Legacy

Seems audacious that this old boy could still dream of impacting cities.

There goes my Note 10, acting up again, capping my words, unless it's God highlighting key points?

City impactfulness has always been my dream since 1978, after standing in the front yard of our first home in Lexington, NC, breathing a brief prayer of inquiry.

I had come to Christ in 1973 after several years of deep trauma, determined this time to do "life" right, following the rules of my religion.

I had begun a daily devouring of scripture, as was recommended by those then admired. Yet, the more I read and the deeper engaged I became in the church, the greater the contrast between my life and those who's stories scripture had captured.

They were turning their cities upside down, I was simply working hard at being a good church member.

Standing there in the front yard one Saturday, I asked God to make me a city changer.

(Galaxy Note replacement is on order)

The response I got, was "wherever I send you seek that city, if not this one, the next, I'll give you a city."

Now some 48 years later, and in our third city, I truly have made some impact on each municipality in which we have lived.

But have I truly changed any thing in a way that matters?

Honestly, there are several large

buildings on the ground, a school building, multiple church facilities, three senior housing units, a couple multifamily developments, even 328 college beds (Deacon Place in WS), still the dream seems incomplete.

My desired impact had always been about true impact upon human culture itself. Big dream I know!

I'm now reading Mark Batterson's "Gradually Then Suddenly", hoping perhaps all that was just the warm up exercise?

In the interim my wife and I did birth a daughter, herself an amazing educator, outstanding Principal and community leader, as well as now our two grands, themselves showing great promise!

Age is only a number and legacy lives well beyond this life, some say between 4-7 generations requiredfor full impact?

Yet, as long as there is breath in these lungs, a beat in this heart and strength within these bones, the vision is yet unfinished.