Name: Loran Kirk
High School: Jay High School
College: Northeastern State University
Sport Played: Football
Hometown: Kansas, Oklahoma
Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee Nation
Q and A with Loran Kirk
Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee
Favorite Bible Verse:
My favorite bible verse is "Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff — they comfort me.”—Psalms 23:4. It is my favorite verse because no matter what "dark valley" or situation I am facing in my life, God tells me not to be afraid and that he is with me through it all.
Nickname: L-Ray, this came from my name Loran Ray
Favorite Food: Deer Meat
Favorite Walk-Up Song: Graves into Gardens by Elevation Worship, I just like the words that it speaks. It talks about searching the world, but worldly things cannot fill us. God comes and he fulfills us. And then nothing is better than the Lord. Those parts of the song really speak to me.
Favorite Player: Patrick Mahomes is one of my favorite players to watch. On the field he is outstanding as he has changed the game, but off the field he gives praise to the Lord and has said that he is on the field to glorify him.
Favorite Part of Being Leader on a Team: Over my years in athletics, I have learned that leadership isn’t necessarily about being in charge; it’s about modeling Christ-like humility and guiding others to live out their faith through sports. It's about our actions on and off the fields/courts. I loved my time at NSU where we were able to create a team culture that is rooted in trust, accountability, and encouragement.
Who Do You Look Up to: I look up to my grandfather, Fred Kirk. I look up to him in many ways, some of them are the way he rooted himself amongst our family. His toughness, resilience, or the way he taught me many things in life. He loved the Lord, his wife, kids, and us grandkids more than we can ever know.
Plans After Graduation: I plan to teach and coach at Kansas Public Schools. I have accepted a position to teach elementary physical education and coach high school football, powerlifting, and track. I will also work towards a master's degree in school administration.
What Is Your Favorite Part of Being a Christian Athlete/Coach: My favorite part of being a Christian coach is the opportunity to integrate faith with sport and use athletics as a platform to teach. Coaching isn’t just about winning games or improving skills; it's about shaping character, instilling values, and helping athletes grow in their relationship with God. Sports provide countless opportunities to teach perseverance, teamwork, integrity, and humility, values that align perfectly with Christian principles.
Who was my favorite Senior or Junior High Coach: Coach Matt Williams. Not only did he coach me hard on the field and track. Coach Williams always showed me and led me the right way outside of the sports. He taught me many lessons, and I can always look to him as he always carries himself in the right way. It has really come full circle as I get to work with him now in Kansas.
Favorite part FCA (game time, worship, devotional, prayer time, snacks): My favorite part of FCA was the prayer time, (you cannot go wrong with snacks though.) I loved prayer time as my teammates, and I would open up and put it all out there for one another to hear. But the better part was that we never hesitated to pray for one another when in a time of need or lift one up with needed.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes:
At FCA, we want to help you understand other ways and strategies of giving. We would be glad to work with your financial advisers on any type of gift. Our stewardship strategies reflect the Biblical model of giving generously and strives to maximize the best IRS-approved, tax-wise strategies.
Our Recommended 4-Step Gift Planning Process
1.) Pray - Take time to pray for God’s will in your stewardship plans.
2.) Explore - Contact us to explore how to maximize charitable giving while minimizing, or even eliminating, taxes.
3.) Create - Create a gifting plan. We would be glad to help you or work with your tax advisor and attorney.
4.) Implement - Move forward with your plans with the help of FCA and your advisor.
"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Proverbs 15🕙
