• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Achuckallen

Instigating Better

  • Home
  • Blog
    • AChuck’s Top 10
  • Weekday Podcast
  • About Chuck
  • Resources
    • Devotional Resources
  • Sugar Hill Church
  • Contact Chuck

Sweet Home Alabama

March 28, 2017 by AChuckAllen

alabam

Sweet Home Alabama with AChuck


I remember it like yesterday. The first time that I heard Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” I was at High School football camp, August 1974. We went to a place somewhere near Loganville, Georgia that was known as Camp Bow and Arrow. In our “A-frame cabin”, Dink Smith brought a 8 track stereo system and we sang every song on that tape, especially “Sweet Home Alabama.” I can still sing every lyric, including the inappropriate ones on that album entitled, “Second Helping.”

Why is it that we can remember those things and can hoot and holler every time we hear a cover band play them? I think it’s because we remember a day when that was all we had to worry about. A simpler time. A joyful time. A playful time. A time when the most difficult thing to do was finish running sprints up the side of that earthen dam at Camp Bow and Arrow. Or who you were asking to homecoming. Maybe even who you would share your letter jacket with. Wow, that sounded really old. Seriously, I think the older we grow physically, the more we cherish the memories. As a matter of fact, the older I get, the better I once was!

But what will we remember about our lives when our bodies grow feeble, our minds move a bit slower, and our memories begin to fade? Will we still remember “Well I heard Mister Young sing about her. Well I heard old Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember.
A southern man don’t need him around anyhow.”
Will we remember the Camp Bow and Arrows” in our lives? I sure hope so!

What I know we will remember and cling to are the people that we love. There is an old hymn that I remember singing as a kid in church entitled “Precious Memories.” I remind people of that old song at every funeral I preach. My favorite line in the old hymn goes like this, “precious memories, how they linger…how they linger on my soul.” I want to be able to sing Sweet Home Alabama like it’s my job when I’m 90, but I’ll guarantee you that I’d trade singing it at Madison Square Garden in front of the Queen of England, President of the United States and a full house of rock and roll legends just to have one more conversation with my dad or mom. I’d surrender all I own to chat with my Grandfather (Pop) Allen one more time. I won’t want to cling to the days of old, I’ll want to cling to Jenny, Amy, Sarah, Amelia, Julia, Abby, Sam and possibly our dog Kirby.

My point? As much I loved my childhood and the fun I had, I am determined to make my next 30 years the best days of my life. I want to run harder, work smarter, love more sincerely, give more sacrificially, read only what matters, sing like a fool, dance like a Cherokee warrior, lead like there is no tomorrow and cling only to those few things that truly matter this side of Heaven.

I want to cling to my sweet grandkids, my dear daughters, my loving wife, to the church I love, but even more so to the Savior that gives me life, the Heavenly Father that holds me in the palm of His hand, and the Word that He has poured into my heart. I want to give without care for tomorrow, serve like the entire world depends on it, and leave this world in far better shape than when I made it a mess.

So, while I join you in singing “where the skies are so blue, “ I hope you’ll join me in never growing weary in doing good.”

“Lord I’m Coming Home to You”,
AChuck

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Pocket
  • More
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Print

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

Search this Site

FOLLOW MY BLOG

Want to get my blog posts in your inbox? Want to subscribe to my weekly 4forFriday email? Click here to sign-up.

Social

  • View achuckallen’s profile on Facebook
  • View AChuckAllen’s profile on Twitter
  • View AChuckAllen’s profile on Instagram
  • View chuckallen1’s profile on LinkedIn

Categories

  • ,America
  • 21 Good Vibes
  • 4ForFriday
  • 4theLOVE
  • 9/11
  • AChuck's Top 10
  • Advent
  • Advent Devotional
  • Christmas Meditation
  • COVID-19
  • DAILY PRODUCTIVITY PLAN
  • Discipleship
  • Do Good
  • Emotional Health
  • Family
  • Friendship
  • Fun
  • God and Country
  • grace
  • humor
  • International
  • laughter
  • Leadership
  • Life and Happiness
  • Marriage
  • Mental Health
  • Missions
  • Parenting
  • peace
  • Pigskin Picks
  • Politics
  • Power Routines
  • prayer
  • Reviews
  • Saturday Share
  • Scripture
  • Sermon Replay
  • SLU
  • Southern Border
  • Sunday Morning
  • The CLIMB
  • therapy
  • Uncategorized
  • Weekday Meditation

Topics

4ForFriday 9/11 America America. Equality American crises anxiety App Reviews BATTLING COVID-19 Better Together Book Reviews border Busy calendar Christmas ChuckAllen church Civility CORONAVIRUS courage Covid-19 Currency Economy education Emotional Health faith forgiveness Frustrated fun Goals God Reads Good Books Good Listens good reads Gratitude Hectic Helpothers Hope humor Israel jesus Kindness laugh laughter Lead Leadership LIFE WITH CORONAVIRUS love Marriage masks Meditation Mental Health Mindfulness missionhouse Missions Music Review Name Calling New Currency New Normal New Year open schools overwhelmed pandemic Passion Peace Personal Development politics Post Covid Post Pandemic Power Prayer Productivity psychology PURPOSEFUL Race Relations Reading List rebuild the Bahamas Recommended Reading Relationships religion Restaurant Reviews Reviews sacrifice Servanthood Southern Border Spiritual Growth Spiritual Health Spiriyual Growth Strength sugarhillbeyond sugarhillmissions tasks taxes therapy Time Management Transformed USA vaccination Voice of reason work smart worry Worship yucatanmissions

Chuck Allen © 2023 · Site designed and built by Karen Brown · Log in

 

Loading Comments...