Legacy of a Patriot

I can't seem to read the newspaper these days or watch a news program without seeing the rumblings of our countries political atmosphere. I am very interested, as every patriotic American should be, about who the next leader of our country will be. In business I was taught to not discuss money, sex, or politics, but this is not business. I cannot help but address the current state of affairs as I see them. That's the great thing about this form of expression, I get to discuss what I want... Feel free to click out anytime.



I have a few questions regarding legacy as it pertains to the last two terms of president Bush, as well as what the future legacy of our country will be with a new president. No doubt president Bush has had a tough go the last 8 years with the overall state of the economy, the markets, wars in the middle east, terrorism and foreign policy in general, family values, abortion, and global warming, just to mention a few. what will President Bush think when it it all said and done come November or December? As he debriefs from an 8 year roller coaster ride, how will he evaluate his performance? Did he do what was right for America. Was he intent on pleasing everyone? I think one thing is for sure, he was consistent in following his convictions and he obviously lead in such a way that made me believe he has a relationship with God. I found incredible comfort in that fact.



He made decisions that made a lot of people in America angry, but I believe he slept at night knowing that he was doing what he thought God wanted him to do. I am anxious to read his autobiography after his work is done in the white house. I am already disappointed with the views of our potential candidates on such topics as abortion. It seems that we are in trouble when our leaders cant agree on "thou shat not murder" Seems like morals 101 or intro to integrity, but the topic of abortion seems to be more about capturing the vote than it does a values based issue. That is one reason I like and respect president bush. He does what is right regardless of the political consequences. I think he will be able to face our Lord on the day of judgement know that he put his money where his mouth is. Bush fought for family values and this will be apart of his legacy more than the amount of money that was spent on wars in the middle east, or missing weapons of mass destruction.



I'm not sure of how strong of a believer he was going into his first term, but if I was a betting man(which I am not) I would bet that he is on his knees most everyday. I hear people say that the economy and the global position of America was almost destroyed by the hands of President Bush, and that he will have blood on his hands when he leaves office. I couldn't disagree more. President bush did very little to build his political equity; He did what he thought was right for American based on a supreme all knowing God, who was driving his decisions. Don't get me wrong, I didn't agree with everything he did, but I did have a certain amount of trust based on the fact that I believed that he was talking to the Lord about the decisions that were being made. I think I was able to see past the smugness and his so called arrogance knowing that he had a relationship with God.



It is interesting to think of the people that I lead. Can I truly make monumental mistakes and and still provide good leadership? The answer is yes if I too have a dependence on God the Father to control the outcomes of the decisions I make. That is what passing a godly legacy is all about. It is not about me taking the credit for the decisions I make that have and their favorable outcomes, its about humbly taking responsibility when things don't turn out well, and humbly giving God the credit when they do. I'm not in control, and I totally deny God when I think I am.

Leadership Though Legacy

In studying the the "Pastoral" Epistles, 1Tim, 2 Tim. and Titus, I was reading a commentary written by Vernon McGee, and I came across the following:

" These three words-love, mercy, and grace-are the little trinity. Love is that in God which existed before He could care to excises mercy or grace. God is love; it is His nature, His attribute. Mercy is that in God which provided for the need of sinful man. Grace then is that in Him which acts freely to save because all the demands of His holiness is satisfied. Therefore, because God is merciful, you can come to Him, and by His grace He'll save you. You don't have to bring anything, you cannot bring anything, because it would only be filthy rags to God"

I was somewhat caught in an ah-ha moment... I get so caught up in trying to do what is right and fighting that internal spiritual battle between my flesh and that of principalities, that I have lost sight of how and why God justifies His relationship with me. God loves me. Because I sin He gives me mercy, and He grants me overflowing grace in which to save me.

So you're probably wondering why I am studying the "Pastoral"Epistles. I was given this task by a friend who is discipling me in relation to biblical leadership. I have always thought of myself as a leader, but have I always been a good leader? The blunt answer is no.

I am faced with trying to figure out what separates me from God: I have narrowed it down to a few things-one of which is self-reliance and another is pragmatism.

I teeter back and forth from pragmatism(being totally results oriented) and controlling(self-reliant), to being a crying helpless child in His arms. I think God is teaching me that He wants the latter. He wants me to fully accept the inheritance He has for me. His love towards me is not dependant on what I do, but rather His ability to grant me mercy and grace. However, my response to His love, grace and mercy should be the good fruits in my life demonstrated by the way I live. I wish I could say this is always how I respond, unfortunately not.

I believe that in order to pass a legacy that is Christ centered, I have to be more like Christ. I also have to be prepared to lead in the way God designed. True leadership cannot exist without divine guidance from His absolute truth!

Please pray for us men as we lead our families in a world that desperately needs godly leaders.

Mom's and Legacy

We celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday, and as a family we enjoyed every minute. My wife Heidi always relishes in the attention that is given to her, but I think the children and I enjoyed giving to her and honoring her even more than she enjoyed receiving it all. It is the one day a year that we get to tell her how much we love and appreciate all that she does for our family.

What in the world would we do without her?

All of the doting over her we do, sets a precedent for how our children should view their mother. It was an opportunity to lead and teach them how to honor and respect their mother. I want them to know that nothing is more important on that day than showing their love and affection for all of the sacrifices she makes all year long. As leaders in our homes, our children are closely observing what we do on occasions like this.

I was listening to a radio program last week that described how hard the average mom works at raising her family, and how many hours in the week she spends tending to her family. I was astonished to hear that the average mom spends 90 hours per week "working on" her family. It was also stated that if she were paid an average wage, she would earn $107,000 per year, and most of her pay would be overtime! Wow.


What would our family look like in the future without her loving care? How will our wives impact the legacy of our family? HUGE! I am realizing that our wives(the mother of our children) have tremendous impact on the legacy that is left, and that it it not only the tasks that she does, the meals she cooks, the laundry that is done, the bedtime rituals that are performed, but it is all of her love and efforts rolled into one. It is also the response that her family has towards all of her efforts that helps to create a lasting legacy that will be remembered for many generations to come.

Failure is an Option...

I want my children to know where they came from, but do I really want them to know who I am. I find myself trying to be perfect in the eyes of my children, I don't want them to see my weaknesses or my faults. I am having to work hard these days at accomplishing this task, and are they really seeing perfection, or are thy witnessing hypocrisy. I am not perfect in my children's eyes or in anyone else's, but I have had this misconception that my children should only see the good and not the bad.

My children are going to learn more based on what I do, more so than what I say... Or so I'm told.

As my children get older, they are gaining more insight as to who I am, and I need to trust that the Lord will place a filter on their eyes to see me as He wants them to see me. I am also impressed to talk more openly about my relationship with Christ with them...

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up" Deuteronomy 6:6-7


I am so open to what the Lord would have me do with my children, but not having a model myself, I feel lost a good portion of the time. I am incredibly dependant on Him to give me direction. I explained to my friend Craig, that in my parenting I feel as though I am driving in a strange and unfamiliar city, without a map or GPS. I am constantly stopping to ask for directions and continually make wrong turns, but by the grace of God I get to where I am going...

Part of the legacy that I desire to leave my children is that of commitment. I want my children to know how committed I am to them, irregardless of my mistakes and failures or theirs. I also want them to see and experience my commitment to our Lord.

God, please grant me the courage to fail "successfully" in front of my children.

Life is but a Vapor

James 4:14 "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while, then vanishes." Heidi's close friend Michelle, lost her twin brother to cancer last night, he was 37. His name was Todd. He was married and and has 2 very young little girls ages 3 and 9 months. Heidi went to the hospital last night after he died to console Michelle. I was upstairs when she arrived back home. As I walked into the kitchen to greet her, she looked at me with a bit of a blank stare and said, "40 days... It was 40 days ago that Todd walked into the hospital with a pain in his side, now he's gone"

It's really hard to know what the purpose of his death is. Why would God allow a young wife to raise 2 girls on her own? We are left with questions and sorrow. I'm not sure about Heidi, but it makes me think my family. What if it were me that walked into a hospital with cancer and I died? I am obviously reminded of how important it is for me to instruct and lead my family now, but it is also important that I deliver an intentional legacy in the event I should die sooner as opposed to later.

There is a comfort knowing that I will spend eternity with Christ... I pray that Michelle and her family will come into a saving faith in Christ Jesus. Perhaps this is the reason for their hardship. I beleive that God is going to do whatever it takes to draw his children to himself. Lord I pray that Michelle would accept you as Lord and savior.

Is there anything that you could pass to your loved ones, that would be more valuable than your faith in Christ? Christ should be at the center of our Legacy.

Pass the Scissors Please...

Ladies have embraced legacy with pictures. When they cut out pictures and organize them in scrap books, women are creating a long lasting source of memories. They are congregating all over the world and pouring an amazing amount of time and energy into making sure their family memories are preserved. What is their motivation? Is creating a legacy motivating them? Are the "Oohs and Aahhs", when people look at the albums, motivating them? People see their work and can't help but to admire all of the effort. Is it the fact that they sit with other ladies, get a night off from the kids? Is it that they are able to get their creative juices flowing, doing "crafts" and get to eat snacks and drink wine at an evening event?

I'm sure if we interviewed 100 Ladies who scrapbook, we would get a combination of these answers. I recently sat down and really looked at what my wife Heidi had created over a 15 year period, and I was amazed. As I turned each page, not only could I actually see 5 pounds a year being added to my waistline, but I could see our lives being projected into the future. In fact, I was in the future as I looked at some of the events that took place over 15 years ago.

As I looked at the work of art that Heidi had created, I pondered the millions of bound memories that have been created through this scrap booking movement, and I couldn't help but ask the question, where are the men in this legacy ? Women are doing a fantastic thing, but men should be stepping up and participating in this legacy that their wives are documenting. As future generations look at the lives of each family, there are going to be questions of how the men were involved. They will ask, Where was he? Where is his voice, didn't he have anything to say? Did he care? Was he interested ?

Men have very important role to play in the legacy of their families.

I commend the millions of women that are putting their families history in the scrapbooks they are creating, but I think men need to be doing more to preserve their families legacy. Life from a man's perspective is very important to communicate to others. Now I don't see men sitting an doing a scrap book. I can't envision myself going away for the weekend a sitting around with a bunch of dude's cutting out pictures and reminiscing about days gone by, but men need to be more involved in the family legacy.

I believe God is calling men out... Get involved in developing, living and communicating the important legacy of your family!

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

"May I see some identification please..." From making simple purchases to buying a home we present who we are. This verification process is a must when we are transacting any sort of business, important or trivial. Verifying someone identity creates a baseline for a positive outcome in the transaction. You know who I am, and I know who you are-Now let's work together.

How do you really know someone? Do you know how they were raised? What impacted their lives good and bad? Do you know where they came from? Just as important do know where they are going? Where they would like to end up in life? What is really important to them? Where will they go when they die? How do they make tough decisions?

Your Legacy is the past, present, and future rolled into one, and it is this that tells others who you really are. Legacy is a way that we are identified. Both good and bad. What we have done, what are doing now and what we will do in the future is our signature on this life, and many others will see and experience it in the future.

I cant help but think of Elliot Spitzer, the ex-Governor of New York. His life has been unraveled by his decisions to engage with a prostitute and somehow satisfy his cravings for today. This satisfaction carried more weight than the possible implications to him and his family in the future. I would bet that his decisions were not based on the legacy he wanted to live and leave, and if he could take a "mulligan" on those decisions, he would. What is Elliot Spitzer's legacy? What if you were one the many people who will inherit this legacy? How will his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren view him? Just as important, how will they be viewed.

This is interesting...

The legacy I leave, I get to chose; But as for the legacy my children receive, they have no choice whether or not to receive it; They get what they get...

Elliot Spitzer is not the first man to fall to his sinful cravings, and certainly won't be the last. The question is, when was the last time you were defeated by your sin? I am comforted by the fact that the blood of Christ was given on my behalf for the sin I have committed in the past, the sins I commit today and the sins I am sure to commit tomorrow. Elliot Spitzer's life is a mess, and I feel terrible for his legacy...My life would also be a mess if not for the grace of God.

"Then the Lord descended in the form of a pillar of cloud and stood there with him and passed in front of him and announced the meaning of his name. "I am Jehovah, the merciful and gracious God," He said, "slow to anger and rich in steadfast love and truth. I, Jehovah, show this steadfast love to many thousands by forgiving their sins; or else I refuse to clear the guilt, and require that a father's sins be punished in the sons and grandsons, and even later generations" (Exodus 34:5-8).

What sin's will your sons and grandsons have to answer for? So I have to ask, is my signature laced with the things of this world? Or is it laced with the saving grace of our Lord?