A lifetime of questions, stories, failures, and things I am still learning.
This is not a finished theology or a set of answers you are supposed to accept. It is a living library of what I have experienced, questioned, learned, changed my mind about, and am still trying to understand in my relationship with Jesus.
“Here's what I lived. Here's what I came to understand. I may be wrong about some things. Take whatever is useful and think about it for yourself.”
Start with a question, or follow a thread
You can search for the question that is on your mind, follow one of the connected themes below, or simply open a story and see where the conversation takes you.
Follow a thread through the story
These are not boxes to keep a life inside. They are five threads that keep reappearing as I look back.
48 lessons
Keep the conversation open
A lesson is an invitation to think, not an instruction about what you must believe.
If you are carrying a question, start there. The site's conversations remain another room in this same circle of people talking about Jesus.
Young Rick asked what I'd leave my grandchildren. I didn't answer right away — because for most of my life, I would have answered that question differently.
Where this belongs in Rick's journey
Legacy — "Come walk with me."
This may help if you are…
I Want to Leave Something BehindI'm Finding Peace
LegacyGrandfatherhoodRedemptionWisdomPurpose
"Grandpa..." Young Rick smiled. "If you could leave your grandchildren one thing... What would it be?" I didn't answer right away. Because for most of my life... I would have answered that question differently.
When I was younger, I thought an inheritance meant money. A house. Land. A business. Something valuable that could be handed from one generation to the next. I wanted that. But somewhere along the road... God quietly changed my definition of wealth.
The older I became, the more I realized something. Money can make life more comfortable. It cannot make life meaningful. It can open doors. It cannot tell someone which door is worth walking through. It can buy an education. It cannot create wisdom. Those things have to be lived.
"So what are they really inheriting?" "My life." Not the events. Not the mistakes. Not even the successes. The understanding those things produced. That's why I'm telling these stories. Not because my life was extraordinary. But because life has a way of teaching extraordinary lessons through ordinary people.
Every scar has taught me something. Every failure. Every broken dream. Every answered prayer. None of those things were wasted. They became part of my inheritance.
I can't leave you my faith. You have to discover that for yourself. But I can leave you something just as valuable. A way of seeing. A way of asking questions. A way of paying attention. A reminder that every season has something to teach. A reminder that your greatest failures don't have to become your final chapter.
"So what do you hope they'll remember about you?" I smiled. "I hope they remember that I never stopped learning." Not that I had all the answers. I hope they remember a man who kept asking honest questions. Who loved deeply. Who admitted when he was wrong. Who believed people could change. Who believed God was still at work. Who never gave up searching for truth.
Looking back now... I don't know how much money I'll leave behind. But I no longer worry about that as much. Because I've discovered a different kind of wealth. Understanding. Perspective. Faith tested by failure. Hope strengthened by disappointment. Love made deeper through forgiveness. Those are treasures no market can measure. They're the inheritance I never knew I was collecting. And now... They're yours.
Questions for you
What kind of inheritance are you actually leaving?
Let's talk about this
I have walked with Jesus for 50 years, and I am still learning. Some of my deepest lessons have come through failure and pain, where I have come to see His grace and mercy more clearly.
How does this connect with your own life or relationship with Jesus? Your questions and experiences are welcome, even when you see things differently.
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