What Chris Dunlop Learned from His Father

For all of you who are currently working through the book “Do Hard Things”, you may find it amusing to know that when Kaylee first asked if I would consider writing this for her blog, my first thought was "this is too hard"!  Not hard in the sense of I don’t have anything in my Dad to write about, but hard in the sense that this will take some time & effort!  But as I thought more about her question I realized that it would really do me some good to think through this topic.  Writing this little post has affected me both in considering God’s grace in my life through my Dad, as well as in considering the legacy I am leaving my two sons.  25 years from now what will they write about me?

So, to answer Kaylee’s question, “What lessons did I learn from my Dad growing up & how do those things still affect me today?”, here are a few of the main things that come to mind.

 

1. Servant Leadership

Many of the memories that I have from growing up are of my Dad & our family.  At times I wonder why I loved being with my family so much as a kid & even a teenager.  In looking back I think largely the reason was because of my Mom & my Dad & their pursuit of us.  In looking back on my life growing up, I have this sense that My Dad & I loved all of the same things… We loved Legos, We loved games of “hide & go seek” outside in the dark, we loved baseball...etc.  Now, having the chance to be a Dad myself, I am finding that I don’t naturally “love” all of the things that my own son loves.  It is almost like I am just now realizing that maybe my dad didn’t so much love all of those things that I loved as a kid & a teenager, but that he loved his family instead and that caused him to enter into our world!  After working a normal job as a public school teacher, coming home, changing clothes & going out & mowing 2 or 3 lawns… he would then come home, join me in the back yard & hit pop-flies to me for 30 or 40 minutes.  My Dad was a man who laid down his life for us in so many ways.  I am only just beginning to understand how he must have sacrificed his own desires & comforts in order to serve me & our family.  This affects me as I get home from work & my son’s first question is “Dad, what are we going to do tonight?”

 

2. A Love for God’s Word and His Presence

Growing up it was always clear to us that God’s Word was of great importance to my Dad.  He regularly would be found reading the Bible.  It would be very normal from a young age for him to read to us.  Throughout our lives my Dad could be found in the Living room of our house playing his guitar & singing through the Psalms.  As we grew older he worked very hard to help each of his children establish a regular intake of the Bible.  As I grew older & God began to work more clearly in my own life, I began to understand more & more that this was not just “apart of Dad’s day” this was who he was.  It wasn’t merely a routine for him…it was his relationship with God.  It was his way of learning more about God, but also of drawing near to God.  In the last year that I lived at home I clearly remember sitting in our family room one Sunday afternoon, my Dad & I were both reading different books & he stopped at one point & communicated his incredible love for & amazement that we can know God & that He desires to be in relationship with us!  I love that some of my last memories of my Dad are of him sharing with me the things that God had been teaching him through the study of His Word.  This still regularly affects me in the mornings when I wake up & am tempted to sleep in & not draw near to the Lord. 

 

3. How To Make a Good Hotdog…Better!

The best hotdogs were always cooked on the grill…sometimes we’d cook them in the microwave or on the stovetop, but the best always came off of the grill!  Even in the times when they would come off the grill, my dad would find a way to make them taste better!  I don’t know how many of these “recipes” Dad actually invented, but he would take just about any leftovers & put them on a hotdog & inevitably, it would taste better!  We would enjoy your typical Chilidog’s & Slaw dogs… but sometimes we would also do a “Sloppy-Joe-Dog”.  A few of my favorites were the Mac-Dog, piled high with leftover Mac & Cheese… & the Spag-Dog… a hotdog overflowing with leftover spaghetti!  This is definitely something that is still affecting my life today & that I hope to pass onto My sons as they grow up!