Here are a couple funny stories for you:

At a very young age Dads goat fell into an outhouse!  Yep, all the way in!  Well I’m going to leave a lot to your imagination but his older brother held onto his ankles as Dad was lowered into…  well thankfully he never fell in, but the way Dad tells this story and how he had laughed about it was a gut buster.

Dad also told one about how he and his friends took apart a bean wagon and reassembled it on top of a barn roof and filled it with beans.  I’m not sure of that farmer’s response when he found a wagon full of beans up on top of his barn.  Dad sure could make a story of it though.

When I was at an extremely young age I would love to read comics.  Especially Superman!  If you could have seen him at a young age you could easily see how a four to six year old could be convinced as to how this Dad of mine (ours) was indeed the real superman!

One day I walked to my (our) Dad and said; are-are-are you Superman?  Well Dad sets back into his chair and said; why-why yes son I am!  I was jumping up and down yelling I knew it, I knew it!  I then ask Dad why don’t you ever take me flying or anything?  He said well son because I need to keep my secret identity.  LOL

Well that was the beginning of every child after myself grew up believing he was truly Superman.  This believe was also instilled into his grandchildren.

Thank God for mentors/coaches in ones life!  I thought mine was my coach Carpenter in high school.  I couldn’t imagine how two people could be some much alike Coach and my Dad.  My Senior year coach said if it hadn’t been for your Dad asking him/coach to ride me (in so many terms) I may not had turned out doing as well as I did in football and wrestling.  I had achieved scholarships for both of these sports. Dad was behind that drive-that coach had put me through. 

Thanks Dad!

One of Dads early mentors was his coach Duster Thomas.  Dad was a great football player he still holds a record punt and was a star running back.  Dad played with heart!  Dad played every game like it was a play off game.  Dad played for keeps!  He also ran his life like he did on that football field.  It was serious business.  No he was not perfect.  Thank God that’s not the requirement to enter Heaven. 

The apostle Paul loved to use contest as an analogy for explaining the Christian life:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may win.  And everyone who competes in the games exercises self control in all things.  They then do it to receive a perishable wreath/trophy-reward, but we an imperishable.  Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air, but I buffet/work out my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.  1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 (This style added)

Paul’s point:  Whatever makes a winning athlete will make a winning Christian.  Dad understood this.

No matter what Dad went through in life, his hurts, the mistakes he made, questions he had, answers he was looking for he always looked up!  So I am perfectly clear here-he would lay it all down at the foot of the cross.  He then sought the direction of his Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!  He kept his eye on the finish line-it was his consuming passion.  If he could encourage you to endure this race until the end he would probably use an illustration like:  Imagine you have a kidney malfunction, and had to be on dialysis daily, I’m sure you’d find a way to discipline yourself to do so everyday, and not miss a beat!  If this is what it would take for you to keep going.  He helped his beloved wife Katherine to do this.

            Paul said:  “I discipline my body and bring it under control.”

Dad fixed his eye on the goal, the finish line, all his life and endured to the end.  Dad was in the hospital for a couple months recovering from a leg injury prior to his death.  He encouraged me so much.  He was spending time with the Lord and fellowship with other believers that seemingly were setting him on cloud nine.  His encouraging words and prayers I’ll carry with me for the rest of my days.  He helped put a spark into me wanting to finish this race on a sprint.

Heb. 12:1 Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witness… (skipping forward)… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

I do understand that there are a couple of interpretations to the above scripture but just maybe this could mean my (our) grandpa & grandma (Rev. K.C. & Sara Jones) Junior, my brother are up there cheering us on J.  Man with Dad up there looking down I want to make him proud!!!

People as we read Psalms 102:11 time has passed us by and we’ll never have that time back.  What are you and I going to do with the rest of our lives?  I hope we stay focused on the goal!  (If you want to know more about eternal life secured with your place in Heaven, you could go back to the Encouragement Door & read a verse in the Bible “John 3:16.”

Dad Touchdown! You finished the most important race of all, and victoriously!  (A great cloud of witness’s cheering-hooray…)

Dad you were my (our) coach, my (our) mentor, my (our) hero!  Dad you were more than what Superman ever thought of standing for!

                      You are SUPERDAD & SUPERHUSBAND!!!.

Son-Bart