With Father’s Day approaching, I want to honor my father, who has gone home to be with the Lord, by sharing something I haven’t shared with a lot of people, something very close to my heart.

My dad was the rock and foundation of our family – not only to my immediate family but also to extended family members and even some of my friends. I had the opportunity to give the eulogy at his funeral a few years back. I shared a message that still challenges me today: to be a better servant of God, a better husband, and a better father. I hope this is a blessing to every man who reads it:

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children: And the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous (Proverbs 13:22).

One of the most important and powerful words at this time in my life is “legacy.” It’s a word that excites and haunts me at the same time. A legacy is an inheritance left behind by a predecessor or ancestor. The word excites me because I see in it an opportunity to pass down greatness and give my kids something worthy of application to their lives. Passing down a righteous legacy is something that will make my heirs better.

“Legacy” also haunts me because it’s an opportunity for calamity, for me to pass down things to my kids that could destroy them or harm them. I always feel a tug within me for God’s greatness and to have a life that counts for something – to pass that down to my kids.

The Bible says in Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” When we think of an inheritance, our minds automatically envision money. But I want to tell you that a good man gives an inheritance far more valuable than money. I want to share with you today a little of the life and legacy passed on to me by my dad.

My dad left me a powerful legacy. It’s the reason I am the man that I am today. I hope not that you would only hear some touching words today, but that these words would be useful in your own lives. Today, I feel a sense of destiny and an intense desire to honor a man who lived a life of integrity, humility, and love for his family and for people. He was a man full of wisdom and had his priorities in line. He would often tell me, “Wil, remember God first, then family.” He deeply loved us, and he showed it through word and deed.

There are three parts of my dad’s legacy that I would like to share with you today:

1st Legacy: He was a devoted husband.

Being a husband is not something we can just throw around these days. My dad was the husband to one wife for 35 years. When they first met, my mom was 11, and my dad was 12, so you can imagine the tremendous loss my mom feels here today. He would tell me, “Wil, as a husband, you must know your wife.” He said this was very important. Learn what moves her, learn how she thinks. It will make things a lot easier. They remained together for 35 years through the ups and downs of life. There was no room for quitting or leaving. They stuck together in sickness and in health. A love that God put together and no man was able to put asunder.

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Wil Addison is a New Orleans native with over 25 years of ministry service. Wil has served as a missionary to America’s colleges and universities. He was a nationally appointed home missionary for six years before helping to plant a church in Lafayette, Louisiana. As associate pastor, Wil’s focus was discipleship and prayer before relocating to Mississippi. After accepting a position with American Family Association in 2008, Wil

served at the ministry for 15 years in various capacities; from Director of Urban Family Communications, and Director of Special Initiatives to Director of the Marriage Family Life Conference.

Today, Wil’s focus is homeschooling his six children and stewarding well Straight Edge Ministries and Culture Proof. He can be heard via podcast on the Culture Proof Podcast with Wil and Meeke. On their podcast, the Addisons observe cultural trends and explore the effects of those trends on the foundation of Biblical morality. Together the couple offers insights on culture, popular trends, and current events that threaten the integrity of the Christian faith and the proliferation of the gospel. With the highest esteem for the local

Church, Wil serves as an elder in the fellowship he is helping to plant in Tupelo, Mississippi.

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