Pastor Dad

Why the police? What is it about law enforcement? I'm not sure there is another career that produces more diverse responses, more clichés, more venom, more honor than law enforcement. Our Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) can be arrogant. I witnessed one tell a man that, "no, I can't explain this to you. You are going to go with (chaplains name) and I will talk to you in a moment.  Go with him." By the way, this LEO was trying to keep someone from finding their child dead in the bedroom... it was this deputies 2nd dead person in a weeks time. Our Law Enforcement Officers can be impatient. I witnessed one tell a lady, "would you please move along? I don't care that you just purchased 2 gallons of milk and you have to go another way home. Just go" By the way, this LEO had just witnessed a van with a family hit by a dump truck and he was redirecting traffic. Our Law Enforcement personnel can be hateful. Again, I witnessed one tell a man, "shut

I want to say thank you. I saw some medical professionals at Blount Memorial Hospital this week be very, well, professional. But more than professional… caring would be a better word. I’ve seen it numerous times because of my interactions with the staff, through both personal experience with family and being a law enforcement chaplain but this morning I decided to tell them. I was at the hospital so I went to the ER and chased down a couple of them that, in my opinion, stood out. I told them thank you. Do you want to know what one of them said? She said, “That means a lot. We usually just hear complaints. I get it. Their world is turned upside down. That means a lot.” So I thought about that and decided to say thank you: ·        To the custodian that smiled at me in the hospital early this morning. Thank you! ·        To the lady that almost caused a wreck on 321 so she could let me out in traffic. Thank you! ·        To the Alcoa linemen that I saw at breakfast this mornin

As I have become a grandfather my thinking is changing. And, to be honest, I’m not sure how to describe it. I seem to simultaneously be looking back while looking forward. I think a lot about my childhood. Not school, but home life. My family, my house… just what life was like when I was a child and what really made it great. Because it was. While thinking about my childhood, I think about Bryant’s also. And pretty soon it will be Bryant and Easton’s that I’m thinking about.  I think mom’s are key to a childhood being described as “great”. Whether it was the mom that birthed you or the one that raised you or the aunt or sister that loved you, if your childhood was great, there was most likely a “great” woman in your life. Let me tell you about a few in mine. Mom taught me about grace. How to love everyone.  Tammy (my wife and mother to my awesome son and awesome daughter) taught me about being selfless. How to give and give until you’ve given all and then somehow giv

74,095,000 Steps to a Great Marriage The old school pic from who knows when.... Averaging 7,000 steps per day, 365 days per year, for 29 years comes to seventy four million, 95 thousand steps. That is how many steps that Tammy and I have walked together. Well, no not literally, because we have been a part some of the time but even then, we’re together.  A little history, we didn’t marry our best friend. You’ve heard this before but its true. We sometimes envy those that marry their best friend, but that wasn’t us. Don’t misunderstand, we are best friends now but we don’t try and kid anyone that we were then. We barely knew each other. We met in September and married in February. We had spoken of marriage but hadn’t made any plans. We acted like we were married in some areas (which is how Kelcey became to be). Many told us we shouldn’t get married (maybe we shouldn’t have), told us we were too young (we really were), told us it was a mistake (maybe it was), told us

Dear Bryant,             I am sorry. I am sorry that my generation oversaw the single most horrific act since the Holocaust. My generation saw to it that babies that have not been born could be murdered. My generation allowed babies to be killed legally depending on geography. If a baby is inside it’s mothers womb (where it should be safest), it can be killed by lethal injection. If it is outside of mommy’s belly, it can’t be. Why? Why did they cheer when the bill was passed? I’m not sure. I really have no idea. But don’t be completely discouraged. There are people that are still fighting. There are still people that believe that life is sacred.              And this brings me to you. You be grateful. Be grateful Bryant Sawyer. Because of your mom and dad’s views on such matters, you were never in harms way. When your mommy and daddy heard your heart beat for the first time, I imagine they were amazed just like Mimi and Papa were when we heard your mommy’s and then your uncl

So we did a thing this week... a once in a lifetime kind of thing. Through a very boring story, my family and I got invited to greet President Trump as he exited Air Force 1 in Johnson City. It was a pretty amazing experience that I am so grateful to have the opportunity to participate in. One thing about our current president, most likely, you either love him or hate him. Not very many fence riders these days. I will say this about him. He's done what he said he would. Something else I will say; he supports law enforcement. That's why I am writing today. I hate politics. I despise them but I understand them and I know how they make hypocrites out of the best of us. I know that there are people that love our current president without question and have no problem with him playing golf often but hated our former president and made statements like, "he plays golf too much". I know there are those that hate our current president and say he racist because he is strong