My grandpa passed away on March 29th, passing the torch of faith to his descendants. He carried this torch throughout his life as he continued to answer God's call to ministry. Several times he retired from preaching, and several times he stepped back to the pulpit to shepherd God's people. Sowing the word of God creates a lasting legacy that continues to bear fruit in the lives of those who knew him.
For his family, the legacy begins with faith and extends to countless character traits unique to grandpa. Sure, there are the deer he fed, then hunted from his bedroom window. His trademark car since the 80's?... a Subaru station wagon (red in later years) with the license plate "Redwood." Each time he retired one of these cars, it was replaced by another Subaru station wagon. While driving around, he never got tired of tinkering with the gadgets in the car or narrating each landmark along the route. If you weren't riding with him, never fear, he had a set of walkie-talkies to make sure you didn't miss anything along the way. Then there's Christmas gifts... You never knew what the gadget of the year would be. However, once one person opened their gift, shortly you saw a complete set of identical treasures filling the room. Perhaps, a crockpot in the shape of a football, a year's supply of paper towels, a bacon rack for the microwave, a TV screen with moving fish, etc.
It's hard to pick which memories are the most endearing here. My family made several displays representing my grandpa at the funeral "viewing." There were jars of seeds, an ice cream maker, fishing pole, etc. What stood out to me the most were the endless pictures of memories each family member had to share. He was at EVERYTHING: graduations, sporting events, marching band shows, commissioning for mission trips, vacations, holidays, weddings, etc. Each one of my cousins dearly loved, and was dearly loved by him. All 11 of us have different talents and interests, yet he loved each one of us and related to us as individuals. There are common threads of him reflected in us (faith in Jesus, serving, gardening, art, hunting, fishing, a love of nature, traveling). From him we learned that that family is a treasure.
Surely his neighbors will remember his ever expanding orchard of trees: pecan, apple, peach, pear, plum, apricot, etc. His plastic bag scarecrows with hand-drawn faces were always creative in the vegetable and melon gardens. While he planted fruit and vegetable seeds, the seeds of truth and trust in Jesus are what will continue to bear fruit. A pastor and friend of my grandpa spoke at his burial, referencing 1 Corinthians 15:35-49. As I looked around, I saw living fruit in each of the people Grandpa loved and served. We'll always have the memories and we'll always have the call to sow seeds of faith into the lives of others. I'll miss his presence in my life, yet know that we'll only be apart for a short time.
