Seeing a Legacy Passed On

       My grandpa passing away and his funeral last week naturally caused a good amount of reflection about life, purpose, and action. I continue to think about the life I want to live and what I want my life to mean because that has to be a daily decision. I was talking with a co-worker today about living a life of service. Do my actions say that I am for myself or that I am for others? The true joy is in the moments that we are completely selfless in serving others. In the eulogies given about my grandpa I saw how he impacted many lives and what he meant to others. As described by Dad and my Uncle, I saw how many of the traits my grandpa possessed in work ethic and personality have been passed down through my Dad to my brother and I and my uncle and my cousins. Grieving his death and going to his funeral affirmed what I write about and daily pursue, that our lives would have a positive impact for what truly matters on the generations with us and that follow us. As I visited with many family members and friends of my grandpa on the day of his  funeral, I saw a little bit of him and what he passed on in each person there. What a cool legacy.
     This affirmed my passion and my mission in life, and why I write about Living a Legacy. Our lives impact and change those around us, from friends to every extension of family. As men of God we are called to Live a Legacy for Christ that blesses the generations as described in Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children....”
      I want to be a man that lives a life that leaves a legacy that enriches the lives of my children's children and changes lives for generations. Join me in making the choice daily to be a man that lives a legacy for Christ, passing on the greatest gift known to mankind that is free for all; salvation, love, and redemption.

     Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God, not by works so that no man can boast.” 

     There is nothing we can do to earn it, the only thing we can do is accept it through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us live lives that proclaim the love of Christ, and that challenge those around us to hunger to know God in the same way.

 So the question beckons, what kind of legacy are you living?

Living a Legacy Proverbs 13:22 "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..."

The Tax Collector Did What?!?!?!

Levi was an unexpecting man whose life was turned upside down by two words. A rich and powerful tax collector sitting at his booth was visited by Jesus. Jesus said, “follow me,” and knowing that this was the Savior they had been waiting for, left his life of money, comfort and power to follow Jesus and do greater things than he could have ever imagined. He jumped in both feet first and wholeheartedly followed Jesus. Sometimes the lure of power, prestige, and money, can be anchors that keep us from moving into what God truly intends for us. It can be difficult to let go of the “place of comfort” for the sometimes unknown. But we can be certain of this, when we are obedient to His calling we can expect that it will be greater than we could ask or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us."

 So let us drop everything that hinders.

  Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

 After Levi jumps all in, he uses a great amount of his resources to throw a banquet for Jesus and share with the people in his life the greatest thing he has ever known.. Levi understood that one of the most powerful acts of ministry is fellowship. His guests of honor were the people that most wouldn’t want to be around, but he knew that he wanted to share this abundant life with them regardless of their current state. Jesus says in v.31 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

 Inviting people into your home and sharing a meal with them is a great way to build relationship and show love and generosity toward others.

 Who could you invite into your home this week to bless with a meal and get to know better?

 Levi continued to share with other about the life of Jesus when he wrote the book of Matthew. I am sure that when Levi was sitting in his tax booth before Jesus came along he never would have imagined that he would know the Saviour of our world, perform miracles, change countless lives, and write a book about Jesus’ life that would still be read and change lives through the power of Christ 2000 years later. Cool!

Luke 6:27-31
 The Calling of Levi
  27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.“Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

One Loose Screw Can Leave You Stranded On The Side of The Road....

    This summer some friends purchased a new tandem bicycle. They are pretty handy and decided that they would save a few extra dollars by putting the bike together themselves. There it stood in the driveway, assembled and ready for a family ride into the sunset. After half an hour of getting themselves and the kids ready they pulled out of the driveway. No more than 50 feet down the road something went terribly wrong. As they shifted gears the derailleur (part that shifts the gears) was ripped clean off the bike as it was chewed up in the spokes of the bike. The carnage that ensued on the bike did quite a number, breaking the shifter, bending the wheel, scratching the frame, and rendering the bike useless after its 50 feet of fame. Knowing the ins and outs of bikes I was able to fix what went wrong and get it back in tip top shape. What caused the mess? A tiny adjustment screw was a few turns off!
    This is how life can often times be with us. While everything appears to be looking fine on the outside, we can have those little problems that are their way to becoming big problems, unless they are properly adjusted. Let’s get those little things in order before it causes the whole machine to malfunction. Anger, bitterness, lust, laziness,complacency, procrastination, staying busy, etc. are all things that can derail us. Don’t let them creep into your life and steal away the sweet ride that God has intended with your family.

 1 Corinthians 4:5”He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness an dwill expose the motives of men’s hearts.” 

 Q: What things do you need to bring to him so you don’t end up busted up on the side of the road? God knows your heart already. Bring them to Him, and ask for His strength and truth to replace those things that are not of Him.

 Living A Legacy - Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his childrens children...’

Guest Post on What Familes Do

What Families Do blog had me as a guest post on Friday about the power of scripture passed from generation to generation. Thanks for having me! Check out "What Families Do" for some great family tips, wisdom, and fun!

http://whatfamiliesdo.net/2012/10/12/the-gift-of-a-lietime/

Don't Try to Fix It????

Continuing on the topic of being good husbands....

 Colossians 3:18 “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."

    I think that Paul writes this in his letter because he knows how men’s minds work. We like to fix things and make them better. As soon as we have an understanding of the problem and a good solution we want to get to work. We want to be our best and we want those around us to be their best. If we aren’t careful though, the actions resulting from this mindset can be harsh on our wives.

   As a band director, it is my job to critically listen and correct during rehearsals and lessons. But as a husband my job is very much the opposite. My job is to listen, affirm, and encourage. To be gentle and not harsh. The innate desire to fix is a hard thing to turn off when my wife wants/needs me to just listen. Slowly I am learning this is what she needs. Whether I am listening about her day or a problem she has, I have learned the first thing I need to do is listen, affirm her feelings and encourage her. Then if she asks for my advice or help I can provide it. This is one of the most challenging things for me to do at times, but one of the most important.

    Christ laid his life down for the Church to present her radiant, without blemish, holy and blameless. The example set before us is Christ building the church up, not tearing it down. He says that in the same way we should build our wives up. It is our job to do this through pointing out her strengths and encouraging her, rather than pointing out faults or problems. Her greatest need is to feel loved, and as our first ministry that is what we ought to strive to attain daily. Don't know where to start? Try Post-It Note Love.

 Ephesians 5:25-33 

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—  for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Post-It Note Love

What is Post-It note love? No, it is not how baby Post-It notes are made : )
     Often times I think about whether or not my words throughout any given day and week accurately express my love and appreciation for my wife. Chances are, probably not as well as I want them to. For you husbands who are fortunate enough to have found your crown (Proverbs 12:4 “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown.”) then you know that your wife is and should always be your first and foremost ministry. Identifying that, I want to do a better job in affirming, building up, and empowering my wife to be the amazing woman God has created her to be. Those important affirming words from us husbands tend to get lost in the hustle and bustle of each week. To develop a good habit of frequently expressing love and appreciation to my wife, I decided to start showing her what I call “Post-It Note Love.” My goal is to use up an entire stack of Post-It notes to daily leave encouraging notes to my wife, tell her what I appreciate about her, affirm her, admire her, make her smile and laugh, and be a part of actively pursuing her every day.

 Here are some ideas for you to start “Post-It Note Love”:
 -Find as many things that you can think to tell your wife you appreciate about her
-Tell her how beautiful she is, both inside and out...frequently
-Show her how she fits the description of a godly woman in Proverbs 31 (use specific verses)
-Something that will make her smile
-Don’t write anything corrective, sarcastic, or course joking. It will have the opposite effect you are looking for.

   I am convinced that one stack of Post-It notes can make anyone's marriage better. And in light of being good parents, the best thing that you can give your children is a healthy marriage. What an amazing legacy that is to pass down! Join me in this adventure and let me know how it goes for you!

 Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”

God is Love

 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 

    The implications of these three words, God is love, are life changing. It does not say that God is loving, it says that He is Love. It is not just what God does or shows, but it is who He is. He is love. This means that God’s image and identity are laced throughout our lives and interactions every day. When we show love to those around us we are showing them who our God is. When they see a relentless love that is given when not deserved and accompanied with Grace, Compassion, Faith, and Hope (1 Cor. 13:13), they see our Father. They get to know Him just a little more. When we show love to others we are showing them the face of our God.

 Where words fail, actions speak.

    Daily, let’s come to the Fountain, to the source of life, and immerse ourselves in God’s truth and understanding in the Word of God and prayer. This is the place where all actions are rooted and intentions are set. When we spend time with the Father we become more like Him. We will understand Him and naturally express His heart to everyone, even the people that feel harder to love at times. The intentional time we spend with God each day is the beginning of our faith being expressed through love.

 Galatians 5:6 "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

A Boat Full of Money and An Important Decision - Peter's Legacy

     Peter left a legacy that stretched far beyond what he could have ever imagined when he said yes and followed Jesus. Luke 5:1-11 gives an account of Jesus calling Simon, James, and John. Through an amazing miracle, Jesus showed Peter how God would use him when he left everything and followed Him.
     Peter and his partners had worked hard fishing all night and hadn't caught anything. As they were coming in from this hard nights work Jesus came up to them and told them to put their nets back into deep water. Although they had just worked all night and caught nothing, they were willing and obedient and threw out their nets in faith. When they pulled the nets back in they were so full of fish that the boats begin to sink. Then Jesus said “now you will be fishers of men.”

     The amazing catch that they pulled in through faith in Jesus would pale in comparison to what Jesus would use them for in His ministry bringing people to know the Lord. The legacy that Peter, James, and John had because of their obedience to Christ and willingness to leave everything they had, has affected generations upon generations. They left the catch of a lifetime, two boats full of fish that would bring a “boat load” of money because they knew that all of the fish and money in the world wouldn't bring them the joy that an abundant life with Jesus would. Still to this day, Peter’s decision to say yes and follow Jesus is challenging and inspiring many to do the same and live a life for Christ.

    We have the same opportunity to say yes to Jesus and Live a Legacy for Him each day that goes beyond what we could ask or imagine. Let’s drop our nets and discover what He has in store for us!

 Luke 5:1-11 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.