From Generation To Generation: Connecting People to God's Heart and Purposes

By Rick Fisher

Recent studies indicate more than 65% of children who grow up attending church will walk away from their faith before graduating from college. Few in contemporary culture will stand and applaud parents and grandparents
who choose to live according to eternal truths and principles.

When your time on earth ends, your degrees, positions of service, and recognitions will be meaningless. Your legacy will be evident not by your personal accomplishments but by your investment in others. God stands ready to join you in a covenant for the next generations of your family. With His enabling presence and power, it is never too late to leave a legacy that honors Him and blesses your children from generation to generation!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackaby Ministries International
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781735087221

Book preview

ENDORSEMENTS

It has been my great pleasure to work with Rick Fisher. God has used him powerfully as a pastor and as an encourager of leaders. But most importantly, Rick and Debbie Fisher have understood that if your family chooses not to follow your God, then a shadow falls on every other accomplishment you might have enjoyed. This book is filled with godly, wise, inspirational counsel about one of life’s most important undertakings: legacy. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

– Dr. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God.

The world calls us to celebrate awards, promotions, wealth, and recognition—all things that are fleeting. Seldom do we hear the call of this book: to leave a legacy by growing a godly family. Through biblical teachings and personal examples, Rick Fisher (and his wife, Debbie) allow us to walk with them and learn from their experiences as Christian parents. I encourage all parents—and parents to-be—to read this book.

– Dr. Chuck Lawless, Dean of Doctoral Studies, Vice-President for Spiritual Formation and Ministry Centers, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

I’ve known Rick and Debbie Fisher for more than 20 years. We have been together many times and often around the ministry of prayer. As you read their book, you too will have the pleasure of being with them in a ministry of prayer. Their lives exemplify a deep love-life for their Lord. They model a life, a marriage, and a family that has a personal relationship with a living God. I’m grateful for their transparency, for their sharing about their personal journey of prayer and for their encouragement and challenge to seek to join God in a covenant for the next generations.

– Rev. Johnny Rumbough, Executive Director of Missions, Lexington, South Carolina

In this book, Rick Fisher reminds us that we are both receivers and givers of the great family inheritance of faith. He challenges us to teach our children by example the importance of knowing and sharing the love, power, and forgiveness of the Lord. From generation to generation, the most important inheritance we can receive or give is living in this incomparable blessing our family has passed down. You’re going to cherish the sweet and powerful message of this book from Rick’s heart!

– Dr. Evans P. Whitaker, President, Anderson University

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

BUILDING A GODLY LEGACY

ONE GENERATION SHALL PRAISE YOUR WORKS TO ANOTHER AND SHALL DECLARE YOUR MIGHTY ACTS.

PSALM 145:4

Rick Fisher

Blackaby Ministries International

Jonesboro, Georgia

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION: BUILDING A GODLY LEGACY PUBLISHED BY BLACKABY MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

P.O. Box 1035

Jonesboro, GA 30237

www.blackaby.org

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-7338536-9-9

Copyright © 2020 by Rick Fisher

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fisher, Rick, author.

Title: From generation to generation : building a Godly legacy / Rick Fisher.

Description: Includes bibliographical references. | Jonesboro, GA: Blackaby Ministries International, 2020.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020909613 | ISBN 978-1-7338536-9-9

Subjects: LCSH Christian life. | Families--Biblical teaching. | Child rearing--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Families--Religious life. | BISAC RELIGION / Christian Living / Family & Relationships | RELIGION / Christian Living / Prayer | RELIGION / Christian Life / Relationships

Classification: LCC BV4526.2 .F57 2020 | DDC 248.4--dc23

Printed in the United States of America

2020 — 1st ed

Contents

Forward

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Down on Their Knees

Chapter 3: Making an Investment

Chapter 4: Who Wants Them?

Chapter 5: Setting Our Priorities

Chapter 6: Spiritual Culture Shock

Chapter 7: So, What Can We Do?

Chapter 8: Practical Spiritual Priorities

Chapter 9: Blessing the Next Generation

Chapter 10: Closing Thoughts

Appendix

About the Author

Dedication

To my grandparents Ernest and Altha for praying over my life.

To my parents, Tommy and Betty, for living out their faith in front of me.

To my wife, Debbie, for walking beside me in this great adventure of life.

To my girls, Jamie and Betsy, for loving their dad and tolerating his OCD!

To my sons-in-law, Rob and Lucas, for loving my girls and leading their families to follow Jesus.

To my grandchildren, Thomas, Ashley, Jase, Leighton, and Gray, for being the delightful people whose lives encourage me about the next generations of our family.

I love each of you!

FOREWORD

Over the years, many people have asked me what it was like growing up in the home of a spiritual giant like my father, Henry Blackaby. Depending on how much time we have, I answer that question in a variety of ways. The first thing I generally mention is that my dad could never have become the spiritual colossus he did if he had not enjoyed my mother’s wholehearted support and encouragement. The second thing I say is that neither my father nor my mother was a perfect parent. In fact, they were far from it at times! Nevertheless, God has the capacity to take ordinary, flawed parents and create homes that cultivate spiritual vibrancy, perseverance, and joy.

A third thing I usually state is that all four of my siblings and I attended seminary and serve the Lord. At last co unt, we have collected nine seminary degrees and seven college degrees. No mean feat, considering my parents earned a paltry mission pastor’s wage, and the thought of starting a college fund would have appeared ludicrous to them. Yet, though all five children serve the Lord to this day, we have each done so in a unique way with diverse skills and interests. While it is one thing to say that my parents walked closely with the Lord, it is another to state that all five of their children have followed in their footsteps.

If there is time for a lengthier discussion, I will also note that my dad did not develop his faith in a vacuum. If you ask him who the greatest spiritual influence in his life was, he will quickly mention his father, G.R.S. Blackaby. His father was a bank manager and a lay preacher. He was a man of strong convictions. He fought in many of the major battles of World War One. He rigorously practiced his faith even amid the horrors of losing friends in trench warfare. After the war, when G.R.S. Blackaby could not find a church that met his standards, he started one himself. At one point, my grandfather rented a dance hall to hold church services. My grandmother