"Therefore we do not lose heart
but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by
day. For momentary, light affliction is
producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison while we
look not at the things which are seen, but at the things when are not seen; for
the things which are seen are temporal, but
the things which are
not seen are eternal"
(2 Cor. 4:16-18).
Hey
Gang: Several years ago God impressed
on my heart a question that penetrated deep into my soul: 'You have diligently
prepared to pass your earthly possessions down to the bone of your bone, but what have you done to pass your spiritual
legacy down to them?’ That day I vowed I would give a Bible to each
of my children and grand's that would include all the notes I had accumulated
while serving as Chaplain at the Village. A massive promise to God that has
taken more than twenty years to complete.
I never
really realized the impact that decision made until I received a letter written
by my grandson Ryan, who lost his battle to cancer. It is one of the true "pearls of my
life". I would like to quote the
entire letter here but it is much too long, but I do want to share one sentence
that is etched in my inner most being. Summer
of 2012 he and his bride, Kendra, attended a family camp at Miracle Mountain
Ranch. The speaker talked about passing
legacies to our children; His legacy was to pass a Bible that he had read that
year to a family member.
Ryan wrote these words:
"This hit home with me as I stared down at my
Bible. Back home I had left the worn-out,
falling- apart, tattered, brown Bible I'd been given. It was the same sword my grandfather wielded
for many year as he labored and fought to save kids and families through the
camp and treatment center he and my grandmother founded. It has decades of notes, underlines,
scribbles and prayers. As I read my
grandfather’s Bible, I encounter the same God he encountered so many years ago
when he first opened this book. More
than that I get to see how it impacted my gramps.
The power of this book in his life is
so evident that it jumped off the pages. I can hear his voice as I read his
thoughts and it's almost like sitting here studying with him! This book is so important to me, I had copied
every line, note, jot, tiddle, and scratch to "my Bible. It too is worn and showing its mileage. It's a blend of all my grandfather's thoughts
and mine added into it as well. It
encompasses my heritage, my faith, and my personality".
Soooo, my friends, this is not the message I planned
on sending you this morning but we recently celebrated Ryan's life as a super
daddy, a great husband, but mostly a dedicated covenant-related servant of
Yeshua, his Lord.
Recently I
came across a neat little story about a man who was in his final days. He
called his wife of many years to his side, took her hand and said, "I will
be going away for a little while to prepare a place for your coming to me
again".
There is no
greater joy than to know that one day soon we will join Ryan and David, my son,
and I pray all of my children and their children and their children at the
Marriage Feast of the Lamb. I also pray
that each one reading this Morning Message from Gramps will be there with us to
celebrate the coming together of Christ and his Bride for all eternity.
Are you
passing your spiritual legacy down? Keep
in mind we do not have a clue when God will say, time to come home!
Blessings,
Gramps
PS This Bible above now carrie names of three Generations: Kermit H… Ryan P… Colton P….
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