Hey folks, it’s Neil here. As you will know if you have been following the one hundred years project this year, we have had a few health challenges in our wider family since February. We have always wanted to be transparent in this blog, but in order to protect our family’s wishes, we haven’t wanted to be too specific with any details about who was ill and what exactly was happening. That said, it has been a journey that has taken up a lot of our time and energy this year, and we now wanted to let you know that it was my Dad who was struggling with his health, and the journey came to an end on the 15th of August when Dad sadly passed away. I know that many of you have faced moments like this in life, and whilst this was a sad moment for our family, it was a peaceful passing, and I feel a contentment in knowing that my dad is no longer having to fight for his health. I also am thankful for the time I got to spend with him throughout the last week. We’ve written about grief before in this blog, so I don’t want to take time to do that again, although this will be a period of time where we will put into practice the lessons we’ve learned before. Really, all I wanted to do today was to update you on our news and also write a little about legacy and my dad.

I had the privilege to lead my Dad’s funeral this week, and in the service, I began talking about the role of fatherhood as we find it in the Bible. As we have mentioned many times before, the Bible is filled with how generations are called to honor and bless each other. I believe the desire of the Lord’s heart is that each generation would walk into increase as the generation before blesses them and sets them up for what is next. Fathers play a key role in this process. The book of Proverbs talks about how a good father leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, the book of Psalms speaks of the blessing the next generation receives when the one before it is upright, and the Abrahamic covenant we find in Genesis speaks of the generations that will increase. The Bible makes it clear that this is the way we are meant to lead so that the next generation will succeed.

The sad thing is that in the 18 odd years that I have been working in my community, I don’t often see this modeled. Instead, I have watched as more often than not one generation holds onto what they have, squeezing out the best life they can without a thought for who’s coming next. I have also worked with so many young people who, for one reason or another, haven’t had the opportunity to have a positive relationship with their father. I often watch as the ‘next’ generation has to start all over again, trying to heal the wounds of what went before them, while they fight to move forward with limited support and resources.

To see this change will be what we hope to achieve in the onehundredyearsproject!

One of my greatest personal joys is that my dad was someone who didn’t hold on to all he had, but instead passed on his best. My dad was always there for me; playing football together in the back garden when I was a kid, taking me and my friends swimming on Saturday mornings, picking me up after school, helping me with any job I needed as I got older, going on family holidays, and so many other things. My dad taught me right from wrong, he trusted me, he gave me room to be myself, and he backed me even when he didn’t agree with my decisions. He taught me to believe in myself and made me believe that I could achieve anything – looking back he definitely had some unrealistic expectations of what I could achieve but that’s another story! Today I am a better man because of what my dad taught me and the life that he led. At his funeral, I got to hear other people talk about my dad, which was such a joy. They talked about his compassion, kindness, passion for his family, and justice! I heard how he had stepped up to be a father for his siblings when he lost his own dad the day after his 20th birthday. My dad did a great job, and I am so thankful for that.

The first commandment with a promise concerns our parents. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12. I believe this isn’t just a “be nice to your parents and you will be rewarded” promise. I believe this is the beginning of the honor/blessing principle that we talked about earlier.

Today, I honor my dad and thank him for all he has done. Rest well.