"Dad....I'd rather go coon hunting"

Man, that critter is bigger than my son Jack! I (Brad) am away from town this weekend. Seems like between the Army and preaching and teaching I'm away from home way too much. I'm up in Gatlinburg for the Crossroads Winter Conference (www.crossroadsworldwide.com). Its a great weekend for high school and college students. Jack was supposed to go with us this year and hang out with all the staff from Crossroads and get to be a "big guy" for a few days. But last weekend, Jack came to the realization that some things are just more important. He found out that the HOS guys were taking a bunch of young boys on a coon hunt and it was on like a neck bone. Jack very calmly said to me, "Dad, I'd rather go coon hunting with the guys." Now a part of me was hurt, but a bigger part of me was proud. He made his own decision. He chose to do something outside of his normal box. And the proof is in the pictures. He didn't shoot it, but he was there, stomping through the underbrush, in the dark listening for the drone of a coon dog with a bunch of men. It don't get much better than that. I just hate I wasn't there with them. Way to go guys, can't wait till the next one.