Purpose Driven

 Before the millennium, I got an invite from Danny Daniels to spend time with Dr. Rick Warren and the folks at Saddleback Church.  Danny was Rick's best friend.

A preacher friend, Gene Hitchcock had been stationed in California and Rick and Danny served with him there.  Gene was a retired Marine Major.  Gene introduced me to Danny, and I asked him to preach an Easter Revival for me at the Friendship Baptist Church in Clanton, Alabama.

Danny was on staff at Saddleback as Evangelism minister and working with the Billy Graham Organization preaching in areas that would eventually invite Dr. Graham for area-wide crusades.  Danny desire to get started in the Southeast United States.  It was after the revival at Friendship that Daddy invited me to California.

I told several friends of the invitation, and they seemed uninterested thinking I was dreaming.  That was until one of the Southern Baptist Convention's when Danny and I accidentally met.  Another preacher friend and I were resting when Danny spotted me.  I introduced Danny to him.  Danny wanted to know when I was going to visit him at Saddleback.   I told him that I planned in the near future.  He winked in agreement.

Roland, my friend, all of a sudden realized that my invitation was real.  He and I did visit Saddleback.  Roland had received a special grant and paid our way to California.  Danny planned the trip and booked us near Saddleback.  

Dr. Warren was having one of his conferences and Danny secured all the necessities.  Before the conference Danny took into Rick's office and the operation of Saddleback and the The Purpose Driven Life phenomnon.  Danny told us that if Rick had chosen to be a minister that he would have become President.

We were not able to meet Rick who was suffering from severe back pain.  Rick did the conference via video.  During one of the breakout sessions, a gentlemen notice that nametag showed I was from Alabama.  He said, "My name is Jimmy, Rick's dad and I have a sister in Alabama.  Her name Anora Gant and she lives in Titus.  I moved to Texas years ago."

Brother Jimmy did a study guide that accompanies Rick's book.  I hold it as one of the treasures in my collection of books.  My preacher friend was astonished.  He said everyone here is trying to see Rick and his dad chose you.  Hopper, You are something else.

I little later at another time out, a lady approached me and she saw that I was from Alabama.  She looked me in the eyes and asked, "Why do people in Alabama shoot one another?"

I looked at her name tag and saw that she was from California.  I pondered the question and replied in a slow and premeditated Alabama "redneck" southern boy drawl, "Mam, I think that the latest shooting was near LA when some California weirdo shot a rifle off a freeway bridge.  I think that the last school shooting was on the West coast."

Her next question was, "Why do you people in Alabama have so many guns?"

I said it real slow so she would continue to think I was stupid, "To kill for food to eat."  I went into my pastoral voice and taught her about guns and Southern pride, wisdom, and know how.  I said from a young age we are taught to respect a gun.  The Golden Rule of a gun is, "Do not point it at something unless you intent to kill it."  Guns do not kill, PEOPLE KILL.  Cars do not kill, people kill, cell phones do not kill, people kill.  Cigarettes, Alcohol, and drugs do not kill, people kill people.  All the items mentioned left by themselves will never kill.  One of my first lessons in like was I pointed a toy shotgun with corks attached to the barrels at my sister and said, "I'll kill you."  I was playing.  Dad wrapped my new Christmas present around a tree, whipped me, and made me tell my sister I was sorry.  Then, he lectured me on the horror of killing.  He served in WWII and saw plenty of killing.

I drew her attention to a small window and said, I have a small son that can already fire a rifle.  I can tell him to shoot out that window and he can.  He is a very excellent shot.  I told her for the number of guns owned in Alabama, versus the intentional and premediated murders and crimes is not comparable.

She said you eat food you kill.  I told her yes, and someone kills the food you eat.  She was shocked when I told her that I killed hogs, squirrels, rabbits, cows, and even fish.

I had a wonderful adventure visiting California to the Purpose Driven Life Clinic and got to teach a lesson on the purpose of guns and the reality of the hearts of humanity.  Even in Birmingham, Alabama there is a heart condition.  The University of Alabama in Birmingham is one of the finest heart hospitals in the world.  Daily there are murders in Birmingham and surrounding towns.

We must teach our children the realities of life. 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

Thou shalt not kill  Exodus 20:13 KJV

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he  Proverbs 23:7 KJV

Check out Danny Daniels book Mortal Midnight

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY DAD

Happy birthday dad.  Had you lived you would be 100 today.  Boy, forty years have flown by since you died.  I sure miss you.  I miss all those wonderful moments we had sharing life together.

You would not believe all the changes that have taken place in this world in forty years.  You would have a hard time.  You told me once that my generation did not have any gumption.  All your generation is about gone.  Things are so screwed up and weird.  No days there is no respect for senior adults.  This present generation cannot wait until all the old grey-haired white men are gone and extinct.  People now days cannot tell if they are male or female.

I remember when you would not allow my and brother and me to have long hair.  You told my brothers they could have long hair but with stipulations.  Every Friday they had to wear a dress, slip, panties or pantyhose, high heels, lipstick, makeup, fingernail and toenail polish, and feminine napkins.  Well dad, now boys and men dress that way and women dress like men and society says it is okay.

I remember how you taught us to standup for those that could not defend themselves.  It is unbelievable how many senior adults are mistreated.  You taught us to listen to the wisdom of the old.  You said experience is a good teacher, but learning form the experiences of the elderly is better wisdom.  The mistreatment of children is mindboggling.  There are demonic perverts that kill babies, rape infants, murder small children, kidnap the young and sell their body parts.

I remember you telling us that if we did stand up to be willing to stand alone.  That is truer today than before.  Most people do not want to get involved.  Standing for what is morally and ethically right is a minority.  When my brothers and I stand what is right, bystanders tell us to mind our own business and treat us as the perpetrator.

I remember you taught us to work hard for and honest day’s pay.  There seems to be more people not working than working.  People want more money for doing nothing.  It is hard to find people that want to work and have gainful employment.  You would not government assistance telling us that the government would control too much.  That government that you warned us about is paying people not to work, allowing people to vote that have not right to do so, even dead folks, and making deals with countries like you fought in WWII.  You took us to register for the draft, to register to vote, and fight for those rights.  You taught us: “Our county right or wrong.  When wrong to might it right and when right to keep it right.”

I remember you taught us to say grace when we ate, thank you when people did something for us, excuse me when needed, yes mam, and no sir.  You taught us to take our hats off when at the table to eat.  You taught us that it we dipped it we better eat it and could leave the table until we did.  You taught us to be generous and to share.  You taught how to kill hogs and smoke the meat.  You taught to shoot.  I can just imagine how you would react if the government which you helped fight Germany tried to take away you .22 Remington rifle.  You taught us how to split wood, plant crops, shell corn, drive tractors, and hundreds of other things that people are ignorant of today.

Thanks for everything you taught me dad!  This is my gift for your 100^th birthday.

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12