Isn't That Rich Podcast

In a world where time seems to slip through our fingers and the future is never guaranteed, we often find ourselves asking, "What will I leave behind?" It’s a question that goes beyond material wealth and possessions. It’s about the mark we make on the lives of those around us—the values we instill, the lessons we teach, and the love we share. For many, the idea of legacy is distant, something to be considered in the twilight of life. But the truth is, legacy is built every day, with every decision we make.

I’ve spent my life navigating the crossroads of faith and leadership, from corporate boardrooms to the pulpit, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that our legacy isn’t defined by the moments we plan for—it’s shaped by the moments we live right now. Whether we realize it or not, every action, every choice, and every relationship contributes to the legacy we’ll leave behind. And it’s never too early, or too late, to start thinking about what that legacy will be.

I want to take you on a journey—one that challenges you to think deeply about the life you’re living and the legacy you’re creating. It’s a journey that starts not with the end in mind, but with the here and now. Because what we do today will echo long after we’re gone. So let’s dive in, not just into the idea of legacy, but into the heart of what it means to live a life that truly matters.

My journey to this point has been anything but straightforward. I didn’t start out as a pastor or a CEO. In fact, I was deep in the corporate world, working for a Fortune 500 company with plans to move to Macau, China. But as life would have it, I ended up in Southern Illinois, far from where I thought I’d be, but exactly where I needed to be. Here, I serve as the senior pastor of Purpose House Church and the CEO of FSB Insurance. It’s a unique blend of roles, but both have given me a profound understanding of what it means to leave a legacy.

In my corporate days, we always sought out two types of clients: those who were in trouble and those who were growing. Both types had problems, just on different ends of the spectrum, and our job was to be the solution to those problems. But there was one group we avoided—the ones who were satisfied with the status quo. These were the people who weren’t growing, but they weren’t in decline either. They were just…comfortable. And that’s a dangerous place to be, both in business and in life.

I want to challenge you to move beyond the status quo, especially when it comes to your legacy. Whether you realize it or not, your legacy is being built every day by the decisions you make and the way you live your life. But here’s the hard truth: life is fleeting. James 4:14 tells us that life is but a vapor—it’s here one moment and gone the next. And while it’s easy to live, it’s much harder to prepare for what comes after.

Let me share a personal story that brought this reality home for me. In January 2018, my father, a man who had never missed a day of work in his life, suddenly fell ill. He was diagnosed with sinusitis, and within weeks, he was gone. I found myself thrust into the role of executor and power of attorney, responsible for managing his affairs. Despite his strong faith and his deep spiritual preparation, he hadn’t taken the time to ensure that the practical aspects of his legacy were in order.

I remember him asking me, just days before he passed, if I had his phone. He told me there were five documents I needed to send to myself, just in case things didn’t go the way we’d hoped. Five notes—that’s all I had to work with. Five notes filled with passwords and logins, with cryptic references like “Spring Tree” that I had no way of understanding. It turns out, Spring Tree was the name of the street my parents lived on when they were first married. I wasn’t even born yet, so how could I have known? That’s the kind of uncertainty and confusion that happens when we don’t prepare.

What struck me most was the quote at the top of the first note: “You never know it’s the day before the day before.” How true that is. My father, a man who preached this very message, hadn’t practiced it in the way he lived his life. And now, my family is fragmented, splintered by the lack of preparation. It’s a painful reality, but it’s one that I hope you can learn from.

We often avoid talking about the end of our lives because it’s uncomfortable. But if we don’t have those conversations, if we don’t make the necessary preparations, we’re leaving our loved ones to pick up the pieces. They’ll have to take the liquid of our lives—the things that slip through the cracks—and try to turn them into something solid. It’s an impossible task, and it’s unfair to those we leave behind.

The Bible is clear on the importance of preparation. Did you know that it contains over 2,000 verses on money and wealth? Jesus himself taught 38 parables, and 16 of them dealt with money. That tells me that how we handle our finances and our legacy is incredibly important. It’s not just about what we leave behind; it’s about how we live our lives and the example we set for others.

I want to talk about what it means to leave a true legacy. Legacy isn’t just what you leave behind for people—that’s an inheritance. Legacy is what lives in people after you’re gone. It’s the values, the morals, and the principles you pass down. It’s the impact you make on their lives. And it’s something we have to be intentional about.

Think about it—are you living your legacy every day? Are you making decisions that reflect the values you want to pass down? Or are you caught up in the chaos of the present, focused on the things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things?

Let me share a story that illustrates this perfectly. In 1985, a flight from Tokyo to Osaka turned into one of the worst aviation disasters in history. Just 12 minutes into the flight, the plane became uncontrollable, and for 32 minutes, the passengers were faced with the terrifying reality that they might not survive. Most of them focused on the disaster, caught up in the chaos around them. But a few took out notebooks and began writing letters to their loved ones. One man, in particular, wrote to his children, urging them to be good to each other and to take care of their mother. His last words were not about the disaster unfolding around him; they were about the legacy he wanted to leave behind.

That’s the kind of focus we need to have. We can get caught up in the political, social, and economic chaos of our world, or we can focus on what truly matters—our legacy. What will you leave behind in the hearts and minds of those who come after you? What values, what principles, what lessons will live on through them?

I believe there are five things we need to do to leave a lasting legacy:

1. Live out your legacy: Don’t just talk about it—live it. Show your family what’s important by the way you live your life. Your actions speak louder than words, and your children will learn from what they see you do.
2. Live life like you mean it: Time is our most valuable commodity. You can’t buy it back, so make the most of it. Be present with your family. Put down the phone, turn off the TV, and engage with the people who matter most. Your time is the greatest gift you can give them.
3. Ground your purpose in something greater: Your life should be about more than just accumulating wealth or climbing the corporate ladder. It should be about something that lasts beyond your time on this earth. Find your purpose, and make sure it’s rooted in something eternal.
4. Be generous, but with guidelines: Generosity is about more than just giving money. It’s about giving of yourself—your time, your energy, your resources. But be wise in your generosity. Sometimes, helping can hurt if it’s not done with discernment.
5. Leave a vision and a path for others: Don’t just leave behind possessions; leave behind a roadmap for your family. Teach them why you made the decisions you did, and help them understand the values that guided your life. When they face challenges, they’ll have a foundation to stand on because you took the time to build it for them.

Legacy isn’t something that happens by accident. It’s something you have to work at every day. It’s about making intentional decisions that reflect the values you want to pass down. It’s about living in a way that your life will matter long after you’re gone. And it’s about ensuring that what you leave behind is more than just material wealth—it’s a legacy of faith, love, and purpose that will continue to impact the lives of those who come after you.

I want you to ask yourself one question: What will my legacy be? What will live on in the people I leave behind? May your legacy be one that truly matters—one that reflects the best of who you are and the values you hold dear.