Kevin Grimes is an attorney with Thompson Burton, in Nashville, Tennessee. He has practiced law for 35 years. For the last 29 years, he has specialized in direct selling law, as well as the practice areas frequently associated with them including food, drug, cosmetic, and dietary supplement law; contracts; distributor compliance; and international expansion.
On the personal side, Kevin has been involved in youth ministry for 23 years. He was a therapeutic foster parent from 2000 to 2013. During that time he fostered 30 teenage boys, and adopted two of them. In 2018, he adopted a 14 year old from Bulgaria, and in 2020, he adopted another 14 year old from Latvia. Since 2016, he has participated in orphan hosting programs that bring orphans from developing countries to the U.S. for 4-5 weeks over Christmas and 4-8 weeks over the summer. He has hosted 9 different orphans from Latvia over the last five years. Several times a year, he volunteers at Hogar CIMA, a group home for abandoned children in Lima, Peru.
Kevin does not believe that we are on this planet to suck air for six to nine decades and live a life that is primarily about maximizing our pleasure, comfort and ease. Rather, he believes that we are here to make a difference in the economy of eternity and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. His passions are Jesus, youth ministry, orphan care and making differences in the lives of children.
In this conversation with Kevin Grimes, you’ll hear:
-Why we wouldn’t necessarily want to live forever…01:30
-The art of being fully present with God…05:45
-Tips on disciplining one’s self to sleep with the mind racing to and fro…09:00
-“Getitness” and the benefits of being more present…12:30
-How sheltered Americans can open their eyes to the realities of other cultures…16:50
-How Kevin began his journey ministering to the extreme poor around the world…21:35
-Success stories as a foster parent…27:00
-Lessons learned during on the job training parenting traumatized teenage boys…37:55
-“There’s always doubt” in these kids…41:30
-How orphanages fall short in preparing children for the harsh realities of life…48:00
-What it’s like to love children who’ve never before been loved…54:00
-Eliminating the orphan issue is easier than you might think…57:30
-Why Americans are so unhappy, even though they’ve got so much stuff…1:05:50
-How to get involved if adoption isn’t possible for one’s situation in life…1:10:00
-Experiencing the “American Dream” doesn’t come without obligations and responsibilities…1:16:45
-Kevin’s personal spiritual disciplines…1:18:30
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Time for Reform: Aging Out and On Their Own
Adoption Saved My Life
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, by David Platt
Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper
It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men, by S. Truett Cathy