Gradually Then Suddenly

That's Mark Batterson's newest book title, which my wife just finished, then highly recommending that I read it as well.

Not far into the book is a chapter entitled Sixteen Miles Upstream in which he backfills the stories of men like Gerorge Washington Carver and those whom Carver influenced. Then, he mentions names far less familiar, those influencing Carver. Likely it seems, without one of those influencers, he would have gone into Art vs. Agriculture.

Batterson then further emphasizes the potential difference in impact, had Carter pursued a former life direction, himself a gifted artist.

I'm no Carver, and in no way artistic, but my life has made some difference during its now long trajectory. Yet, like Carter my impact, whether as an educator, pastor, mayor or the couple other life sectors experienced, all seems built upon choices made by my ancestors.

In fact, one piece recently read indicates that one's full impact is not felt until well into the seventh generation following!

When I think back to my great grandfather, a spirited individual who became a horseback riding, mountain preacher, in the early days of the Pentecostal movement, I can sense his spirit in my bones now 4 generations later.

Then on Dad's side, my great-great grandpa, whom of course I never knew, established a large farm to include a quite an apple orchard. The farm also supprted homesites for five families, all his offspring, thus it seems quite the tract of land.

Unfortunately, during the depression, someone was not paying attention to the taxes. Dad often shared that "one day a guy rode out on a fancy horse and the next day showed them the deed. It seems he had paid off a then massive $2000 dollar tax lein!

Immediately, all family members were evicted.

My young grandfather moved his family of seven into a rent house in town.

It so happened that the rent house was just across the street from the church that my aforementioned great grandfather, on Mom's side, was attempting to launch. With a portable sawmill salvaged from the farm, Dad's father sawed the timbers for the church.

Along with funds from the sawmill and his new job at the J.C. Steele foundry in Statesville, where he handground steel brick molds, soon used to launch the Steele brothers' second business, Pine Hall Brick in Winston-Salem, Grandpa purchased his own home just down the street, and still later, a piece of their former farm.

My dad would later marry the Pentecostal preacher's daughter.

Dad was surely influenced by the entrepreneurial resilience of his ancestors.

After serving in the Pacific Theater during WWII, then four children later, he would leave the job at Stimpson's Hosiery Mill, owned by the guy on the fancy horse, to pursue certification in electrical circuitry. The GI Bill made a way for him to escape his family's poverty, moving all of us to Winston-Salem for employment at Western Electric.

After several years, he learned sufficient skills to launch his own business. Ironically, a masonry company, and yes, the majority of bricks came from Pine Hall!

From about age 14, myself working as a young kid pushing wheelbarrows of brick, often on muddy lots across slick oak boards, but only after temps rose above 25° so the calcium laden mortar would not freeze, I decided to go to college!

Paying off my college debt, ironically again $2000.00, I would choose a profession that guaranteed immediate income, teaching Chemistry to high schoolers.

Though I intended a short stay, it would be 20 years, 3 degrees and a position in central office leadership, before I chose to resign. In that interim, I had begun serving as a bivocational pastor and denominational leader.

I had been offered a role back in my hometown of Winston-Salem as an executive pastor at a growing church.

It took only six years for me to decide to launch my own consulting company, Master Counsel and Associates, Inc.

In between the classroom and my own firm, I would build two brick houses along with mutiple other structures.

Can you see a pattern here!

Oh, and my daughter is an outstanding educator and elementary principal! My brother Toby, named after Mom's dad is also really into apple trees and horticulture!

Thanks to Great-Grandpas passed, I am excited about my grands, their own grands, not just seven generations out but to a "1000 generations" per Deuteronomy 7:9!