It’s common for sons and daughters to express their love and gratitude to their dads on Father’s Day. Yet here at HuffPost Religion, we wanted to put the spotlight on dads themselves.

Starting on Twitter, we asked, “How does your faith influence your life as a dad?” Instantly, we received replies from dads across the U.S. who told us they relied on spirituality for providence, direction and overall child rearing guidance.

Taking the conversation off social media and onto e-mail, we interacted with pastors, reverends and future rabbis. The slideshow below includes powerful stories from stay-at-home dads, single fathers and even one brand new dad. All participants were asked:

What kind of faith-based practices do you do as a family?
What hopes do you have for your children in terms of their religion?
What role has faith has played in navigating life as a parent?
How has your faith has evolved since becoming a father?


What’s your father’s day faith story? Share YOUR answers to the above questions in the comments or reach out to religion@huffingtonpost.com. Be sure to include a photo. Thanks to all who participated already!

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I am a single father who is currently raising an 8-year-old girl. As a parent, I feel one of my biggest responsibilities is installing a sense of faith into my daughter. As someone who grew up in a family that was deeply rooted in the church I understood at an early age how important it is to have a sense of strong faith in my life. I believe that a strong faith based foundation is essential for raising children.

Children understand things that they see more than things that are just preached to them. So when it comes to faith I have to make sure that I am a walking, talking example of what a man of God should be. I try to make sure that my daughter attends church with me regularly, but also has a concise understanding of everything that goes on in our place of worship. After services are over we discuss what she learned in her "kids rock" children's church activities.

Prayer is also something that is important to me. Each night before going to bed she and I get on our knees (actually I get on my knees and she gets on my back) and we say our prayers . She recites her "now I lay me down to sleep..." and afterwards I give thanks and ask God to protect us and keep us safe. To me, it is important for her to see me engaged in interactions with the Father so she can eventually build her own relationship with God as she grows older.

I understand that there is a battle for our seed right now. The enemy is just waiting for the chance to take control of her spirit. As a Parent, as a Man, and most importantly as a Christian I can not afford to let that happen. God trusted Me with one of his precious gifts and I have to make sure that she is covered with his full armor when she goes out to fight the battles of this world.