‘Letters from Dad’ author to make Valley visit

PALMER — One man is traveling the nation, on a mission to help other men learn from his past struggles. His next stop is Lazy Mountain Bible Church outside of Palmer.

Greg Vaughn, author of the best-selling book “Letters from Dad” and the central figure of a national men’s ministry event, is the featured speaker at a barbecue dinner and banquet hosted by the Palmer-area church Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.

Vaughn used his own experience after the death of his father as the inspiration for a movement to help men better connect with their loved ones and convey their feelings.

“I was in my garage, cleaning up after the death of my father when I found his rusty tackle box. I realized that he died without leaving me a note or a signature, only this rusty tackle box,” Vaughn wrote in literature presented by his ministry. “Then it dawned on me. What if I were to die today, what would I leave for my wife and children? I concluded that I would be leaving nothing but a rusty tackle box too. That’s how ‘Letters from Dad,’ was born.”

Keith Earley, a Lazy Mountain Bible Church member who is helping organize the local event, said Vaughn’s message is important for he and his fellow parishioners.

“It’s really relevant for me, and I can include myself in that population of relevance,” Earley said. “Men have a hard time saying the words ‘I love you’ to their children, even to their wives and parents. It’s almost like a generational curse. If their father struggled to say I love you, it’s likely you’ll have (trouble saying) the same words to your children.

“The reason we’re excited about this, we’re aware that men share these hesitations and we want to break the cycle within our own church.”

Vaughn uses letter writing to present his message and help other men learn how to share their intimate feelings. The event is designed to include four workshops, Earley said, with each workshop dedicated to a particular person in their life.

“The workshops teach men, no matter what their writing experience, the mechanics of how to write a good letter,” Earley said. “He’s really teaching men the lost art of letter writing.”

Admission to the event is free to Mat-Su Valley men, but advance reservations are required. For more information, contact Lazy Mountain Bible Church at 745-2611 or visit graceproductscorp.com/lettersfromdad/media_viewer.php.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.