I have long been affected by the concept of “honor”. My father was a military man (he “lied” to get into the Merchant Marines at age 16 in WWII and then served in the Army through the Korean conflict and beyond). Honor and Duty were big words to us 4 kids growing up; those words on top of our deep commitment to Jesus Christ and the Authority of Scripture established the foundations of our family and continue to this day. I also had the privilege to live and minister in Ventura County, next to a Naval Seabee(Port Hueneme) and Missile Test Center (Pt. Mugu) for many years. I’ve seen evidences of what honor does, and I’ve had the joy of being part of a “Change of Command” ceremony at the respective military bases.
So, it was with GREAT joy that I recently had lunch with a person with whom I am developing a growing friendship (Rick Massie). Rick & Debbie have invested greatly in our region and are kind people with a generous heart and spirit in the Lord. They attend the church where our daughter is the Worship Pastor and we have a few family connections with them. Rick and I spent a good portion of the event getting teary eyed. Here is why: Rick shared with me what the Lord had led him to do when he turned his company “command” over to his son-in-law and son. I LOVED the intentionality and heartbeat of what Rick did to insure that the values and foundation of his company. I felt like I was experiencing honor in action as the story was being shared with me. Here is the front and back of the coins:
Side #1
I LOVE that Rick was intentional about his testimony (what he believes and his story), his faith, his hope, and the blessings they have received; I also loved that he portrayed those as “stones” that remind he and his family of the story of the Jewish people marking the moment of God’s faithfulness in their journey. The Isaiah 50:4-5 passage was a declaration that we would know the voice of the Lord and know what to speak in every dimension of our lives, both personal and professional. Honor matters because it values people, places, and process where we have seen and experienced the goodness of God in action.
This experience of lunch with Rick (we tried to hide our moist eyes from the server several times!) called me to a deep place where I know I have heard the Word of the Lord and have been able to establish a “Bethel” moment (see Genesis 28 and following).
All of us need to know that we have had, and are having, those special and memorable moments where we are hearing from the Lord. AND, we all need to be intentional to pass on to our children, our family, our friends, and our circle of influence what we have received.
I’m going to develop my own change of command coin…to be given at the right time to my family members as the Lord allows.
Leave a Reply