Legacy: Part 2, The Present

The questions I have asked about my past have helped me at least get some orientation on the present. I hesitate to use the term "understand" because I am certain I do not "understand" all that is occurring to me and around me. It seems reasonable to think that understanding will come as seasons of life expire and new ones arrive.

Even though I am thinking about legacy does not mean I should be making assessments about it's girth or weight as it pertains to the high and low points of my existence. Am I the best judge of the impact of my accomplishments? I doubt it. Others who have had their lives brush up against mine (fortunately or unfortunately) are better able to measure if I have truly accomplished anything worth remembering. It seems to me that the only pure (honest and humble) thing I can do to shape my legacy is to attempt to steer it one way or the other. I cannot assess the results; only make decisions to charter a certain path.

The path I am now on has been steered to a different course. This path is a weird one because the details are much vaguer and the sight line is short. November will mark a year since I last participated in vocational ministry. This time off has been pleasing because I have been able to hide and avoid the pounding that a formal church career unleashes. It has also been a year of strong emotions. The questions have been brutal. Have I been disobedient to God’s call? Am I getting lazy and soft, settling for a life that is presumably easier? As I have struggled with this worry and guilt, I have become satisfied with a disassociation from vocational church ministry.

Having experienced church collapses twice in five years was the primary reason for the “burnout” and the need for a personal re-evaluation. It was never in the plan to quit the journey that I started out on at age 16 although participation in eight years of career church ministry has helped me draw more conclusions and prompted new questions. It is hard for even me to believe, but I am more content now than at any other time in my life. I believe (at least I think) I have been able to accomplish more in ministry outside the infrastructure of the church than within it.

Coming back to understanding legacy from a generational point of view, I realize more than ever that the decisions I am making now and the path I am treading matter immensely, especially since I cannot judge or predict how the next generation will perceive what I have done. The appraisal of my life is in “their” hands. All I can do is live it to the best of my ability; learning from the past and praying about the future.

110 words #006

Out Of Touch

I've never really played football in a mud bowl before, at least not intentionally. That was a well deserved break from the research paper due tomorrow. I don't know what to write anyway. My brain is all locked up. Moore always assigns these ridiculous topics and wants citations.

I didn't expect to see Janie out here. I wonder if she saw me? Good thing I added those ab sets last night. I hate doing abs but it was well worth it. It's a wonder Janie didn't tackle me herself. Girls like to play hard to get.

Hey Ryan, can I hitch a ride?

Pin Oak For Sale

As described in my previous post, the massive oak tree in our back yard must be removed. So if you or anyone you know has interest in standing timber please contact me to take it home. The tree itself is massive (probably planted 50 years ago) and was a completely healthy tree. I need to be able to sell the wood in order to offset the cost of taking it down. Below are a couple of pictures.

Thank You Dr. Rhine!

This has been a whirlwind week, no pun intended.


I had been preparing for 12 plus weeks for a half marathon in Chicago that happened on Sunday. Leading up to the event I was ill, wondering how the bug that I had would affect my pace. As late as Friday afternoon prior to the race I was so sick that I was certain that I would not even be able to travel to Chicago. I could not even stand up straight. Thanks to Dr. Rhine and her treatment plan, I was able to compete. My pace was affected (too slow to achieve my goal) but considering how sick I was, I am completely surprised I was able to even start the race.


So my wife and I met up with Spencer and Robyn to enjoy downtown Chicago as a bonus to the race. The whole region experienced a downpour for 2-3 days straight. No sightseeing, no strolls up and down Navy Pier, just rain. Wet socks, blisters and all, we finished the race. This was not the most fun I've had running...by far!

En route to Cincinnati on our return, we stayed in Champaign at Grandma and Granpa's house. On Sunday night we got a call from our neighbors who were experiencing a huge windstorm (80 mph) as a result of Hurricane Ike. They were watching from their front window our super sized oak tree literally split apart awaiting a structural disaster. They were calling to pre-warn us. Hilary and I are grateful for such thoughtful neighbors. We are glad to have them just right across the street.

Most of greater Cincinnati (half a million) went without utilities for a time; many still without. Thankfully our tree did not topple over onto our house but it is badly damaged and will need to be removed. In an architectural era where trees are worthless in development, this is sad news as this tree has been strongly positioned for many decades.

While there are many things to be anxious about and upset over I am reminded that there are twice as many things to be thankful for.

110words #5

Bad Day

After explaining to the executive editor that he had been writing such anonymous columns for two years, Tom still didn’t understand why as an AP writer his name wasn’t published, identifying his authorship.
Feeling slighted and misunderstood, Tom thanked his boss for listening and exited. Tom stepped outside, looked at his watch, and with the rest of his day open decided to self soothe with a bite to eat. First he needed cash. Seeing an ATM, Tom angrily wondered how a machine he couldn’t even reach could be credited to “Jeanie” while his writing read around the world would remain with no name. Tom’s appetite quickly vanished.

110words #004

Here is my lastest entry in the 110words experiment. I was not overly impressed with my writing this time but apparently it was good enough to be the feature this week.

Fiasco

LIVERPOOL-- Today marks the anniversary of the debut of a musical phenomenon that never materialized. It was at Stanley Field 35 years ago that Bob McFadden and his Transylvania Polka staged an event that was utter failure. Bob McFadden himself became a laughingstock among musicians and entertainers worldwide. This concert was a marketing disaster as the event was dubbed the new rage in youthful entertainment. The album titled Dracula Cha-Cha had become trendy in the US as teens filled dance halls dressed in Halloween costumes. Looking to capitalize globally, marketing executives looked to England. Less than 100 spectators attended this concert and McFadden went on to produce children’s music.

FPU Lessons In Legacy

I have been thinking about this idea of generational legacy and the more I ponder, more questions come to mind. As usual, I am not able to wrap my mind around this. I had mentioned in the last post that Lara has started Kindergarten which helped begin my thinking about my assigned space in history and how that is integrated with the previous generation.

The other prompt to this line of thinking was this Financial Peace University course that Hilary and I are taking. Through the lessons about becoming financially responsible we're learning the implications of financial peace for our kids and then their kids. We are in our fourth week and I have received so much more than I had anticipated. I expected this course to be 13 weeks of formulas and spreadsheets. Instead, we are having our financial world view re-ordered.

Getting back to this whole family tree thing, I am learning that Hilary and I have the power to heavily influence the next generation simply by becoming better guardians of our finances. And I don't mean building wealth so that our kids "have it made." No trust fund babies here. And I don't mean building wealth so that I can obtain lots of stuff otherwise not available. Neither of those outcomes are valuable to me. What I am learning and now want to accomplish is to provide a financial stability so that real opportunity is available to myself and children. Not the kind of opportunity that I grew up believing. The kind of opportunity that would magically appear with hard work and dedication. You know that old adage, "You can do whatever you want if you work hard enough." Not that hard work and dedication are invaluable and not capable of producing achievement. Remember the generation view. My hard work and focused dedication can only get me so far. In my life I have found that those things on their own, although advancing by nature, have not produced the expected results. As life continues I form new expectations based on the treasures left behind from the previous generation welded to new values and points of view shaped by my experiences. All this with my eye on the future, wondering and hoping that my productivity can be of worth to my children.

From lesson two of FPU Hilary and I were reminded again of the power of compound interest. I suppose this concept could be used to understand the generations and how legacy is developed or destroyed. Basically it's this: Taking what I have and investing it, as opposed to ignoring it or stuffing it in between my mattresses. When I carefully plan and make investments with my money or in my life the end result is multiplication.

110words

I have joined a creative writing community. Each week I receive a photo from which I submit a short fictional piece that does not exceed 110 words. This weekly challenge is called the 110words experiment. You can read all the entries from the official blog, which you'll see is now linked from my blog. Here is my first attempt.

For Sale

After returning from his customary morning walk, Wilbur regrettably ignores the crossword puzzle and quickly skips to the classifieds in search for a piece of replacement furniture.

“Let me see,” Wilbur anxiously sighs. “SLIGHTLY USED OAK BUREAU,” “GLASS TABLE TOP- 1 OWNER,” “SINGLE DOOR WARDROBE,” he mumbles under his stale, early morning breath.

As his eyes scan the columns, Wilbur’s mood suddenly improves. “This is it!” he says out loud.

“FOR SALE – Antique Peruvian Coffer. Perfect addition to a collection. Functions great as a coffee table or for general display. $50 OBO.”

Wilbur’s thoughts turn to his dysfunctional piece, “I wonder if the seller would consider a trade?”