My heart pounds inside my chest, screaming for relief. Sweat drips down my temple toward the furrowed creases of my determined face. My feet pound the pavement as it rises up beneath me. My whole body is locked in a hyper focused state of speed, determination, and purpose. I keep myself fixed on a singular goal: make a solid connection, with precision and with great speed, pass the baton off to the next runner. The goal of the pass is to empower the next leg to run with purpose so that they can pass the baton and so on until we have all achieved our victory.
During 2025, Cord of 3 has operated with the same level of intensity. Our goal is to equip, empower, and engage families (dads and moms and grandparents) in the ministry of being hyper focused on passing the baton of faith to the next generation. This vital work is anchored in God’s Word when he tells fathers to teach their children diligently (Deut. 6) or as he commissions the church to teach all nations all things that Jesus has communicated (Matthew 28). We, the adults in the room, the older men and women within the Christian faith, carry both the burden and joy of equipping this younger generation to have the same intensity in their determination to live for the glory of the Lord as God’s Word calls us to.
Still, barriers rise against such resolve. The enemy, this flesh, and the world entice the next generation to yield to the slave of mediocrity and rebellion. God directs the Corinthian church that if they are going to run, run so as to win the prize. The runner who does not give the race their all, will not win. Therefore, we must strive all the more both to live faithful lives daily and to pass on the baton (a message of hope and obedience) of faith to this younger generation.
Over the past year, we have been intentional in equipping fathers to influence their sons and their daughters, their wives and their whole homes by being faithful leaders, commanders, and servants. We have equipped churches and youth leaders with tools to ignite a revival of family worship in the homes they are serving. We have provided a toolbox of resources to school counselors, social workers, and others that will help build resiliency, emotional strength, healing, and spiritual growth to the youth and families they reach. Just as Paul acknowledged the generational faith in Timothy’s home through the faithful instruction of his mother and grandmother, we have seen families directly impacted by generational faith.
“The moments I treasure most as a father are seeing my three children participating in family worship time. Watching them play the guitar or create the melody on the piano so that we could make a joyful noise unto the Lord Hearing them lift their voices in prayer, or delighting in God’s Word as we discuss the promises of God causes me to understand John’s statement ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth’. It is a joy watching my children passionately pursue a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.”
This has been an amazing year experiencing a movement of vigor, determination, discipline, and spiritual sweat going into transformational change. And YET, it is not time to rest, it is time to raise the bar.
As we move into a new year, Cord of 3 is launching our 2026 theme: Raise the Bar. We pray that this captures the spiritual and inspirational imagery of achieving a “personal best” and then setting a new standard of going higher up and further into the calling God has placed on us as families, which is to love Him and love others. Our efforts in raising the bar will be spent in lifting up Biblical expectations, making the standards of God’s Word for families clear, and building a Biblical mindset as foundational to Kingdom life.
We invite you to join us. Together, we raise the bar when truth becomes not just our path, but our passion.
