Reflections on Legacy, Generosity, and Purpose
There are moments in life, gentle and profound, when everyday actions become the canvas for deeper reflection. Standing beside a young grove of chestnut trees, cradling a five-gallon bucket that had been emptied of most of its water, such a moment arrived—unexpected, unbidden, yet unmistakably sacred. As the last traces of water trembled in the bottom of the pail, a quiet voice whispered within: “Look at your bucket, Kevin. Your life is like the water in that bucket, and three-quarters of it has already been poured out. Where will you pour the rest?”
Time, like water, flows steadily and once spent, cannot be reclaimed. The past sixty years, with their patchwork of triumphs and losses, accomplishments and regrets, flickered through memory’s corridors. How much time remains—twenty more years, ten, one? No one can know. Yet the challenge is not merely to count the years that remain, but to consider how best to use the measure left in the bucket.
From this quiet moment of contemplation, the mind turned toward the story of Humphrey Monmouth, a name seldom heard, yet a life that rippled across centuries. Monmouth, a prosperous English merchant, exemplified a rare and courageous generosity. He befriended young William Tyndale, a scholar ablaze with the passion to render the holy scriptures into the living language of the common people. Tyndale’s vision was bold, even dangerous; the established powers opposed the translation fiercely. Yet Monmouth, perceiving the weight of destiny in Tyndale’s calling, chose to pour the water of his remaining years into sustaining this vital work.
What Monmouth offered was not merely money. He provided for Tyndale’s daily needs, funded the expenses of translation, and—at great personal risk—helped orchestrate the printing and distribution of more than three thousand English Bibles. These sacred texts, smuggled into England and scattered throughout Europe, ignited a spiritual revolution. Tyndale’s translation would, after his martyrdom, become the foundation of the King James Bible, giving voice to faith for generations.
The cost was high. Both Tyndale and Monmouth paid dearly for their devotion—Tyndale, with his life; Monmouth, with imprisonment in the Tower of London. Yet the water they poured out continues to nourish lives centuries onward. Monmouth was not called to stand at the pulpit or pen the translation, but by using his resources and influence, he became the unseen patron of a world-changing work.
And so the question arises: as the water in your own bucket grows less with each passing year, where will you pour what remains? The world still teems with need and opportunity. In our era, the church of the Global South is rising, stepping boldly into the harvest fields where the gospel has not yet been proclaimed. The call goes out for new “Humphrey Monmouths,” patrons who will stand behind those gifted and called to bring hope to the unreached.
This is the vision of DM4N: to invest the remaining water in our buckets in the lives of Global South missionaries who labor among the world’s least-reached peoples. When you partner with DM4N, every dollar you offer flows directly to meet essential needs—health care, children’s education, ministry travel—enabling passionate laborers to serve and flourish. The harvest, as Jesus said, is plentiful, but the workers are few. Our greatest asset is not in structures or programs, but in the lives of those willing to go. “The harvest is great but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
Each of us carries a bucket—some brimming, some nearly empty. The question is not how much remains, but how it will be poured out. May we, like Monmouth, find purpose and joy in nourishing the seeds God is planting for generations yet to come.
