23 Jan, 2012

Leaving A Legacy

Joe Paterno, revered coach tainted by scandal, dies

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, the winningest coach in major college football history who was fired in November over a ... scandal involving an assistant that rocked America, died on Sunday of lung cancer. He was 85.

Paterno won adoration from fans of the highly successful and profitable Penn State football program and they unleashed invective at the university board of trustees who fired him unceremoniously after 46 years as head coach, tarnishing his outsized legacy.

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Story and Photo courtesy of news.yahoo.com.

Joshua 24:1-15

 1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.
 6 “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
 14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about leaving a legacy?

Only time will tell, but at this point, it is hard to know how Joe Paterno will be remembered. While some will choose to focus on his accomplishments as a coach, others will only see the tragic way his career ended in a scandal. In today's God's Story scripture we read about the end of Joshua's life. Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of the nation of Israel, and it was under Joshua's leadership, not Moses', that they made it to the Promised Land. As Joshua shares with the nation one last time it is obvious that he has left quite a legacy. In verse 15 he challenges everyone to make the same decision he has made - to serve the Lord. There is no greater legacy that we can leave to to have it said of us, the he or she served the Lord. What legacy will you leave?

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

Take some time this week to consider what you want your legacy to be. Many years from now, when your time on earth is done,  what do you want said of you. Fast forward to the end of your life and write your own memorial service. While there will be a lot of details that won't be known, you can still think in general terms about the kind of life you want to live and the legacy you want to leave. 

How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?

When you hear others talking about the death of Joe Paterno this week, ask those in the conversation how they hope to be remembered when their time on earth is done. Use this conversation as an opportunity to introduce some of your friends to God's Story. 

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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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