Generational Passing is a Constant Theme.

Seek the Peace and Prosperity of the City in which I have placed you.
וְדִ רְ שׁוּ אֶת-שְ ׁלוֹם הָעִיר, אֲשֶ ׁר הִגְלֵיתִ י אֶתְ כֶם שָ ׁמָ ּה, וְהִתְ פַּלְלוּ בַעֲדָ הּ, אֶל-יְהוָה: כִּי בִשְ ׁלוֹמָ הּ, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם שָ ׁלוֹם ז
JEREMIAH 29:7

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. “Moses is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give them to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates, all the Hittite country, to the great sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life…

לאחר מותו של משה, עבד ה ‘, ויאמר ה’ יהושע בן נון, עוזרו של משה. “משה מת. נו, אתה וכל האנשים האלה, להתכונן לחצות את נהר הירדן אל הארץ אני עומד לתת להם לבני ישראל. אני אתן לך בכל מקום בו אתה מגדיר את הרגל, כמו שהבטחתי משה. הטריטוריה שלך תרחיב מהמדבר ללבנון, מהנהר הגדול, הנהר פרת, כל הארץ החתי, אל הים הגדול במערב. אף אחד לא יהיה מסוגל לעמוד נגדך כל ימי חייך …

Joshua 1: 1-5

In this passage from Joshua the baton of leadership is being passed from Moses to Joshua, as well as from one generation to the next. The generation that grew up in slavery and had to wander in the desert for 40 years because they were unable to grasp the promise that God had made them, the generation that followed God into the Promised Land, were shaped by their childhood of wandering in the desert without a memory of a previous life in Egypt. They looked to the future with optimism, trusting in God’s plan.
Generational passing is a constant theme. At times it is relatively mild while in other times it is quite extreme. The degree of change is shaped by war, economics, technology, tolerance and perceived future for the rising generation.
It is the responsibility of every generation to prepare the next to take on the responsibilities that will be placed upon them.Jim Walker
The passing generation often fears the changing environment while the next generation is optimistic that they will be able to shape a world without some of the fears, difficulties or prejudices that they perceived affected the previous generation. It is the responsibility of every generation to prepare the next to take on the responsibilities that will be placed upon them.

In this issue of 4Memphis we share the pages of 4Memphis with the next generation as they launch their own publication 4Memphis Impact. The staff of 4Memphis Impact is comprised of 12 high school students from 4 different schools hired by Langston Myers to produce the magazine. The 4Memphis Impact staff is responsible for all aspects of delivering the pages of the magazine from content, story ideas and writing, to event coverage, ad sales and page layout.

Langston, a sophomore at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, wrote an article for 4Memphis Youth Impact Writing Series in the August, 2016 issue. Shortly afterwards, she approached me with the idea of creating a separate publication focusing on the youth of Memphis. She reached out to numerous high school communication departments seeking those interested in journalism, photography and graphic design. Over the next several months, she and her staff came together to shape and develop the concept. It has been exciting to see the dedicated work that the 4Memphis Impact staff has put in to create their publication, with late-evening meetings and afternoon layout sessions. They are often coming to work as the 4Memphis staff is packing up to go home. They have put in a full day of school, threaded the needle between soccer, homework and their other activities to make 4Memphis Impact a reality.

4Memphis is dedicated to promoting and lifting up the many uniquely positive aspects of Memphis and its citizens. 4Memphis Impact is the next generation stepping up earlier than one would have imagined to shape and tell their stories. Parents often worry about their high school students because they have no fear and don’t see the dangers of what they’re doing; they see the joy they hope to experience out of their activities.

Parents often worry about their high school students because they have no fear and don’t see the dangers of what they’re doing; they see the joy they hope to experience out of their activities.Jim Walker
It is my prayer that the 4Memphis Impact staff will be able to channel that lack of fear and optimism to shape the next generation of Memphians.

Those who entered the Promised Land did so because they trusted God to deliver his promise; they learned to live without the fears of their parents. 4Memphis Impact – built on the optimism of their generation to change Memphis and the Mid-South. 

Seek the Peace and Prosperity of Memphis

Jim Walker