Look Out For Each Other

That’s it. That’s the post. God created us to be relational. God created us to encourage one another. God created us to look out for each other.

A week ago I had the privilege of attending my son’s concert performance. He was blessed enough to receive a solo part.

If you know me I notice the little things most. The little things to me are what is most important. The performance was amazing. Mr. Poemoceah did a fantastic job preparing the students. The music; animation; etc, was all done very well.

But, something else entirely stuck out to me more than any of that. Each time one of the students had a speaking part; solo part; instrumental part; etc. they acknowledged one other first thing. During the concert. In a very subtle manner. You saw little “low 5’s”. You saw “thumbs up”. You saw “pats on the back”. You saw “huge smiles”. Every single student received those as they went back to their spot on the stage. From everyone they passed. It wasn’t a matter of giving their friends encouragement. They were just giving each other encouragement. Whether or not it was their best performance, or whether or not they stumbled a few times, ALL of them got the same response.

One of the students, in particular, had a very rough time. When the song started, they got choked up and an itch in their throat. It made singing the solo very difficult for them. They struggled the entire time. However, they never stopped singing. They never stopped trying. And they didn’t quit.

When the song was over, all of the students gave encouragement as they went back to their place. At the end of the concert, instead of going to their seats; instead of going to their classes; instead of going to their parents; a large group of them surrounded the student giving them love and encouragement. They all have been there. They all have had that experience. And they knew, in that moment, the most important thing was to look out for one another.

As we left that evening, that was the one thing that my son talked about. Feeling bad for that student. Wanting to pray for them that they would be okay. Yes, we talked about how well he did. Yes, we talked about how well the entire choir did. But, he also spoke to his wanting to be an encouragement.

We should follow the example that Kid’s Choir set for us. Look out for one another. Be there for one another. Encourage one another. Pray for one another.

It’s how God created us. It’s how God wants us to treat one another.

That’s it. That’s the blog.

Happy Father’s Day to my 4 Father’s

I’m a very blessed man. In too many ways to mention here. But I’ll mention 4 of those blessings that we commemorate today.

One, I am grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without my Heavenly Father I would be nothing. He pursued me, never gave up on me and saved me. Even when I tried to run from Him as far as I could. I am humbled to call Him my God, and my Father.

Two, I am grateful for my own father. The way he balanced his ministry plus a full time lay position plus being a father and provider is beyond me. He gave and continues to give Godly advice and day to day advice that I always need to hear. He invests in Benjamin in such a great way. He taught me there is always a way. No matter how hard the project in front of you, there is always a way.

Three, I am grateful for my Uncle Leroy. He has such a heart for God. He invests in his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He invests in Benjamin as if he was his own son. He invests in me as if I was his own son. He is a great example of what it means to consistently provide for his family and faithfully serve His God and his church.

Four, I am grateful for my Uncle Henry. Now, he may not be my flesh and blood uncle, but he was a second father to me growing up. I have many fond memories of spending 2 weeks at his house every summer. I learned about poison ivy, gooseberry pie, rhubarb pie, spinach pie, dirt clod fights and stitches all at his house. He also was a Godly father who loved his family and still loves them and invests in them.

It’s not many that can say they have one good father. I am blessed to say I have 3 men in my life that I have all learned from and continue to learn from. And I have Christ, my Heavenly Father to provide for me; protect me and correct me.

I truly am a blessed son. In so many ways. While I am sure none of the 3 men I mentioned will read this, it’s with a grateful heart I write this out tonight.

Happy Father’s Day!

Just Another Sports Quote

“Winning isn’t everything, It’s the only thing”

“Winning builds character”

“Losing builds character”

“You win some, you lose some”

“2nd place is 1st loser”

So many sports quotes with all kinds of mixed messages.

One of the hardest things for me to endure, is to watch little man lose. Or fail. Or fall. He works so hard. He practices so much. He pushes himself so much. So when he loses or doesn’t do well, my heart hurts for him.

And yet, he needs to lose. He needs to fail. He needs to fall. That’s the way he learns. Learns to win. Learns to lose. Learns to succeed. Learns to fail. Learns to get up. Learns to fall.

All of those things will happen.

My job as his parent is to help him navigate the ups and downs of life. Of sports. Of school. Of his summer. And anything else that fills him with pride or despair.

And with that in mind I’m here if he needs me.

With football over his full attention is on CSNA and WNL. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any stumbles along the way. There will more than likely be opportunities for me to invest in him.

As his dad, I need to walk softly by him, encourage him, and be there for him. No matter what. That’s my goal and God’s purpose for me.

I’m A Mama’s Boy

I am an only child. Yes, I know, that explains a lot. Lol … and I AM a Mama’s Boy.

My mom did everything imaginable throughout my childhood. She handled all the meals. She handled all the house cleaning. She handled all the laundry. She was a full-time Pastor’s wife. She babysat anywhere from 3-5 children at a time. If it was inside the house, it was Mom’s domain. She kept busy. To this day, she still stays busy with household chores and helping raise Benjamin.

My mom was/is a prayer warrior. To this day she is up between 5-6 a.m. spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading. There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mother’s constant prayers. Honestly, I doubt I would still be alive. If you ever have a question about the power of prayer, ask me. I will spend hours telling you about what my mother prayed me out of over my lifetime. I will spend hours telling you about what she and Dad went through that could have been so much worse without the prayers of a loving wife/mother.

I don’t tell her enough how much I love her.

I don’t tell her enough how much I appreciate her.

I don’t tell her enough how much she has done for me.

I don’t thank her enough for her leadership and her prayers.

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you very much!

Your #1 Son,

Brent

I Love Winter

Yes, you saw that right. I love winter.

Why you ask?

  1. Sweaters
  2. Hoodies
  3. The above 2 are my favorite pieces of clothing to wear. Too hot to wear them in the summer.
  4. Snow
  5. Snow
  6. Snow

Another reason I like winter is snow. There’s no denying that snow is beautiful. It’s another aspect of God’s creation that He has given us to enjoy. The way the sun shines brightly off of it during the day. The way it lights up the night when there is no sun. The way it frames everyday things and makes them look better. Snow is just beautiful.

But, more than that, winter is necessary. Winter takes a part in ensuring trees grow back stronger and fuller. Winter takes a part in ensuring flowers come back stronger with more blooms. Winter takes part in ensuring there’s not so many insects the plants and flowers can’t survive. Winter is necessary.

Do I enjoy every part of winter? Nope. I don’t like the ice. Although an icicle on a tree or the side of a home is pretty. I don’t like pipes breaking due to the cold. I don’t like the heat going out in a house in the dead of winter. I don’t like that sometimes it separates us from our friends and family for periods of time due to road and weather conditions.

So, while winter is not always fun; winter is always necessary. And parts of it can be enjoyable.

It’s a little like life. There’s times we go through a life period of winter. Things get difficult. We feel alone. We feel separated. We feel … “cold”.

When those moments happen, we can lean on God; and remember that He has a plan. We can trust that His plan is best. It may be to help us grow stronger. It may be to draw us closer to Him. It may be to allow us to encourage someone else. Be a blessing to others. Or many more reasons. We may never know His reason. But we can always trust in Him and His plan.

He loves us and is drawing us to Him.

If you find yourself in a winter time of your life hold fast! God WILL bring you through.