Leaving a Legacy - The Impact of Larry Burkett

is the subject of love. Not even salvation has more references to it than this money. The impact of Larry Burkett really can't be calculated. If you think about the '70s in America, there was a lot of turmoil. People were coming out of sort of this rebellious generation during the Vietnam War era, and they were looking for wise counsel. They were looking for something to believe in, and Larry provided that calm, wise voice of reason. He had an enormous impact on people, really, in all walks of life. Hi, I'm Judy Burkett. I was married to Larry Burkett for almost 45 years. He was cute. He was intelligent and kind. He wanted to take care of me. Before he was a Christian, his definition of success was making money. It was when he became a Christian that all that totally changed it didn't mean a thing to him any longer. He thought it was more important to teach people God's financial principles than to put a man on the moon and Larry was a part of that. He was the first person that wrote a comprehensive insight into what the Bible said about money, and God used him to provide hope for so many people that needed hope at that time. He would argue over everything, and the dentist had to tell him either you have to stop coming or you have to stop arguing. He told him to read the book of John, and during that time he came to know the Lord, and the day I walked down to acknowledge that I had become a Christian, all of a sudden I heard this clapping going on, and it was for Larry walk down beside me, and we both acknowledge that we both become a Christian. It struck him hard. He began to recognize that people didn't really understand what God said about money, so he began to study the Bible literally all the time.

The Bible was the basis for everything that Larry did. He went through it carefully. He marked it, all the passages related to money, and he memorized it. From year 1976, Larry founded Christian Financial Concepts. The beginning of the ministry was just a Bible study. They quickly discovered Larry. This needs to go further, and he began writing first curriculums and workbooks, programs for other people to engage with, and he started publishing books, and ultimately entered into Christian radio. And that's when the message went far beyond anything Larry had ever dreamed. Over the next decade, we will literally change the way Christians handle their money in America. It'll be visible to the secular world as well, and that message will get out in a large scale. I really do believe that. Thousands of people listened every day. They set their watch by when Larry would come on. I think he ended up on more than 2,000 stations. We received letter after letter saying, Larry, if it wasn't for you, we would be divorced. I'm counsel with enough couples to tell you that you can have peace in your life, even though you're in the midst of turmoil, if you turn to Christ. I joined staff as a local city director in 2000. I had the opportunity to ride in the car with Larry. We drove for three hours, and I got to ask him just about everything I wanted to ask him. Just to staff member, I had no idea that one day I would be sitting in the role that Larry had. And for some reason, what sticks out in my mind is I ask him, what is the key to running a successful ministry? He turned and looked right at me. He said, treat all people the same.

We're all equivalent. We're all servants. That's exactly how he lived. Every single person was important to Larry. Every single person, and I take that with me. During this time, Larry developed kidney cancer, and he lived ten years with kidney cancer. He was still doing his radio programs from the house. He would take his wheelchair and go into the closet and do the radio programs until that he was finally finished. He died July 4th, 2003. We would have been married 45 years. - An and I were actually with Larry the day before he went to be with the Lord. He was strong and vibrant, hopeful, optimistic. I was really shocked that he died the very next day on July 4th, 2003. - Larry believed in Chuck with all his heart. He felt he was the right person to continue on. - I had a burden that everybody in the world needed to know how to be a better steward. An and I sat in a meeting with Larry when I told him that God had put on my heart to serve the poor. And I remember Larry smiled and said, "God didn't put that on my heart, "but I'm glad he put it on your heart. "Follow what God has asked you to do." So if you compare the seasons of the past 50 years, I would say the first 25 were focused on the United States.

The second 25 years was taking the gospel in our training to the rest of the world. - Larry didn't like to fly. Chuck had a bigger vision of going around the world helping people and he saw the ability that Chuck had. - We're seeing countries open their doors to us. With no explanation, we're seeing a hunger among young people, returning to church, simply responding to where God is leading. - Chuck has been a really wise person of whom God really has given the ability to run the ministry. - Larry never imagined in the slightest that the organization would grow as large as it is with Chuck. It would blow his mind. I'm sure he would be so proud of Chuck and the people that work for Chuck. - When I was asked by the board of directors to take this role in responsibility, I didn't see myself as qualified. We went through some really hard times under my leadership and I looked back and just think the grace of God brought us through. He's been very kind to bring the ministry through some hard times. When I think about Larry's legacy, I think about love and I can't think of a better legacy than to have loved people. That's the most important thing. We love God and we love people.

That's the great commandment. That's what God said we're to be about, why he was about that. That's what makes life meaningful. That's really what we're here for. And if that would be said of me one day that I help people love God and love each other, promoted the love of God into their lives. You know, getting rid of the love of money allows the love of God to fill your heart. That's what I hope this is all about. If you're doing what God called you to do and the way that God called you to do, you will never want for anything. That God will provide not because of you, but to use you as a witness for other people. I don't know why God has left me alive when everybody else that had my cancer died. But I do know this as long as he has left me here, I'm gonna tell everybody I know Jesus Christ is my Lord and that Jesus Christ can do anything. And if he is chosen in his infinite wisdom that somehow by keeping me alive, it is for the furtherment of his kingdom. Praise the Lord for that. If he chooses tomorrow, that is better for the furtherment of his kingdom to take me home, praise the Lord for that. And that's what we all ought to be doing. (dramatic music)

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