FredMcKinnon.Com

So as you may have read in Part 1, my wife left early Thursday AM for 4 days of bliss with one of her good friends from back home (in Gainesville, GA).  She’s hanging out w/ her family and her friend Sandy.  When Joy and Sandy are in the same zip code there is a laughter pandemic.  Something about Joy and Sandy in the same area causes a laughing revival of sorts.  It’s not unheard of for the two of them to be laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down their faces, while everyone else just sort of looks on wondering what the heck is so funny.  To top it off, she’s hitting the night sessions of the “Forward 11″ conference.  She called last night to say that “Planetshakers” is perhaps her new favorite band.

So, I’ve got all 4 kids.  And you know what?  It’s been great.

Thursday night I decided they were old enough now to go to church with me … I didn’t need to hire a sitter for the 2+ hours I’d be rehearsing with the praise team at SSCC.  So, I ordered an extra pizza and brought the kiddos to band practice.  After we all ate our pizza with the band I escorted the kids to “The Breakfast Club”, one of the coolest rooms at SSCC – filled with couches, games, toys, and video games.  I fully expected those kids to interrupt our rehearsal with incessant tattling and reports of injury throughout the night.  They did not interrupt a single time.   Add to that the amazement that the Breakfast Club was fully in tact and not torn apart when I retrieved my kids made for a great night.

Yesterday (Friday) started off with our traditional visit to Sweet Mamas for breakfast.  For those who are reading this that may be considering coming to our “Refuge” conference this October - note the 10:00 AM call time gives ample opportunity for you to try some chocolate danishes and pork pops!

After lunch I took the kids to the 2:15 matinee of “Cars 2″.  Really enjoyed the movie.  I’m a huge “Deadliest Catch” fan so the opening scene was fantastic for me.  It opens with my favorite boat (The Northwestern) on the high seas.  I thought that was cool, but only late last night when I was watching “After the Catch” from last Tuesdays (thanks to DVR) did I realize that not only was that Sig’s boat (in cartoon format), but it was actually Sig’s VOICE on the movie!

After the flick we came home, changed clothes, and invaded the Neptune Pool on St. Simons.  I didn’t get in the water, I was too drawn in with Ian Cron’s new book:  “Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me“.  Thanks to the new iPad2, I could enjoy it digitally right by the pool.  Aaaaha, the lap of luxury.

I whipped up a batch of spaghetti, a tossed salad (of which all 4 kids finished!), and some garlic bread sticks that made for a nice evening.

So, we’re actually surviving!  Today I’ve got yard work to do – so it will be a full day of trying to get some yard work done yet keeping the kids somewhat entertained.

Completion of Day 2, Beginning of Day 3:
0 Kids Hurt/Injured
0 Items Broken beyond repair
1 Instance of me losing my temper (you know, the whole “kids, don’t talk while I’m on the phone in the car” situation?)

Wednesday, July 14 2010

Last night, millions of viewers said “farewell” to a guy named Captain Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie. Although he passed away in February 2010, the rest of us experienced his passing via the “reality TV show”, “Deadliest Catch“.

I’m not sure when I got hooked on this show … and I don’t quite understand why I will watch the same thing (cussing, smoking, throwing hooks, and pulling in crab pots) for hours upon hours.  I’m intrigued by the personalities.  Overwhelmed by the work.  Energized by the risk.  Captivated by the rewards.

Captain Phil was quite the case.  Supposedly, he was the exact same kind of person “off the camera” as “on the camera” … the same guy before and after their “fame” from being on TV.

Captain Phil … he smoked like a train, cussed like a sailor (oh, wait, essentially, he was a sailor, or a fisherman, at least!) … fought with his crew, fought with his kids … yet, was clearly a compassionate, loving man.  My wife and I were in tears as he loved his boys, showed them deep affection, and told them the four words that EVERY BOY WANTS TO HEAR FROM THEIR FATHERS:

“I’m Proud Of You”.

So … why this eulogy over a guy I never met?  I’ll tell you – Captain Phil represents something very powerful to me.  He represents the kind of guy that Jesus sought out to be His disciples.

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.19 And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  (Matthew 4:18-19, ESV, YouVersion.Com)

We hear all the stories of how Simon Peter must have been.   We infer from the stories in the Bible that Peter was rough, tough .. I bet he had quite the mouth on him.  I bet he could fight with the best of them, and could beat anybody in poker.

I bet when Simon Peter dropped his nets and followed Jesus … that his personality, and perhaps, even his habits, didn’t change overnight.

He wasn’t in a suit.
He wasn’t carrying His Bible in a leather case with a cross on it.
He wasn’t speaking King James.
He probably wasn’t clean shaven and polished.

He was ROUGH around the EDGES.

Jesus wanted Him.  Jesus called Him.  Of all the righteous, religious, uppity-fancy people walking the earth … and Jesus chose people like Simon Peter … like the tax collectors … the prostitutes … and yes, people like Captain Phil.

Did Captain Phil know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior?   Well, I doubt any of us can answer that for sure.  Before you fire off your comments about how a Christian would never use that language, just stop and consider what I’ve written above.  Maybe you don’t smoke and cuss … but those are outward expressions of a sinful nature (and perhaps, just culture and physical addictions) … and I bet if you wrote down your less-visible “inward” sins … you’d back down …

All I can say is … I hope he did … ’cause I’d like to go fishing with him in heaven.

Farewell, Captain Phil Harris.