“Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and nor forget the works of God.” Psalm 78:4b, 6-7a NKJV
Every dad is leaving a legacy that will impact future generations of his family long after he is dead and gone. This reality is clear in my own family through the testimony of my fathers. Thanks be to God for His mercy and grace!
My great-grandfather, Benjamin Board (on left holding baby), known as Benny, was from a rural area of northern Missouri. Unfortunately, he was a drunk, physically abusive to my great-grandmother, besides being opposed to the gospel of Christ. While he was dying of pancreatic cancer in a Kansas City hospital, a preacher by the name of Jimmy O’Dell who was married to Benny’s cousin went to visit him and see about the state of his soul. Whether or not my great-grandfather trusted Christ as his Savior before he died is something that has been lost to history. Not too long after this, my great-grandmother died of tuberculosis and their children were split-up amongst the family.
My grandfather, Kenneth Board (boy sitting on horse), known as Kenny, was raised along with his younger sister, Dorothy (in her dad’s arms), by their grandparents during “The Great Depression” of the 1930s. Kenny eventually enlisted in the Army during WWII and served honorably in the Philippines. After the war, he worked in the steel mills of northern Indiana. It was at that time that he met and married my grandmother, and they raised their three sons in the religious tradition of her side of the family. He battled his own demons which surely resulted from the brokenness of his past and the horrors of military combat. Kenny died of a heart attack in the summer of 1989 while fishing on Red Cedar Lake in the big woods of northern Wisconsin.
My father, Kenneth Ray Board, known as Kenny Ray, was the oldest of these three sons. Dad enlisted in the Marine Corps at the end of the Vietnam War but was never deployed. He married my mom in the summer of ’73 and they had four children which they raised in the religious tradition of his upbringing. In the early ‘80s, economic downturn affected our family, but God used the circumstances to capture Dad’s heart. This spiritual revival especially influenced the second of their brood who was yours truly, Timmy Ray.
My older brother and I share Dad’s name: Kenny John and Timmy Ray, respectively. Having been brought up at the tail end of the Cold War along with vivid memories of Desert Storm, I was educated for ten years at a parochial school in a more prestigious neighboring town. Being from what could be considered by some as the wrong side of the wrong town whose local biker bar, called “Marshall’s Place” after my grandfather, was owned by mom’s parents and whose front apartment was where my parents established their home after their wedding day, the cards were not dealt in my favor. Despite the conventional wisdom of the world, I’m grateful for my blue-collar background as the mighty hand of God’s providence is readily evident (Is.55:8-9; 1 Cor.1:26-31).
Over the years, King David’s response to God’s promise has been especially meaningful as I could similarly respond to God’s blessings in my own life: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD” (2 Sam.7:18b-19a). The days of our lives have been ordained by God from eternity and their purpose is about something far greater than our little stories centered around me, myself, and I (Ps.139:16-17; Eph.1:11-12). To magnify the glory and majesty of the Sovereign Creator King of the vast expanse of the cosmos and Merciful Redeemer of rebel sinners is the purpose of our existence. Investing the time, talent, and treasure of our lives into eternity is therefore about losing sight of our stories and being captivated by the transcendence of His “story” for the glory of His name not ours (Ps.115:1)
In God’s perfect timing, He brought Lori and I together as husband and wife and has built our home as the Sovereign Architect and Omnipotent Powerhouse of biblical marriage and family life (Ps.127:1). As a man, husband, and father, my consistent prayer is for greater wisdom, vision, and courage to intentionally transmit the truth to the next generation being raised up through my household (Pr.24:3-4).
Fatherhood automatically impacts future generations by passing on a legacy either of brokenness or faithfulness. Our children and grandchildren will find their identity in this legacy which will therefore shape their lives. They will either live from their father’s approval or for their father’s approval. Their hearts desperately need to know the heart of the perfect Heavenly Father who loves them like their earthly fathers never could. This is the greatest love worth finding, which is vested in the Person of God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for sinners so that they could be restored to the Father by His grace through faith alone.
Personally, it is my prayer that my six children would be grateful to God for the legacy they have received from their fathers. This Father’s Day, may you be intentional to leave a legacy of faithfulness that will positively impact future generations for God’s glory!
Recommended Resources:
- “Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters to Walk with God” by Voddie Baucham
- “What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter” by Voddie Baucham
- “Anchor Man: How a Father Can Anchor His Family in Christ for the Next 100 Years” by Steve Farrar
- “Point Man: How a Man Can Lead His Family” by Steve Farrar
- “King Me: What Every Son Wants & Needs to Hear from His Father” bySteve Farrar
- “Missing from Action: Vanishing Manhood in America” by Weldon M. Hardenbrook
- “Courageous” the movie & “Show Me the Father” documentary by the Kendrick Brothers (“The Forge” is to be released in theaters in August 2024)
- “The Resolution for Men” (see Appendix 2, “Six Powerful Influences You Must Guard in Your Children’s Lives”) by Stephen & Alex Kendrick
- “Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood” by Robert Lewis
- “Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood” book & video series by Dennis Rainey
- “The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self Reliance” by Ben Sasse
- “Dad the Family Shepherd” & “The Fourth Generation Rule” by Dave Simmons
- “Tender Warrior: Every Man’s Purpose, Every Woman’s Dream, Every Child’s Hope” by Stu Weber
- “The Most Important Place on Earth: What a Christian Home Looks Like and How to Build One” by Robert Wolgemuth
