{From the Front Porch // A Legacy of Faith}

 Written on 8/11

This morning, Nate and I arrived a little early for the early service at church. Because of that, we were among the first to step into the sanctuary… or so we thought. We picked our spot and then I noticed something beautiful...the middle section was already filled. Row after row of eager high school students sat together, greeting each other, laughing, chatting with our youth leader. You could feel the energy in the room before the music even started...

When worship began, my eyes kept drifting over to them. At one point, I spotted a boy, maybe 16 or 17, standing right in the center of his friends, both arms stretched high in surrender and praise to our Lord. He wasn’t holding back. He wasn’t worried about what his buddies might think. He was worshiping with his whole heart. And right behind him, another young man stood with his eyes closed, hands over his heart, praising in his own quiet way.

And just like that...I was in tears.

Because there is something powerful about seeing the next generation worship with no reservations.

As if that moment wasn’t enough, today’s sermon was preached by a guest speaker who just so happened to be teaching on family and creating a legacy of faith that passes on to the next generation. And the timing could not have been more perfect...today was our “school promotion” Sunday, where every student moves up to their next grade level. Our church went all out to celebrate...a popcorn and popsicle station on the porch, a DJ, bounce houses, food trucks, and even a special lounge for teachers.

And right there, in the middle of all the joy and celebration, I couldn’t help but picture that section of high schoolers during worship. This is Ellis County’s next generation. My prayer is that they will continue to seek the Lord, that they will set their hope firmly in Him, and that their faith will spread like wildfire through their schools, friend groups, and communities.

The sermon came from Psalm 78:1-8...a call to tell the coming generation who God is and what He has done. To pass down our testimonies, to open our Bibles with them, to share our faith in every season. The pastor reminded us that one family faithfully discipling can impact 59,000 people over the course of 200 years. That’s how big the ripple effect can be.

We can’t save our kids...but we can point them to the One who can. We can fight for them in prayer. We can give them every opportunity to follow the Lord.

And we should.

Because faith isn’t just something we keep to ourselves. It’s something we hand down, one conversation, one moment, one example at a time.

So today, from my front porch heart to yours...let’s be intentional about who we’re passing our faith down to. Let’s pray for our children and our youth. Let’s lead them to the anchor that will hold them steady in every storm.

And maybe… just maybe… they’ll be the ones who spark the next revival.

From my front porch to yours... may you always feel the nearness of God, the beauty in the ordinary, and joy in the little things.