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Over the next year or so, I reflected on what I learned from Paw Paw both from the words he said and the life he lived. Instead of waiting for his final day, I wrote a tribute to him in April of 2012 and shared it with him. What follows is a combination of that tribute, enhanced by some additional thoughts today…
Steve Farrar, a Christian author and neighbor to my brother Blake & his wife Kristen at the time, wrote a book called Anchor Man: How a Father can Anchor His Family in Christ for the Next 100 Years. Farrar’s book starts with a quote from Deuteronomy 6 verses 1-2:
Now this is the commandment, the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and commandments, which I command you all the days of your life so that your days may be prolonged.
God’s desire for us as fathers is for our leadership to be so noble that it will carry our family for a solid century! In our line of “Allens”, I see Paw Paw’s legacy. His son, Robert Allen, fears the Lord our God. I, Brady Allen, fear the Lord our God, and my son Cody Allen, fears the Lord our God. We have all chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Thanks be to God!
But Paw Paw’s influence extends beyond just this line of Allens. His family tree of faith continues in several directions:
- My brother, Blake, and his wife Kristen have a legacy of faith through their son Robert Taylor and daughters, Mikaela and Raegan.
- Paw Paw’s younger son, Ronnie, and his wife, Linda, have a legacy of faith with their daughter, Rhonda (who is married to Nathan Ford).
If you weren’t keeping count, that’s 3 different family branches to 2 and 3 generations beyond Paw Paw. This runs counter to the pattern we generally see in the Bible, where the faith of the father is often erased from the family chain by the time his grandchildren reach adulthood. That isn’t the case for Paw Paw; and I don’t want it to be the case for me. So, I father my kids with my grandchildren in mind.
Several years ago, I was selected as one of 12 emerging leaders from across NASA to participate in NASA’s Leadership Development Program. As part of that program, we were asked to reflect on our values and how they were shaped. Now, as HR Director for NASA’s Johnson Space Center and through my side business, Out of This World Leadership, I have many opportunities to speak to leaders about leadership. I start with these reflections:
Both my father and my grandfather were role models for me growing up. They were both public servants with the Corpus Christi Army Depot. Both taught me the values of:
- Excellence (Do your best);
- Integrity (Do what you say); and
- Improvement (Get better over time).
Both also demonstrated an effective balance as leaders between work, family, and church responsibilities. What I saw them model I would later learn is termed “servant leadership.” I am trying to strike a similar balance today…
So, I say a special “Thank You” to Paw Paw for being an Anchor Man for the Pyle family…and for teaching by word and deed the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ, your wife (Mano), and your kids (Robert & Ronnie). Thank you for finishing strong…a life well-lived that produced a legacy that lasts!