United States Civil Rights Trail

Do your homework! I have one objective in writing this post. I desire to inspire the motivated to do the hard work of understanding black history in the United States. Lisa and I recently took a week to spend time touring museums and monuments in the south to gain a better understanding of the path of black citizens through our nation's history. I believe that you will be enlightened and moved by the sacrifices that have been paid for the same rights the whites have had all along. 

The declaration of Independence preamble clearly presents the concept that all men are created equal.  The Bible teaches that God loves all and Jesus died for all. We have equal footing before God and as US citizens. The picture above is of Lisa and I standing at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. This was the sight where hundreds were denied the right to simply protest their right to vote. You can go to the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute right at the foot of the bridge in Selma.

Our journey continued in Mongomery, Alabama where we visited the Legacy Museum. This museum presented the injustices of blacks from the boats of Africa to the modern incarceration of black men and women. It also captured the vast amount of black men who were lynched. Just down the street, you can visit The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It is sobering to see the thousands of men who were killed because of the color of their skin. It is a hard pill to swallow. When you read what each man was accused of, it sickens me that no one was ever prosecuted for these murders. 

We moved on to the Rosa Parks Museum in downtown Mongomery next. It is amazing the resolve and unity the black citizens had once she was confronted on the bus in late December of 1956. The collective community did not step foot on a public bus for three hundred and eighty-one days. They walked, carpooled, and started their own cab infrastructure. I am amazed how many of the people in the leadership of this movement were pastors. Most people do not know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was Rosa Park's pastor for a time. You can visit the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and the Holt Street Baptist Church where the masses were inspired to stand for their rights.

We moved north to Memphis on our journey. For me, a highlight was the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. The exhibits are a comprehensive look at the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century until today. It is sobering to review our history where a primary leader of the civil rights movement was gunned down. If you have to make a choice of where you must go, this would be my vote. 

I gained so much knowledge and understanding of history on this trip. You can learn more by visiting civilrightstrail.com. 

I thought I would leave you with the definition of critical race theory being that I have had no one who could define it for me yet. I am not going to weigh in at this point.

critical race theory (CRT), intellectual movement, and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.  Written by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Fathers - Learn, Grow, Change

Our family usually celebrates Fathers Day altogether. We gather at one of the sibling's houses and have a carry-in meal. This year Jenny, my younger sister invited us to her home.  As I walked in, I immediately noticed my dad. He was wearing shorts (the usual) and a "Celtic Green" pair of Converse low-top tennis shoes. For many people, seeing a seventy-eight-year-old wearing bright green tennis shoes would be strange and shocking. For me, it is something that I have grown to expect and appreciate greatly.

My dad has taught me many things throughout my life. I would not have the work ethic nor the drive to learn, grow and change without his influence. He has been a never-ending inspiration to me. I have watched him through the seasons of his life. I have learned so much. This blog is an attempt to capture three areas of life that will help you no matter what season you are in as a father. 

My mom passed away a few years ago. At that time, we decided to have my dad come live with us to assist him through a knee replacement. I observed my dad change right before my eyes. God was doing a work in him that I would like to share. My dad has always been a learner. From my earliest memories, he was reading, designing, building, and using new applications. I am sure you have heard the phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none." If you looked this up in the encyclopedia, you might find my dad's photo there. As a father, one of the best gifts you can give your children is a desire to learn. His never-ending thrust for knowledge is refreshing. Most people lose that desire before they hit fifty.

The second area that I have learned from my dad is the importance of growing as a person. This is much different than being a learner. Growth goes to the core of who we are. Most people I know recognize that they have weaknesses. Over time they become comfortable with those voids and never try to achieve growth in their negative characteristics and traits. Watching my dad grow is amazing. 

Growth is the process of becoming someone different. I think people who grow have to be willing to take risks. People are creatures of habit and uncomfortable to change. New ways of thinking and behaving do not happen naturally. Growth happens when people seek, experience, and know God. It has been inspiring to see God work in my dad's heart and to see him grow as a result of that. For every dad reading this blog, embrace your relationship with God, and watch growth take place.

The is one last area I want to talk about, change. Change requires humility. Change means work. Change means uncertainty. I have watched my dad change. There is no way that I would have seen my dad in green tennis shoes ten years ago. His early years as a believer were spent in a very conservative legalistic environment. He has surrendered to God changing him and not the opinions of men. Change occurs when we begin to understand that God knows what He is doing and when we grasp onto who He is shaping us to be. 

Fathers, remember that one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is being a man who learns, grows, and changes.

Bass Lessons

30 bass in less than 3 hours. Sound like fun? or more like a summer dream? It became a reality for a friend and me. Recently, I was able to join up with a long-time friend and outdoor writer Mike Roux for an evening on an Illinois private lake. 

Mike texted me on a whim to ask me if I was up for an evening fishing trip the next day. I quickly texted back, "Yes, absolutely!" He picked me up around six, and we headed toward a private lake that we had fished in past. 

The plan was to fish til dark. Our usual route was to troll the lake in a clockwise fashion. Mike and I usually create a little competition to add a little spice to our outings. This night I decided that we would compete for the first fish, the biggest fish, and the most fish. What I didn't know at the time is that we would have a hard time keeping track of all the fish! 

This evening was a classic example of how the fishing dynamics change over the course of a couple hours. We carried three poles with three different lures to meet the challenges we might face throughout the evening. It was only a couple casts before we caught our first fish using a crankbait. For the next half hour, we both caught a half dozen fish. 

As we moved into a bit of shade from the saplings lining the water's edge, we began to use a wacky worm against the bank. Mike caught his first three-pound bass of the night. He put me on to Stike King's "Sweet Tater Pie" a couple of years ago and it did not disappoint once again. Over the next forty-five minutes, we caught another half dozen bass. They ranged in size but all were in the pound to two-pound range. We both had caught seven basses apiece when the evening began to get interesting as the sun began to set.

Mike decided first to switch to a topwater spinner bait. His go-to is a Moto lure that he has caught some monsters with. I was still working the wacky worm with not a lot of success when it happened. Mike got blown up by a nice three-and-a-half-pounder. Then another bass and then another. It was every cast for the next forty-five minutes. The bass were so active that we were losing track of how many we had caught individually and together. We both decided that we would stop at thirty, simply because we were not equipped to fish in the dark. It did not take very long to hit thirty. With one last cast, I pulled in a three-pounder and we called a fantastic evening! 

The takeaway is to fish changes that are occurring throughout the fishing trip. In this case, we were fishing for bass. We went from a crankbait to the wacky worm. When they stop hitting the worm, we moved to a spinnerbait on the top. This proved to be the correct formula on this summer night.

Not My Day

When was the last time you stared down death? For the first time in my life, I didn't know if it would be my last Sunday. I have served in the capacity of a supporter during others' brush with death countless times. But it was different this time, it was me. A person's faith and beliefs come into clear focus in moments like these. 

After a Saturday of celebrating Lisa and I's thirty-sixth year of being together, we returned home from an evening out. I began to feel more uncomfortable as the night went on. After a few hours of restlessness, I decided to go to the emergency room just for peace of mind. Once I made it into a doctor's care, tests were run. The electrocardiogram showed that I was having a heart attack. Even though I was not experiencing any of the classic symptoms, I was headed to the cardiac cath lab. 

I talked to the cardiologist the entire way through my procedure. He discovered that I had a major blockage and was able to put a stint in. I was back in recovery in less than an hour. For the next several hours, I was left to myself for the most part. Lisa could not visit until eight on Sunday evening. I had a lot of time to sit in my hospital bed to think. 

Here are three things that became crystal clear on that Sunday. 

1.  Number your days 

The Bible tells us to teach us to number our days in Psalm 90:12. We all think that we have a lifetime left to live, to fulfill our dreams and spend time with the ones we love. Living life with the end in mind is a good idea. I asked the question to myself, "Is this the life you should be living?" What should you be doing differently and do you have your priorities aligned correctly?  

2. Live life for God, not yourself

When you are facing your potential end, it is common to do some serious life evaluation and soul searching. The second reality for me is this: life is much more meaningful being lived for God than living for yourself.  Matthew 6:33 says, But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be provided to you. I have concluded that I am doing the things that God created me to do and with the people, He has placed beside me.  Pastoring a church and coaching young people is something that I was born to do. I am incredibly grateful that I still am able to fulfill my life purpose and that God is giving me more time to impact others for Him.

3. Leave no unfinished business.

When the Cardiologist announced that I was having a heart attack, I immediately thought about my people. I was prompted in my spirit to answer this question, Do I have any unfinished business? Is there anything I need to say? I have thought about this a lot and still up to this present moment, all my relationships are up to date. I have regrets and lapses in judgment over my life but I have come to resolve them with God and others. The Bible says in James 5:16, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed."

We have no promise of tomorrow. We get today, so number your days., live life for God and not yourself, and leave no unfinished business.

What would God know about rental cars?

 

My wife and I  decided to add a few days of vacation to a wedding ceremony that I was to perform in the first week of January. We were able to do all the booking and reservations before we left. The only thing that was not arranged was our ground transportation. This did not concern either one of us because it is easy to pick up rentals cars at arrival when flying. 

We had plans to rent a car at the airport and take a couple days to drive down to Key West from Orlando. Upon arrival, we navigated our way to the rental car area. We soon learned that there was not a car available at any of the rental companies. It was December 30th, the craziest week of the year in Orlando. With a quick decision, we decided to catch an Uber, get to the hotel, and regroup in the morning.

Lisa woke up before me, attempting to find a rental via her phone. She had no luck at all; I even overheard her trying to rent a U-haul truck. (I am not lying.) When she gets something in her mind, all focus and energy are given until the task or goal is achieved. As our hotel check-out time approached, we had no solid plan, nowhere to go, and no way to get there.

Sitting in the lobby, Lisa suggested that we pray for God to help us. I was thinking, "How is He gonna help us?" We need a car, and there isn't one within sixty miles. She prayed, and I closed my eyes. I was thinking "We are stuck!"

The lady at the front desk began to help us a little bit. We discovered a rental car seventy miles away in Melbourne, Florida. How would we get to Melbourne? Is this gonna cost us an arm and a leg? Quickly, Lisa found an Uber driver, and eighty-nine dollars later, we were headed eastbound to pick up our economy compact rental car. 

After a stop at Starbucks and a little bit of waiting while the Uber driver was unable to find the airport, we made it to Melbourne. Our New Year's Eve had started a little crazy, but what we didn't know is that it was going to get a bit crazier. As I walked up to the rental counter, I was thinking,  "If they don't have a car, we are in big trouble. Not only are we out the money, but we are also seventy miles away from where we need to be."

The attendant asked for my name. As I gave him my name, he said, "All I have available Mr. Cowman is a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro convertible at the same rate as the economy car -- forty-nine dollars a day."  I couldn't believe it! Not one second went by before my mind went back to Lisa's prayer. 

We couldn't get the top down soon enough! Here we are, pulling out of the Melbourne airport with a sweet ride to tour the Florida Keys. Lisa then commented about how God had heard her prayer. 

He certainly knows a lot about rental cars!