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This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the incredible journey of fatherhood by hearing directly from a few of the dads in our Willow community. They’ve opened up about the joys and challenges of being a father, how they’ve encountered God in the everyday moments, and the meaningful lessons they’ve learned along the way. Their stories reflect the heart of what it means to parent with love, faith, and purpose.

Paternidad

By Emmory Castelan, Willow Español Worship Pastor 

Being the father of three unique and wonderful children, Jaden (11), Evan (7), and Nehitan (3), has been one of the most beautiful and humbling journeys of my life. Each of them is so different: Jaden, thoughtful and growing into a young man; Evan, curious and full of energy; and little Nehitan, with innocence that reminds me daily of the purity of God’s love. Through them, I have learned that fatherhood is less about having all the answers and more about being present, open, and deeply dependent on God.

Before I am their father, I am a child of God. That identity shapes the way I lead, love, and listen. It reminds me that my strength does not come from my own wisdom, but from the One who created me. As Romans 8:14 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” I cannot lead my children well unless I am first being led by my Heavenly Father.

Fatherhood has taught me the value of vulnerability. My children don’t need a perfect dad; they need a real one—someone who can admit mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and live with integrity. Honest conversations, even when difficult, have built trust and connection in our home. I’ve realized that teaching truth must go hand in hand with living it authentically.

God is my foundation in this calling. Without Him, I would be lost in the pressures and expectations. But with Him, I find direction, patience, and peace. As Proverbs 22:6 reminds us: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” My greatest prayer is that my children will not only follow my guidance, but ultimately follow God.

The Mystery of Fatherhood

By Eric Himes, Central Ministries Arts & Worship Operations Director

Fatherhood is a mystery in the truest sense of the word—something impossible to fully understand or explain. I can’t put into words what it was like to have a newborn with a fever, anxiously listening to every breath on a baby monitor. I can’t fully understand the flood of new wonder that entered my life when viewing the world from a child’s perspective—watching a fire, a sunset, or a fresh snowfall through new eyes. 

The truth is I didn’t know anything about children when I became a dad. I had never babysat, never folded a onesie, never changed a diaper. And my entrance into fatherhood was complicated by a serious heart condition that my wife, Cathleen, developed—a rare form of heart failure. The doctors had planned to induce labor but changed course at the last minute, opting for a C-section. That change saved my wife’s life. I came close to becoming a father and a widower at the same moment.

When our daughter, Wendy Joy, came into this world, our hopes and our reality had never been further apart. My wife remained hospitalized, while I returned home in a fog, overwhelmed, under fire, with our new baby girl.

After giving birth, her symptoms worsened. A healthy heart pumps at 60% efficiency; Cathleen’s was functioning at just 10%. A heart test confirmed the diagnosis. Doctors gave her three months to recover. Our church family prayed and stood with us, and we clung to faith. At the three-month follow-up, we were devastated: no improvement. An internal defibrillator was implanted, and we were told we could not have more children. Our lives changed overnight.

Yet throughout this time, we saw Christ through His body, the church. People prayed, brought meals, cleaned, stayed overnight with our newborn, and stepped into our weakness. In our suffering, we were formed more into Christ’s image—not by leading ministry, but by receiving it. Over the next few years, Cathleen’s heart slowly healed. Her ejection fraction rose from 10% to 53%. One doctor remarked, “I’m not sure how you’ve improved like this,” but we knew—this was God at work.

When I look back at what my wife and I experienced over those early months of parenthood, I realize I witnessed miracle after miracle from God. Today, I can’t explain the joy of playing a favorite song with my daughter and having her ask, “Can you play that again, Dad?” I can’t understand how my heart bursts with both pride and melancholy as I watch her navigate the challenges of life, now as a teenager. 

God reminds us why we built our house on the Rock. He leads us through deep waters—not to drown us, but to wash us clean. I praise God that my daughter is here, my wife was saved, we witnessed the body of Christ in action, and Christ turned our suffering into something beautiful. It’s with deep gratitude that I get to live out the incredible mystery of being a dad. 

Legacy

By Bjorn Burrows, South Barrington Groups Pastor

Being a father is by far one of the greatest joys of my life. This is most likely because I had a great father who I looked up to a lot. I have fond memories of seeing him in action and being very present at home, at church, and in the community. When I got married and had my first child, I recalled many of the lessons of being a father that he had modeled for me. As I learned to navigate parenthood and discovered what worked for me, those lessons gave me a great foundation on which to build. My goal was to grow into my golden years with my wife and our two children, just like my father is doing today with my mom.

However, life had other plans for me. My wife passed away unexpectedly, and I was thrust into being a single parent of two precious little girls. This was not my plan. But I had watched my father embrace less-than-ideal circumstances over and over again when I was growing up. I decided I would be no different. 

It was a tough time. By God’s grace, month after month, I found the strength to press on—and with God’s help and my father’s example, I had what it took to endure that season. I kept pressing on and eventually found my footing. Jesus, therapy, and grief counseling helped to bring my heart to a place of healing. Eventually, I found love again, got married, and my new wife and I formed a blended family. Once again, this was not what I expected, but I fully embraced it. I adopted my teenage stepson, my wife and I welcomed a new baby, and today, my precious little girls are teenagers. Whew, what a journey! There are many lessons I am learning in being a dad in a blended family— and in parenting teenagers! Learning to be patient is the biggest lesson so far. Through it all, my constant anchor has been my faith in Jesus. This is part of the legacy that my father has passed on to me, and which I am passing on to my children. My fatherhood story looks very different from what I’d imagined when I first became a dad, but along the way, I discovered a deeper strength in Jesus than I ever knew before. He remains my Rock through every season—and this is the legacy I’m passing on to my children.

A Father’s Prayer

Each of our stories is uniquely shaped by God’s hand—meaningful, powerful, and woven with purpose. Father’s Day can bring a wide range of emotions—joy, gratitude, grief, disappointment, or even a complex mix of them all. Whether you’re celebrating, mourning, or simply trying to make sense of your experience, you are not alone. Even in your grief, doubts, and disappointments, God is at present—and He can work through every part of your fatherhood story. You are deeply loved. 

Here is a simple prayer for this Father’s Day—to help ground you, encourage you, and remind you that as you seek Him, God walks with you in every season.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of fatherhood,

Both on the best days,

And when things aren’t at all what I hoped for or planned.

Help me let go of expectations

And accept Your invitation to love and be loved.

May I have grace for myself,

And grace for those I father, 

whether biologically, spiritually, or relationally. 

Use my life and my circumstances to help me

Experience more of You, and 

To help others see You through me.

I trust that even in my rejoicing and disappointment,

You are there.

Amen.