20th
Happy Father’s Day
I want to give a special shout out to my father, Steve, who I call Daddy, for Father’s Day. As many of you are aware, he can no longer grace us with his presence as Jesus called him home in 1991; nearly 20 years ago. Daddy was, and always will be, one of my biggest heroes. He served our country in the Army and was a Vietnam War Veteran. Luckily, God allowed him to survive and come home or my brother and I would not be here today.
He was also a man of faith and took us to church every Sunday at West Rome Baptist Church, though he never forced Craig or me to get saved but I remember it like it was yesterday that I came to him and told him I wanted to be saved but didn’t know how. He and Mama sat with me between the kitchen and the den next to the backdoor and he had me repeat a prayer to give my life to the Lord and welcome Jesus into my heart.
I’ve found that many of his interests and talents were passed along to me. An eye for art and the ability to create magical pieces of artwork with nothing more than a pencil and a piece of paper, an interest in magic that started me on a long journey from a single card trick to working for one of the largest and most popular magic websites on the internet, the interest in chess which lead me to study the ins and outs of it even to this day and helped me to win 2nd place in a tournament in Atlanta in 1994 for the entire state of Georgia, and an ear for music in which I began on the piano without any lessons and eventually moved to guitar (although my “ear” and “talent” for music comes from both sides of the family), although I still can’t sing very well. That last goal has landed me on stage at XL, owned and operated by; you guessed it, West Rome Baptist Church, to play music for our Lord.
Many people feel I have a quick witted sense of humor, though others don’t, but regardless of which side of the road you’re on with that opinion, that one definitely comes from my father as well; Mama tells me that he had a very dry sense of humor. People have often come to me to be the front man in a practical joke since I can keep a straight face and keep the joke going. But I suppose it’s different for everyone and what they consider “funny” in this world.
If it weren’t for my father, and God allowing my father’s talents and interests to be passed on to me, then I wouldn’t be an entertainer; someone to put a smile on people’s faces when they are down in the dumps. Everyone has at least one God given talent; a passion that He has given to you to serve Him in your own ways.
God Bless you Daddy, and Happy Father’s Day.
Love Always,
Your Youngest Son
Jonathan
