Caught and Taught

Nancy and I have done our best to pass them along to our children and grandchildren.

Down the Road,They Taught Us – Legacy Devo

6 min read

My grandpa and grandma O’Dell, my mother’s parents, lived across the road, down a winding lane through a grove of Missouri oaks. As a young boy, most days I made the walk to their house. Before I left, Grandpa would usually give me a penny or a nickel from his plastic coin purse that he kept in his pocket. From there I would walk to the store to buy some candy. There was only one store in Flat, Missouri . . . a small building with squeaky wood floors that was also the grocery store, the post office and the gas station. It was only a short walk from grandpa’s house.

As I look back now, some seventy years later, I am able to see some of the things that made my life and our family and our country so wonderful. Most of them were taught to me by my parents and grandparents. And they were reinforced at school and at church. My parents lived each of them out in front of my sister and I, in front of our extended family, and in front of our church family. They were both caught and taught.

Nancy and I have done our best to pass them along to our children and grandchildren. And so can you. Here they are:

Walk with Jesus.

Love your family.

Be grateful.

Respect authority.

Work hard.

Spend less than you make.

Give some away.

All of these come from the Bible. They have been proven over time to bring a life of joy and fulfillment. We promise!

Until recently public schools reinforced these principles. Here is an excellent example of a Biblical Lifestyle Statement from the Christian school where Nancy taught in Anderson, IN called Liberty Christian School: https://libertyonline.org/mission-and-vision/

As founding Pastor of The Bridge Community Church and Executive Director of Mo Hodge Ministries, Mo resources Pastors and Leaders in the area of leadership development. He enables Pastors and leaders in the following areas: Developing Teams, Church Growth, Church Planting, Discipleship Multiplication, Nonprofit Organizational Management, Multi-site Church Development, Public Speaking, Capital Campaigns, and Sr. Pastor Succession. … Mo and his wife, Nancy, live in Anderson, IN with their children and grandchildren. Though retired, Mo is still active in ministry, preaching, teaching, and planting new churches wherever the Lord leads. You can follow him on LinkedIn or through his Newsletter.