Have you ever found yourself trying to find the right words to encourage a friend that’s going through some tough times – and later - wished you could have said more? I have – and it is for this reason that I wrote the book Legacies of Valor: Traits of Character – The Noble & The Notable. The life lessons, observations and stories captured in Legacies of Valor: Traits of Character – The Noble & The Notable are a collection of battles waged, won and lost over thirty-five years while walking with God.
The principles applied within have been tested by adversity, trials, and struggles that I believe many will be able to identify with. Today, over twenty million people remain unemployed or underemployed, suffering in solitude from rejection, frustration, and depression. I can most certainly relate to these folks.
But I alone cannot reach out and encourage all these people, at least not without your help.
We all know someone, a family member, a neighbor, or a distant relative, who is currently going through unemployment, or under-employment, which seems to define a whole new category of discouraged people. I’m hoping that after you finish reading Legacies of Valor, you will go out and buy another copy and give it to one of these people who are currently out of work or suffering in some way and would benefit greatly from a few words of encouragement. Maybe you’ll see that my story—God’s story—might be just what they need to hear right now to stay in the hunt and in the fight.
Consider it your pay-it-forward opportunity to be a blessing to someone in need.
I was raised a Southern Baptist boy, but the lessons and stories in Legacies of Valor come from many points of view and denominations. Over the years, my wife and I have had the joy of living in many different places. We moved quite often for my career as a marketing consultant for many different companies. Once we had settled into our new digs, wherever they might have been, we would venture out in search of a church, which met the needs of our family at the time. We’ve enjoyed attending the churches of and learning from the Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and many non-denominational Bible-based churches as well.
It should be noted that Legacies of Valor does not favor one denomination over another, but instead is focused on the personal insights and revelations gained by digging deeper into what the Bible has to say on any given topic.
For me, it is all about simplicity of message. At a very early age I learned that it is childlike faith that moves mountains and is the attribute God first seeks in each of us; it is that unquestioned faith that we can trust in Him as a child trusts a parent. I’ve always felt that if following God became complicated or legalistic, something wasn’t right.
Therefore, the structure of this book was designed with simplicity in mind. The first half of Legacies attempts to lay down some basic principles from the Bible such as acquiring wisdom, understanding and defining character, building faith, and establishing a habit of prayer. The second half of the book takes a closer look into the lives and stories of faith and failure of some of the Bible’s most noble and worthy characters AND their not-so-worthy notable character flaws.
In my quest to find shining examples of valor, and attributes of success that could be easily applied to my life, I learned that, often, the well-known classic Bible tales about valiant characters are only part of the story. In fact, many, if not most of these characters are plagued with heartache, disappointment, bad decisions, and temptation. At the end of the day, these mighty warriors for the King are human, just like you and me, and their real stories aren’t about their victories as much as they are about their journeying through their valleys.
Last, I’ve kept the commentary light and conversational to mimic casual dialogue, where an open exchange of ideas, thoughts, and interpretations are welcome. I’ve also layered in a bit of humor with the hope of demonstrating that as we journey through life and strive to be more like our Savior, we need to enjoy the journey, taking time to laugh, to do that thing with the roses, and to enjoy the adventure.
At the end of the day, when all is said and done, what we leave behind is our character, the essence of who we were, what we believed in, and for what we fought. And hopefully, those remaining behind will have been blessed, encouraged, and strengthened by our actions of faith and our words of encouragement. Hopefully, they too will be inspired to pay it forward and share our essence – God’s essence – with those that cross their paths.
[Like what your reading? There’s more where this came from – deeper studies of scriptural stories in my book, Legacies of Valor – Traits of Character: The Noble & The Notable. Support this blog ministry by ordering a copy of Legacies of Valor today]
Friends, it’s great to get feedback and confirmation that I’m not just writing to a black hole – so please - before you leave – take a moment to “like” and “share” these posts with your social network. Together, we can encourage many – one post at a time.
But I alone cannot reach out and encourage all these people, at least not without your help.
We all know someone, a family member, a neighbor, or a distant relative, who is currently going through unemployment, or under-employment, which seems to define a whole new category of discouraged people. I’m hoping that after you finish reading Legacies of Valor, you will go out and buy another copy and give it to one of these people who are currently out of work or suffering in some way and would benefit greatly from a few words of encouragement. Maybe you’ll see that my story—God’s story—might be just what they need to hear right now to stay in the hunt and in the fight.
Consider it your pay-it-forward opportunity to be a blessing to someone in need.
I was raised a Southern Baptist boy, but the lessons and stories in Legacies of Valor come from many points of view and denominations. Over the years, my wife and I have had the joy of living in many different places. We moved quite often for my career as a marketing consultant for many different companies. Once we had settled into our new digs, wherever they might have been, we would venture out in search of a church, which met the needs of our family at the time. We’ve enjoyed attending the churches of and learning from the Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and many non-denominational Bible-based churches as well.
It should be noted that Legacies of Valor does not favor one denomination over another, but instead is focused on the personal insights and revelations gained by digging deeper into what the Bible has to say on any given topic.
For me, it is all about simplicity of message. At a very early age I learned that it is childlike faith that moves mountains and is the attribute God first seeks in each of us; it is that unquestioned faith that we can trust in Him as a child trusts a parent. I’ve always felt that if following God became complicated or legalistic, something wasn’t right.
Therefore, the structure of this book was designed with simplicity in mind. The first half of Legacies attempts to lay down some basic principles from the Bible such as acquiring wisdom, understanding and defining character, building faith, and establishing a habit of prayer. The second half of the book takes a closer look into the lives and stories of faith and failure of some of the Bible’s most noble and worthy characters AND their not-so-worthy notable character flaws.
In my quest to find shining examples of valor, and attributes of success that could be easily applied to my life, I learned that, often, the well-known classic Bible tales about valiant characters are only part of the story. In fact, many, if not most of these characters are plagued with heartache, disappointment, bad decisions, and temptation. At the end of the day, these mighty warriors for the King are human, just like you and me, and their real stories aren’t about their victories as much as they are about their journeying through their valleys.
Last, I’ve kept the commentary light and conversational to mimic casual dialogue, where an open exchange of ideas, thoughts, and interpretations are welcome. I’ve also layered in a bit of humor with the hope of demonstrating that as we journey through life and strive to be more like our Savior, we need to enjoy the journey, taking time to laugh, to do that thing with the roses, and to enjoy the adventure.
At the end of the day, when all is said and done, what we leave behind is our character, the essence of who we were, what we believed in, and for what we fought. And hopefully, those remaining behind will have been blessed, encouraged, and strengthened by our actions of faith and our words of encouragement. Hopefully, they too will be inspired to pay it forward and share our essence – God’s essence – with those that cross their paths.
[Like what your reading? There’s more where this came from – deeper studies of scriptural stories in my book, Legacies of Valor – Traits of Character: The Noble & The Notable. Support this blog ministry by ordering a copy of Legacies of Valor today]
Friends, it’s great to get feedback and confirmation that I’m not just writing to a black hole – so please - before you leave – take a moment to “like” and “share” these posts with your social network. Together, we can encourage many – one post at a time.
