Go Beyond

Christopher Dunlap unwittingly left a treasure for his family — the kind of treasure that you can’t really put a value on. He didn’t leave a large bank account or a safety deposit box stuffed with jewelry or real estate holdings. Instead he left a simple treasury of words, nothing more. But those words, composed by Christopher in the year before he was killed in a catastrophic car accident, mean more to his family than any monetary treasure. I told the story of Christopher’s death in a blog I posted in February of this year from El Salvador. Lloyd and Cindy, Christopher’s parents, traveled to El Salvador with our water well drilling team. That’s where I learned about Christopher and how, after his death, his sister found a file on his computer entitled “Life Lessons.” These life lessons are a lot like proverbs that Christopher had written in his own words. Christopher’s proverbs gave his family precious insight into his walk with God and have been like a soothing balm to them.

Lloyd has written a book about his son’s proverbs entitled Lessons We Leave Behind, scheduled  for release in October. Each chapter of the book is devoted to one of Christopher’s life lessons along with an explanation of what that particular lesson meant to Christopher. Lloyd not only took the time to put each lesson into the context of Christopher’s life, but to show how we can benefit from these practical and common-sense lessons. Writing this book has been a significant part of the healing process for Lloyd and his family. And, this project is also a way in which Christopher’s family is honoring his memory and preserving his legacy. I can’t wait to read the book. In the meantime, Lloyd has posted information on their journey toward healing at a new webiste: Lessons We Leave Behind. I hope that you will take a moment to visit this site and that you will buy and read Lloyd’s book when it becomes available.