Long before my dad wrote Experiencing God, he was living it. My family would sit around the dinner table and listen to stories of how God had miraculously given us exactly what we needed. For us, God wasn’t simply a doctrine; he was a Person we could experience and trust.
My dad grew up in a faith-filled home. His father, Gerald Richard Blackaby, was a committed Christian, a Baptist deacon, and a church planter. God always seemed to give him opportunities to lead customers to Christ. My grandfather would often burst through the door of his home and introduce his family to a stranger he had just led to the Lord.
My grandfather’s parents were people of faith too. My great-grandfather attended Spurgeon’s College in London while Charles Spurgeon was still leading it. His brothers attended too. His brothers became pastors, but my great-grandfather served God while operating a bakery.
As amazing as it was for God to use my father so powerfully, it was unsurprising to those who knew him. God worked through him just as he had through his father and grandfather. My dad never took his spiritual heritage for granted. He was keenly aware that to whom much is given, much is required. He was delighted that his five children all walked closely with God and that his fourteen grandchildren gave their lives to Christ. In his later years, he spoke often of the generations coming behind him.
It has been said that it’s much more difficult to pass on a legacy to the third generation than to the second. As my parent’s firstborn child, I knew them and their message better than anyone, and I embraced it. The question was whether my kids would feel the same way. I used to think there was no greater thrill than ministering alongside my parents. I was wrong. It’s even more exhilarating to minister alongside my children! It was a joy for me to write Experiencing God in Everyday Life with my two sons, Mike and Daniel. My daughter, Carrie, works for our ministry and edits everything I write. Her husband works for our ministry too.
My father never took his children’s faith for granted. He had many godly friends whose kids didn’t follow Christ, despite growing up in a home with parents who did. I often heard my father explain that he chose to walk with God so confidently, joyfully, and victoriously that his children would look at his life and conclude, “If that is what it looks like to follow Jesus, then I want to follow him too.”
When I became a father, I realized that the world hates godly legacies and does everything it can to destroy them. Yet I also knew how powerful it is to pass on a godly heritage. My children certainly had that.
My father used to claim that we are always just one generation away from total paganism. If a single generation fails to pass down their faith, the church will have to close its doors. I know famous leaders who built large organizations, wrote popular books, and accumulated much wealth, but none of their children embraced their faith. To me, nothing I accomplished would be praiseworthy if I failed to raise my children to follow Jesus.
As you read Experiencing God in Everyday Life, recognize how pleased my parents would be to know that their oldest grandsons have embraced their spiritual legacy and are faithfully promoting the message God gave them.
It’s one thing to teach your children to attend church, live a moral life, and believe in God. It’s another to teach your children to experience God. Once they have, they will never want to settle for anything less.
Experiencing God in Everyday Life: A Journey to Spiritual Maturity will be available June 1, 2026. Pre-order now.
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