{"id":225939,"date":"2020-06-21T13:32:26","date_gmt":"2020-06-21T18:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=225939"},"modified":"2020-06-20T14:04:55","modified_gmt":"2020-06-20T19:04:55","slug":"benjamin-watson-lecrae-fathers-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/benjamin-watson-lecrae-fathers-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: NFL star Benjamin Watson, rapper Lecrae, others join forces to say &#8216;Fathers are essential&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p>Former NFL star Benjamin Watson, who with his wife Kirsten is known for his vocal pro-life stance and support for the vital work of pregnancy resource centers, has released a special Father&#8217;s Day video on the importance of fatherhood in society.<\/p>\n<p>In a June 20 press release, Watson stated, &#8220;Fathers are essential to the mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health of life\u2019s greatest gifts, our children. In a society that sometimes doubts their commitment and their presence, it is imperative that we not only emphasize the importance of this role, but reveal the truth about the amazing men who fill it daily.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Though not named in the video itself, several recognizable Black fathers are featured, sharing their &#8220;Fathers Are&#8221; sentiments. &#8220;Fathers are forgiving,&#8221; says one speaker. &#8220;Fathers are understanding,&#8221; says another. &#8220;Fathers are wise,&#8221; says another.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rXi9PNEdhAM\" width=\"640\" height=\"355\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to the press release, those included in the video with Watson are:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>New Orleans Saint and 5-Time Pro-Bowl football player Cam Jordan; Grammy Award winning recording artist Lecrae; Fox Sports TV Analyst Chris Broussard; former NFL player Mohamed Massaquoi; South Carolina Pastor and father of Benjamin Watson, Ken Watson; Attorney and President of the AND Campaign Justin Giboney; Author and Seminary Dean Voddie Baucham; former NFL player and brother of Benjamin Watson, Asa Watson; Georgia Medical Doctor Kory Vaughn; and Motivational Speaker and Author Tru Pettigrew.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The press release also notes that Watson authored a book in 2017\u2014\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thewatsonseven.com\/his\/books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/thewatsonseven.com\/his\/books&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1592764036745000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFIgJlfkXsa1UZZuQ473KNH0H5p4Q\">The New Dad&#8217;s Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life<\/a>\u2014which gives resources for new fathers, which are in short supply. According to the release, Watson\u00a0&#8220;wrote the book because of the absence of modern resources for new dads that he saw in today\u2019s American culture. While there are plenty of resources for new moms and baby care, Watson felt there wasn\u2019t enough instructional material for new dads. He describes The New Dad&#8217;s Playbook as every man&#8217;s game plan to being the best partner and the best father, from pre-season (preparing for fatherhood) to Super Bowl (birth) to post-season (after baby is home).&#8221; Watson also spoke at the March for Life in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Though hiding in plain sight, they are a daughter&#8217;s first love and a son&#8217;s first hero,&#8221; Watson says in the video, &#8220;strategically placed to lead and guide the next generation&#8230;. Everywhere we look, the impact and influence of fathers is as evident as it is vital to the health and success of children, families, communities, and nations. They have what it takes. They will do what needs to be done. And with our love and support, they won&#8217;t let us down.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveactionnewsonline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former NFL star Benjamin Watson, who with his wife Kirsten is known for his vocal pro-life stance and support for the vital work of pregnancy resource centers, has released a special Father&#8217;s Day video on the importance of fatherhood in society. In a June 20 press release, Watson stated, &#8220;Fathers are essential to the mental, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":225941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455,3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WATCH: NFL star Benjamin Watson, rapper Lecrae, others join forces to say &#039;Fathers are essential&#039;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;The impact and influence of fathers is as evident as it is vital to the health and success of children, families, communities, and nations.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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