Mistakes Along The Way

March is traditionally a busy month for my family what with basketball ending, baseball starting, and both boys having a birthday. From my conversations with many around me, it seems that everyone is running full speed as fast as they can. As if we weren't stretched thin enough, this year marks a new level of activity as Alex takes his first steps onto the baseball diamond. With two boys playing ball at the same time already I can tell I'm going to have several hours each week where I do nothing more than sit in my bleacher seat and shout out words of encouragement.

From a father's perspective, I'll at admit to a rather large sense of anxiety as my children venture into the world of sports. As I mentioned Alex is just starting and already I can't help but feel a strong desire to be next to him every step of the way. As we began walking towards the field for his first practice my baby who had only turned 5 days before looked up at me and said "Daddy...could you carry me out there?". Now I wouldn't normally turn down such a request, but I felt this was something he needed to do on his own. I didn't stray too far though and ended up volunteering to help coach so I could be there when he needed me to help guide him through the paces of what was about to come. I guess if I thought he would let me, I'd be out there standing right next to Adam too.

From the sidelines I look at my boys and in their faces I see so many things. I see hope of making that next play, worry of not having the same talent level as the other kids, and I see myself standing out there feeling those same emotions. My conscience leads me down the trail of worry and before I know it I'm wishing I'd found more time to work on hitting, or throwing. I wonder what I could have done differently to help erase the doubts from their minds that they may never be up to the same standards as others. I guess that's one reason why after a particularly trying afternoon spent fussing with Adam, I made sure he understood that no matter what he does in life....no matter how bad things seem to get or how dark they may appear...his mother and I will always give him another chance to make things right. There's no such thing as striking out when it comes to loving our children.

God loves us that much. Now I'm not going to presume he sits around and worries about us all day or wishes he could do shield us from the difficult things in life, yet he is a God of second chances. I dare say there is not a thing we could ever do that would separate us from that love and the love of Jesus Christ. He could of simply erased Adam and Eve from existence, He could have left the Israelites in Egypt, and like the song goes He could have sent down 10,000 angels to punish those that sacrificed His Son on the cross. None of that happened though and that's where I want to leave you....are you giving those around you second chances? Are you forgiving those that have caused you pain? Are you setting aside differences? If not then you've missed something along the way. God is love and there's no better way to show that love than by looking past someone's missteps and bringing them closer rather than pushing them farther away.

Obituary

In the beginning there really wasn't anything special about the location. Like so many of the pieces of land in the area, it was just another pile of dirt and grass on the edge of what was barely considered a town. All these year's later Linden is far from a metropolis; more like a village. A couple of gas stations on both ends of town give a glimpse of its history more than any landmark or history book could ever tell. Now I don't know how it happened, but I assume the story of the Linden Church of Christ is no different than that of many others across this nation. At some point as the factories came closer and the town began to swell, there arose a group of Christians that decided it was time to stop driving an hour away to attend services; it was time to build a meeting place of their own. The permits were all signed, the bank loans approved, and that little patch of nondescript grass was transformed into a modest country church. The Church of Christ had come to Linden, Alabama.

As the decades went by, that little country church stood proud. To this day you will find a good sized office made for a preacher with a vast library to draw wisdom from, a one room classroom with supplies to cover any age group that may enter its doors, and a fellowship hall where even now the echoes of yesterday's laughter can still can be heard. Two rows of pews about 15 deep were put in place, the podium set in its rightful spot, and in front of it all just above the baptismal pool a mural of a country stream making its way through fields of green was painted. Hope....that's what that little church gave its members. Hope of a better tomorrow. Hope that in just a short time all their sorrows would be forgotten.  Life was never meant to be easy and no more is that true than when you spend it struggling to survive in the backwoods of Alabama. I was nothing more than an occasional visitor to that church of 15 or so believers in Christ, yet in spite of the hardships practically etched in the faces of those in attendance I was never greeted with anything less than a smile and a hug. Not because I was the preachers grandson, but because I came to join in the worship of Christ. The Son of God that sacrificed his life so that we may live ours. The One who spoke the words "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do."

This past week the little Church of Linden that was built with so much love and promise suffered a great loss. Over the years as the jobs left and took the people with them, the membership steadily declined. Now comes word that one of it's valued elders went on in to Heaven. Small country churches can only take so many hits to their congregation and this latest one combined with the reluctant retirement of their preacher (my grandfather), seems to be more than this one can stand. Change has come to Linden, Alabama and with it the lesson that The Church is more than mortar and brick; drywall and paint. Long after the pews have been put in storage and the mural of that country stream fades away, the Church will stand tall in the hearts of those that have faith in Jesus Christ. The Linden Church of Christ is learning what we must all come to understand and that's the fact that a building is just a building and the love of God will stand long after we are gone.

There Will Also Be Other Days....

Life is a glorious thing. For just a moment, I ask that you stop and take a breath. Stop and listen to the sound of the world whip around you. Maybe you will hear a mother bird calling out to her mate. Maybe the sounds of leaves blowing in the winter wind. Now lean down and grab a handful of earth. Feel the way the individual grains roll around in your fingers. Marvel at all the tiny components, the million grains of grit that all come together to make what you spend all your life treading over. Close your eyes and smell the scents that swirl around you. Put everything aside and just soak in your surroundings.

If you haven't figured it out by now, this life is a gift. In the span of your years on this planet you will be witness to moments of complete brilliance. Technological advances that only others have dreamed of will become common place and be taken for granted by you one day. Things that in the past would take years to create will be at the touch of a button. There will be times when your heart is so filled with joy and excitement that it's all you can do not to scream from mountain tops. Times when you have to hold yourself back from spreading the good news to passing strangers as they go by on their random way. You will experience moments when the only answer for such good fortune will be God. Weeks will go by when you will live off of love and never want for anything more.

There will also be other days....

Like the underside of a coin, life will not always go your way. You will be tested, you will feel defeated...there will be times when you will cry till the tears no longer pour out and all that will be left of you is a curled up mess. This life will bring you to your knees with the sheer volume of things it will pile on your back. Rainbows disappear, sunny days eventually lead to rain, and for every four leaf clover found is another lost by someone else. It's in these times when we prove who we are. It's in the middle of nightmares when we prove how strong we can be. When your time comes, I hope you remember these words...Believe...Pray...and be Thankful for all things.

Bill iii

Linden Blues

Last night I got a message I'd hoped wouldn't come for a while. Don Lauderdale tragically lost his 8 month battle with cancer. It was through Don and his lovely wife Helen, that my grandparents Bill & Bettye came to call Linden, Al their home. Together the Lauderdale's gave everything they had to that small church of 25 members and I'm sure Don is now reaping his rewards in Heaven. For those struggling with the loss of Don today, the prayers of my family are with you. Change can so often be a violent unforgiving thing and when it comes all we can ever really do is try to find some peace in the knowledge that someday we will all be together once again. I simply can't say how many more times Helen and my family will ever cross paths, but I hope she knows just how much her and Don have meant to the Becks these past few years.

Unfortunately this latest blow to the Linden community also brings with it news that my grandmother is now ready to move away. We have found my grandfather a new nursing home and for the first time since becoming a preacher's wife, Bettye Beck gets to decide where she wants to live. Within a month she will be living in Montgomery, Al and I'm sure not too long after that the Linden Church of Christ will cease to exist. Like Mr. Don and my grandfather who worked tirelessly to keep it going, it appears the time has come to move on. For Don this means Heaven, for my grandfather it means a comfortable nursing home where he can spend his remaining days watching the Braves struggle to make it to the post season, for my grandmother it's a chance to be surrounded by friends she hasn't seen in years...and for the Church of Linden it more than likely means an empty building will stand as a monument to those that gave their lives to Christ. We all know that The Church is not about one person or one building. The Church revolves around the love of Christ and that love can not be contained by walls of sheet rock or brick.

People come and go in our lives, but Christ's love for us is eternal.

Monday On My Mind

I don't really have anything on my mind this week, but it's been a while since I laid down on the psychiatrist's couch so I thought I'd get on here and babble away. Not even sure where to start, but anxiety seems like a good enough place. After a couple years of taking blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol meds, I've been given the okay to stop. By watching what I eat and exercise, I've managed to control my various levels without taking a hundred pills a day. Of course what better way to celebrate this major victory then by spraining my right ankle for the second time in 2 years.

The ever revolving circle of sports continues with basketball ending and baseball beginning. Adam's team ended with an amazing 12-0 record which acted like a defibrillator for his confidence. After only winning 1 game in 2 years of baseball and a so/so soccer season, basketball was a blessing. Now Mandy & I prepare to spread ourselves even thinner as we enter our first dual child season. Alex will start T-ball this year along with Adam playing baseball. It's going to be tough on us all, but the benefits of sports are invaluable. The lessons learned about teamwork, about never giving up no matter how down you are, about being the best version of you through practice are all just too important to miss.  That being said, I do admit to a large surge of anxiety whenever I stop to think about Alex getting on the field for the first time. I don't recall having these same concerns with Adam, though I'm sure I did to some degree. My children are so different...

Adam is really starting to look like his mother yet sadly has been cursed with my sensitivity...my apprehensiveness. He spends long hours worrying about things outside of his control. He scars easily and sulks like a kicked puppy at times. Meanwhile Alex looks exactly like me, but acts like his momma. Talk about a firecracker. After 18 years together I still have a hard time predicting her actions and reactions. The same holds true with Lex; one minute he's curled up in my lap acting all sweet and the next he's chasing the cat around the house just for the fun of it.