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Pass It On

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The original manuscript for this book, written by Jeremy Lee and Jim Burns, was compiled, written, and edited from sermons, devotions, and website content. Below is the book's introduction as a writing sample.

A Legacy Moment 

One day, when my boys were very young, my wife looked at me and announced it was time to visit a lawyer. That’s right. A lawyer. You see, we were planning our vacation and she was convinced we needed a will.Like all good husbands, I listened to my wife. I made an appointment.When we arrived at the office, the lawyer immediately began firing questions at me.

“Mr. Lee,” she said. “If you die, who will get your possessions?” 

 That’s easy.

“My wife,” I said.

“Mr. Lee,” she said. “If both of you die, who will get your possessions?”

“Probably my boys,” I said.

“Mr. Lee,” she continued. “What if…”

Before she was done, everyone I have ever loved and everything I have ever owned had been taken away. To be honest, it was a pretty depressing meeting. However, I came away with one very important realization.

One day, I am going to die.

When that happens, what am I going to leave behind? A house, a big screen TV, a pile of kitchen knick-knacks, and a mountain bike? Maybe. In that moment, though, I realized I want to leave more to my family than stuff. When I am gone and the “stuff” breaks or wears out, I want my children to have an inheritance that will last. I want to leave a spiritual legacy.

Before you read any further, I want to assure you that the purpose of this book is not to make you feel guilty. Parenting is hard. It is challenging. I know because I am a parent, too. There are already too many people and resources that tell us we are not measuring up. Guess what? I believe you already have the one thing that is critical to leaving a spiritual legacy.

You love your kids.

I know you do. That’s why your mini-van or SUV pulls out in the wee hours and doesn’t return until evening. That’s why you tour schools, pay private school tuition, hire professional sports coaches, enroll in dance and gymnastic academies, arrange for music lessons, and shop in specialty grocery stores to feed them organic, all-natural, healthy food. Clearly, you love your kids. In fact, there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for them. I know, because I do it, too.

What would happen if you applied the same commitment and preparation and discipline to your child’s spiritual growth as you do to their education or athletic development? I know what you are thinking. I take them to church for that. I haven’t read the Bible from cover to cover. I don’t have a seminary degree. I’m not a spiritual giant.

What if I told you that God’s original plan for passing down faith—leaving a spiritual legacy—rested in the hands of parents? What if I told you that by just talking about faith in your home, you can impact your child in an amazing way? In fact, studies have shown that students who have faith conversations in their home are 300% more likely to stay in church and adhere to their faith. Three hundred percent!Contrary to what culture tells you, we are not just body and mind. We are body, mind, and soul. Our children need to be rich in love and not just material things. They need to understand the story of God and not just how to run a spread offense.

Think about this scenario. What if all your well-laid plans come to fruition? What if your child receives that scholarship or that invitation to play on that team? Don’t you want them to be prepared to use those opportunities for good? Don’t you want them to have a rich spiritual heritage to depend on when things are tough?

Everyday counts. Everyday is an investment. In the boardrooms and on the ball fields, we are confident and we go for glory, but in our own homes, our minds turn to mush and we waste opportunities. We are not just parents. We are spiritual patriarchs and matriarchs.

I want to challenge you to operate on that vision. I want to encourage you to rise to that job description. When the days are difficult, focus on that image and that possibility. It’s true that we can’t force our children to follow our faith, but we can clear the brush, pave the way, point the arrows, hang up light posts, and blaze the trail. We can be strategic in faith. In fact, by infusing faith into the regular rhythm of our life, we can leave a spiritual legacy. We can pass it on…and this book is going to help you do it.