monei __PUNCT__ scholarship gave me the opportun to go to some of the best school in the countri __PUNCT__

a lot of kid don't get these chanc todai __PUNCT__

there is no margin for error in their live __PUNCT__

so my own stori is differ in that wai __PUNCT__

still __PUNCT__ i know the toll that be a singl_parent took on my mother __PUNCT__ how she struggl at time to the pai bill __PUNCT__ to give us the thing that other kid had __PUNCT__ to plai all the role that both parent ar suppos to plai __PUNCT__

and i know the toll it took on me __PUNCT__

so i resolv mani year_ago that it wa my oblig to break the cycl __PUNCT__ that if i could be anyth in life __PUNCT__ i would be a good father to my girl __PUNCT__ that if i could give them anyth __PUNCT__ i would give them that rock __PUNCT__ that foundat __PUNCT__ on which to build their live __PUNCT__

and that would be the greatest gift i could offer __PUNCT__

i sai thi know that i have been an imperfect father __PUNCT__ know that i have made mistak and will continu to make more __PUNCT__ wish that i could be home for my girl and my wife more than i am right now __PUNCT__

i sai thi know all of these thing becaus even as we ar imperfect __PUNCT__ even as we face difficult circumst __PUNCT__ there ar still certain lesson we must strive to live and learn as father __PUNCT__ whether we ar black or white __PUNCT__ rich or poor __PUNCT__ from the south_side or the wealthiest suburb __PUNCT__

the first is set an exampl of excel for our children __PUNCT__ becaus if we want to set high expect for them __PUNCT__ we got to set high expect for ourselv __PUNCT__

it great if you have a job __PUNCT__ it even better if you have a colleg_degre __PUNCT__

it a wonder thing if you ar marri and live in a home with your children __PUNCT__ but don't just sit in the hous and watch __PUNCT__ sportscent __PUNCT__ all weekend long __PUNCT__

that why so mani children ar grow up in front of the televis __PUNCT__

as father and parent __PUNCT__ we got to spend more time with them __PUNCT__ and help them with their homework __PUNCT__ and replac the video_game or the remot control with a book onc in awhil __PUNCT__

that how we build that foundat __PUNCT__

we know that educ is everyth to our children futur __PUNCT__

we know that thei will no longer just compet for good_job with children from indiana __PUNCT__ but children from india and china and all over the world __PUNCT__

we know the work and the studi and the level of educ that requir __PUNCT__

you know __PUNCT__ sometim i go to an eighth __PUNCT__ grade graduat and there all that pomp and circumst and gown and flower __PUNCT__

and i think to myself __PUNCT__ it just eighth grade __PUNCT__

to realli compet __PUNCT__ thei need to graduat high_school __PUNCT__ and then thei need to graduat colleg __PUNCT__ and thei probabl need a graduat degre too __PUNCT__

an eighth __PUNCT__ grade educ doesn't cut it todai __PUNCT__

let give them a handshak and tell them to get their butt back in the librari __PUNCT__

it up to us __PUNCT__ as father and parent __PUNCT__ to instil thi ethic of excel in our children __PUNCT__

it up to us to sai to our daughter __PUNCT__ don't ever let imag on tv tell you what you ar worth __PUNCT__ becaus i expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goal __PUNCT__

it up to us to tell our son __PUNCT__ those song on the radio mai glorifi violenc __PUNCT__ but in my hous we live glori to achiev __PUNCT__ self respect __PUNCT__ and hard_work __PUNCT__

it up to us to set these high expect __PUNCT__

and that mean meet those expect ourselv __PUNCT__

that mean set exampl of excel in our own live __PUNCT__

the second thing we need to do as father is pass along the valu of empathi to our children __PUNCT__

not sympathi __PUNCT__ but empathi __PUNCT__ the abil to stand in somebodi els shoe __PUNCT__ to look at the world through their ey __PUNCT__

sometim it so easi to get caught up in __PUNCT__ us __PUNCT__ that we forget about our oblig to on anoth __PUNCT__

there a cultur in our societi that sai rememb these oblig is somehow soft __PUNCT__ that we can't show weak __PUNCT__ and so therefor we can't show kind __PUNCT__

but our young_boi and girl see that __PUNCT__

thei see when you ar ignor or mistreat your wife __PUNCT__

thei see when you ar inconsider at home __PUNCT__ or when you ar distant __PUNCT__ or when you ar think onli of yourself __PUNCT__

and so it no surpris when we see that behavior in our school or on our street __PUNCT__

that why we pass on the valu of empathi and kind to our children by live them __PUNCT__

we need to show our kid that you not strong by put other peopl down __PUNCT__ you strong by lift them up __PUNCT__

that our respons as father __PUNCT__

and by the wai __PUNCT__ it a respons that also extend to washington __PUNCT__

becaus if father ar do their part __PUNCT__ if thei take our respons serious to be there for their children __PUNCT__ and set high expect for them __PUNCT__ and instil in them a sens of excel and empathi __PUNCT__ then our govern should meet them halfwai __PUNCT__

we should be make it easier for father who make respons choic and harder for those who avoid them __PUNCT__

we should get rid of the financi penalti we impos on marri_coupl right now __PUNCT__ and start make sure that everi dime of child_support goe directli to help children instead of some bureaucrat __PUNCT__

we should reward father who pai that child support with job_train and job_opportun and a larger earn_incom incom_tax_credit that can help them pai the bill __PUNCT__

we should expand program where regist nurs visit expect and new mother and help them learn how to care for themselv befor the babi is born and what to do after __PUNCT__ program that have help increas father involv __PUNCT__ women employ __PUNCT__ and children readi for school __PUNCT__

we should help these new famili care for their children by expand matern and patern leav __PUNCT__ and we should guarante everi worker more paid sick leav so thei can stai_home to take care of their child without lose their incom __PUNCT__

we should take all of these step to build a strong foundat for our children __PUNCT__

but we should also know that even if we do __PUNCT__ even if we meet our oblig as father and parent __PUNCT__ even if washington doe it part too __PUNCT__ we will still face difficult challeng in our live __PUNCT__

there will still be dai of struggl and heartach __PUNCT__

the rain will still come and the wind will still blow __PUNCT__

and that is why the final lesson we must learn as father is also the greatest gift we can pass on to our children __PUNCT__ and that is the gift of hope __PUNCT__

i not talk about an idl hope that littl more than blind optim or will ignor of the problem we face __PUNCT__

i talk about hope as that spirit insid us that insist __PUNCT__ despit all evid to the contrari __PUNCT__ that someth better is wait for us if we will to work for it and fight for it __PUNCT__

if we ar will to believ __PUNCT__

i wa answer_question at a town_hall_meet in wisconsin the other dai and a young_man rais hi hand __PUNCT__ and i figur he ask about colleg_tuition or energi or mayb the war in iraq __PUNCT__

but instead he look at me veri serious and he ask __PUNCT__ what doe life mean to you __PUNCT__

now __PUNCT__ i have to admit that i wasn't quit prepar for that on __PUNCT__

i think i stammer for a littl bit __PUNCT__ but then i stop and gave it some thought __PUNCT__ and i said thi __PUNCT__

when i wa a young_man __PUNCT__ i thought life wa all about me __PUNCT__ how do i make my wai in the world __PUNCT__ and how do i becom success and how do i get the thing that i want __PUNCT__

but now __PUNCT__ my life revolv around my two littl girl __PUNCT__

and what i think about is what kind of world i leav them __PUNCT__

ar thei live in a counti where there a huge gap between a few who ar wealthi and a whole bunch of peopl who ar struggl everi dai __PUNCT__ ar thei live in a counti that is still divid by race __PUNCT__ a countri where __PUNCT__ becaus thei girl __PUNCT__ thei don't have as much opportun as boi do __PUNCT__ ar thei live in a countri where we ar hate around the world becaus we don't cooper effect with other nation __PUNCT__ ar thei live a world that is in grave danger becaus of what we done to it climat __PUNCT__

and what i realiz is that life doesn't count for much unless you will to do your small_part to leav our children __PUNCT__ all of our children __PUNCT__ a better world __PUNCT__

even if it difficult __PUNCT__

even if the work seem great __PUNCT__

even if we don't get veri far in our lifetim __PUNCT__

that is our ultim respons as father and parent __PUNCT__

we try __PUNCT__

we hope __PUNCT__

we do what we can to build our hous upon the sturdiest rock __PUNCT__

and when the wind come __PUNCT__ and the rain fall __PUNCT__ and thei beat upon that hous __PUNCT__ we keep faith that our father will be there to guid us __PUNCT__ and watch over us __PUNCT__ and protect us __PUNCT__ and lead hi children through the darkest of storm into light of a better dai __PUNCT__

that is my prayer for all of us on thi father dai __PUNCT__ and that is my hope for thi countri in the year_ahead __PUNCT__

mai god_bless you and your children __PUNCT__

thank you __PUNCT__