Captain Ric Wilson

Music and faith were deeply intertwined in Mac’s life. Pictured here are two things he returned to again and again: his Bible and his composition journal. In one, he wrestled with his faith, sought God’s guidance, and found strength for the road ahead. In the other, he filled pages with ideas, letting his thoughts pour out of him even through some of his most difficult days. On Resurrection & Revival: Part Three, there’s even a song about his back and forth with his journal, his diary,  called Sleepy Song, as the diary implores him to, “Let your thoughts pour out, they’ll disappear into the dark.” Enjoy this song written by Mac and John Ondrasik and performed by John. youtube.com/watch?v=rdv65f9o… And there are so many passages underlined in his Bible, it’s like he’s sending messages. Looking through these books now, I’m struck by how often those two parts of Mac’s life seemed to meet. His faith gave him strength to keep moving forward, and his music gave him a way to express so much of what was inside him. As I wrote Graceful Warrior, I found myself returning to these pages often. They helped me understand even more deeply what was in Mac’s heart during those years, and I’m grateful to still have these pieces of him, written in his own hand. Preorder your copy of Graceful Warrior today: bit.ly/4zo41Cx

Alright folks, this one is for the dads out there. One of the most meaningful and special things I did with my son in the last few years of his life was take a road trip. I write about this wonderful trip in chapter seven of my up coming book Graceful Warrior, due out on November 10. I wanted to come here to share a little, and encourage my fellow fathers to take a road trip with their sons and/or daughters. Mac had traveled with me here and there for band concerts, but we had never hit the road, just the two of us, for any kind of downtime together. We were blessed as the timing of this trip was just right. The following year he was diagnosed with a rare cancer and it was not possible after that. Had we put the trip off, it wouldn’t have happened. I thank God that we scheduled it when we did. Among other places we went to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, New Orleans and Savannah, Georgia. It was a fantastic eight day trip. Folks, I believe spending time with our kids is one of the most important things we can do and it’s a blessing when we can take the time to get to know them for the adults they have become. Spending that one on one time with Mac was so important. With a lot of driving time on the road, I was able to share a lot with him, and he with me, and just having that alone time together brought us even closer together. I encourage all Dad’s out there to think about taking advantage of the good times you have right in front of you, and, if you can, make a little time to take the road trip. I am so thankful that Mac and I were able to do this when we did. Preorder your copy of Graceful Warrior today: bit.ly/4zo41Cx