Building a Legacy Through God's Strength and Love

In my sermon, I emphasized the importance of leaving a legacy that is not built on our own strength, but on God's. I highlighted that the legacies we admire in others are not inherited through material possessions or status, but through the transformative power of God. I stressed that our legacy is not built on our own strength, but on God's, and that this should serve as an encouragement for those who may feel they have nothing to leave behind in worldly terms. I also discussed the concept of generational sin, explaining that it is not something spooky, but rather a pattern of sin that can be passed down through generations if not intentionally broken with God's help.

In the second part of my sermon, I discussed the concept of legacy in terms of material possessions versus personal impact. I argued that the best kind of legacy is not about how much money or assets we can pass down, but about the stories we leave behind and the impact we have on others' hearts. I emphasized that at memorials, people don't talk about the stuff they received from the deceased, but about how the person loved them, sacrificed for them, and the time they spent together. I concluded by encouraging listeners to have hope that whatever their story is, they can take it and do something positive with it, and that they are not doomed to a negative legacy.

Key Takeaways:
- Our legacy is not built on our own strength, but on God's. This should serve as an encouragement for those who may feel they have nothing to leave behind in worldly terms ([35:43 ]).
- Generational sin is a pattern of sin that can be passed down through generations if not intentionally broken with God's help ([24:23 ]).
- The best kind of legacy is not about how much money or assets we can pass down, but about the stories we leave behind and the impact we have on others' hearts ([25:33 ]).
- At memorials, people don't talk about the stuff they received from the deceased, but about how the person loved them, sacrificed for them, and the time they spent together ([26:03 ]).
- We are not doomed to a negative legacy. We can take our story and do something positive with it ([21:40 ]).

Bible Reading:
1) Genesis 3:1-24 [10:59 ]
2) Romans 5:12-21 [11:27 ]
3) Galatians 3:13-14 [11:58 ]

Observation Questions:
1) What is the significance of the curse in Genesis 3 and how does it relate to the concept of legacy?
2) How does Paul in Romans 5 describe the impact of Adam's sin on humanity?
3) In Galatians 3, how does Paul describe the work of Christ in relation to the curse?

Interpretation Questions:
1) How does the curse in Genesis 3 shape our understanding of the negative aspects of legacy?
2) How does Paul's description of Adam's sin in Romans 5 inform our understanding of inherited sin and its impact on our legacy?
3) What does Paul's description of Christ's work in Galatians 3 tell us about the possibility of breaking free from negative legacies?

Application Questions:
1) Can you identify any negative aspects of your family's legacy that you feel you have inherited? How does understanding the curse and Christ's redemption impact your view of this?
2) How can you actively work towards breaking free from any negative aspects of your inherited legacy?
3) What positive aspects of your family's legacy do you want to pass on? How can you intentionally cultivate these aspects in your life?
4) How can you use your understanding of Christ's redemption to encourage others who are struggling with negative aspects of their legacy?
5) How can you contribute to the legacy of your church community in a positive way?

Day 1: Celebrating God's Faithfulness

God's faithfulness is a constant source of celebration, even amidst challenges. It is a discipline to recognize and celebrate His faithfulness in all circumstances, whether they are great or challenging. This celebration brings us together as a community, strengthening our bond and our faith. [08:40 ]

Psalm 36:5 - "Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you experienced God's faithfulness. How did it strengthen your faith and bring you closer to your community?

Day 2: The Power of One-on-One Ministry

One-on-one ministry is a powerful tool for evangelism. It allows for deep, personal conversations about Jesus and His impact on our lives. This method of ministry is often more impactful than larger group settings, as it allows for personal connection and understanding. [29:53 ]

Matthew 18:20 - "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

Reflection: Think about a time when you had a one-on-one conversation about faith. How did it impact your understanding of Jesus and His teachings?

Day 3: The Influence of Faithful Individuals

Faithful individuals can have a profound impact on our lives. Their kindness, hospitality, and simplicity can inspire us to live out our faith more fully. These individuals leave a lasting legacy, influencing us long after they are gone. [32:04 ]

Hebrews 13:7 - "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."

Reflection: Who has been a faithful individual in your life? How have they influenced your faith journey?

Day 4: Leaving a Legacy Through Service

Service is a powerful way to leave a legacy. By serving others, we can impact their lives in profound ways, even if we don't realize it at the time. This legacy of service is a testament to our faith and our love for others. [44:27 ]

Galatians 5:13 - "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

Reflection: How can you serve others in your community? What legacy do you hope to leave through your service?

Day 5: The Importance of Community Celebration

Community celebrations are a vital part of our faith journey. They bring us together, allowing us to share in the joy of our faith and celebrate God's faithfulness. These celebrations are a testament to the strength and unity of our community. [45:02 ]

Hebrews 10:24-25 - "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Reflection: How can you contribute to your community's celebrations? How do these celebrations strengthen your faith and your sense of community?

Hey everybody, Mark here. Thanks so much for tuning in. This is a really fun episode. We get to sit down with the Reverend Dr. Scott Push, and Michelle Summers joins us as well to co-host alongside Jess and myself. So it's going to be a really fun episode, a really fun listen, and just a great perspective to carry on in our week about legacy and what we leave behind.

I want to remind you that this weekend, November 5th, is our 150th year anniversary, where we will be celebrating at 10:30 at Woodside High School. So if you go to your normal campus this weekend at any point, no one will be there. We will all be at Woodside High School, so please join us. You can register at menlo.church/menlo150. We'd love to see you there in person. If you can't join us in person, we will be live streaming. Relle and I will be hosting before and after the service, and the service will be streamed as well. So make sure you join us for that.

Thank you so much for those that are saying yes to helping out with what we're doing here with things online. It is so amazing to see how God is providing people to help build this ministry out, whether that's with social media, with podcasts, or a lot of the other things that we're doing to help bring Jesus to those that may not encounter Him normally. So again, if you would love to get involved in this or encourage those that are helping out, you can text our team at 650-600-042.

So now let's go ahead and jump into today's episode.

Well, welcome everybody to the Menlo Midweek Podcast. My name is Mark.

My name is Jessica.

We have two guests with us today. The wonderful Michelle Summers is with us.

Very nice to be here.

And the Reverend Dr. Scott Push.

Nice, glad to be here.

We're so grateful for both of you to be here. And it's Halloween, which is why we are Halloween-adjacent. Costumes out! I went all out. My shirt says "Trick or Treat Yourself." So if you've seen Parks and Recreation, that's a reference. And it's black, and I'm wearing an orange sweater and ghost earrings.

Nice, very nice!

I'm dressing up as sportsy.

Love it!

If you know me, you're so sportsy.

So sportsy!

We were... because there's a staff value that we have, which is fun. And there's a thing going around called "Palm Boozing," which was introduced at our last all-staff meeting. It's where our staff members get together at the end of last month, and Palm Boozing is where we play pranks on each other in the form of Scott Push.

Oh!

So we were all going to dress up as you today, Scott.

That would have been awesome!

We tried. Relle was at Stanford trying to find Stanford gear yesterday.

Trying?

Yes, trying to get some Stanford swag. They didn't have any there.

Surprisingly?

It was overpriced.

Not surprising!

Yeah, and then I don't know what our costumes were going to be, but I just got a new Hogwarts sweatshirt—Harry Potter reference—and it's supposed to be like maroon, which is the Gryffindor color, but it is bright crimson red. So I was going to just take a piece of paper and put "Stanford" and tape it on top of that.

I was going to be a literal palm tree and a bush.

Perfect! Perfect!

That would have been really fun, but the viewers can use their imaginations.

Exactly! Speaking of Halloween, what are you guys doing tonight? Anything fun?

Michelle?

Trick-or-treating with my kids.

Okay!

Yeah, two out of three. The oldest one will be with her friends, you know, it's a different milestone. But yeah, we'll go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

What does trick-or-treating with Danny look like? Are we just pulling him around in a wagon, or what's the deal?

So Danny gets pulled around in the wagon. For five years now, he's been in the wagon, and he gets out.

Yeah, he gets out and he goes to the door, though. And we are finally at the point where he knows to not go in people's houses.

That was tricky!

Trying to teach him, "Why are we knocking on the door but not going in?"

Oh my gosh!

That was a thing!

Yeah, but now he knows what trick-or-treating is, and he has a bag, and he tells us when he's done, and then we go home.

Oh my gosh! Is there a story of him walking into someone's house?

Not specifically, but I would say when he was five was when we started trick-or-treating. I mean, I never thought to have to explain to him, like, "We knock on the door and just walk away."

Right!

He was like, "We're knocking on this door," and tried going in a few times.

But yeah, fun!

I mean, honestly, it's logical, right? If no one's explained to you, you just stand there, you knock on someone's door, and you go into their house. That's what we do!

Yeah!

So, but it should be good.

Good! Scott, what are you guys doing?

Well, our kids, you know, they will go out with their friends. So either we'll sit on the couch and watch TV, or we have some friends that live on one of the streets that everybody goes to, and they kind of have the ongoing hospitality, we'll call it, for neighbors. And we might just hang out there with them and watch kids go by in their costumes.

Jess?

Yes, I will be trick-or-treating with my nephews.

So it's fun!

They trick-or-treat in the neighborhood that I grew up in, or they live in the neighborhood I grew up in, so kind of a full-circle thing. And I'll head down into San Jose, and they all meet at a friend's house and all go trick-or-treating together. So it'll be a lot of people. It's one of those streets that everybody goes to on Halloween, so it'll be chaos, but it'll be really fun!

Yeah! What about you?

This is a weird one for me. Usually, we go over to my brother-in-law's house in Sano, and all the family gets together because they were the first ones to have kids, and we'd take our niece and nephew. But they are all at a destination wedding right now.

Wow!

I know! Down in Cabo, so they're doing like DTO stuff.

So cool!

It will be really fun for them. Because my... it's kind of weird, I don't know. My nephew, who just turned four, is super into skeletons.

Okay!

Like his whole life is how can someone be a skeleton?

That would be the best outcome if everyone around him were skeletons!

And so we thought it was a phase; it's kind of sticking around for a bit.

Did he watch the movie Coco?

Oh, that's it! It might have been!

Yeah!

I don't know, something! But, um, so he's going to be in heaven tonight with all the skeletons around there.

So I don't know what I'm doing. Probably going over to someone's house or watching Halloween movies.

But yeah, I love that!

Like Halloween is such a family thing too, and it's just... that's kind of... it's not something that we talked about explicitly in the last message, but it is definitely a theme of the legacy that we leave behind, which is the series that we're in now.

Yes!

Is all about people!

Segways, man!

Nice!

Yeah, so we opened up this message, or this series, in your lifetime, where we are examining our lives and 150 years of Menlo Church, which is wild!

We'll put that aside for just a second.

Yeah!

To think about the legacy that we are living out now and how to leave behind a lasting legacy too.

So let's come back to Menlo 150 for one second.

Okay!

This is something that, if you're listening to this, is this weekend. And if you haven't registered yet, please register for it.

Scott, this has been something that we've been thinking about, dreaming about for the last year or so.

Let's give people a one-minute why, if they have not made firm plans on Sunday to come visit us at Woodside High School at 10:30, why they should.

Yeah, it's... I mean, it's something we don't do very often, these anniversary times.

And I think the last one was... I think the 100-year anniversary, and we actually have booklets from that that they put together.

So, yeah, you know, we want to celebrate these milestones and, you know, most importantly, celebrate what God's done in and through this place and celebrate God's goodness and faithfulness in that.

And celebration is an important discipline.

And, you know, there's been great things and challenging things, but ultimately God's faithfulness is the thing that's celebrated.

So it's going to be a big deal to have us all together.

We don't often worship all in one place, and since multisite started, I don't think we've ever done that.

So that's going to be a special thing.

And then after, there's just going to be a wonderful time to celebrate together.

We're actually doing a little service project. We've got stuff for the kids.

We're going to celebrate with different kinds of music, and then in the gym, there's all these presentations of the years of Menlo history with the different ways that ministry has been done here.

So just something for everybody, and that'll be really fun.

And I know, you know, some folks may be like, "This is going to be just the parking."

You know, we want to make sure you leave some time to get there and get situated.

It will be a lot of folks, so, you know, if that feels intimidating to you, we do want you to know it's going to be streamed, and it'll be streamed live.

If you just want to watch the service, you can do that too, and then come and join us for the celebration later in the afternoon.

That'd be great!

But however you can be a part of it, we'd love to see you!

Definitely! And you should also go because what else are you going to do on Sunday when the rest of our campuses are closed?

It's true!

Yep, that's true!

Or if you can't make it there in person, you can say hi to Relle and I. We're going to be hanging out. We're going to be hosting live from the patio spaces before and after the service, so that'll be really fun.

And Jess, you're always the queen of details, but especially for Menlo 150, what other things besides just the service where we're gathering together, we're having one service for all of our locations to come to? What else is happening besides that?

Yeah, so like Scott mentioned, there's a celebration after.

So there's a Menlo Park quintet band that's going to be playing, and then our Menlo choir is going to do a performance, and then our worship team is all together, and they're going to do Menlo worship through the ages from like the 70s until now.

So if you think about your childhood, different eras, thinking about like how...

Yep!

All the songs that you maybe grew up with, they might do one of those.

The Menlo eras tour!

Exactly! Yes!

So there's a whole kids' alley, different games they can do. You'll get a passport when you get in, and I think you get to like stamp them off and do that.

Like Scott mentioned, they're calling it the history tour, so you can see all the different things that Menlo has done over the years.

And it's just a great way to connect with people. Everyone from all the campuses is invited, so we've got almost 2,000 signups so far, and so there's going to be tons of people there.

And you can just meet people from other campuses. The whole staff will be there. It's just going to be a fun time.

It's going to be... it sounds like the extrovert's dream!

It sounds like the extrovert's dream and the introverted extrovert because you want to be in community, you want to be with people, so like save all your energy until Sunday, go connect, and then go back home.

Yeah!

And I'm sure in the sea of people, there'll definitely be places for people to just kind of hang out and observe or find a table here or there.

I'm assuming there's going to be refreshments as well as lunch too.

There's lunch if you registered for it.

There's, I think, coffee and donuts before the service.

I'm sure there will be plenty of water stations and things like that too.

Awesome!

Yeah!

So Scott, no pressure that you just had to give a message right before this.

You know, no one was like, "Hey, you know that?" I'm sure that felt very light.

It's not like we had anything big coming up the next weekend.

So let's run through your message a little bit as you kicked off the series in your lifetime.

Great!

Yeah, sounds good.

You know, we did want to address kind of this big milestone through our messages the next few weeks, and so I got to kind of kick it off with just the importance of thinking about legacy.

And not a lot... I think a lot of us kind of roll through our day, and we don't think about this reality that we only have so many days of life on this Earth.

And when we think about that and what we want to leave behind, I think it changes the way we approach a lot of things in our life.

And so, you know, we want to raise the awareness of that, the importance of that, and also I think the opportunity that we have in front of us every day.

So that was the heart.

Yeah, I love that you started by just kind of painting a picture of what legacy is and how we are all recipients of legacy and how we also all leave a legacy.

I thought that was really just a great way to start thinking about legacy in general because as we hear that term, like, I don't know if you guys think about legacy the same way that I do, or for some of our congregants, they're a little bit older, skewing into the later stages of their life.

They probably are thinking about legacy way differently than the 18-year-old that just came from HSM or MH.

So Scott, how do you approach that in your message when we have different ideas of what legacy is? What is it, and what do we do with it?

Good questions!

Well, I think it does look very different depending on your vantage point.

And I think a lot of young folks aren't necessarily thinking as much about legacy, which is why I tried to help people see that, you know, we don't know the number of our days, and our life is fleeting.

Pay attention to that!

I remember one of the ways that John Mark Comer had this example of how monks used to have a skull on their little desk to remind them always of the fact that...

Sounds a little morbid!

But just to be reminded that their life was... you know, they were mortal.

And it just helped keep that in front of them.

Sometimes you need that because you don't think about it.

But I think folks that are closer to the end of their days look back on their life in a different sort of way and sort of take stock of what's it meant and what am I leaving behind.

That question looms large, and I think for those folks, we wanted to encourage them and say there's always time to continue to leave a legacy.

And it's never too late to do something, even if you haven't left the legacy that you want to leave.

So I want everybody to leave with some hope in that.

And even some of the old folks sometimes wonder, "What can I leave behind?"

And that's why I would try to say, you know, just encouragement and to let younger folks know it's going to be okay.

And I've seen some things, and guess what? God is faithful!

Like that's a gift that they can give.

So I was trying to hit everybody with a sense of the importance of it, but it does look very different depending on how you look at it.

And it feels like the weight of encouragement will change too.

Like having someone later in their life say, "I've been through all of the stuff, and yet it'll still be okay," versus someone that's maybe my age or younger.

Those are two different things, and they feel like they're two different things.

Jess, Mel, do you think of legacy the same way? What are your thoughts on legacy?

I guess...

So not to go dark as well, but I was thinking about like what would I want my obituary to read or what would the eulogy be at my funeral one day, you know?

Like what will people say about me?

And so I just feel like, you know, I'm 36, and I want people to know the best parts of me, not just the worst parts.

And what are the best parts of me? Hopefully that reflect Jesus.

And I mean, if anybody wanted encouragement or thoughts on like how to leave a good legacy, I would say love the people right in front of you.

You're never going to regret loving people more and letting them know that you love them more.

A professor of mine talked about how his dad passed away last year, and that was his eulogy that he gave.

He said, "Who do you love? You know, who in this room do you love? Have you told them? Have you showed them in any kind of way?"

Because that's the best legacy you can leave.

And when we think about Jesus, that is His legacy, is how much He loved us and how much He loves the world and how much He loves humanity.

So what better way?

That's how I think about legacy is hopefully people remember how much I loved or the things that I loved, you know, rather than didn't like or didn't love.

Yeah, that's good!

I think similarly for me too.

I think also I was got to be online this weekend and be in the chat, and one of the things that I honestly don't remember the story that you shared, but it just made me think of like my grandma.

I was blessed with wonderful grandparents, but my grandma specifically just left this beautiful legacy for our family of, you know, she prayed for all of us every night.

She had journal after journal after journal just filled with prayers and letters and all that kind of stuff.

And she had multiple Bibles that she just used over and over again.

And, you know, just knowing that she was always thinking of us and praying for us and loving us unconditionally, I think was such a powerful thing for me.

And that's definitely something that I think for me, thinking... I think more of what legacy has been left for me, and now getting... this might be the first time I've said this, getting closer to 40, I think I start... you know, you start thinking a little bit more about what kind of legacy are you leaving and what will people say about you when you, you know, pass away.

And I'm a huge Friends fan, so Matthew Perry passing away this weekend was really difficult.

And I was listening to a podcast this morning, and in his memoir, I guess he said, "I hope that people don't remember me for the show Friends. I hope people remember me for the life that I led helping people in sobriety."

'Cause he struggled with addiction, but he also had like a home in Malibu for people to come and live for free if they needed the help.

He was always there.

Different actors that came out and said, "He helped me become sober."

And so he was saying, "I want that to be my legacy first and foremost."

I mean, he didn't... I don't know if he used that legacy word, but just having that be the first thing.

And I think that's so powerful to think of like, yes, the things you do can be something that people remember, but it's the way you act and who you are.

And I think it was a Dallas Willard quote: "You remember the person that you're becoming."

Yeah!

What God gets out of your life is the person you become.

I think that's just so powerful for us to remember of who you are and how you love people and how you're there for people and how you show up for people is what they'll remember over this TV show that you were on or, you know, that we were on a podcast kind of thing.

Yeah!

The idea of inheriting a legacy was something I hadn't given a lot of space and time to.

Yeah!

So how... why did you choose to include that?

And I think it's just such an important framework because legacy to me has always been what I live, but it's also a gift or something bad that is left behind after me.

Yeah!

So I thought that was really cool.

Yeah, I mean, it came primarily from the text.

And I think one of the beautiful things that Paul calls out is, you know, Timothy's grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice, are the ones that really gave him this great gift of a deeply lived-out faith.

And I think there's several things that are remarkable about that.

I mean, for Paul to call out two women who carried... you know, they were the ones that he says are the ones that gave you that faith, and then I came along and I helped, you know, name it for you, but it wasn't me.

And so I think just lifting up the role of women in the Bible again is just a powerful thing.

But I think what I wanted to explain is that we don't all start from ground zero.

We don't all start from the same place.

Some of us have been given great gifts of faith, and some of us haven't.

And I don't... that doesn't need to be something that becomes an inhib to what God can do in you through a legacy.

So whatever we've been given, Paul says, you know, whatever you've been given, take that and let God do something with it, you know?

And I love that picture of fanning into flame this gift.

So God doesn't call us to do more than that, but whatever we receive, we give it to God.

And I used an example in my own life just of saying, you know, we don't all inherit good stuff, right?

Right!

Because I think there's people in the... you know, when they hear a message like this, they're like, "Well, you know, I didn't get all the things that Timothy got or that you got. You're a pastor."

But to say, you know, how can God take what I have, and can I tell that story differently because of what Jesus has done?

And that, to me, is what I wanted people to leave with some hope that whatever their story is, whatever they've received, they can take that now and do something with it.

I don't know if you said it or I paraphrased in my notes: "You are not doomed to a negative legacy."

And I just thought that is so powerful for people who might be struggling with the legacy that was given to them.

Yep!

And how, you know, I feel like we're kind of... my generation is the generation of children whose parents didn't go to therapy.

I feel like... I know that's a blanket statement, so I'm sorry, but hopefully the next generation will be like, "Oh, my parents did go to therapy," and then they did do the work.

But not being doomed to a negative legacy takes work.

It takes effort.

It takes awareness and the work of the Holy Spirit as well as followers of Christ.

So I thought it was really encouraging that you brought that up as well.

Yeah, I really appreciated that, to name that that's not all going to be great.

And I have friends who have kids, and they're like, "My parents were this way or that way, and it wasn't great, and I want to break that cycle, and I want to make that change so that my kids don't have to deal with the historical trauma that has been put on to me."

And I just think that's so powerful, and that's exactly what Paul is saying is like, you know, you get to take that, and you get to do with it what you let the Spirit... you and the Spirit do together.

And I just think that's... yeah, it's just such a good reminder that we're not all blessed with wonderful legacies and pasts and histories, but we get to make the change if we want to.

Yeah!

I want to ask you about that, Scott, and maybe this is more of a... I mean, not that you're a separate person, but a Pastor Scott question rather than a Teacher Scott question.

You used the language of legacy and a curse, so like the curse of alcoholism.

So how do you approach that when you read things like generational curses or negative things that we can inherit?

I mean, if we're thinking about inheriting a legacy of positive or negative, I just thought it was really interesting that you used that language.

Yeah!

I don't mean it like Halloween-y kind of, "I'm going to curse you" kind of sense.

It is Halloween, so we got to clarify that!

But, you know, a lot of times sin in the Bible is referred to as the curse, and it started with Adam and Eve in the garden, and that's when the curse hit humanity.

And so Jesus reversed the curse, right?

He did away with it.

And so in a similar kind of way, that's the redemptive work.

And so wherever sin works its way into our lives, we're victims of the curse.

Now, the Bible does talk about sin that goes through generations, and I do think that happens.

I don't think that, again, there's anything spooky about it, but what happens is just sin gets handed down, and it becomes generational.

And, you know, alcoholism is an example of that, where, you know, you learn it, and you see people... violence, I mean, there's so many things that you get handed down.

You learn, and if you don't break it, it just perpetuates, and we see that in our world all over the place.

So I think in that sense, when we've been given... when our legacy has some curses in it, we have to be intentional about saying we're going to break that curse.

And we need God's... we can't do it without God's help.

But if you don't, we're destined to live in it.

So, yeah!

Man, I feel like if Jesus was running for president, His slogan would be "I reverse the curse!"

I could just see the shirts now!

Totally!

So you should try to market that, Scott!

My gosh!

Curse Jesus 2024!

But I thought it was interesting because if we're thinking about inheriting things that aren't things, because a lot of times when we approach legacy, it's through the lens of how much money can I give or what assets can I pass down.

But you said that that isn't actually the best kind of legacy, so I'd love to give some more time for that.

Yeah!

The sticky little line that I love was, "Do you want stuff or stories?"

And, you know, stuff doesn't really change our hearts, and it doesn't really have that kind of impact that we want.

And it kind of gets back to what Relle was saying about your memorial.

You know, I think when you think... and you know, as you get older, I've been to a lot of memorials and done those, and anytime you're sitting there, you're thinking about your life.

That's the whole point while you're there.

You're thinking about the person who died, but you're also thinking about your own life.

And I think to wonder, "What's God going to say? What are people going to say about me?"

And I can tell you from memorials, nobody talks about the stuff they got.

They talk about how the person loved them, how the person sacrificed for them, the things they did together, the time they spent.

It just... and yet we think, you know, I'm going to give... you know, we think so much about stuff.

And so much of our lives, especially I think when we're younger, it's about acquiring, getting, you know?

And there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but if that's where we think our legacy is going to be, we're just misguided.

So investing in the things that matter, and the Bible gives us a clear thing: you know, it's people and God are the things that will be eternal and will matter.

So it's funny, I do... when you were saying that, I was like, I do think people will talk about the things that I gave them, but it's more about the gift, not what it was, but the intention behind it.

Because I pride myself on being a pretty good gift giver, but it's because I know the person well.

I listen, I pay attention, I hear them, I see them.

So the gift is a representation of how I feel about them and who they are, and not... they're not going to say, "Oh, I remember she gave me this mug one time."

It's going to be, "There was this mug, and it was like perfect for me, and she thought of... you know, like that kind of stuff too."

Exactly!

Yeah!

Being a part of a fair share of funerals and stuff as well, celebrations of life, what I think was interesting as I was reflecting on what you're saying were even those that did put a lot of emphasis on setting up my kids well or this or that, that was talked about, but it was more so talked about in the vein of they sacrificed, they made... they lived a hard life, they chose to do this, and that was more so talked about the character-building piece of that or the emphasis on who they were rather than the stuff that they left behind.

Yeah!

Right?

So it... yeah, it's the character qualities it represents, you know, whether it's generosity or being known, right?

I know what gift to give, which I'm terrible at, and I wish I was better at.

But... or that I loved my family enough that I wanted them to be taken care of when I go.

Exactly!

You know, that's why we have life insurance, right?

So... or at least I do!

But I think, yeah, those things represent the love and care behind them.

You know who Jim Stump is?

Yeah!

Have you guys... do you guys... have you guys ever heard of Jim Stump before?

I haven't, but he sounds like an awesome character!

Yeah!

So Jim, I mean, he was around Stanford football, Stanford athletes for a long, long time.

He was with Campus Crusade for Christ originally, and then he kind of started his own athletic ministry to athletes called Sports Challenge.

He's still... you know, I made it sound like he was dead in the sermon, I think, but he's not!

Oh!

Friend of the show!

He still... old Jim, if you're out there, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make it...

He put up the picture that said RIP!

So, yeah, I mean, it was the tombstone that really sealed it for... but no, Jim's... he's... he retired from his role here and went to Texas because that's what you do when you were up in ministry and retire, you go to Texas.

But he can't help himself!

I know!

He still... he gets in there with athletes from, you know, Texas Christian and other schools to just help out because he just loves ministry.

And he's one of the most unique people I've ever met because he literally saw his ministry as just that one-to-one.

That's what he valued, sitting with people.

And he literally, I think, wore out one of the booths at the sports... there's a special café for athletes at Stanford, you know?

And he just would sit there, and one by one, just every hour on the hour, somebody else would come in and just say, "Hey, I just want to talk to you."

And he would just hang out.

He was just available, and athletes would come up to him after practice and go, "Hey, I know my friend, you know, Joe has talked to you about Jesus. Can I talk to you about Him too? I'm just confused."

And so he's actually written a book called The Power of One-on-One, which I would recommend to you.

And it just talks about how, you know, it's an ethic for evangelism in some ways, but, you know, he just says when you get down to it and you really talk to people, it's easy to talk about Jesus and talk about what He does in your life.

We make it harder than it needs to be, and so that's always stuck with me.

But I think his faithfulness he did for 40 years and his method and the fact that he was just very unassuming.

Yeah!

So, wow!

Yeah, so he sounds pretty influential in your life.

I'm curious if Relle or Jess, if you have a person as Scott was talking that kind of felt the same way to you.

For me, that was my youth pastor, Wayne.

Shout out Wayne Katama, who's a pastor now, I think in Torrance down in LA.

But same thing, like he led our youth group called BASIC—Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Beautiful acronym!

But his grandma lived right around the corner from me, so he'd pick me up and take me home, and it was just that one-on-one time either before or after where I really just felt comfortable to ask questions or wrestle with him about things or be a person that I could confide in that didn't really feel safe to do that with other people.

And it's really because of him that like there's a... I inherited a good legacy of one-on-one because of him.

Yeah!

Do you have anyone like that?

Yeah, I mean, when I think of the people who have had the most influence on me, I would say they're generally more simplistic in nature, just like good people to be around, very kind.

Hospitality is a high value.

I mean, I didn't realize it at the time as a kid or a teenager, but looking back, yeah, I had a great youth pastor, PB we used to call him, and he just cared about all of us in youth group.

There was a time where your youth pastor or adults could come and visit you at school or take you out to lunch, and he used to do that.

He was great!

Came to all our shows, things like that.

My in-laws are really great people, and I mean, I think everybody on Long Island has been impacted by Frank and Lucy at some point in their life, whether through pastoral care, counseling, or they've just done a lot for people.

And I think that that's how you leave a legacy, right?

It's like just living a complete transformed life by Jesus.

And like you were just saying about evangelism, we make it so hard, thinking about apologetics or what's right or wrong, but really, if our life is centered around Jesus, it's so much easier, and then our legacy will be that.

So the long answer is I think of a lot of people.

Yeah!

But yeah, my in-laws, they're good people.

Yeah!

I honestly think my parents were similar to your in-laws.

Just we were the house that everybody wanted to come hang out at, and they just... we always had snacks—the crappy junk food!

That's the key!

It was a blessing, maybe a curse now looking back on my whatever.

But a lot of my friends were like, "You get to have this cereal?"

We transformed our garage, every house we lived in, into like a game room, and that's where we had all of our sleepovers.

And it was just the house that everybody wanted to be at.

And then they lived in a low-income neighborhood and ran a neighborhood center through their church growing up to bring a lot of primarily Latino and Asian families into homework help and Bible study and bring them to church when they could.

And now they're working for an organization that does crisis response for different natural disasters, so they're currently in Florida helping with the Fort Myers hurricane that happened a year ago, and they've been doing construction and one-on-one care and connecting people to the church and stuff like that.

So they are just generous, loving people.

Generous!

And they live in an RV!

So back to that word of what does generosity actually mean?

And they're... they give their time and their life to this organization and these people, and they live in a little RV too.

So, yeah, just I think they are great examples of how to just live your life for Christ and just do that.

Sounds like superheroes!

They're pretty cool!

Yeah!

But what I love about all of that is the things that we have noticed in people that are leaving legacies behind that we admire is not something that is inherited by things or status or anything.

It's really just allowing God to transform you.

And I love that that's kind of what you closed with, Scott, of how our legacy isn't built on our own strength but God's.

And I thought that was a great reminder and encouragement for those that may be feeling, "What legacy do I have? I don't have anything that in worldly terms means I can leave a good legacy."

So I'd love for you to give a little bit more about that and why... like how... why you chose to land the plane there because I thought that was fantastic.

Well, I mean, it's... you know, I think it is all about God at the end, right?

And God is the hero of the story.

And so my life is another example of God's work in it.

And so if I can not worry as much about me and take the focus off that, then it doesn't feel like pressure; it feels like surrender and trust.

And I think that's the right posture.

You know, we don't leave a legacy by trying really hard to leave a legacy.

You know, it's... I need to be mindful, and I need to do the things I know are the right things, take the narrow path.

You know, as I was talking about fanning that flame and those little things that help us add oxygen to the flame.

You know, whenever we're living as God intended, whenever we're making those hard choices, you know, we fan that flame a little more, and we can all do those things.

So, and I think to look at the... you know, to continue to receive the good legacies, to let God speak into the hard ones, and to be aware that we have a chance every day through the power of God's Spirit to leave something behind that will bless somebody else and will be part of this... you know, God's writing this big story, right?

Right!

Over the centuries and the years through all the saints that have gone before us, and then Menlo Church has a little part of that big story, right?

And then each of us that are part of Menlo Church has a little part of that bigger story, and all those things come together to further this work, this great kingdom of God that God is bringing here on Earth as it is in heaven.

Yeah, it's amazing!

Yeah!

Any questions, Michelle?

I have a fun question!

Okay!

Now, Scott, part of your legacy will be Reverend, do husband, father, but also that you played for Stanford football.

And on Sunday at the Mountain View campus, when introducing you, Matt, my husband, also campus pastor, said you once tackled... I'm going to say the wrong person.

I want to say Emmitt Smith, but I don't think that's right.

But that you tackled someone pretty well-known that was once in the NFL.

What a story!

You and Mark should hang out more often!

No, I'm wondering, was Emmitt Smith the football player?

That's not right!

He was!

Yes, he was!

Could you share a little bit about your legacy at Stanford football?

S's getting... and who... but you tackled someone in particular he mentioned.

Yes, yes!

I'll clarify that, but I appreciate that you gave it a shot!

Thank you for trying!

It's so good!

You had the right team; it was the wrong person!

But, yeah, you know, I was not a... you know, I did not go to the NFL.

I was not... I lost my legacy of Stanford football is quite tiny, but, you know, we hang on to those moments, right?

Those moments that you remember about it and calling... you know, how did football play a legacy in my life?

Or just that story?

I don't know who...

Did you tackle?

So, you know, we try to always connect with people that are well-known, right?

So I played with a bunch of different people in those late '80s, early '90s years.

And so, to, you know, played for the Cowboys, so Emmitt Smith, whose son plays for Stanford now, is there, but Troy Aikman was the person you're thinking of.

Troy!

A friend of the show!

He was a great quarterback at UCLA and then went on to play for the Cowboys, was a Hall of Famer, and now does the... he's a commentator with Joe Buck.

Pretty well-known!

So I got a sack on him one game, and, you know, which is pretty small, but I hang on to that as like a big deal!

That is so cool!

Even more fun!

So good!

You know, a player that people know and love around here, who plays for the 49ers now, Christian McCaffrey.

So his dad, Ed McCaffrey, and I were teammates.

We came in the same year and played together.

So, yeah, so that's kind of fun, and I got to talk to Christian a few times when he was a Stanford player.

But, so, yeah, you know, those... it's just part of my story and where I can... I do the chapel for the team usually once a... in the... and so a little bit of legacy there.

I get to share with the guys some of what matters beyond football.

So some of those times, I... that's fun!

It's okay to have fun in your legacy!

I think that's a key element!

But thank you for sharing!

That's yes!

Jess, what famous sports player have you tackled?

Is there one named?

No, I'm just kidding!

It's really funny!

Well, Scott, I really appreciate your message, and I thought that it was a perfect opener to this series about legacy and looking back on, again, 150 years of Menlo, which sounds wild!

When did you get... when was 150 years ago?

149 years!

People joke, it's like, "What will Menlo look like in 150 years?"

And they said, "Well, Scott will still be here!"

So I was like, "Oh boy, that's rough!"

But, yeah, I mean, Menlo's got a huge role in my life, and I, you know, so many people have been part of that—people that are still with us and people that have passed on—who, you know, literally took me into their house when I was an intern and who prayed for me diligently.

There was a woman on a committee—we used to have a committee that supported seminary students—and she would write me notes, handwritten notes, every couple weeks and just say, "We're praying for you. A church, we believe in your ministry."

I mean, that was gold!

I was thinking, you know, we had Bert and Mimi McDow in the podcast, and Mimi has been kind of like Jim Stump, has been discipling women since I was an intern here.

Like she would go to lunch with some of the gals on staff, and she, you know, did that when Rachel and I got here.

She met with my wife, and she continues to do that, and she's a Bible teacher.

So there's just people like Bert and Mimi that have poured into me here, and I wouldn't be still here if it weren't for those folks.

So, so many great legacies!

So volunteering matters because you're not just doing a job or serving in one capacity, but having a lasting impact on people.

I think that's beautiful!

Yeah!

Well, I'm really looking forward to this week because I was able to sit down with Margaret and Tony Osoro from the Saratoga campus.

Yeah!

They, I think, literally built... he helped build the first church, literally, physically, Saratoga.

Yeah!

Oh, remarkable people!

And so we have... I... we were able to sit down for about an hour and have a conversation with this just super sweet... she, I think she's 92, and he's 90, both in their 90s.

It's fascinating and so encouraging and so fitting as we're talking about legacy and what we leave behind because the things that they are alluding to in that conversation was it's more than just the stuff.

It is the people, it's the character, it's everything else.

So I think one thing that's cool too about the Menlo moments is the student you had on.

Oh, yeah!

I mean, I think that goes to talk about how, you know, it's usually like... we were saying earlier, people when you're older, when you get towards the end of your life, you're thinking more about that.

But here's this high school, middle school student, high school student, who's leaving a legacy with these kids, whether they know it or whether she recognizes it, whether these kids recognize it.

She's leaving her legacy with them by just helping serve them.

You know, I think about like I became a Christian at VBS when I was four.

It's like I don't remember the name of the girl who like led me to Christ, and she might not remember my name, but like that is a part of my story by this girl who just decided to volunteer with VBS.

Amazing!

Wow!

So it's... I think that is that one up already, the story!

Yeah!

So definitely check those podcasts out on YouTube as well, right?

So hearing the stories of these... the older generation, but also some people who are leaving their legacy as well.

Super fun!

Well, Scott, thanks so much!

Yeah, my pleasure!

Yeah, glad to be with you guys!

Yeah, excited!

And Jess, remind everyone again what's happening this weekend and where they can sign up.

Go to menlo.church/menlo150, and you can register.

I believe the registration for lunch is closed now, but that doesn't mean you can't come!

Come!

So we've got our service at 10:30 at Woodside High School, all campuses together.

It's going to be a really fun service.

We have a really cool history video.

We found old pictures and video clips and sermon clips of the last, I don't know, like 100 years?

Maybe I don't even know how far back it goes, but there's a minute and a half or so video that we're going to have in the service that's going to be really cool.

And then after that, we'll have lunch for those who have it, and then the big party until 2.

So Woodside High School!

Okay, see everybody there!

Come say hi!

It's going to be awesome!

Bye!

1. "Love the people right in front of you. You're never going to regret loving people more and letting them know that you love them more. That's the best legacy you can leave and when we think about Jesus, that is his legacy - how much he loved us and how much he loves the world and how much he loves humanity." - 15:36

2. "My grandma left this beautiful legacy for our family of praying for all of us every night. She had journal after journal filled with prayers and letters. Just knowing that she was always thinking of us and praying for us and loving us unconditionally was such a powerful thing for me." - 17:19

3. "We only have so many days of life on this Earth and when we think about that and what we want to leave behind, it changes the way we approach a lot of things in our life. We want to raise the awareness of the importance of thinking about legacy and the opportunity that we have in front of us every day." - 11:58

4. "Investing in the things that matter, and the Bible gives us a clear thing - it's people and God are the things that will be eternal and will matter. The gift is a representation of how I feel about them and who they are, not just the material thing itself." - 27:09

5. "Even those that did put a lot of emphasis on setting up my kids well or this or that, it was more so talked about the character building piece of that or the emphasis on who they were rather than the stuff that they left behind. It's the character qualities it represents, whether it's generosity or being known." - 28:15