More than 20 years after they became friends, Focus on the Family Chairman and Founder Dr. James C. Dobson said goodbye to Dr. D. James Kennedy today.
"Jim told us not to mourn and not to grieve, and frankly that's very difficult to do," Dr. Dobson told a packed Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida. "A towering oak tree has fallen. We know we are going to see him again, and we draw comfort from that."
Dr. Dobson shared the story of his dad's initial refusal to answer the call of God to preach the Gospel. Many years later, he yielded.
"From that point on, he accepted the call, and he was committed to the day of his death," Dr. Dobson said. "He reached tens of thousands of people. One of them was a little towheaded kid named Jimmy."
Kennedy, too, initially resisted the call of God on his life.
"I am concerned about the Church today," Dr. Dobson said. "About other young people who are out there … who have been fighting the call. They have not been willing to do what God has been asking them to do. I do hope that something that happens today will urge this next generation to accept it."
The morning that Kennedy died — Sept. 5 — Dr. Dobson wrote down some of his thoughts, which he shared at the service:
"Many of the giants of the church are coming to the end of their journeys. It causes me to wonder who will be there to carry the banner when this generation of leaders is gone? God has always ordained men and women to fulfill his purposes, and I know he will do it again.
"Will the younger generation heed the call? Who will defend the preborn? Who will plead for the Terri Schiavos of the world? Who's got the courage to speak up? Who's going to fight for the institution of marriage? Who, in the next generation, will be willing to take the heat when it is so much safer and more comfortable to avoid the controversial subjects? Who is going to defend traditional morality? Who will call sin by its name and lead a nation to repentance and holiness?
"I pray that the Lord will anoint another generation of Jim Kennedys."
WATCH THE SERVICE
Today's memorial service for Dr. D. James Kennedy can be seen online.
