He Influenced My Life

On Sunday before church started, my mother came into church with some of my childhood pictures. Of course as mothers do so often, she showed them to all the members before letting me see them. When I finally did get them I went in my office and started to glance through them. And there it was a picture of me, my dog (I can’t remember his name), and my “Pa Pa”.

I didn’t have a chance to look long before having to pray before going into service. But after church, I looked at that picture again and started to reminisce about my days as a young kid sitting on the porch with my “Pa Pa”. The summation of my memories is simple, “He influenced my life tremendously”.

There was no doubt in my mind that he loved me like his own son. I remember our talks on the porch, the spankings that were always coupled with ‘This is going to hurt me as much as it hurts you”, our fishing trips, his BBQ sauce (which I make to this day), his hard work as a self learned mechanic, his work in the church as a deacon, his love for his wife and family, and most of all he love God. My Pa Pa loved the Lord with all his heart. He couldn’t read or write but he knew the Bible.

As a kid, I would sit on the porch with him from sun up to sun down and we would talk about everything. I was a little kid with kid conversation but he made me feel like I was a grown man. When he worked in the garage, I was there handing him his tools and on occasion changing a screw. When he would BBQ, I was there watching him make the sauce. He told me don’t give this recipe to anyone other than your grandson, God willing. So, I guess Lil Jimmy is in line for the secret recipe. When he went to church and bible study, I was there sitting next to him or standing next to him while he did devotion. He taught me more than this blog will allow me to write. But the best thing he taught me was to love God with my heart, mind, and soul. He wasn’t a very affectionate person but I knew he loved me because he showed it in other ways, like working hard for his family and always being there as a supporter of our endeavors. I know for a fact that this is where I get it from. I’m not an affectionate person in communicating my love but I do work hard and try to be a supporter of family/friends. Thanks, Pa Pa.

When I turned 6 years old, he would always say to me; “Clint, God has a call on your life like no other get ready for it”. I never knew what he meant because I was a kid who didn’t understand God’s will for a person’s life. Plus, all I wanted to do was play basketball.

We moved to Los Angeles and I received my call to ministry at 13. The first person I spoke to about my call was my pastor and the second person was my Pa Pa. When I told him of my call he said; “Clint, I told you God had a call on your life like no other and to get ready for it”. He prayed one of the most powerful prayers ever for me over the phone. We both cried and hung up the phone.

When we moved back to Texas, he was always there for me when I preached, sung a song, had a basketball game, cried because of peer pressure (people calling me a church boy), needed someone to talk too, and when I had my Jonah moments running from my ministry call, he was there for me. He would always remind; “Clint, remember God’s will for your life and don’t let people make you miss what God has called you to do.”

I left Texas in 1985 to come back to Los Angeles with my mother and siblings. My Pa Pa and I would talk just about every other day. His wisdom was priceless and tried to soak it all up.

My last physical contact with my Pa Pa was, I believe, 2000. We had a family reunion in my hometown of San Angelo, Texas and someone purchased me a ticket to come preach the weekend services. There were so many obstacles trying to prevent me from getting to Texas that I almost didn’t go. I’m glad I did. When I got to my grandparents house, I ran to his room as he laid in an hospital bed. I went in and sat beside his bed and we started talking like the old days. Due to his stroke, he couldn’t speak much but he understood every word I said to him. And then it happened, he spoke a few words to me; “Clint, don’t forget your calling!” My family ran into the room speechless because these were the first words he spoke in months. We all prayed and cried together. I preached like a maniac that night because all could hear is my Pa Pa’s words; “Clint, don’t forget you calling!” That trip changed my life and it was worth the struggle trying to get there.

When he passed, I couldn’t get to Texas but I was cool with it. I cherish the time we had and the time he lived. I thank him for influencing my life to be the man I’ve become. I hold on to his words; “As a man you will make mistakes. Be a man and learn from them to become a better man” – Quote by my Pa Pa.

I miss him dearly and when I get to heaven I want to hear God say; “Servant, well done!” But then I want to hear my Pa Pa say; “Clint, I’m proud of you!”

Thank you Pa Pa for influencing my life and I hope I’ve made you proud.