Sons Building the Fathers’ Vision is the book that focuses on obedience and faith. This theme runs throughout the book and the author draws examples from the beginning of the Bible during the time of Adam to the time of the great prophets such as Moses, Joshua, David and Solomon down to the time of Jesus Christ and to the apostles.But one might ask why should sons build on their fathers’ vision? The word vision is actually used metaphorically to denote to carry out the will or wishes or to act on the advice of the father. And the word father is broadly used to encompass spiritual fathers , those who strengthen you in difficult times, complement what you do and provide mentorship. Hence, spiritual fathers include both men and women. According to the author, spiritual fathering is a bible order which provide spiritual accountability. In portraying how the sons build the vision of their fathers, Dr. Mpateya looks at the father-son relationship from two angles. On one hand, he talks about biological fathers. In this category, he talks about David and his son Solomon or Abraham and Jacob. On the other hand, he talks about father-son relationship in the spiritual realm. He gives an example of Moses and Joshua, Paul and Timothy, God and Jesus and indeed God and the whole mankind through Jesus Christ. To him, whether the instructions are given by biological fathers or spiritual fathers it makes no difference. What is important is to obey the instructions and implement the task that one has been commissioned to do. Moreover, the sons do not necessarily have to have experience to do the task before them, but the blessings they receive from their father are adequate.According to Mpateya, there are obvious benefits that are to be reaped from carrying out the will of the father while dire consequences also await those who do not implement the father will. The fall of Adam and Cain’s failure to please God with his offering are classic examples. Hence, the message is very clear about those who fail to build on their fathers’ vision. However, for the vision to be carried out communication is vital. Mpateya places great value in communicating the right message to the person to implement the vision. Communication is therefore key to the success of the assignment.Although Sons Building the Fathers’ Vision has a Christian message and draws examples from the Bible, its theme has a universal applicability. It applies to the youth and adults, Christians and non-Christians. Those who listen and are obedient to the God and the youth who obey their fathers will succeed in life. Hence, the audience and theme go beyond Christianity. The book challenges the readers to assess whether they are following God’s will or whether their lives are right with God.Mpateya writes the book in a simple and straightforward language. This makes reading easy and the book accessible to everyone. Once you start reading the book you cannot help but read more to find out what the vision is all about. The arrangement of the chapters makes the reader follow the theme from one chapter to the other with any difficulty.Sons Building the Fathers’ Vision is a book that should be read by everyone who wants to know how obedience and faith produce the right results. It is also a source of comfort to those who do not have biological fathers to guide them. Spiritual fathers will equally give them the much-needed support for them to succeed provided they listen, obedient and act. It is through spiritual fathers that blessings from God flow.
