Heritage

If you've ever heard my Grandfather (affectionately known to us as Poppy) talk about his family, you will almost always hear him speak of heritage.  As long as I've known him, one of the most important things to him is what he is leaving behind to his family, and being able to see what he has instilled in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He wants to leave a legacy.  He wants to leave the world changed and to see the people he has crossed paths with change.  He wants to see his family pass down the morals, the beliefs and the values that he holds so dear.  More than anything though, he wants to see us all walking with Jesus.

There are few people I know who have a genuine passion for the Bible.  The-can't-get-enough-of-it, read-it -every-day, know-verses-off-the-top-of-your-head-in-an-instant kind of passionate.  My Poppy has always been the one I've gone to when I've had questions about what I'm studying in the Bible.  He has always provided clarity and understanding, but he has also instructed me when I've been confused or full of doubt.  His influence has been instrumental in my life and spiritual journey.

Poppy's passions for the Bible, the correct interpretation of it and good, sound doctrine have finally funnelled themselves into a book he has written.In the last two years, I have watched my Grandfather come alive in new ways as he has written and studied and pieced together a book that is the culmination of both his passions and life-long teachings as a Pastor and teacher.  As his eldest grand-daughter, I could not be more proud.

The book is nearly done, but his publisher needed a scripture reference index.  And being that the book is Bible-intensive, there were over 2,000 verses that needed to be documented in the index.  Because I can type quickly, I offered to type it up for Poppy and send it on to his publisher as the final piece to his book.

I have to admit, it's a bit of a daunting task.  It's not just typing out something that's been written.  It's numbers and semi-colons and dots and commas and a certain amount of spaces so that they all look even and stream-lined.  I've never typed up anything like this in my life.

Yet, even though it's been a bit labor-intensive, it's also an honor to do it.  To have a hand in something that my Poppy is leaving behind is humbling for me.  What he has written will forever be a part of my heritage.  And I love that my boys can know that their Great-Grandfather was not only passionate about Jesus, but about His word.

Sometime soon, The Confusion Factor by Rev. Paul V. Hull will "hit the shelves."  It's about the Christian life, about our security in our salvation as believers and good, solid truth when in a world with so many different views and questions, provide clear cut answers from Scripture.

The book will forever be a footprint in history of how God molded one man's heart.  And if not anyone else, the book, my Poppy, all of his wise teaching and instruction, has most certainly left me changed.  And by God's grace and mercy, I can continue to live on in that same heritage and pass it down to my children and my children's children and my children's children's children.