Ep 86 The Life-Changing Legacy of a Dad’s Letter To His Kids with Blake Brewer

Blake is on a mission to help 1 MILLION DADS write at least one well-written, meaningful, lasting LEGACY LETTER to their children. You will be inspired and moved by Blake's story of how his dad's letter changed his life forever.

As the founder of the Legacy Letter Challenge, Blake's mission is to empower father's to connect with their children, lead their families, and run their God-given race with endurance. Blake has a wonderful wife and three children under 5. 

Blake's claim: "A father's voice is the most powerful voice on the planet."

A legacy letter answers these three questions:

1. How do you really feel about me?

2. What do you believe about me?

3. What are your hopes for me?

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @theendurance_

Blake absolutely loves being a father.  As he leads his family and his children, he draws from many mentors, but none more important than his late father Larry Brewer.

Blake just shared this with me. You will be so inspired to write your legacy letter to your kids:

Thought you might like this...

 

One of the dads in Georgia just completed the Legacy Letter Challenge and he's excited about what he gets to give his son.  Just imagine if every kid in America had a letter like this from their dad?!  This kid is about to go conquer the world because he knows he has a dad that loves him and believes in him!  We've got to get past a million...that's just the starting point!

 

 

Cristian,

I’m writing this letter because words are powerful, but more than spoken words, written words are forever. When I speak with you about life I do it with a great deal of intention. This letter is with even more intention, because I want you to know how much you mean to me.

It seems like yesterday that you were laying on my chest for the very first time. You were only a few hours old and exhausted from coming into this world. Mom was exhausted too. She needed rest and so did you. I took you from her and within a few moments you fell asleep on my chest, I watched the Cowboys play the Dolphins. Our first football game. Mom was able to fall asleep and get some well needed rest too.

I can remember like it was yesterday, when I dropped you off in Kindergarten and told you to get out to the car for the first time on your own. We had talked about it and I knew you could do it. You trusted me and walked out of the car with confidence. I drove around and parked so fast and ran in to the school to make sure you were ok. You saw me looking in your classroom and smiled at me. That is only one of thousands of times I have been proud of you.

I have so many things I need to share with you, but before I get there I want say I’m sorry for any time I lost patience with you. For anytime I my actions did not align with my words. I want to say I’m sorry for not always being kind to your mother. I am sorry for not always living up to my own expectations of myself as your father. I desire to be perfect for you, but you and I both know that perfection doesn’t exist. But if I could, I would want to be that for you as you have made me a better man.

If there is only one thing I want you to take care away from this letter, it is that I LOVE YOU. I know I tell you every single day of your life, but words can not express how deeply I love you. AS I type this out all I can do is picture your smile, your laughter, your excitement for life as you describe a video game or tell me a story. I love your heart for people and your attention to detail. I always loved how your teachers would tell mom and I how you always mentioned details of stories that other kids rarely picked up on. I love how you ask questions. I love how you learn from your mistakes. I love how you solve problems. I love how you love me. I love when you curl up to me in the morning on the couch. I love how you ask me to tuck you in and tell me about your day. I love that when I lay in your bed in the morning you reach over and hug me. I love how you get back up after you fall. I love how much you trust me. I love how you tell me things you struggle with and talk to me about anything.

Cristian I am proud of the individual that you are. You think independently and critically think. You don’t just think selfishly, but you consider others in your thought process. I am proud of you because you stay true to yourself even though it may not be popular with others. Being willing to be true to yourself even though you may hurt/offend others, I believe is a key to a happy life. And you do that even at a young age. I am proud of you and admire you for that quality.

I believe in you, I know you are capable of great things. I want you to believe in yourself even more than I do. I remember when you were playing baseball in the championship game. You were going up to bat for the last time of the year. We needed one run to with the game. You were warming up to go up to bat. You had been walked numerous times and hadn’t had a hit in several games. I said to you “you are going to go and get the game winning run. You are a hitter, go get this hit. Then you will steal second and third bases. Then you will get a the game winning run. I believe in you.” You went up and had your best hit ever. I believed in you, but after you did it, then you believed and now know you can do that. Daddy will always believe in you because you continue to give me reason to.

You are going to be faced with many different challenges in life. But there are a few things you need to always remember, these have served me in my own life.

• Respond, do not react. Take some time to think about how you want to respond to things that draw emotions in you.

• Respect yourself first and then respecting others will come naturally.

• Trust your instincts (your gut). God gave you this intuition for a reason and it is almost always correct.

• Stay true to you and your beliefs, the world will try to change who you are. God made your perfectly in His image and you are ENOUGH.

• Serve others and you will be filled with all of the riches of life. Relationships are the most important thing you can have in this journey we call life. Value people not things.

• Value experiences – trips, museums, live concerts, Live sporting events ,over material things – Because memories last a lifetime – but things eventually get thrown away and replaced.


As I stated at the beginning of this letter, my intention is for you to know how much you mean to me and how much I love you. There are so many lessons I could share, there are so many things I want to say, but none of them matter if you don’t know how much YOU matter to ME.

 I will always be here for you, even when I’m not around. When I speak with you about your day, in the car, during daddy talk time, whenever we talk, my hope is that when I’m not around, you say to yourself “What would make Dad proud” and you make the best decisions in life that you can.

When you don’t get an answer or are unsure of what I would like. I want you to think “what would make God proud” and then make the best decisions in life that you can.

In order to do both of those – you have to have a relationship (the most important thing you can have) with myself and God. Make sure you always talk to God and work on that relationship. It is even more important than your relationship with me.

As long as you have a relationship with God, you are guaranteed eternity with me.

I love you with every fiber flesh and down to the very deepest depths of my soul.

Dad

 

Wow! Can you imagine how Christian responded to his Dad's letter?! What a legacy!

 

Hardly any man that I interview shares a recipe but Blake was excited to share one from his grandmother in her own handwriting! Love it and let me know if you try it!

Here's the recipe that my grandmother made.  It's my favorite recipe and my mom and now my wife make it for me all the time! : ) 

 

Shrimp and Rice Casserole

1 1/2 cups of cooked rice

1 can mushroom soup

Green Onions (4 to 6 T)

3 T Chopped Bell Pepper

2 T melted butter

1 T Lemon Juice

1/2 t worsteshire sauce

1/2 t dry mustard

1/4 t peppers

10 oz frozen cooked shrimp

1 1/2 grated cheddar cheese

Mix all together, pour in casserole dish

  Bake 35 min @ 375

 

Thanks, Blake. Will try it soon!

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Looking for a new summer Bible Study to do on your own or with a couple of friends? Check out: Hospitality, 101: Lessons From the Ultimate Host, a 12-Week Bible Study

When we understand God’s welcome, we can better pass it on to another.

For a limited time, I’m offering Chapter One of my Bible Study: Hospitality, 101—Lessons From the Ultimate Host, a 12-Week Bible Study.

 

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How to invest in what matters beyond ourselves. We have one life - let’s make the most of it for God, others, and eternity. Subscribe: Choose one of these popular free listening services, and subscribe there: