My grandfather, James Palmer Kirk, died this morning. He was in his early-90's and saddled with advanced-stage Alzheimers that left him sweet but largely lost in his last months in a retirement community.
There's lots about grandfather that I could say, but the most striking thing about him and grandmother is that they spent 40 years in Brazil as missionaries. They went overseas with the Southern Baptist mission board at a time when missionaries bought one-way tickets and left their affairs in order.
They raised four kids on the mission field. All four of them are in full-time ministry or have been exceedingly active in lay leadership in their local churches. One is serving on the mission field back in Brazil.
One Brazilian custom is for all the boys in the family to share their first name. James Palmer Kirk was my grandfather and the only one to go by James. James Robert Kirk is my dad and (yes, here it is for all you Star Trek fans) James Tom Kirk (you got the "T," but not "Tiberius," sorry) is the oldest.
Thus, my brother (James Robert Daniel Kirk) and I (James Alexander Kirk) both share the "James" as well...and my son Davis is James Davis.
When I contributed to the Small Group Leader's Handbook that came out back in December, I wanted to have J. Alex Kirk on the cover. I get lots of playful flack from my staff friends, but to me it was an important nod to the legacy that I did nothing to create and have received enormous blessing from. I stand on the shoulders of giants.
Grandfather and grandmother's stories of preparing to go overseas and the family stories of their time in Brazil are full of the Lord's provision and grace (and not a few dramatic exaggerations for effect). My first legitimate publication (an article that ran in a student leadership magazine) started with one of their stories, check it out here.
They ended up spending most of their retirement in Pooler, Georgia, supporting my aunt and uncle as they served at First Baptist Church in Pooler. When they returned to the States in the 1980's, I barely knew them. And I didn't get to spend much time with them over the past twenty years.
But every day when I pray for my kids, I claim the legacy of faith and faithful servant-leadership that I received from James and Maxie Kirk. I didn't know them as well as I might have liked. But we knew the same God. And he has blessed me richly through the both of them.
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