Teach a child the way

Call me one very proud - and teary - uncle.

On the way home Friday from Cody's stockshow - see entry below - Leslye told me some very awesome news. News I knew would change our plans for the rest of the weekend, but I knew there was nothing more than I wanted at this time.

Les told me Cody - our nephew, Jeff and Tami's youngest - wanted to be baptized. When the older two boys were baptized, I lived in Missouri and I couldn't make it down for either glorious event. I wasn't going to miss this one.

I knew that after a trip to San Angelo for basketball and back on Saturday, I would be tired. But I found a song leader and Bible class teacher for church Sunday, and on four hours sleep, I headed to Olney with my wonderful wife.

God has blessed me with the opportunity to teach the Gospel to several people, and I have also had the opportunity to baptize several as well. One of my favorites - don't know if you are supposed to have those in this situation because all are blessed occasions - was getting to baptize my "neice" Sadye Cox. I will never forget when she asked me to do it, and being an "adopted" member of the Cranfill family, it was a very special moment for me to welcome a new sister into Christ.

But on Sunday morning with my grandmother, my parents, my sisters, my brother-in-law Jeff, two of my other nephews, Leslye and myself, I got to watch something that to me seemed even greater.

As I watched my nephew walk down the aisle where his parents exchanged their wedding vows, I started to choke up a bit through the invitation song. The preacher, Scotte Clark, performed Jeff and Tami's wedding ceremony; helped me prepare my first sermon; has always been a close friend to me; helped us cope with the loss of my nephew Steven; and who has done so much for Jeff and Tami, stood in front of the congregation from which I graduated high school and talked about how he and Cody had talked about this day and this decision for a long time.

My tears started to flow slowly as he talked about people who have made this decision guiding Cody to this point – including his family - and that those who were here could rejoice with him today, and those who had moved on from this life would rejoice with him in reunion some day, they flowed even more freely. Thoughts of my beloved grandfather - my mother's dad - rushed from my memory. Thoughts of my dad's mother - we called her Mom - came forward as well, along with memories of Steven and others who are gone from this life.

I had a hard time singing the songs being sung after Cody gave his confession and they went to the back to prepare for the baptism. The memories kept flowing - and so did the tears. My lovely wife sat there holding my hand, and the tears flew down my cheeks because her squeeze sent my mind into overtime thinking of the future.

Thinking about the day - if God so chooses to bless us - that we have kids of our own. I can't help but want to feel the pride Tami and Jeff felt at that moment for my own children. I can't help but want to strive to teach my children about the Gospel. I can’t help but want to be in Jeff’s shoes – or waiters in this occasion – and get to welcome my child into God’s family by saying goodbye to their old self and hello to their new self all in one motion by baptizing them myself – with God’s help of course.

There were a lot of moist eyes in the small auditorium of 97 people this morning rejoicing in the coming home of a young man that made a decision to be different and stand out by putting his Lord on in baptism. Mine were two of them – and don’t think the rest of my family was any different.

I could go on and on about how proud I am today, but I don’t know if I have the blog space.

Tami did tell me today that Cody had a hard time choosing between Scotte, Jeff and me to baptize him. She said he said “Joey is my uncle, and he is such a great Christian man.”

Do you know how hard it is to drive at 70 miles per hour down the highway when you are retelling that to your wife who didn’t hear it being said the first time and tears flowing down your face?

I would have been honored to share that with him, but I am glad he chose his dad. Tami added that Cody then said, “Dad is a great Christian man, too.” Yes, Cody, he is. And your mother is a great Christian woman. And I was honored to be able to be there to share that with you and our family.

Cody Wayne Harvey is a special young man. His smile is contagious. His laugh is infectious. His choice today makes me proud to say that he is my nephew.

But even more so, it makes me proud to call him my Christian brother.