Week 3 2013 Living Legacy

I had a wonderful conversation with Gene Shelburne on the phone recently.  This wonderful man of God has been serving the church in Amarillo for more than forty-four years!  As we visited, we spoke about his father and mother, G.B. and Wilma, and the influence they had.  The impact of this couple will be felt for generations to come.  Gene and his brothers, B, Jim, and Curtis, along with their children and families, are living legacies to G.B. and Wilma Shelburne.  Paul writes to his protégée, Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

This week marked G.B.’s hundredth birthday.  G.B. served the Lord faithfully his entire life, devoting himself to bringing up preachers and their wives to enlarge the kingdom.  He established Gospel Tidings, a Christian magazine devoted to inspire Christians on toward greater maturity in Christ.  In 1946 he also established the Training Work, now known as South Houston Bible Institute (SHBI).  Even though he is not with us in body, his spirit continues to work to God’s glory through his living legacy.  I don’t know all that they fine young men, along with their sister, Ruth, have done, but I do know that they have all faithfully served the Lord in varying capacities throughout their entire lives, and now their children and grandchildren are following in their steps.  Along with his service to the church in Amarillo, Gene has edited and published the Christian Appeal for many years.  He has been a great encouragement to me and many others.  B served as a missionary in Malawi for nineteen years, and then took over the reigns of the training work about thirty years ago, and now, even in retirement, he is starting a satellite project for SHBI in Lubbock.  I don’t know Curtis very well, however, I do know that he has written many fine articles and books, while serving the church in Muleshoe, Texas.  I don’t really know Jim at all, however, I do know that he serves the Lord.

My wife and I had the privilege and honor to have studied under G.B. and B. tutelage for three years in the latter part of the eighties.  Those three years were the most meaningful years of my life.  The direction my family and I received has done so much in bringing us into a closer relationship with Jesus.  Our purpose was to gain solid Bible instruction so as to be more effective as we would enter full-time ministry.  Indeed, we gained what we sought, and so much more.  Through these men and their wives, we gained an example that is still serving us today.  It is one that we have endeavored to emulate.  However, I must confess that I have fallen far short of what these great men have done.  My wife and I are only two, along with our two daughters, who have been impacted through the life of G.B. and Wilma Shelburne.  There are untold thousands who have fallen under the influence of this couple.  Their living legacy is found in the family they raised, and the family of God they instructed.  May we all strive to follow their example, leaving a legacy that honors the Lord of heaven and earth!