Category Archives: Family

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #10 – What We Still Have

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #10 – What We Still Have

In Week 10 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for what we still have.

Earlier this week we received a phone call that makes the heart of every parent drop, “Dad, I’ve been in an accident…”

I thank God that the voice on the other end of the phone was our child. Upon hearing the details of the accident, it easily could have been a different call.

That night could have ended in heartbreak. I can only hope that we could remember God’s goodness in the midst of such unimaginable grief.

Life is a vapor, but God is good all the time.

So, I’m thankful for what we still have.

I intend to make the best of it.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #9 – Constant

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #9 - Constant

In Week 9 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for my father’s consistency in honor of his birthday.

There are few constants in this world, and my Dad is one of them.

In a life that can be confusing to navigate, his consistency helps me solve for the variability of the rest.

I’ve tried to pass this on to our sons, teaching them:
“Do what you’ve set out to do regardless of how others act or react.”

I have found that I can navigate virtually anything with anyone when there’s something to come back to that does not move.

Thank you for being that for me, Dad.

I hope to honor you by being that for others so that this value I’ve received from you remains

Constant.

Happy Birthday.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #48 – Leadership Of Leroy and Shannen Williams

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #48 – Leadership Of Leroy and Shannen Williams

In Week 48 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for our Thanksgiving 2024 hosts, the newlyweds, our nephew and niece, Mr. Leroy and Mrs. Shannen Williams.

They did a wonderful job bringing our family and friends together. You could tell the amount of thoughtfulness and work that was put into it, including the recruitment and coordination of a lot of help from many wonderful people.

Even as we were cleaning up, they said, “We can do this every year!”

For years, the home of Willie and Mary Harris was the epicenter of our gatherings. When they passed, there was a concern about whether we could stick together after the glue was gone.

But as it turns out, the glue isn’t gone—they put it in us, as shown by the many family members who have stepped up over the years to create safe spaces for the family to come together. This year, it’s Leroy and Shannen.

The attitude of “We can do this every year!”, stepping up to put in the work for your family, is the spirit of Mary Harris.

Our future is in great hands.

Thank you to everyone who helped and participated, and especially to Leroy and Shannen for leading the charge this year.

Melissa and I love each and every one of you.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG #Thanksgiving

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #6 – An Incredible Gift

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #16 – An Incredible Gift
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #16 – An Incredible Gift
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #16 – An Incredible Gift

In week 16 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for an incredible gift.

If I mention the black, opening crawl of “Star Wars” you can see the logo and almost instantly hear the theme music, can’t you?

Iconic, right?

What if I told you I personally knew someone who played first chair in a section of the orchestra responsible for that original score?!

But, what if I told you that they conducted the score for that orchestra?

Or, what if I told you they wrote the score for that 100+ piece symphony orchestra?!

That would be amazing, right?

Well, my brother, Nehemiah Luckett, composed, orchestrated and directed music for “Ruby”, a production that I am confident will find it’s way to Broadway.

My mother and I drove 26 hours round trip to see it.

It was worth every second.

The story, the writing, the acting, the choreography, the music, and the vocals were stellar.

I hesitate to say pitch-perfect for fear of sounding like I’m overstating the case because he’s my brother, but it was just that good.

No. It was better than good.

It was excellent.

As it unfolded, I forgot I was watching a play and it challenged me in ways that good art tends to do.

As I attempted to comprehend all the moving pieces, to think that my brother wrote melodies and words that so beautifully conveyed such hard truths, music not for one instrument but an entire band, vocals not for just one singer but dozens, and helped to orchestrate a production that constantly teetered on making me want to avert my eyes and never being able to look away,

I was left in awe

because my brother is a maestro,

but more so, because he invited me to see his incredible gift and so graciously chose to share it with me.

I’m grateful.

I love you Nehemiah Luckett and I’m very proud of you, always have been.

#52WoG

If you’re interested in learning more about Nehemiah’s wonderful work or supporting it, you can do that here: https://bit.ly/nehemiah-patreon

New Driver Rental Car Agreement

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - New Driver Rental Car Agreement

It seems like a lot of my friends’ kids are getting their drivers licenses. (We old! 🤣)

Before our boys got car keys, they signed an agreement spelling out our expectations and that driving is a privilege and not a right -a privilege maintained by trust that is earned.

We were delighted by how well they handled this enormous responsibility when expectations were clearly set. So, I’m sharing our family’s “New Driver Rental Car Agreement” in hopes that it’s helpful to other families for putting their new drivers in a position to succeed.

Drive safely, my new friends on the road!

Download the New Driver Rental Car Agreement here: https://bit.ly/new-driver-rental-agreement

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #5 – Nickels

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #5 – Nickels

In Week 5 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for nickels.

I was around 6 years old when my dad was a student at Gammon Theological Seminary, and on this particular day I am on campus with him at the library.

I mimic my father. As he studied and wrote, I sat quietly and drew.

He then reached in his denim pocket and handed me fifty cents or so in nickels. They were for the copy machine. Copies were 5 cents a copy.

Once my masterpiece was complete, I’d walk intently (with excitement) to the copier, careful not to run. I’d stand in line to copy my work just like the grown-ups.

I don’t remember a single word being spoken but remember the feeling of having everything that I wanted or needed.

In that moment there was no where else I’d rather be.

I was just happy to be with my dad.

I’m so glad I had this moment with my father. It’s a beautiful memory that makes me smile to this day.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #1 – A Son’s Heart

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #1 – A Son's Heart

In Week 1 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for a Son’s Heart.

Someone was in need, having lost their home’s much used washer and dryer in the same day.

They were hours away, a new washer and dryer set would have to be picked up, the old ones would have to be removed and the new installed. It would be a challenging job for just one person.

As my wife and I were working through how to help, my son Chris volunteers, “Dad, I’ll go.”

He gives up an entire Saturday that are typically cherished and fiercely protected by college students to help someone else.

I can scarcely think of a moment where I was more proud.

My prayer and greatest hope is that I could ever make God feel the way my son made me feel that day.

I’m proud of you, Chris.

I love you.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

God’s Love Burns

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - God's Love Burns

We gush about the blessings and kindness of God’s love, but what about the change His love demands and causes?

Our God is a consuming fire.

His love burns.

It both warms the heart and burns aways sin.

If I’m not experiencing both, I’m not experiencing God’s love.

****

It would probably be better said, “His love ‘ignites’ the heart and burns away sin”, because we were completely dead before, we had nothing to warm.

It was for reason of our common understanding of the expression that I chose “warm the heart” as in the pleasant warmth often associated with being loved.

But His love is not just pleasant, it’s transformative. It creates new life in us and eviscerates the darkness of our former selves.

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
—John 1:4-5

****

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

“Little children, LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”
—1 John 3:1-2, 7-9

52 Weeks of Gratefulness #20 – A Tomato And Salt

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #20 – A Tomato And Salt

“Here,” my grandmother said as she cupped my left hand and took a tomato from the sill and put it in my right hand.

Then she sprinkled salt from a shaker in my cupped hand. She asked, “Want some pepper?” I shook my head, “No.”

“Bite your tomato and dip it in the salt”, she coached.

Amazing.

It tasted like their home on the farm smelled, of the earth, pure and sweet.

I went outside, sat on the stoop and ate my newfound treat in awe.

In week 20 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for a tomato and salt.

Something so simple is so profound.

It was like I could taste the entire farm: the sunshine and the rain, the dirt and the breeze, the sweat and the love that cultivated it.

My grandfather Percy Brown and my grandmother Sarah Brown built a home blanketed in love.

When you were there, it was at every turn and around every corner. Even the animals seemed to recognize it.

I have so many wonderful memories on that farm in Canton, Mississippi. There was great peace and so much love.

I have such a rich heritage.

I remember it every time I bite into a tomato.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

Image copyright 2008 Daniel E. Johnson – crossroadone.com

52 Weeks of Gratefulness #15 – Hanging Out With Our Boys

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #15 – Hanging Out With Our Boys
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks of Gratefulness #15 – Hanging Out With Our Boys

In Week 15 of 52 Weeks of gratefulness I give thanks for hanging out with our boys.

Mom’s out of town.

She’s the fun one, always coming up with fun things to do.

I’m not great at that.

I don’t think in terms of, “Oh, that would be fun to do.”

I think in terms of accomplishing things, “It would be cool if X existed, to accomplish Y or if the boys were exposed to Z”.

So, I plan “fun”.

I know. Horrible.

So, I Google “fun things to do with young adults” and break out a spreadsheets to sort possible activities by distance and time required.

True story.

As I discuss the possibilities with our boys: hiking, miniature golf, fishing with Granddad, etc., Chris said, “I don’t care what we do. As long as I’m with y’all.”

(How did pepper get in my eyes?!)

They then conclude together, almost simultaneously, “Let’s get on Minecraft! We haven’t played with you in forever, Dad.”

And, for three hours that’s what we do.

My eldest son, Chris, takes note of the spawning point as I figure out how to get logged in, remarking, “I’ll help Dad get to the camp” because we’re playing survival and he knows I’m horrible at the game.

We talk. Challenges we face in the game spur a host of conversations about all sorts of things like ambitions, experiences, ideas and attitudes about life.

We laugh as we each die in the most ridiculous ways, mostly me (e.g. “brainflurry dies attempting to swim in lava.”)

Afterward, my youngest son, Roman, says, “I made an awesome soup the other day, can I make you some Dad?” and then proceeds to cook for us.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

And, I didn’t plan any of it.

Awesome things happen around awesome people, when you let it.

My kids are awesome. My wife is awesome.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG