MY Grandmommy!

Kelly's grandmother is named Pauline Williams. She goes by several names, however, including Mom, Mrs. Pauline, and Aunt Polly; but she was introduced to me at the age of 91 as simply “Grandmommy.” Kelly and I had been “seriously dating” for some time, and I was invited to Hiram, Georgia, to spend the weekend and get to know the family. The first time I ever met Grandmommy, she hugged my neck and said, “Don't they have any pretty girls where you're from?” It was like I'd known her all my life, and so began a wonderful relationship.

Grandmommy and I get along for several reasons, but I think the primary reason is because I like to talk and Grandmommy loves a good story. She has been a tremendous encouragement to me during the writing of this book. She is a saintly woman of God who loves Jepordy, great-grandchildren, and chocolate.

One day, the family was sitting around chatting and the subject of re-incarnation came up. Grandmommy said, “You know I don't believe in that stuff, but if I did I think I'd probably come back as a wolf.” Well you can imagine the chuckles that insued. “Why do you think you'd come back as a wolf?” someone asked. “Well, I guess, it's 'cause I'm so mean” Grandmommy replied.

She then went on to recount for us a story from her childhood. She said that when she was a little girl in school, one of her classmates was from “the wrong side of the tracks.” Grandmommy said they would throw rocks at the girl and tease her about her father making moonshine. “I don't know if that was true about her Daddy, but that was the story anyway.” You could tell in Grandmommy's voice that there was a twinge of guilt about how she had treated another human being even after eighty plus years.

Trying to lighten the mood a bit, Cousin Jo-Jo said, “Pauline, you know how Justin tells stories, he'll probably be telling that about you.” Grandmommy simply smiled and said, “Well, maybe so, but I'm gonna die and go to Heaven before he does, and I'll tell God it ain't true!”

So much to learn, from that story in particular, and from Grandmommy in general. I'm sure that the teasing carried about by Grandmommy and her posse was part of harmless child's play, but again, you could tell it bothered her just a bit. Why? Because Grandmommy knows what I'm trying to learn and put into practice; everyone is made in the image of God and because of that they all have dignity. Picture the lowest, low-life, scum sucking, varmit of a human being you can think of, and they are still closer to God than anything else on the planet because they are made in His image. I dare say that the biggest regret most of us will have when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ is the way we have treated His children.

Grandmommy is ninety-six at this writing. She has already begun dropping hints that she might not be around much longer. She doesn't say it with any hint of sadness, though. But that's what happens when you have an intimacy with the One you know you'll spend eternity with. Jesus says in John 14:2-3, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Let That Pony Run!

Let That Pony Run

          Dad and I like to watch horse racing.  The problem is, we don’t know anything about it.  We love horses, but as far as knowing anything about breeding or the business of racing, we are pretty delinquent.  We just like to, as Dad says, “Watch the ponies run.”  Growing up, I remember watching the Triple Crown every year, but one year stands out above all the others.

          The year was 1989.  Every year Dad and I would choose a horse to pull for during the race or races, based on some very shallow indicators like name or color.  Very rarely did we know anything of bloodlines, earnings or how they finished in recent races, enough to make educated decisions.  Before the Kentucky Derby I chose a big Chestnut colored horse named “Easy Goer.”  This was my pick for a few simple reasons.  First, because of his color, he stood out against the usual back drop of all the other bay colored Thoroughbred horses.  Secondly, his trainer was named Shug McGaughey.  “Shug” just happens to be the nick-name that my Dad has called me since birth.  It also didn’t hurt that the betters had made Easy Goer the favorite to win the Derby.  Dad chose to root for a speedy black colt named “Sunday Silence.”  This horse may have subconsciously been attractive to Dad because of his fondness for Sunday afternoon ciestas. 

          I don’t remember very much about the Kentucky Derby itself, just that Sunday Silence, Dad’s horse, won, and my horse, Easy Goer, came in second.  The other thing I remember is that I was excited about the rematch in the Preakness a few weeks later.  And, man, what a rematch it was!  It was the stuff of legends.  No Hollywood director, no matter how creative or talented, could have made the clash of these two titans appear any more dramatic.  Sunday Silence broke to the front of the pack early with the pacesetters, while Easy Goer got off to a sluggish start.  But when Easy started to make his move, it looked like the other horses were standing still.  When he passed the frontrunners, including Sunday Silence, it looked like the race would be a blowout, and he would leave them all in the dust.

          Sundays are special, though, and on this particular Saturday, this particular Sunday was very special.  Sunday Silence jockey asked for more and his horse responded.  As Easy Goer and Sunday Silence started down the home stretch with ¼ mile to go, the 90,000 + in attendance knew they were witnessing something for the ages.  “Down the stretch they come!  Sunday Silence on the outside.  Easy Goer on the inside.  Stride for stride, neck and neck, nose to nose.”  And after a photo finish and a stewards review that seemed to last forever….it was Sunday Silence, Dad’s horse, who won by a nose.

          In my heart I still think Easy won, and three weeks later he did in fact win the Belmont, the last leg of the Triple Crown, by eight lengths, but that’s beside the point.  (These two  had a fourth  rondexvous in the Breeders Cup, in which Sunday Silence won by a neck, but that’s also beside the point.)  The point is this was a moment that will ever be etched in my mind.  A moment that Dad and I shared.  Ever since then, if I am unable to watch the Triple Crown with my Dad, I call him and we watch it together over the phone.  More often than not these days it seems we’re pulling for the SAME horse, for we’d both like to see someone win the Triple Crown.

          Though the Bible doesn’t talk much about horse racing, Brother Paul does talk about racing in general.  Here’s one of my favorite passages from Hebrews 12: 1-3, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

          A few things to consider from these verses…..

First, the part about “ throwing off everything that hinders” reminds me of another horse race.  It’s the one at the end of “The Black Stallion” movie.  You know the one about the little boy, and the big horse.  In the big race they’ve dressed the boy up in so much garb so that the spectators won’t realize he’s just a kid.  Midway through, he just throws off his helmet and goggles he’s been told to wear so that he can ride the Black as they’ve done so many times before.  God help us to cast off those things that hinder our relationship with Him and keep us from running the race set before us.

Second, let’s talk about this part about “fixing our eyes on Jesus”.  Did you know that many race horses wear blinders on their bridle that allows them to only look forward?  That way they are not distracted by the crowd or other horses or anything else.  They just run! 

          Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

          Look full in His wonderful face,

          And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

          In the light of His glory and grace.

Keeps everything in perspective, doesn’t it?

How NOT to Choose a Major

     Yesterday I added my 1000th Facebook friend.  Her name is Kelli Evans Brown.  She is married to Donnell Brown of Throckmorton, Texas, and together they run a large cattle ranch.  I met Kelli when I was in the ninth grade at Union High School and she was a freshman at the Oklahoma State University.  Our one on one conversations over the next four years might have reached a total sum of one hour in duration, but this lady, like so many others, unknowingly had a profound impact on my life.  None of them set out with a goal of injecting confidence into the life of a young man with cerebral palsy.  No, the did it just by being themselves.
     Like I said, this all starts at Union High School, Union, Mississippi, 1987.  At the time, UHS offered very few elective courses.  In fact, the way I remember it, the girls went to "Home Ec" class and the guys went to "Vo Ag" class.  "Vo Ag" stands for Vocational Agriculture, and while none of us ever intended to become farmers, er, um, vocational agriculturalist, we were certainly not going to spend our time learning to cook and sew.  The Vo Ag teacher was Mr. Mark Savell.  Whether Mr. Savell took a special interest in me because I was in a wheelchair, or because I was simultaneously his third and fourth cousin (he'd have to explain it to you), really doesn't matter.  The fact is that he did, and it changed my life forever.
     Mr. Savell encouraged me to get involved in the FFA, Future Farmers of America.  Again, I saw no farming in my future, but the FFA opened up a world for me I had never known previously: competition.  While many of my able bodied friends were involved in athletic competition, in the FFA I found an outlet for my competitive spirit.  The first competition I took part in was called "Creed Speaking".  Mr. Savell required all of us as freshman to recite the FFA Creed for a grade in his Vo Ag class.  I figured if I had to learn it anyway, I may as well learn it well, and get to get out of school one afternoon to perform at the District Competition.  After more than twenty-five years, I still remember the first two paragraphs of the Creed:
     "I believe in the future of farming, with a faith born not of words but of deeds - achievements won by present and past generations of farmers; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.
     I believe that to live and work on a good farm is pleasant as well as challenging; for I know the joys and discomforts of farm life, and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny."
     Yep.  Just typed that whole thing from memory.  Then I Googled to see if I got it right.  Only missed one little prepositional phrase.  Probably the same one I missed twenty-five years ago which caused me to place second in the competition and miss a trip to the state finals.  But I, as they say, had been "bug-bit" and I got so involved in the FFA my freshman year that I was nominated to receive the "Star Greenhand Award".  The award was given at the end-of-the-year FFA banquet.  We were also told that the national student president of the organization would be speaking at the UHS FFA banquet.  That person was Kelli Evans.
     I won the "Star Greenhand Award" that night, but that's not what made my night special.  After the banquet was over, Kelli came over to congratulate me.  And ya'll as Kelli Evans, THE national president of the FFA, with that long blonde hair and big eyes and that blue and gold corduroy jacket on, approached, it felt like she was moving in slow motion!  I, a freshman at a little poe-dunk high school, was carrying on a conversation with a beautiful, intelligent, successful college girl!  And she initiated it!  She said that she'd heard great things about me, and I learned that she was majoring in Agricultural Economics.
     Well, fast-forward four years or so.  I did everything there was to do in FFA.  I was Chapter Officer, livestock judge, parliamentary procedure contestant, District Officer candidate, state extemporaneous public speaking contestant, and eventually State Officer.  Because of my involvement, I applied for and received one of the prestigious college scholarships offered by the FFA.  The only requirement was that I major in some area of agriculture.
     What do you think I chose?  That's right...Agricultural Economics!  Now it didn't hurt that I enjoyed my one semester of high school economics (thanks Coach Johnson), but that certainly wasn't the main reason.  I thought to myself, "If ALL of the girls majoring in Agricultural Economics are like Kelli Evans...that's EXACTLY where I need to be!"  And that, dear friends, is how I chose my major.
     There are two glaring ironies here.  The first is that when I arrived at Mississippi State to start my junior year after transferring from East Central Community College, I realized there were VERY few girls majoring in Ag. Econ.  (And I can assure you NONE of them were like Kelli Evans.)  The second irony is that these days part of my job is advising students and occasionally one of them will ask me to help them choose a major.  My response, "Well, let me tell you how NOT to do it."
     Awhile back someone told me, "If you like where you are, you can't complain about how you got there."  Can I just tell you...I LOVE where I am!  I have an amazing wife, kids, job, friends, church family, the list goes on and on.  And if I hadn't majored in Ag. Econ. there are people I would have never met and things I might never have experienced.  So Romans 8:28 is still true.  Even when we follow our own selfish priorities, even when we don't make wise decisions, even when we stray, God really is working all things together for our good and His glory.  So thanks David Mancil who introduced me to hunting.  I now spend many happy hours enjoying God's creation.  And thanks Dr. Little who taught me how to be a Christian witness in the classroom. And thanks Dr. Reinschmidt who taught me how to treat students like people.  Notice how the Apostle Paul concludes his second letter to Timothy:
     "Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.  Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.  Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.  I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.  When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
      Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
      At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
      Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.  Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.  Do your best to get here before winter.   Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.  The Lord be with your spirit.  Grace be with you all." 
     Did you see it?  In these verses Paul mentions seventeen different people who have impacted his life.  Here is Paul in a cold dungeon, chained like a common criminal, knowing he is nearing the end of his life, and what he thinks about is relationships.  You'll never meet anyone who isn't important to God....

Thoughts from Father Harbaugh

     The 2013 Super Bowl (that would be Super Bowl XLVII, for those who speak Roman numeral) was nicknamed the "Har-Bowl".  Why?  Because for the first time in NFL history, two brothers, John and Jim Harbaugh, faced off as the head coaches of their respective teams.  There were other intriguing story lines in the game.  Ray Lewis, the linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens once accused of murder, had announced his retirement and was playing in his final game.  Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback for the San Francisco  49ers with a cannon for an arm and video game type moves, had led the '9ers to a Super Bowl in just his second year out of college.  But it was the "brother versus brother" match-up that compelled many to tune in.
     I heard a radio interview with Jack Harbaugh, the father of Jim and John, just hours before the game.  There were the usual questions:  "Are you nervous?"  "How's your wife, Jackie, holding up through all of this?"   "How proud are you of your sons?"  But the question and answer that really got me to thinking was near the end of the interview.  The reporter asked, "How will you spend that three and a half hours during the game?"  (How could the reporter have known that there would be a blackout in half of the New Orleans Superdome that would halt play for thirty-five minutes?)  Jack's response, "Well, there's no emotion.  'Cause you have to know that if something good happens for one, it's bad for the other.  And vice versa."
     Wow.  What an incredibly difficult position.  Now, as a father, I can kind of get my mind around my children competing against one another.  But as a football fan...now you've sucked all of the fun out of the game.  Those of you who are football fans know that the games are most fun when you become emotionally invested.  It's thrilling when "your team" wins, even if you have no logical, financial or geographical connection to the team.  That's why they call us "fans"; because we're fanatical about "our team".  What an impossible situation to be faced with.  When two things you love face off, it's a "zero sum game".  Somebody wins.  Somebody loses.  But there's no emotion.
     The Bible has a bit to say about this.  In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."  Now, your "other love" may not be cash.  It may be your comfort, or your convenience or your children.  It may be your reputation, or your relationships, or even your religion.  But if there's anything in our life that impacts any segment of our life more than following the will of God, it's an idol.
     The Old Testament tells us time and again about the children of Israel getting caught up in idol worship.  2 Kings 17:8-12 is one such passage:
     (They) followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.  The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.  They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.  At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger.  They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”
     There is so much that could be unpacked from these verses.  I think the knee jerk reaction for many Christians goes something like, "Whew!  Glad I don't have any idols in my life.  I mean I don't have any Asherah poles or sacred stones, and I don't burn incense to Baal.  Check that off the list.  I'm in the clear."  But notice that this passage begins by saying they "followed the practices of the nations".  Do you know what that means?  It means that they were just doing what everybody else was doing.
     You see, an idol doesn't have to be illegal (like a drug addiction or sacrificing your children in a fire).  It doesn't have to be culturally unacceptable (like abandoning your wife).  It may even be accepted, uplifted and applauded by your circle of Christian friends.  But if there is anything, yes anything, that causes you to hesitate about following the will of God, it could very well be an idol.
     Christian George writes in the Gospel Project, "The question is not if we are worshiping; the question is what we are worshiping.   Any attention we give to idols is attention we deflect from God...robbing God of the glory that is rightfully His.  The God of the Bible describes Himself as 'jealous'.  God does not play second fiddle.  He never has and He never will."  God is not jealous of us or for us.  He is jealous for Himself.  That is because He is alone is true, and perfect, and holy, and sovereign, he is worthy of all worship and will indeed be glorified!
     In 1 Kings 18:21, the prophet Elijah asked the children of Israel, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" (HCSB)  Like "a calf starring at a new gate", many of us have halted in our walk with the Lord, not know which way to turn.  We have a longing to serve God, but the allure of worldly things has taken precedence in our lives.  Pray today, if you dare, that God would reveal the idols in your life...and pray for the resolve to destroy them.