LIFE IS LONG ENOUGH (by Max Lucado)

All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.

Psalm 139:16

No person lives one day more  or less than God intends. "All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old."

But her days here were so few ...

His life was so brief ...

To us it seems that way. We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one? A person's days on earth may appear as a drop in the ocean. Your and mine may seem like a thimbleful. But compared to the Pacific of eternity, even the years of Methuselah filled no more than a glass. ...

In God's plan every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better.



Traveling Light

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

COPING MECHANISMS

One of the worst parts of this past few weeks is figuring out how to cope. I am blessed beyond blessed to have a wife and daughter who have been so supportive and caring as I grieve for Dad. Now it's my turn to be supportive and caring while we grieve for the baby. I feel honored to say I provide some sense of strength and comfort for my family, but it's really not me providing that. It's God working through me. Either way, I'm trying to figure out the best ways to get through a time like this.

So far, I have come up with reading (especially Scripture), prayer, talking with family and friends who have been through the same types of situations, listening to uplifting & comforting music, reading, prayer, spending time with good friends who come to visit, singing (which is tougher to do when your heart is mangled like mine), reading, prayer, watching good movies, writing, and reading ... and prayer. I'm seriously considering training for a marathon, too. Otherwise, that's all I got.

What coping mechanisms do you suggest?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

REJOICE AND BE GLAD

B. C. Brannon, 91, of Borger, died Friday Oct. 15, 2010, in Amarillo.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wed. Oct. 20, 2010, at the Church of Christ at Borger. Burial was in the “Garden of Love” at Westlawn Cemetery under the direction of Minton/Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger.

B. C. was born April 30, 1919, in Dodd City, to Isaac and Lizzie Brannon. He was the minister at Jim Hall St. Church of Christ. He was a retired airplane assembly mechanic. He was a longtime Borger resident. He was preceded in death by his parents, sons Ronald Williams, Earnest Earl, and James Henry, first wife Vera, and second wife Shirley.

He married Jonell Wilson Nov. 26, 1994, in Plainview.

He is survived by his wife Jonell of Borger, sons, Bobby Ray Brannon and Robert Brannon, both of Portland, OR, and Robin Charles Brannon of Edmond, OK; 12 stepchildren, brother L. J. Brannon of Childress, sisters, Verdele Jackson of Gainesville, TX and Adele Bates of Bonham, TX, 11 grandchildren, 36 step grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

To send condolences, sign the online guestbook at http://www.mintonchatwell.com/.

I have decided that October is my new least favorite month. Not only did we lose Dad, but we also found out today that we lost our baby. We are hurting, but we know that God is faithful and just - His ways are far higher than our ways, and His thoughts are far higher than our thoughts. His knows exactly what we need and what is best for us. He also knows how to comfort us in our time of greatest need.

Rejoice, Family, and be glad that Dad doesn't have to suffer anymore - ever again! - and that Baby never has to deal with this world, but gets to party with Dad, Mama, Ron, Ernie, Gram, and all the rest of those who have gone on before. Great is their reward!

Shalom

I LOVE YOU, MAMA

Shalom

SORROW FOR THE NIGHT, JOY FOR THE MORNING

I eagerly await the Day when there is no more sorrow. How wonderful it will be when the only tears we cry are tears of joy and awe at the sight of the Holy One!

Unfortunately, that Day hasn't come, yet. It will come soon enough (very soon), but until it comes, we must endure all of the pain, hardship, and brokenness this world has to offer.

There are some, though, who are already experiencing life face-to-face with the Father. One of the most recent is baby Lorna Ganeath Galatian.

Our sweet friends, Scott and Nanci Galatian, have been foster and adoptive parents for quite a while, but never had a child themselves. On Tuesday, February 23, that changed. Lorna was born weighing 2 lbs 11 oz, and was 16 inches long. She was relatively healthy for her age and size and was doing really well. Wednesday afternoon Lorna started having trouble. In a very short amount of time, she was gone. I don't know why God took her to be with Him so soon, but I do know that He is sovereign and faithful.

We have a great opportunity to show our love, support, and faithfulness to God's word by praying for the Galatian family. If you know them, I'm sure you've already been praying and contacting them. If you don't know them, I implore you to lift them up in prayer. This is a grief with which I'm not familiar, but I do know how much a family of believers can encourage a brother or sister in mourning.

"...weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Ps. 30:5 

Shalom

LEGENDARY LEGACIES

Today we commemorated two men who changed the world in their own ways.

One changed music, one changed ministry.

One changed bodies, one changed hearts.

One changed the way we treat people with disabilities, one changed the way we treat people with different skin color.

Both changed lives.

Teddy Pendergrass passed away last week. His life as a musician was remarkable, to say the least. But it was his life-altering accident that showed what he was truly made of. After his brakes failed in his car, Pendergrass hit two trees, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The injury caused him to start an organization designed to educate and encourage others who had spinal cord injuries. The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance still operates on all cylinders, just as does the memory of the R&B legend.

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass

March 26, 1950 - January 13, 2010

Of course, this country...this world would not be the same were it not for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His dedication to justice, even in the face of adversity, was such that caused the greatest awakening in America concerning the way we treat one another. Because of Dr. King, my older brothers were among the first black students to integrate the schools in our hometown of Borger, Texas. Because of Dr. King, I am able to be married to the most beautiful woman I know without fear of persecution. Because of Dr. King, we see people more like Jesus sees people. Thank you, Dr. King.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

What a great pair of lives to celebrate!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

20 Things I Learned From Mama

It was 20 years ago today
God took my Mama away
To the "land of endless day"
That sacred land for which we pray

So let me introduce to you
A list I've made from all these years
How my Mama taught me to be a man!

(bonus points if you can name that tune)

20. Always respect authority.
19. Be on time.
18. Keep learning.
17. Don't put off today for tomorrow.
16. When you go to pick a switch, make sure you pick the right one!
15. Smile.
14. You don't always have to fit in to be cool.
13. You have no business dating until you can take the girl somewhere and pay for it.
12. Be still when I'm combing your hair (yes, I actually had hair once). It'll hurt less.
11. You're never too old or too big to get a whoopin'!
10. Just because your friends do it doesn't mean you do it.
9. If you say you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability.
8. When you are asked to help, don't complain. Just do it.
7. Treat people better than you want to be treated.
6. A hard head makes a soft behind!
5. Always be honest.
4. Jesus wept and God is love. Memorize scripture.
3. Cancer may destroy your body, but it can't harm your soul.
2. Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. (Eph. 6:1)
1. I will always love you and be proud of you, no matter what happens to me.



Shirley Mae Brannon
January 12, 1944 - September 17, 1989

See you soon, Mama! I love you!

Another Day, Another Legend

There's a lot happening in our world right now. We as Americans are dealing with war, economic woes, family destruction, you name it. We recently celebrated 233 years of hard-earned freedom in America. At the same time, life, and death, was still happening. And now, we mourn the loss of another well-recognized soul, Steve "Air" McNair.

McNair was one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time. He played with heart, grit, and an iron will. He would not let anything keep him down. He was determined to be the very best in each of his 13 seasons. He broke records in college. He lost the Super Bowl by a yard (I'm still not over that). He was co-MVP. He was a winner.


Despite all his accolades, he struggled like everyone else. I won't speculate about the young woman who died with him. I won't speculate about the relationship between the two of them. What I will say is that I'm sad for his wife and kids. I'm sad for all the young fans who looked to him as a role model. I'm sad for those of us who admired his charity work and all the things he did for the community.

At the same time, it is heavy on my heart that so many young men and women are still fighting and dying for the freedom that we Americans hold so dear. They all have my utmost respect and encouragement, as do their families. I have friends fighting in the war as well. These warriors are so young and full of life. I hate to hear when another one has made the ultimate sacrifice. Their courage will always astound me. May God bless our troops!



Let us be in sincere prayer for all image-bearers of God to bear His image honorably and produce the fruit of righteousness and peace.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Honoring The Fallen

The past month has seen a lot of death, especially in my world. I really appreciate all the kind comments you (the readers) left on my last entry. I love it when we honor the memory of our loved ones. That being said, I'd like to honor my friends as well. Please, copy and paste the links below in your browser to read more about these outstanding individuals.

Debra Dee Ortiz
May 23, 1990 - September 29, 2008
I had the honor of teaching Debra when she was a freshman and sophomore at Canyon High School (Canyon, TX). She always had a big, beautiful smile on her face. She was one of the most kind-hearted, sincere, hard-working, unselfish students I ever got to teach. Although I didn't get to work with her on a regular basis, she was always there in the band, working hard to achieve all the goals she had set for herself. It seems like she always had a kind word to say, even when other people didn't. I will miss her contagious smile and the dedication she had for everything she did. Blessings to her family.

http://www.canyonnews.com/pages/full_story?article-obituary-Debra-Ortiz%20=&page_label=news_obituaries&id=279468-Debra-Ortiz&widget=push&instance=1st_right&open=&

Marc R. Schoch
March 7, 1987 - October 21, 2008
At the end of marching band season in 2004, I had all the members of the drum line sign an old drum head and I kept it as a reminder of how great it was to teach those kids that season. One of the reasons it was so great for me was Marc Schoch. Marc was always at the top of the section. He worked hard on a daily basis. He always had this great energy about him that told me he was going to be the best he could be and bring other people along with him. He was one of my private students as well. I loved teaching Marc. He always listened well and took instructions to heart. In the spring of 2005, he was a featured soloist in the marimba trio "Stubernic" and he completely nailed it. Now that I think about it, I think he was one of the ones who started calling me 'Papa B.' What a great kid and a tragic loss! Blessings and comfort to the Schoch family.

http://amarillo.com/stories/102308/obi_obit3.shtml

Billie Wayne Lemons
ca. 1955 - October 12, 2008
Billie was a great friend of the Brannon family and a wonderful example to me. He taught me to be bold in my faith. He taught me how to sing from the depths of my soul. He was the one who told me "lead songs as if you had written them." He changed the way I viewed life. He was always full of joy and his smile was one that always brought comfort. He was a great mentor, teacher, motivator, father, son. He played football for Texas A&M back in the 70's and spent a season with the Cleveland Browns. His son (and my friend), Devin, followed in his footsteps... sort of. Devin played football at Texas Tech (and did very well there) and spent a little time in the NFL with Chicago, Miami, and Washington. Although he never really saw any playing time, he still got there, which is not something most folk can say they did. Billie's dad, Wayne Lemons, did the eulogy for my mother's funeral back in 1989. The whole Lemons family is close to the Brannon family. That's why I'm so saddened to have heard about Billie's sudden death. I can still hear his beautiful tenor voice singing "People Get Ready" with the Harvesters 4 when I was a teenager... and younger. Oh, how I will miss him! Blessings to his family, which is just like my extended family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Wayne_Lemons

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

More Tragedy

I'm sure some of you have heard about this, but most of you have not. Even so, I have bad news. As most of you know, I taught in Texas before I moved to Nashville. One of the schools I taught was Amarillo High School. At AHS, I had a student named Marc Schoch (sounds like 'shook'). Marc was one of my best students when he was in high school. He always worked hard, took instruction well, and made great improvement on a daily basis. I received a phone call yesterday that Marc's roommate at Texas Tech University found him dead in his dorm room from an apparent suicide.

Marc is the second one of my students who has lost their life in the past month. Debra Ortiz was a band member in Canyon, TX when I was an assistant band director there. She was killed in a terrible car wreck on her way to Amarillo College (as a freshman) September 29th. I didn't work as closely with Debra as I did with Marc, but she was a fantastic student and a beautiful individual.

Please, pray for the Schoch family and all the people who knew and loved Marc that we will find some peace and comfort in this unmentionably tragic time. Also, pray for the Ortiz family and Debra's loved ones as they still mourn.

Shalom

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tommy

We buried a great man yesterday. Tommy Gill was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, friend, and child of God. He was giving, caring, loving, compassionate. He was Jesus to so many people who needed help. He was Jesus to me by giving me a place to live while I get myself back in order financially. He fought fires for 28 years and he fought cancer for 18 years. He understood and promoted the value of hard work and was the embodiment of generousity. He was always joyful. I never spoke to him when he didn't have a big ol' grin on his face. He loved to sing. He loved good music, especially bluegrass. And he loved his family. I know his wife, Dora, meant the world to him. Tommy suffers no longer. Now he lives with his Father and he still loves us. We'll miss him but we look forward to the day when we see him again. Tommy Gill was, and is, a great man of God. Let's celebrate his life by living our lives for the One who gave us this time to live. Live out loud!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Tragedy

Take 6 recorded a song many years ago, one of their biggest hits, in which the chorus says: "If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now." That line is on repeat in my head as I write this. Stop whatever it is you're doing and pray right now. A child has gone Home early. Her family needs your prayers for comfort, peace, wisdom, and understanding in this tragic time. Specifically, pray for her oldest brother, who accidentally was the reason for her meeting Jesus at such a young age. I can't imagine the thoughts, feelings, emotions coursing through him and his family. Pray as though your life depended upon it. It does, and the family's does, too. God wants to hear from you. There is no better time than right now.

Shalom

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MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOMENASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Thursday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family's six children and one of their three adopted daughters.More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah's Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry's goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

I'm Not Dead Yet!

So, for those of you who have been wondering why I haven't posted in a while, I'm really not sure. I've had a lot going on in my life lately. I guess I could write about everything that's been happening. That's a start.

Let's see, the road has been interesting. We're just getting to the point where our schedule is starting to regulate itself. This is possibly the first time since I moved to Tennessee that I feel fairly confident in my schedule. I know that I'm out of town most weekends and in town during the week, which is what we were supposed to have been doing since some time last year. It's nice to feel somewhat normal for once! This summer has been travel-crazy, though. Since our northwest tour, we've performed in Tennessee (four times), Kentucky, Arkansas (three times), Texas (and headed back soon...giddyup!!!), New York state (not the city, unfortunately), and West Virginia, as well as a much-needed break during 4th of July week. Lots of traveling in a short amount of time. That's what we do!

I've made a lot of new friendships and relationships recently. I've also been able to catch up with some old, dear friends. Praise God for that! In the midst of all the joy I've found in my friends and great relationships, I've had a lot of bad junk going on as well. Last week is a prime example. I have been dealing with all kinds of problems over the last month or so, and last week, they all started to cave in on me. First, my truck broke down. I haven't gotten it fixed yet but I hope to do so very soon. Then, I had to deal with more financial woes, partially because of the truck, partially because of other junk I can't even talk about. I had to go to a doctor on Thursday (with no insurance) because of a very infected rash on my arm that had begun to spread all over my body. He thinks it's either viral or bacterial but I haven't heard back from him yet. That's scary. It's getting better now, thanks to the stuff he gave me to put on it, but it's not over yet. Pray for me!

To top it all off, I spoke with my dad for the first time in a while and he gave me all kinds of bad news. He told me about having to drive to San Antonio, which is about 9 or 10 hours away from his home, to visit his brother who just had another heart attack. On his way there, he was pulled over for running two stop signs he didn't see. After his visit, he stopped to see a friend and got lost heading home. He ended up way out of his way (Hamilton, TX) and had to figure out how to get home. It was getting late and he was getting very tired. Sometime late that night, he got pulled over again! This time, the officer asked him how much he'd been drinking! He was so exhausted but he still had to keep driving. He finally stopped around dawn some time at my uncle's house. After sleeping for a few hours, he got up and started driving again. He had to make it home for a funeral. He was still an hour late.

The funeral was for my step-neice, Leandra, who was murdered by an unknown shooter. She lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area but her body was found in New Orleans stripped of all identification and, I'm sure, money or anything of value. She was only 25 years old. Our family was rocked by this information, especially my step-sister, Kay, Leandra's mother. Please pray for my family as we grieve.

So, there's a look at my life as of late. Kinda crazy but that's the way it goes. I've been trying to make some big changes in my walk with Christ. Just when I get to my most vulnerable state is when the enemy attacks. I bet it's like that for everybody. When we're trying to do God's will things start going wrong by our standards. By God's standards, when we do his will, things work out for us on an eternal level. May your walk be blameless and pure as you strive to stay in His grip. Blessings until next time!!!

Big Ron: The Man, The Myth, The Legend (as seen on myspace)

I remember growing up in Texas with my family. I was blessed to have a mom and dad who took care of me and showed me love in ways that some kids unfortunately never experience. I also had a brother around for the first 8 years or so. Ron Williams was born 10 years and 3 days before me and, when I was growing up, he was about 10 times bigger than me. He taught me about life in the real world. He had some interesting ways of doing that, though. Sometimes he'd share great music with me (Run DMC, Aerosmith, The Fat Boys, Prince, AC/DC, Sugar Hill Gang, Ready for the World, etc), sometimes he'd pick on me and make me defend myself (that's how I learned the phrase "They're just jealous."). Sometimes he'd have to babysit me while my folks were out of town, so he'd make me take responsibility for myself by doing extra chores (mine and his). He went off to college when I was 9 and we started seeing less and less of each other. It was while he was away that I began to realize how much of a hero he was to me. By his example, he showed me how cool it could be to be a Christian and to be unashamed of it. He would "encourage" his friends and teammates (he was a lineman on a football scholarship) to go to church with him. There weren't many people at that church (or at that school) but he always had at least one guest with him. I'd go and visit some weekends and I'd go with him to round up friends to go to worship assembly. He'd bang on their dorm room doors with his humongous hands or kick the door with his size 17 foots and make sure those guys got to the building on time. The epitome of boldness.

He moved to California right after he graduated from college (that's where he was born and lived his first 8 years on Earth, and where our Gram lived). He had to return to Texas only a couple of months after he left so he could attend our mother's funeral. She lost her battle with breast cancer on September 17th, 1989, which was one of the last times Ron was in Texas. After that, I had to go to California if I wanted to see him. Fortunately we'd go every summer to visit and we had some great times together. He showed me the meaning of pure, unadulterated, heart-felt worship. I don't remember ever hearing him sing softly, especially in a church setting. He was the first to start calling me "Rob" on a regular basis, which is why I still go by that name. He also taught me that it was okay to wait a little while to get married. He was 28 when he got married and he started having kids soon afterward. The rest of my brothers (and my dad) got married in their early 20's or late teens. He showed me that people are just people, no matter who or where they are. I remember this one time when I went to visit him and his family. We were driving to his house from the airport and stopped at McDonald's drive-thru to grab a quick bite of dinner. When we pulled up to the window, he spoke to the guy serving us like he spoke to me, his brother. They had never met before but Ron treated him like they were lifelong friends. Ministry in action.

Ron had been my counselor at church camp, my teacher of life skills, and my best friend. He was the one I always called when I needed a boost. He always seemed to know just the right thing to say to make my day go better, or to motivate me to be the man I've been called to be. On March 28th, 2003, God decided that Ron had served his time here on Earth and took him Home. His body left but his spirit remains strong in everyone he came across. You can see him in his daughters, Shinarri and Bethany, his wife, Melissa, his sister, Rahnee, and her daughters, Sumaya, Miriam, Corrine, and even baby Felicity (the ones in the picture with me...that I can't get to load...long story...maybe later). You can see him in his former students/youth groupers. You can see him in his friends and family. You can see him in me, especially when I'm on stage.

I write this on this day because this is the day he was supposed to turn 40. I always envisioned us growing older and our kids playing together while we sat on the front porch and talked about old times. I guess that won't happen in this life but I have the feeling that anything is possible in Heaven.

The Road Before Us

It's Wednesday night before our first trip of the year and, in true Acappella fashion, we're going through lots of trials and transitions. It was announced today that Gary Evans has left the group. As a group, we are going to miss him terribly. Personally, I have grown to love him like one of my best friends. He's got the heart of a servant, he always gets the job done no matter what that job is. He's a warrior for the Lord (and he sings real good too). I'm gonna miss him like crazy. Fret not, however. The very talented and faithful Allen Brantley from Birmingham, Alabama has graciously stepped into the "bass-ment" to hold it down on the low end. Allen is a great guy and an awesome asset to the group. I want to ask that you all pray for Gary and his future endeavors, for Allen and his new position, and Acappella Ministries as we strive to spread God's word.
I need to add a couple more prayer requests to your lists if you don't mind. I received a phone call today with a message that Rosemarie Scott, my high school voice teacher, was found dead in her home yesterday. This comes as a huge surprise to everyone who knew her, especially my high school choir director, Johnny Miller. Mrs. Scott was like a mother to Mr. Miller and I know this is a devastating loss to him. Please pray for her family, Mr. Miller, and all her students. Pray a special prayer for the student(s) who found her yesterday. I'm sure they are traumatized.
The other request is for my dad, B.C. Brannon. Dad has been a preacher longer than most of my friends' parents have been alive. He was baptized by Marshall in the early 1940's and started preaching in October of 1943. Needless to say, he's seasoned. The prayer request is for his health. He's not feeling too great now. He has strange pains all over his body, he gets fatigued easily and he basically has no cartilage in his right knee. He is 86 years old and I often wonder how much longer he'll be around. I don't mean to bring everyone down. I'm just asking for prayer for him and my family.
On a happier note, we're doing our first road trip of the year this weekend. Florida, here we come! It's going to be a long weekend but it's definitely gonna be worth it. I'll try to get some pics and log them next week.
Eph. 2:8
Robin