Leaving a Legacy

As I reflect on our past year and what incredible changes have occurred in our lives I am left with the thought of the effect that our move will have on generations to come. We made this move to forever change the lives of our sons, and their children, to forge a new path, to allow them to grow up in adventure to explore the majesty around them. This will be a legacy.

Today I embark on a journey that I invite all those that read this to join me on. Today I start on a journey to that will change my heart so that I will in turn be able to leave a legacy to my sons so that they will see my walk with the Lord. I started to read the Bible in it's entirety using the Legacy Reading plan by Hank Hanegraaf. The reason I like this plan is because it groups the books of the Bible together by genres, you aren't simply reading from Genesis to Revelation, instead you read by Hebrew History, Prophetic Books, etc. You can find out more by taking a look at the actual plan: http://www.equip.org/site/legacy_bible_reading_plan. The other aspect is that you read at your own pace, their are goals for each month, but it's not something you have to do everyday. This is something I hope to do each an every year, not because I have to but because I want to. God has spoken to us, He has only spoken to us through His Word.

So what does this have to do with a legacy? As I have shared in the past, no matter what a person does during his/her life it will eventually be forgotten. Man is a vapor. The absolute greatest impact one can have on this life is the legacy that is left with his/her children. Whether you know it or not there is a legacy that is left. That legacy may be one like Enoch where it was said of him that he walked with the Lord. I want that to be said of me. Or, that legacy might be one of David, who, because of his sin with Bathsheba, the sword never left his home. Yes, he was a man after God's own heart, but sin has consequences. He lived and died with those consequences and it affected many generations after him, Israel and Judah didn't fall in one day, it took many generations. That was the legacy that was left. Our nation isn't where it's at today because of what people are doing today, those affects will be felt by future generations; no what we see today is because of the legacy that was left by the previous generation. I want my legacy to be that I loved the Lord, my sons saw that I loved the Lord and by loving the Lord with all my heart, by being a man after His own heart they knew I loved them. By knowing the Creator's Word and applying it in my life I will become that man, there is no other way. That's leaving a legacy.

Join me on this journey, wrestle with God and His word, I promise (and He promises) it will not leave you unchanged.

A Father's Greatest Legacy

I spent many years trying to figure out how I can make an impact on this world. From high school until about 3 years ago I spun my wheels serving at various churches some in the capacity as worship leader and others as just a member, I spent time in various mens groups, trying to get ahead at work, looked for ways to possibly sing for a living, and went down a lot of wrong roads. All the while feeling like I had to do something that would make a difference. Then it happened, wham! The Lord got my attention, I was thrown off the road I was on. Throughout 2006 and 2007 the Holy Spirit showed me my sin, convicted me to get into the Word of God and was turning my world upside down. All I had thought, all I had sought after suddenly faded away. After all toiling was meaningless, only the Creator and Lover of my soul brought meaning. I had read through most of the Old Testament and what struck me was how messed up Israel had gotten. I read Lamentations and my heart ached, I saw a lot of our own country in how Israel had hardened their hearts and turned away from the Lord. Weren't the warnings given in Deuteronomy 9 and 10 enough? Apparently not. With each generation Israel grew further and further from the Lord. Their hearts were hardened. Why did that happen? What jumped out at me was reading 1 and 2 Kings. As it went through each king it always started off with the king's name, age, how long he ruled and then most would say "He committed all the sins his father had done before him". Typically it would refer to what that king's father had done. Oh every so often it would say "and so and so did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" but that was the exception. However the father lived is typically how the son lived. It all started with David. David was a man after God's own heart; however he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. His sons (remember most of David's sons were from many wives, Solomon was from Bathsheba) took notice and most often repeated what David did, but more often worse than what David did. The trend continued with Solomon and so-on. Now please understand this has nothing to do with generational curse baloney (that's a whole other topic); however, Dad's, our sons learn from how we live. What the Lord had revealed to me was this: The greatest legacy and impact I will have on this earth is how I raise my sons. I have 3 sons, each one will probably have their own children, and each of them their own children. Folks if we want to turn this country around focus on your children, teach them how to live. As Deuteronomy 11:18-24 states (please read that whole chapter in context):

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes 0f your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow - to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him - then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you."

It took many generations to get where we are at today and it will take many generations to change it... starting, Fathers, with our own children. If you haven't yet, listen to the song "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns... wow! Nothing happens overnight. I urge all Fathers, to surrender to the Lord, turn away from your sins, be broken and humble before the Lord, if you do that then we will start to see change, raise your children in a manner that will honor and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. That will be your greatest legacy!