BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"

BAB Podcast Fatherhood Series - Legacy of a Father: Lessons from Dan Britton

• Coach Tim Brown, Uncommon Life • Season 5 • Episode 19

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Dan Britton, long time Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff member, author,  and founder of SportsLife Leadership reveals how his father's intentional approach to life and faith created ripples that continue long after his passing.

With remarkable vulnerability, Dan shares how his father balanced success in the financial world with passionate dedication to ministry. The family home became a revolving door for missionaries, creating an environment where faith wasn't just taught but lived breathlessly. Dan's father modeled what it means to be "a man on mission," approaching every relationship and opportunity with purpose. This intensity sometimes embarrassed young Dan but ultimately planted seeds that would flourish throughout his life.

At the heart of the conversation is Dan's father's framework for spiritual growth—"The Three D's of Devotion." Beginning with drudgery (showing up even when it feels like "eating bark"), progressing to discipline (creating habits), and finally reaching delight (anticipating God's presence), this process offers profound wisdom for spiritual development and parenting alike. The non-negotiable aspects of faith his father established, like consistent church attendance, created patterns that shaped Dan's adult life and ministry leadership.

Perhaps most powerful is Dan's reflection on how he both honored his father's legacy while thoughtfully breaking certain generational patterns. While his father showed love through intensity, Dan made a conscious choice to be more verbally and physically affectionate with his own children. Today, seeing five family members working in ministry brings him joy not just in his grandchildren but in watching his children become parents who carry forward the values that shaped them.

Whether you had a strong father figure or not, this conversation offers wisdom, encouragement, and practical guidance for building a legacy that stretches beyond your lifetime. Listen now and discover how everyday intentionality creates multigenerational impact that can transform families, communities, and the world.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world. Your host, coach Tim Brown, is excited for you to join him on this journey. On each episode, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our lives but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come. So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place. So grab your earbuds, get comfortable and let's dive in. It's time to be a baller.

Speaker 2:

Your Baller Podcast. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown, and I'm excited to begin our fatherhood series, where we explore the legacy, lessons and love passed down from generation to the next, from one generation to the next, and I couldn't think of a better person to be our first guest on this than our good friend, dan Britton. Person to be our first guest on this than a good friend, dan Britton. Dan's a man whose life reflects intentional leadership, deep faith and a passion for helping others live on purpose. After 34 years with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, helping the ministry grow from one country to over 400, dan now leads sports leadership, sports, life leadership, lending his three greatest passions jesus, sports and leadership. Dan's a former professional lacrosse player, a nine-time author and a seasoned speaker who's inspired audiences from the boardrooms to locker rooms. But today we go beyond all of that. Today we want to talk about the man who shaped him most his dad. Get ready to hear the lessons that has helped Dan become the father, husband and leader he is today. Dan, welcome to Be A Baller podcast.

Speaker 3:

Tim, it is great to be back on the program.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. When I thought about this whole fatherhood piece your name the Lord just kept dropping your name in my spirit. You know, I know a little bit about your relationship with your father, but I'm excited to hear this and for the audience to learn about this as well. So, dan, can you talk a little bit about your dad and the kind of man you saw growing up?

Speaker 3:

Well, my dad was an All-American lacrosse player at the Naval Academy, had two older brothers and you know I was the baby of the family and we played football, basketball, lacrosse. The preferred sport in our home was lacrosse, since my dad was a high level lacrosse player and man it just I felt like I grew up in the crib with a lacrosse stick in my hands and just you know he was a, he was a go getter. I felt like I grew up in the crib with a lacrosse stick in my hands. He was a go-getter. My dad was a very successful financial planner, stockbroker. He was in the business world. His two brothers he was the oldest of three boys, I was the youngest of his three boys, so a lot of Britain boys running around. But you know my, my dad, my two uncles were pastors and my and my dad was, um, you know, kind of dealt with the money, the money side of doing financial planning, stockbroker. And you know it was interesting.

Speaker 3:

My, my grandfather, uh, was a salesman but loved Jesus. He loved Jesus, was a godly example, always shared Christ was a part of a small little Bible study. My grandfather Pops was part of a Bible study in Baltimore Every Thursday morning at 6.30 for 35 years, led a small men's Bible study every single Thursday morning for 35 years. That was my grandfather. Just consistency. And then my dad showed me the same thing of consistency. He was involved with Christian Businessmen's Committee, ran a downtown touchdown club Bible study and did outreaches. But my dad was a great model of what it looked like to be a man on a mission. A man that had a mission, was on point, was very intentional. My dad's middle name could have been intentional and that was who he was. We called you know like he was so intense. You know, as a young boy it was also embarrassing at times, but, man, his intensity was just overwhelming. He would, you know, a guest at the church. You know we raise our hand like. His mission was after church to beeline for that person and take him out to lunch and make him feel like a million dollars and take him to McDonald's or Roy Rogers or something. Just love on him and so like.

Speaker 3:

And I remember Tim growing up we always had missionaries in the home.

Speaker 3:

Our house was always open down the basement, we had people in the home and he was always just inviting people in and people were staying over and people were breaking bread with us. And, hey, this missionary was a missionary in Poland and next thing, you know, they're with us for three days. And you know, next thing, I'm getting to know them and hearing their stories and hearing about gospel stories and you know, then he would fund, you know, 25 different missionaries around the world and then we'd meet the missionaries, they'd be in our home and, you know, all these things were beginning to connect and I don't know how intentional it was, tim, but man, it like planted a seed for gospel work. It planted a seed for my wife and I to create the Britain Suites in our basement and we've had literally hundreds of FCA staff and international leaders and friends stay in our homes. We've had friends stay in our home for months and summers and college kids and we've hosted them and loved them and seen the life transformation happen.

Speaker 3:

Well, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, because my dad was a man on a mission, and that's what men do, that's what legacy does, that's what generational gospel impact has is that you're a man on a mission and that passes on. I always say, tim, that you know again, ultimate fruit doesn't grow on your own tree. The ultimate fruit grows on other people's trees and the ultimate fruit gospel fruit, kingdom fruit grows on other people's trees, and so the fruit my dad was bearing was a fruit on my tree, and my prayer is now that, as a father of three kids and now two grandkids, that my fruit isn't the fruit that I bear, but it's my fruit is growing on their trees. That's what it's about.

Speaker 2:

You know, I can see how fired up you are. I see where that intensity comes from. I get it now. I get it now. You know, in that, as you watch that, what was that defining moment that inspired you, encouraged you to seek the Lord? You know, because you talked about your grandfather. When did it become real personal for you? What was that moment?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you know, I think, I think, tim, they laid the ground work. I saw as a young boy with my grandfather, I saw with my dad and again, he wasn't perfect, so intense at times. You know, he, he, he pushed the envelope pretty hard. You had to come back from. I feel like my mom is. You know, mother theresa, she, she was the saint Dorothy who lived side by side with Big Ed, but you know as much as they laid the foundation.

Speaker 3:

We went to church every Sunday, every Wednesday, every Sunday night. And it wasn't until I was 14 that I went away to a camp with a church youth group up to New York youth group up to New York, drove the 10 hours away on a bus and kind of got away from the hustle and bustle, the rat race and God began to speak in my life. And it was at that camp that God kind of pulled all the pieces together and said remember that little prayer you prayed with your mom at age eight in a good news Bible study and do you remember, like Sunday after Sunday school, that you were part of some great Bible lessons and hearing godly truth? And it wasn't until at that camp that you know there was an invitation to come forward in front of the bonfire. And man, I just ran forward like a baby and, you know, cried like a baby and threw a wood chip into the fire and said no longer I live.

Speaker 3:

And it was 14, it was July of of of 1982 and um signed a little yellow card, signed Danny Britton, you know, and said I would fully give my all in all to to Jesus Christ and never turned back to him. It was like that was the moment. Everything that my you know, it's kind of like my, my parents created the environment. My parents created that environment so that the seed could plant and not get choked out and it could have a tenfold, a hundredfold production.

Speaker 2:

You know, I read where you talked about your dad's three D's of devotion. You know, don't wait. And I'm really stuck on this drudgery deal, you know, and the dismal. Can you talk about that?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you know, my dad had some great sayings.

Speaker 2:

I want to write a book.

Speaker 3:

You know I've written nine books and I'd love to write a book called you know he had this one saying when he was going through leukemia and he had a battle with leukemia for a year and a half and passed away in 2008. But he made a handwritten sign. He'd always do this and underline and highlight it in different colors and he put this little sign in the kitchen that says life is God's gift period. What we do with it is our gift back to him and I'll never forget it. It's kind of become a motto for my life is you know, yes, life is God's gift to us, but what we do with it is literally our sacrifice, our honoring of him back. I was kind of like Dad, where'd you steal that quote from? You know, I've Googled it. Everything. It's like it's his quote. You know, I've Googled it. Everything. It's like it's his quote, you know.

Speaker 3:

But you know my dad, he had this phrase called the three Ds of devotion and he said Danny, he goes. You know, sometimes you get up, you get ready for your devotions and spending time with God. The first D is drudgery. It's like eating bark. It's like all right, it's not. You don't like it, it's not enjoyable. You don't feel this presence of the Lord so much because you know, dag nabbit, you just do it, you know you just it's drudgery but you're just going to see through it and it's still good for you. You just know it's good for you. Like you know sometimes that food you don't want to eat is good for you. You just know it's good. That's the drudgery stage and then he kind of goes.

Speaker 3:

But, danny, you know, if you keep doing it and you're committed to it and you're in the drudgery stage, you finally get to the point of discipline. It's like, oh, this is what I do. It becomes more habitual. It's like this is who I am. It more defines you and it's a part of your life, it's part of your rhythm, it's part of the way you do things and you go from drudgery to oh, of course you know it's not hard anymore, it's not like eating bark, but it's just a part of my life, part of my rhythm, part of my routine. And this is what I do by being able to spend time with God each day. And then he would smile real big and he says but then it goes from drudgery, discipline to delight, when you can't wait because you know the Lord is waiting for you.

Speaker 3:

Every day he wants to meet with you. It's not about you meeting with him. He's waiting for you. He wants to meet with you and he goes, danny, he goes. That's when it turns into delight. But it all starts with drudgery. It goes to discipline and then it's delight.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think about that scripture. Delight yourself in the Lord. You know and taste and see the.

Speaker 3:

Lord is good. Good, that's good stuff.

Speaker 3:

You know what was some of that advice that stuck with you as you became a father yourself well, I, I tell you, uh, one was obviously the, the advice and the in the mentoring my dad gave me that was so important, was, you know, opening the home right, and just you know it's funny, my, my wife comes from a background that you know, opening the home Right, and just you know it's funny, my, my wife comes from a background that you know they didn't host a lot of people when they were raised. You know they had different. She kind of came out of a broken home and just it was a very, a little bit different dynamic. So when, like, they would have people over for a week or a month or open their home, and so you know, when we got married, I just wondered, like wonder, if this is going to work. You know, this passion that I have to put the arms out, and you know, my wife Dawn, like we have, it's part of our mission, it's part of who we are is just, you know, how many people can we open the home to, to host and be a part of the Britain community and see miracles happen, and so that that's one thing, big time, that that uh has transferred over to us.

Speaker 3:

The other thing was my dad uh realized like, like you know, hey, uh, church was not an option. If you, if you want church as an as an option, then you can. You can go out of the house like you can. You're not a part of the home. And so I just remember, even in high school, like I didn't have an option not to go to church, I didn't have an option not to go to youth group, like, like I was as much as I didn't like it and at times I kicked and fought and yelled and screamed and and didn't want it. I mean, he, he gave me an option, like I either went to church or I could go find a place to stay on my own Right right.

Speaker 3:

Like today. I know, I know today just feels like things are different. But I talk to people and they go yeah, my kid just doesn't want to go to church with us. I was like wait a minute, they're 14 years old, right, right, he's the parent. And I think my dad just gave me an ability that there's non-negotiables. It's called parenting. This is the way we do it. This is the Britain way. The Britain way is that we are part of hey, we go on vacation. We're finding a church in the local community. We're not sleeping in. We're not going to Bedside Baptist, like we're not sleeping in, we're not, you know, going to Bedside Baptist. You know like, no, we're not, we're not, we're not sleeping in. On Sunday, we're actually finding a local church. We're plugging in and it's a part of our DNA and my dad modeled that for me. He realized that there's certain non-negotiables.

Speaker 3:

So when I went to college, guess what? First Sunday I found Pike Creek Valley Baptist Church, went every single Sunday. Pastor Pugh was amazing and he was my pastor for all four years. First Thursday, I found the little FCA, fall Street Christian Athletes, and met on Thursday nights at Carpenter Sports Building with 10 athletes very small, 13,000 students on the campus but this little eensy-beansy little huddle called FCA was meeting on Thursday nights. Crusade had hundreds of people, intervarsity had hundreds of people, but my tribe was those 10 on Thursday night. And guess what? Very first Thursday, very first Sunday check checked. All because of what my dad instilled into me, you know.

Speaker 3:

And so when my kids came along it's like hey, kids, I know you don't like the youth pastor, but too bad, I know you sometimes don't like church on Sunday mornings sitting next to us to hear the sermon. You know it's not as fun as your videos and everything else you want to do. We're sitting as a family, we're going to church together. This is the way the Brinton family rolls and I think you know. Again, they knew how much I loved them. It wasn't out of legalism and just. You know, hey, they're getting punished, but they knew how much I loved them. But also they realized it was a non-negotiable and I think my dad taught me that. That you know it's, it's, it's something my friend John Gordon says is we? We talk about tough love, but how about love tough?

Speaker 3:

You know we talk about tough love like hey, we're in the trouble. But what about love tough Like like hey, I'm? I'm stepping in at times that, even like it's not about like hey, my kids did something wrong and it's tough love. But love tough is like I'm loving at all times. I'm loving, you know, even in trying to figure out the schedule and, hey, how we're going to do life and family. Is love tough, not just tough love.

Speaker 2:

That's good. That's good stuff there. You know, if you think about your dad, was your dad, was his love vocal, or did he have a quieter way of showing his love?

Speaker 3:

Oh, he, I feel like the little firecracker, he was a big stick of dynamite. I mean, you heard my dad. I mean you came to a ballgame. You heard my dad Like he would be vocal, he would grab you, punch in the arm, hug you. You know you'd get, you know, like all like beat up by my dad because how much he loved you you know.

Speaker 3:

So he's physical and he's horrible, you know, but it was interesting, like as much as he did, that he still came out of that generation, that, even though he did all that, I very rarely remember like just giving a hug. You know it was weird, he was always touching me but I just never remember coming up and just going hey, dad, I love you and hug you. Um, he went, you know he, everything he did, he, he showed me how much he loved me, but he wouldn't again the generation they was in, he wouldn't say I love you, he wouldn't do a full hug. And so one of the things I did is I just knew that that was a generational thing, not necessarily a heart thing. And so with my son Eli I have two daughters and a son, my son Eli I just know, you know what I'm going to hug him, I'm going to kiss him on his cheek. You know, I'm going to tell him and look him nice how much I love you.

Speaker 3:

And you know, now he's. You know he's 28, he's 28,. Six foot three, long, hair bull like beard.

Speaker 3:

I reach up to him and I'm like you know, I hug him, I kiss him on the cheek, and in public, and people are like what the heck is that old man doing with that big guy? You know I'm loving on my son so you know I think his, even though he there are certain things that that couldn't be expressed to me. I've taken that way, that my dad loved me in the way that he could. I've now been able to love my son the way that he needs to be loved.

Speaker 2:

That's good, that's good, you know. Speaking of dad, have you found yourself repeating some things he used to say, maybe even some things you used to roll your eyes at oh buddy, come on.

Speaker 3:

You know he used to always say at oh buddy, come on. You know he used to always say hey, danny, danny, work hard, work smart, work hard, work smart. Well, I remember work hard and work smart, we did. But then he would say work hard, play hard. And I'm like Dad, we always worked hard but we never got to the play hard. When are we going to get to the play hard? You know. But you know he would often say you know, work hard, play hard. You know he would. You know he had a little phrase like you know you have friends. Like you, who needs enemies, you know, like little snippets of just these cool little old school sayings that right

Speaker 3:

you know, I'm kind of like, oh man, you know, uh, okay, dad, I get it, I get it. You know, um, you know, and he just little things like you say, come over here, you go, come over here, let me give you a kick in the pants. You know, and he grabbed me and you know, give me a big kick in the pants. And I mean all these little things that that you know.

Speaker 3:

Again, kind of one of the things I think about is love is God's gift and to us, what we do with is our gift back to him. It's probably written on my heart. I mean, that's like engraved in my heart of kind of the way he does life, you know, he often would say even hey, do it now, danny N-O-W, do it now Spe. Now, danny in ow, do it now? Spell backwards, you've won. Hey, if you do it now, you've won. And so his idea of intentionality, season, the day making a decision, little tiny sayings that again, I one day I'm gonna write a book on all my dad's principles, but you know, do it now, you've won. And I just always remember that it's like, hey, I can set it aside, be lazy, procrastinate, or hey, if I put action into it. I do it now that I've won.

Speaker 2:

That's good stuff, you know, what do you think your dad would be most proud of? Of the way you stepped into fatherhood?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I think he would say, you know, he would definitely say that he's proud of the way I'm led as a godly example. You know that the way that he tried to model for me of, you know, christ wasn't an option. That you know that I've been able to step into that and be able to do full-time ministry and provide for the family and provide a home. That you know, as we know, tim, you know I've been 35 years in sports ministry and so many pastors, kids, and you know their kids. You know ministry kids just walk away from Jesus. You know they don't want anything to do with it and you know so.

Speaker 3:

At one point, tim, all three of my kids were working with FCA and my wife, our entire family okay, our entire family has worked with the FCA Right now. Currently, you know I've had a chance to start this new ministry, leadership development ministry in the sports world, called Sports Life Leadership, just this past year. But you know, for 34 years I've served there and my wife, dawn, still works there. My second daughter, abby, and her husband work there and my son, eli, and his wife work there. So I have five family members that still work at FCA, that are still serving the Lord every day.

Speaker 3:

And my oldest daughter worked four years as the lacrosse women's director and she got called out of FCA to be a full-time college lacrosse women's director and she thought god called her out of fca to be a full-time college lacrosse coach. So in a way she's still serving the lord coaching and then my, my son-in-law is where it works as an engineer. So literally I have, you know, most of my family serving a full-time ministry. So I think my, my father, would be like he's most proud of to see that again that fruit is growing on other people's trees and seeing that they're now a part of ministry and doing the work.

Speaker 2:

That's good, you know as you think about your dad. If you could ask your dad one question now that you didn't or couldn't back then, what would it be, as you watch your dad, you back then? What would it be as you watch your dad, you know, what would you ask?

Speaker 3:

him one question um, I think I, I think, um, uh, I would ask him. It was interesting, tim he again, he was very successful in the business world and but yet he was very involved with FCA, christian Businessmen's Committee, cbmc, very involved in Biblical International Bible Society. He had a lot of ministries he was passionate about. Probably the one question I would ask him is you know, when we were kids, we never you know, I never traveled outside the US. You know, we just never.

Speaker 3:

And again, you know, he did well financially and then gave a lot of money kingdom work millions of dollars away in his lifetime. But you know, like we never went on a missions trip. You know, we never. You know, my first time I ever went outside the country and did a trip was with FCA to Ukraineraine in 2007 with shane williamson, the president of fca. You know that was my first time, it was his first trip, but it was like you know, we had the opportunity to go hey, we're gonna, as a family, go with the church or hey, we're gonna go and serve. And he supported all these people. He gave, gave a lot of money to a lot of great ministries overseas, but you know, we never went, and so I felt like I was a late bloomer, since and I've been to 60 countries and I've been hard for the nations and I've traveled the world and I've been to more places than 99 of americans.

Speaker 3:

You know, and just, I have a huge heart for the nations. I've taken all my kids on mission trips with me through FCA and I've taken my entire family. We did mission trips together and just to see them have a heart for the nations, I'm thankful that I did, I'm thankful that I did, you know, eventually get there. But you know, I would just ask them like, hey, why, why was it that you had a passion for, for the nations, you gave to the nations, but yet you never saw that again.

Speaker 3:

This is not a question of judgment, but it's just like I don't know why. Maybe safety, maybe I don't know, but why did you have a heart for it but yet we didn't go support it? Like you did everything else, have a heart for it, but yet we didn't go support it like he did everything else. And it was just kind of like this little nuance gap that if I, if I had a chance to spend some time with him, I just be like, hey, dad, like come on, like why didn't you ever like throw some money down and take our family on a week to a trip to go see one of your missionaries that you've been, you know, giving to for 20, 30, 40 years, and see the ministry in action and let our hearts, you know, fall in love with that. You know, but he kind of did with these reverse trips and, you know, again, everyone stayed in our home.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah Right.

Speaker 3:

So I'm very thankful for that, because that planted the seed for me to do that. So yes, thank you, but it would have been great to go and kick the tires.

Speaker 2:

But look at you now. Look at you now what you have to do for your family. I think that seed was planted by those persons coming that gave you a heart for man. I want to go over there, I want to go see your country and look at what God, look what God has done. You know 60 countries and, like I say, you really have or 99% of americans. You know, you've seen, you've seen the world and your family has seen the world. So I think sometimes what our parents aren't able to do, we're able to do. Right, just think, just think about what your grandkids are going to do. Wow, you know, you know.

Speaker 3:

But god says I'll do me, hopefully go beyond me, way beyond, yes yes, yes, all things work together.

Speaker 2:

you know, as we kind of come around the corner, this is a legacy podcast.

Speaker 3:

First off, what would your children say about you? Well, I just had my 58th birthday, so they just told me a bunch of stuff last weekend, right, you know again.

Speaker 3:

I know my wife and I made a lot of mistakes. We weren't the perfect parents, but man, I just I feel like God's grace and mercy was extra extended, grace upon grace upon our kids, and just I wouldn't want to change it for anything, honestly, like nothing, I mean I wouldn't. Even all the ups and downs and heartaches and hardships to see how God formed him and shaped him made us better parents realize. Okay, we're not going to do that again. I wouldn't change anything, Tim I mean no regrets at all.

Speaker 3:

So you know, I think my kids a lot of times my kids just say like dad, like you know there's not another dad we would rather have. Like you've set the godly example and you know, eli says I hope one day I could be. You know half of what you are as a father to my kids. Now I'm like, well, you're gonna be like two times what I am.

Speaker 1:

You're going to be the double.

Speaker 3:

I'm going to give you a double portion, son. There's a little Elisha passing on, we're going to anoint you for the double portion, right, tim, let's go Amen.

Speaker 2:

Honestly.

Speaker 3:

I say people go, what's the greatest thing about being a grandparent? Like we got a two-year-old and one-year-old and we got two more on the way, so we'll be at four before we know it. And you know people all the time like, oh, we love the kids. And you know, oh gosh, grandparenting is the best part. And this kid you're seeing the kids and honestly, when people ask me what's the best part about grandparenting, I go it's not the grandkid, I love the grandkids, trust me. I mean the grandkids melt your heart. I mean, just with one little word, a puddle, you know. But what I love about being a grandparent is to see my kids parent, amen. I mean the joy is to see my two daughters become mothers. Like, oh, my gosh, like this is the most incredible thing. Like the grandchild is their child, like as much as I want it to be my kid it's their kid.

Speaker 3:

But my two daughters, they're my kid Amen, so for them to become a mother and for Eli eventually to become a father, that's the greatest thing in the world. And so, you know, my hope is that my kids would go Dad. You know, that's one of the things I try to do is, as much as I love to see the grandkids first and hug them and love on them, I always tell my two daughters how proud I am of them and I give them a kiss on the forehead and tell them how much I love them first because they're my child. Grandkids will come later. You know I can love on the grandkids later, but that is so important, and so my hope and prayer is that you know that they would just simply say dad, you love me well, and not only did you love me well, but you love Jesus well. You know you had a lot of delight, some drudgery days some Right.

Speaker 3:

But you know what, most of the time I saw there's delight because of your presence with the Lord, because you tasted the Lord and you saw that it was good.

Speaker 2:

It's good. You tasted the Lord and you saw that it was good. It's good. You know, you've been around a while. You've seen a lot of young guys, young men. What advice would you give the fathers who didn't have a strong father figure growing up? You were blessed with watching father example, watching grandfather example. What advice would you give to those young men who didn't have that growing up?

Speaker 3:

yeah, I, you know again. Uh, first book we wrote was wisdom walks, and wisdom walks is about the four key relationships and it's kind of the biblical model of having a paul barnabas and a timothy and then being a walker, a pursuer of god yourself. But but you know that watchman, what we call the Paul, the watchman that sits on the mantle and invests in you, sits on the wall and can see things that you can't see. That's the role of the father, right? The father is a guide, advisor, sees things, counsels and able to provide expertise that you don't have yet. Well, that's missing man.

Speaker 3:

There are a ton of watchmen in churches and in neighborhoods who, like, granted, a lot of times they don't think they have a lot to give. So it's not like they're coming and tapping that young kid on the shoulder and saying, hey, I want to mentor you, I want to invest in you, so I call it reverse. Reverse mentoring Is hey, go tap them on the shoulder. So those young guns that didn't have it, it's not over. Like, go find a Tim Brown, go find a Dan Britton, you know ones that have no hair or gray hair.

Speaker 3:

Right, like, if they have no hair or gray hair, they're the ones that you go find. Tap them on the shoulder and say, hey, will you spend time with me, will you mentor me, will you be my watchman, will you be my Paul, will you disciple me? And yeah, guess what? It should be the old guys going and reaching out. Yes, you're right, like check, but that doesn't give you an excuse, because you don't have that person, not to reverse it and tap them on the shoulder and say, hey, I want to meet with you each week. There's something in you that I love and I know there's something in you that I can learn from. Yes, and so Do it Like, reverse it, flip the script.

Speaker 2:

That's good. That's a good word there. That's a great word there. You know, as we come around the corner, I just have one other question for you Any thoughts or messages you'd like to share with listeners about honoring the father figures in their life? As we talk about this fatherhood month, what are some thoughts and messages you would share with the listeners about honoring those fathers or father figures in?

Speaker 3:

their lives. Yeah, I, you know. Essentially, my father passed away in 2008 and you know I did the eulogy for my brothers and I and and actually did the sermon for that. Very hard to do, it's not recommended, but, man, I'm so glad I did, but I, you know. Basically, the, the eulogy is the honoring right now. The tough part is I did it after he died.

Speaker 3:

You know, I feel like I honored him throughout his life and often told him how much I loved him and honored him with words, but I never gave him an official like hey, there's an honoring, a blessing to to um. So I did it for my mom. I sat down and wrote up a honor to my mom because she was still living. She is still living. She's 88. Amazing woman of God. But I wrote a full opportunity to bless my mom by honoring her while she's living. I think that one of the greatest things that we can do as kids is to honor our parents, and you know what? They're not perfect. It was interesting, tim. I did something I've never done in my life.

Speaker 3:

So I was traveling on my birthday. No, I wasn't traveling, I'm sorry, I was home. I was out for my run. I'm a runner. I was out for my run. I'm a runner. I was out for my run early in the morning and you know everyone was texting already and Facebooking like happy birthday, 58,. 58 is great. I think it's great. That's that's what they say 58 is great.

Speaker 3:

So I've turned 58 and, and you know I said to myself Tim, you know what I'm going to call my mom and thank her. I'm going to thank her that she gave me life. I've never done that. You know, birthday is all about me. I knew my mom was going to call me. I knew my brothers were going to call me. I knew I'm going to get pictures in our family texts of, you know, great pictures over the last year, all these little routines or rituals we do.

Speaker 3:

But I've never, I've never, once in 58 years, called my mom to thank her for giving me life. So I called her. I said, mom, I want you to be my first call today. And she's like oh, I'm so thankful. You know, happy birthday, son. I said well, mom, mom. I said I don't think I've ever called you to say thank you on my birthday. You gave me life on this day. And I said, mom, you and dad didn't raise me, perfect, but man, I am so thankful for the home.

Speaker 3:

And first we talked for 45 minutes and all I did was for 45 minutes to him. Tell her how much I was thankful, recalling blessing her, encourage her to a point. She goes, dan, you're making me cry. I go that's okay, mom, that's okay Because you gave me life today. Well, that's honor. Like, that's honor.

Speaker 3:

Like you know, my birthday is not about me, it's my mom did the part and so you got to reverse that. Like we should be, like literally the day of our birthday should be the day we honor our mom, and, and so I'm thankful, the Lord, you know, triggered that in my spirit. So for the first 45 minutes, even during my run, I talked to her for 45 minutes and just had this amazing and I prayed for it. Then I said, mom, I just want to pray for you, I want to honor you and bless you for giving me life 58 years ago on this day, you know, and it was just, it was a one of a kind I've never done that and it was a sweet, special time.

Speaker 3:

So, yes, honoring is so valuable, never can do enough. I mean, it's not like, hey, take your honor somewhere else. You over honored me. No one's ever going to say that Like honor is bottomless. Right, honor is bottomless. So don't ever think that you've crossed the line when it comes to honoring. Like you can never give enough honor, and you know it even comes with our Heavenly Father. Like we can never give him enough honor, and you know it even comes with our Heavenly Father, like we can never give Him enough honor, in the same way we can never give others enough honor.

Speaker 2:

As we end this episode. I knew you would be the one to kick this thing off. You know there's no doubt. Could you pray for fathers? Could you pray for fathers and pray a blessing over the fathers that are listening to this podcast today?

Speaker 3:

Amen, amen, love to be able to pray. Yep. Father, we come before you and we, just we just thank you. Just what an amazing time to reflect, not only on my dad, ed Britton, my mom, dorothy Britton, and the impact of parents, impact of a father, a godly father, I mean man. One godly fatherly relationship can truly change the world and I'm a living example of that and I thank you that. My dad gave me an example, not the perfect example, but man, just an amazing, transparent bumps and bruises, ups and downs, mountaintops and valleys, but through it all, you've showed me that my dad was the real deal. And so, god, we thank you for the fathers that are out there. I pray that they don't try to pretend, but they are the real deal, that they know that by them being intentional, just the way my dad was being intentional, and not giving up.

Speaker 3:

Lord, it's so easy as a father to give up, but we're going to claim Galatians 6, 9, to not grow weary in doing good, because at the proper time, there'll be a harvest for those that do not give up. Well, that's a prayer, that's a verse for parents and for fathers Don't give up, don't give up, Don't quit as you become a godly parent. You're not going to get it right the first time or the second time or the third time. Just allow us to keep striving and keep thriving and keep pushing and knowing that at the right time, lord, at the right time, there will be a harvest. A lot of times we don't see it. A lot of times, the seed is planted and it's later and greater. Right, the seed that's planted, the law of the harvest is later and greater. It's not the here and now. We want the here and now, but it's later and greater.

Speaker 3:

And so, god, I pray that prayer for fathers out there. And Lord, I just know that for me, like in Matthew and three different times that the Heavenly Father said to his son you are my beloved, you are my beloved, you are my beloved. And so, lord, as much as we want to hear and might not have heard, our earthly father is saying to us that you are my beloved, that I love you, I cherish you, I honor you. We might have heard the opposite, I honor you. We might have heard the opposite. But, lord, even though we might not have heard that from our Father, lord, we hear from you as our Heavenly Father.

Speaker 2:

Yes, Lord.

Speaker 3:

Lord, in the same way that you say to us simply that we are your beloved, and we hear these five words that will mark us. We hear these words, maybe not from our father, but we hear from our heavenly father. I am pleased with you, I am pleased with you, and so, god, we we, right now, in this moment of prayer, we hear those words of I am pleased with you, tim, I am pleased with you, dan.

Speaker 3:

I am pleased with you, tim, I am pleased with you, dan, I am pleased with you. We hear our name called in these words I am pleased with you and so, lord, in the same way that you gave us an example to receive, to hear, that, imagine these words spoken to our sons spoken to our sons.

Speaker 3:

Imagine as us, as fathers, to say to my son, eli Eli, I am pleased with you, you are my beloved, you are loved deeply. God, help us to say those words this Father's Day Maybe we've never spoken those words a blessing over our kids. Help us, as fathers, to say what the Heavenly Father has already said to us I am pleased with you, you are my beloved. So, god, we pray this in the name of Jesus. We pray that even this podcast, that whoever hears these words, will be motivated and challenged to be a godly father who leaves a godly legacy, father who leaves a godly legacy because they've sown seeds of greatness gospel kingdom greatness into their kids.

Speaker 2:

We pray in the name of Jesus Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. Thank you, dan, for sharing wisdom rooted in the legacy of your dad and the values that continue to shape how you lead love and live today, whether it's on the field, with your family or through faith. Dan, you remind us that fatherhood isn't just about presence, it's about purpose. It's about presence, it's about purpose, and so, for the audience, I hope this story has encouraged you to reflect on lessons you learned, the ones you're passing on and the kind of legacy you want to leave behind. So, dan, thanks for joining us on this Be a Baller podcast episode on fatherhood, and, for my audience, we'll see you next time as we continue to celebrate the impact of dads everywhere. Thanks, dan. Appreciate you. This was awesome, amen. Appreciate you. This was awesome, amen. Thank you Awesome.

Speaker 1:

If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends. The Be A Baller podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and recorded and edited by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller.