5.13.2013

The Second Generation.


To read about each person featured in this cover story, scroll to the bottom of this post.

“His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.” (Luke 1:50)

The Bible is filled with generations.

Hidden within the many genealogies and stories of parents and children is a two-fold purpose. People are called not only to follow God’s direction for their lives but also to pass on the Truth they learn to those who come behind them.

Abraham was given a promise, and Isaac and Jacob carried it until the nation of Israel formed. David was told by God that he was just generations away from seeing a Savior come from his line. The Israelites, for years and years, watched their children.

In the Bible, one generation is measured as 40 years. That same time frame — 40 years — also marked momentous eras in Jewish history, most notably the wandering in the desert, when an entire generation died away after dismissing God’s hope for entering a new land.

The lesson to be learned is that one generation can fail to continue what has come before — or one generation can turn away from unbelief and forge ahead by God’s leading.

But the best stories of generations in the Bible are those of blessing, where parents train their children according to sound teaching. One generation rises up to follow God, and their children rise up as well.

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Word of Life Bible Institute’s founding, meaning the school is officially in its second generation. For years, parents have been sending their children to Schroon Lake, Hudson, Owen Sound, or now Jeju Island. But in recent years, many of those parents aren’t just sending their kids to a school they heard was great. They are pointing their children to the campuses that once changed their own lives.

We’ve rounded up a few students attending the Bible Institute this year who have parents who are alumni — as well as some of the alumni who encouraged their children to go to Word of Life — and asked them to describe why they made the choice to come to the Bible Institute and what it has meant to them. Not surprisingly, many of the alumni whose children are now studying in the same system that began 40 years ago have fond memories of when they first came, and they can affirm why they wanted their children to follow.

These are just a few of their stories. We would love to tell more, and to hear from any alumni about their experiences at the Bible Institute and beyond.

But, most of all, we want to celebrate a new generation following Christ, as the generation before, which pursued truth and God’s guidance. May we all see another fruitful 40 years.
If you want to share the story of where your life has gone since the Bible Institute, email alumni@wol.org, mikebush@wol.org, waynel@wol.org, or jenslothower@wol.org. You can also visit wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com.

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