Passing the Mantle

I’m sure many of you were wondering “why?” after my post yesterday about applying for an internship with The Mentoring Project. “Why does Tyler care about this?” I had to submit a short essay with my application and below is part of it. Hopefully that explains some of the why (My dad doesn’t know anything about any of this, but he has told me he reads my blog a lot more often now. So hopefully this will be a nice surprise for him).

About 3 years ago, during the middle of one of my dad’s messages at church, he brought my family up on the stage and gave us each an object that represented something. I received a symbol for what he called “passing the mantle.”

It was a short moment of life, but I’ll probably always remember it because my dad has left an incredible legacy with his life.

It means everything that he would want to pass that on to me.

I’ve always had a great relationship with my dad. He has been and continues to be everything I could have ever dreamed for in a dad. I have been extremely blessed to be following in his footsteps.

Through the ups and downs of childhood and growing into adulthood my dad has always given me love and care. When I think about where my life would be without him, I don’t come up with a lot of positive conclusions. I would probably still be in a bad relationship because he wouldn’t have encouraged me to move on. I probably wouldn’t be in seminary because he wouldn’t have been able to show me that being a pastor is the hardest and best job in the world. I wouldn’t be a golfer or a sports fan, and I wouldn’t be a worship leader because he more than anyone, pushed me to stick with it.

If there is one reason above and beyond all other reasons for why I want to intern with The Mentoring Project, it is that I have been given a gift in my dad and I would love to give back in a way that would reach the kids that have not been blessed by their dad in the way I have been.

Who has been the greatest gift to you in your life?