Last night Ady & I had the joy of attending the 60th birthday party of our good friend Jack Crabtree. Jack has been in youth ministry here on Long Island as the director of Long Island Youth For Christ for over 30 years. At the party were about 200 people from senior citizens to high school students, all there to honor Jack and thank him for his years of faithful ministry. The highlight of the evening was during the program when about 20 folks stood to share how Jack had impacted their lives. Hearing stories of people in their 40's about bike trips in the 70's and 80's that changed their lives, others there who were never directly under Jack's ministry but married someone who was, people who were under Jack's ministry and now their kids are under it, people who have been long-time supporters of the ministry through prayer and giving ... it was just incredible to see the domino effect of a life well lived for Jesus. As one of the pastors who was facilitating the evening said, most people at a service like this in their honor don't get to hear about the lives they touched, because they are in a box on the stage. Wow! What a living legacy, and a real treat for Jack to be able to see, on this side of death, a glimpse of the influence he has had for Christ. May we all be so privileged!
2 comments:
my thoughts exactly - invite me to your 60th :-)
Reply from Jack:
Thanks for the kind words on the blog. It was a great night. Everyone in that room shares a special experience and story or more with me. You should be glad they stopped it when they did. You are building your own legacy as a servant of Jesus. Keep your focus on what matters most.
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