Leaving a Legacy

Originally published Monday, 17 March 2014.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at When Leaders Lead at Calvary Chapel Conference Center in Murietta, CA.

The main theme was selected from Psalm 89:1 that says, "With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." It didn't hit me until just now that this week is my mom's birthday (on Wednesday the 19th). She has done so much to raise me right, and to teach me about God--so when I am old I will not turn from the path of righteousness.

This weekend, I listened attentively during a breakout session on "Imparting Faith not Fear" from a young woman (even younger than I) who lost her husband to brain cancer. She has two young sons under the age of 8 to care for, and my heart just sank as she shared her story. She shared how her husband left a legacy for her and her two sons to follow. She said her oldest son just recently told her that he wants to grow up and be a pastor like his dad.

Wow. Just wow.

I remember when I was 7 years old. I wanted to be just like my dad and mom too. I wanted to be a missionary and travel the world and spread the gospel. Even though I have not yet traveled outside the United States, my writings certainly have!

I love that my parents worked really hard to spread the Good News of the Gospel while leaving a legacy for my brother and I to follow.

(Mom, if you're reading this--I just want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Thanks for everything you did for me and Richard. I hope one day I can be half of the woman you are!)

This weekend, my husband and I visited two new churches on Sunday. The first we only stayed for a few minutes because we realized there was no one under 50 in the audience. The second was a church plant that met at a school, and we didn't see many people over 30.

It's interesting how the theme of When Leaders Lead Conference got me thinking.

What are we doing to leave a legacy for the next generation?

What is going to happen to the ministries, churches, and writings that are not passed down? They will simply die! How sad is that? We must be careful to spread the message of the Gospel to each generation. It must not stop with us! Recently, I have been praying about whether or not to pursue becoming a certified Life Coach. My heart has been drawn to helping people in crisis since I, myself, was in crisis many years ago as a teenager. My mom was the one who took care of me. She cared for me even when I did not want her too.

Today, I find myself wanting to be like my mother because of her compassion and care for others. The time she spent investing in me has paid off, and because of that I want to be there for others who are hurting. Whenever I get a phone call from someone saying that they are in a crisis situation--I want to jump into action!

I am not satisfied with just sharing words of encouragement. I want to help!

Being an author has fulfilled a dream of mine, and yet I feel like there's more! I want to be there for others in their time of need. That's why I'm excited to hear about a conference put on by Rick and Kay Warren at Saddleback Church entitled Mental Health And The Church. It's Friday, March 28th and I just applied to be a blogger. Please pray that they pick me and that I can be a part of the event.

Did you know that 1 in 4 people are affected by mental illness? I know because I am one of them. I know what it's like to need people to be there for you in time of crisis. Like my mom who helped me through thousands of panic attacks, I look forward to being there for the next generation.

I am also excited to share that I am flying to another conference entitled Dream Culture at Bethel Church in Redding, CA tomorrow. I am meeting up with my best friend Monique who is a missionary in Haiti . I only get to see her every couple years, and since she is on furlough, I decided to join her on this amazing opportunity to explore (my word for this year) the new dreams God is placing on my heart! Would you mind praying for us?

+ For Monique that she would be refreshed, and built back up after serving the past two years. + For me that I would listen and wait on God to reveal His dreams and purposes.

I'll leave you with a few things I wrote down from When Leaders Lead this weekend. The session I enjoyed the most (no surprise) was Biblical Counseling: It Makes a Difference. Here are 5 Truths About God We Need in Biblical Counseling and 6 Steps to Recovery: