I Love...

I will be the first to tell you that I’m weird. If you’ve read my previous devotional thoughts you’ve probably figured that out by now (comparing Christians to Waffle House hash browns?!?!?). If that didn’t convince you that I “ain’t right in the head” as my uncle used to tell me, I’ll give you a few more examples. Exhibit A: I am rooted ten generations deep in the South and wear my “Southerness” like a badge of honor, but so help me, I can’t stand green beans, tomato sandwiches make me gag, and I really don’t care for banana pudding. While I’m at it, let me just go ahead and make every Grandma, Nana, Mamaw and Big Mama in the Shoals clutch their pearls….I immediately scrape meringue off the top of anything and trash it. Who in the world thought you could add sugar to eggs, “beat’em like they stole something” and call it a dessert topping? I can hear some of you all the way over here on County Road 33 shouting from your homes, “It may be time to fire the preacher!” :)

For those of you who haven’t thrown your iPhone across the room in disgust, let me introduce another piece of evidence to substantiate the charge that I am a weirdo. I do enjoy a good Miracle Whip sandwich from time to time, not to mention whipped butter spread on white bread; not toasted, just white bread with butter spread on it. I’m sure you’re all shocked that the preacher who is as broad as he is tall is a big fan of mayonnaise and butter. (For the record, I know that Miracle Whip and mayonnaise ARE NOT the same thing any more than Coke and Pepsi are the same thing, but “mayo” flowed better with the sentence).

If you are still reading and willing to give me a chance, you obviously “let the love of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Another one of the ways I am a little odd is in the fact that I have a list of things I plan to do with, and lullabies that I plan to sing to my future grandchildren. As a point of clarification, I do not presently have any grandchildren, nor are any on the way presently, or being expected or planned in the near future, but I’m already stocking up like a “Doomsday Prepper” in case the Lord ever decides to bless us with one. As an FYI, I will not be a Grandaddy, Grandpa, PePaw, Papaw, Pappa, or Gramps, though those are all fine names any man should be proud to wear. I will be “Gumbo.” If you are looking at your screen right now with a perplexed look on your face, just give it a year of getting to know me and it will all make perfect sense. Even still, just think about it, who doesn’t love a good gumbo? It’s a food that is as fun to say as it is to eat. I digress….back to my strange list.

When I say list, I mean literally, as in I have a list in the Notes section of my iPhone of the songs I plan to sing to my grand babies whenever I rock them to sleep. I won’t be singing Rock A Bye Baby — seriously, that song is terrifying, who thought it was a good idea to sing a song to children telling them that while they are sleeping their cradle will fall from the top of a tree?!?!? — but I will be singing to them. One of the songs on that list is the Tom T. Hall classic “I Love…”

I love little baby ducks, old pick-up trucks

Slow movin’ trains and rain.

I love little country streams, sleep without dreams

Sunday school in May and hay.

And I love you too.

I love leaves in the wind, pictures of my friends

Birds of the world and squirrels.

I love coffee in a cup, little fuzzy pups

*Sweet tea in a glass and grass.

And I love you too.

I love honest open smiles, kisses from a child

**Tomatoes on the vine and onions.

I love winners when they cry, losers when they try

Music when it’s good and life.

And I love you too.

Not that I could improve upon a Tom T. Hall song (*except editing out bourbon for sweet tea), but I couldn’t help but make my own list of things I love that would go on my list had I written this song. If I did my “list of things I love” justice it would make the song as long as my sermons, or at least as long as the song “Just As I Am” — seriously, that song has like nine verses! Here is an abridged version of things I love:

I love my daddy’s old Bible that sits beside me at my desk.

I love my great, great grandfather’s Franklin stove sitting in the corner of my office.

I love my Grandaddy Sam’s hats.

I love my old wooden Sundrop crate by my stove, holding my favorite spices to cook with.

I love my candle that makes my office smell like Jasmine blooms in New Orleans in May.

I love hearing Jade laugh, especially when I say something that gets her tickled.

I love seeing Levi sleeping on the floor beside me while I work.

I love being able to eat dinner at my mama’s house.

I love this little house nestled in a pleasant valley.

And I love you too church.

If there has been a blessing in this mandated slow down, it is that I have had a chance to really spend time with and reflect on these simple things that I love so dearly.

Today’s devotional is a little weird I know — I tried to warn you — mostly because it wasn’t so much a devotional with Scriptures and applications, as it was an excuse to count my blessings out loud, which is a very biblical thing to do.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Paul’s word translated “meditate” (“think” in the KJV) refers to taking inventory. When I worked for my Uncle Wade at True Value Hardware when I was thirteen, on slow days we would take inventory. That might be a pretty good way to pass the days for “this present distress” (1 Corinthians 7:26).

Since this devotional is a little different, I’m going to ask you to do something different and contribute to this devotional with me this morning. Why not share this article and include in your post some of the things you love that you are most thankful for today, or at least post in the comments what you love. Let’s fill our Facebook feeds with gratitude and love for the simple things God gives. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

**For those of you scratching your head, I said I love tomatoes on a vine, not on white bread with mayonnaise.