John-David

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.^[1]

It’s that time of year when many churches celebrate high school seniors who are graduating. I loved these services as a student pastor—they were a great opportunity to celebrate what God had done and to commission students for the work ahead. And of course, you get to see some great pictures!

But I want to back up a bit. I’ve been thinking about this post for a couple of weeks, and it didn’t start with graduations—it started with a hospital visit when I went to see an old friend named Ronnie. So, let’s go back to 1982… three years before I was born.

My parents had been married about two years when they moved to Andrews—a young couple looking for a place to call home and a place to worship. Before long, they found their way to First Baptist Church of Andrews, where they met Ronnie and Ann Stevens. Ronnie and Ann were deeply invested in the church. For years, they taught Sunday school in the preschool ministry. Directly and indirectly, they helped shape the faith of my parents as they started a family, bought a home (that they still live in), and became leaders in the church.

Generation after generation, my home church worshiped, served, studied, and fellowshipped. The church I remember—the one that largely formed me spiritually—was shaped by Ronnie and Ann and their generation. As they stood on the shoulders of those who came before them, my parents stood on theirs—and I stood on my parents’ and their generation. 

Years passed. I graduated and moved—Dallas, then Fort Worth, back to Dallas, Monahans, Midland, and now Amarillo. Along the way, many friends and family members moved away or passed on. But the church that helped raise me spiritually continued. New generations. New faces. Same mission.

Less than a week after Ronnie passed away, our church hosted a group of BSM students who shared about their experiences with Beach Reach and their plans for the summer through Go Now. One of the students was from my home church—now sharing about her mission work at the church I serve in Amarillo. People in their 80s, 40s, and 20s—different generations, same church. Same mission.

The same mission in a line. When you look at the legacy of a faithful church, you can see it in a straight line—from one generation to the next. But this week, I also saw the ripples.

I received a picture of three of my former staff members—all graduating from seminary. They are serving in churches and collegiate ministries. Each of them has already impacted students we served together, and is continuing to do so through faithful service.

The legacy of faith that, for me, began with people like Ronnie and Ann—who poured into my parents before I was born, and then into me when I came along—continues. It runs in a line through my home church, but it also ripples outward through those who have gone out to serve the Church around the world.

I opened this post with Psalm 145:4: “One generation shall commend your works to another…”

So here’s a simple question:

How are you sharing God’s works with the next generation?

I’m not sure any believer gets a pass here. Even those called to serve in senior adult ministry are not exempt from the calling to point the next generation to the works of God.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ps 145:4.