…legacy…

A few months ago my grandfather was knocking on death’s door and my siblings and I went to say what we thought would be our final goodbyes. From his hospital bed, he quoted Jesus’ words from Matthew 28 (often referred to as the great commission)…
“…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”.

My grandparents have 3 kids, 14 grandkids (plus 10 more by marriage), and 20 greats. Each and every one of their “24” grandkids knows and loves Jesus, and as my grandfather was reflecting on his life he wanted us to know that this was the thing he was by far the most grateful for and proud of…

…and his parting wish was that we would continue this legacy into the next generation and beyond.

Last week, several of “the cousins” gathered for a reunion week at the lake and his hearts-desire was carried out in the most tangible of ways when his namesake and oldest great-grandchild (Jimmy) was baptized by my cousin Eric (who is his second oldest grandson).

I’m not sure I’ve ever captured images that I’m more proud of… 
    

 
Jimmy is my sister’s oldest, and he is already (and continues to become) a really good man. He is strong and still tender…smart and respectful…gifted, yet humble…and as I listened to him share his faith story, I couldn’t help but ask God for the wisdom to raise my son in the same way…

Eric gave a beautiful explanation of the gospel and the symbolism of baptism…Jimmy got dunked…
…and his parents couldn’t have been more proud.

By God’s grace, my grandfather is still here, and I figured he’d like to watch his legacy in action, so I* put together this little video for him to see (…and for all of us to remember…) God’s goodness and mercy to our family.

(*by “I”, I, of course, mean my amazingly talented friend and assistant Krissy 🙂 ).