Jacob Bembry's Blog, page 3
January 29, 2015
Sudden Cardiac Death
Read his own personal story of how Jacob Bembry went into sudden cardiac death at work, was revived by EMS and how he hovered near death in the hospital and read about the miracle from God that kept him here.
I don’t deserve the kind words that Bryant Thigpen wrote as the foreword to my book “Sudden Death: God’s Overtime,” which deals with my experience with sudden cardiac death and the miracle from God, which led to my recovery, but I am so grateful for them, and for Bryant. Bryant has been a true friend and he was there with my family members, my pastor, and other friends at the hospital, praying for me and pulling for me. Those prayers mean a lot. I would like to share another excerpt from my book with my readers.
When people use the word hero, it’s often used to describe someone who rescues a man from a burning fire, or a singer who performs in front of thousands of people. It’s even been used to describe characters in a movie or television series that never existed. However, most heroes aren’t found in a uniform or in a make-believe story plot. You can find real heroes at work, the grocery store, or walking in the park. They can look like an average person, but it is their heart and character that sets them apart.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities; or a person who is greatly admired.
I would like to introduce to you a real hero, Jacob Bembry. I could not think of any better word or definition to describe his heart or the story of his life.
Growing up in a small rural county in north Florida, I’ve known Jacob for as long as I can remember. After I graduated from high school, I had the opportunity to work with Jacob for several years. Jacob and I had lunch together almost every day, and this allowed me the wonderful privilege of getting to know him on a personal basis.
Jacob is definitely a “what you see is what you get” type person. His small-town personality will make you feel like you’ve known him forever. He has served as a news reporter/editor for Madison County newspapers for nearly two decades and is widely known for his weekly column, “Jacob’s Ladder.” He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication, and has received numerous prestigious awards in the newspaper industry.
It’s not his accomplishments or accolades that define him, but rather his faithfulness and dedication to God and his family. His passion and love for Jesus Christ is obvious from the moment you first meet him. Rare is the occasion his pew is empty for a worship service. Jacob’s writing of this book is a testament that he loves to use his God-given writing ability to encourage, inspire and shine the light of Christ to all. Every aspect of his life reflects the God he serves.
At the center of Jacob’s heart is his family. He is the primary caregiver for his Dad, Bobby; his brother, Danny; and his sister, Abbie. Jacob’s pride and joy is Abbie. Although she is mentally challenged, this doesn’t stop her from loving life and making those around her smile. Jacob’s sister, Debbie, lives away from home but is a vital part of the family.
But there’s so much more to Jacob than just that. His character is what makes him a real hero. Great or brave acts. Jacob has done something very few people would do; set aside his own needs and desires to put his family first. He doesn’t spend much time vacationing in the mountains, visiting the sunny beaches or traveling to see the sights of the world. His time off is spent caring for his family and making sure they get to their doctors’ appointments and all the stuff that comes with daily living. He gives of himself day-in and day-out to put his family’s needs first and Jacob second. Check. Fine qualities. Jacob is a man of great integrity. He stands firmly for the things he believes to be true. His strong moral principles are based on Scriptures and he strives to live a life that would be pleasing to God. Jacob is a man you can be depend on. He loves people. I don’t ever recall a time going somewhere with Jacob that he didn’t know somebody or spend a few minutes talking with people. He has never met a stranger. When his family or friends are in need, I’ve seen him go out of his way to help them countless times. Check. A person who is greatly admired. Just spend a few minutes talking to his family and friends and you’ll realize he is a person who is greatly admired. Phrases like “that man really loves his family,” or “he is a true genuine person,” are synonymous with his name. There’s no doubt he has the respect of those who know him. Check. Check. Check. The Miracle
On December 8, 2011, my heart was saddened to hear the news that Jacob was in a Tallahassee hospital in critical condition. Just the day before, Jacob and I met at O’Neals for lunch (If you know Jacob, you know that’s where he will be every day at 11 a.m.!) and it appeared to be a typical day.
Around 10 a.m. the next morning, it happened. Jacob literally died sitting in his chair at work. Thankfully, with the help of God and the paramedics, they were able to revive him and transport him to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for further treatment.
Jacob was no longer able to communicate. He lay in the hospital bed for days with very little chance of walking out alive. Spending days at the intensive care center, pacing the floor knowing there was nothing I or anyone else could do was a helpless feeling.
As I prayed by my bed one night, I begged God to heal Jacob’s body. The doctors were doing all they could for him, and although he has a multitude of family and friends, there was nothing anyone could do to rescue this hero. It was beyond our control.
I have taught many Bible classes over the past few years as a youth pastor. To simplify the meaning of a miracle for the children, I described it as an act performed that can’t be done or explained by humans. During the time Christ walked the earth, He performed works that could not be reasoned by man. With His touch, blinded eyes could see, the crippled could walk, and deaf ears could hear. With His words, Jesus raised Lazarus from death. Now, it was Jacob’s time. Only God could bring Jacob back from death, and only God could restore his health.
In prayer, I told God, “I need a miracle from You; I’ve done all I can do.” Just moments later I grabbed a pen and paper and jotted that line down on the back of an envelope.
Having spent my life on the road playing gospel music, I’ve always expressed my feelings through songs, just like a writer through poetry or a book. On December 31, my friend Ethan Brooks and I sat down and penned a song titled “Miracle” that was inspired by Jacob’s miracle.
You see, Jacob didn’t stay down very long. After weeks and several treatments in intensive care, he began to make significant improvements. Soon, Jacob was communicating with the doctors and eventually came back to his normal self. Today, Jacob is back at work and going on with life as usual
God performed a miracle in his life. Although the paramedics assisted in reviving Jacob back to life, without Jesus Christ touching him, it wouldn’t have happened. And had God chose not to reach down and heal him, there wouldn’t have been enough medical treatments on the planet to save him. God took a situation that looked hopeless and turned it around. Jacob is an example of a miracle.
The song Ethan and I were blessed to write has inspired and touched many lives, just like Jacob has. By the end of this book, you’ll see that every now and then even heroes need a miracle, too. Bryant Thigpen
View Sudden Death: God’s Overtime and other books I have available for purchase
The post Sudden Cardiac Death appeared first on Jacob Bembry.
Foreword to Sudden Death: God’s Overtime
Read his own personal story of how Jacob Bembry went into sudden cardiac death at work, was revived by EMS and how he hovered near death in the hospital and read about the miracle from God that kept him here.
I don’t deserve the kind words that Bryant Thigpen wrote as the foreword to my book “Sudden Death: God’s Overtime,” which deals with my experience with sudden cardiac death and the miracle from God, which led to my recovery, but I am so grateful for them, and for Bryant. Bryant has been a true friend and he was there with my family members, my pastor, and other friends at the hospital, praying for me and pulling for me. Those prayers mean a lot. I would like to share another excerpt from my book with my readers.
When people use the word hero, it’s often used to describe someone who rescues a man from a burning fire, or a singer who performs in front of thousands of people. It’s even been used to describe characters in a movie or television series that never existed. However, most heroes aren’t found in a uniform or in a make-believe story plot. You can find real heroes at work, the grocery store, or walking in the park. They can look like an average person, but it is their heart and character that sets them apart.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities; or a person who is greatly admired.
I would like to introduce to you a real hero, Jacob Bembry. I could not think of any better word or definition to describe his heart or the story of his life.
Growing up in a small rural county in north Florida, I’ve known Jacob for as long as I can remember. After I graduated from high school, I had the opportunity to work with Jacob for several years. Jacob and I had lunch together almost every day, and this allowed me the wonderful privilege of getting to know him on a personal basis.
Jacob is definitely a “what you see is what you get” type person. His small-town personality will make you feel like you’ve known him forever. He has served as a news reporter/editor for Madison County newspapers for nearly two decades and is widely known for his weekly column, “Jacob’s Ladder.” He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication, and has received numerous prestigious awards in the newspaper industry.
It’s not his accomplishments or accolades that define him, but rather his faithfulness and dedication to God and his family. His passion and love for Jesus Christ is obvious from the moment you first meet him. Rare is the occasion his pew is empty for a worship service. Jacob’s writing of this book is a testament that he loves to use his God-given writing ability to encourage, inspire and shine the light of Christ to all. Every aspect of his life reflects the God he serves.
At the center of Jacob’s heart is his family. He is the primary caregiver for his Dad, Bobby; his brother, Danny; and his sister, Abbie. Jacob’s pride and joy is Abbie. Although she is mentally challenged, this doesn’t stop her from loving life and making those around her smile. Jacob’s sister, Debbie, lives away from home but is a vital part of the family.
But there’s so much more to Jacob than just that. His character is what makes him a real hero. Great or brave acts. Jacob has done something very few people would do; set aside his own needs and desires to put his family first. He doesn’t spend much time vacationing in the mountains, visiting the sunny beaches or traveling to see the sights of the world. His time off is spent caring for his family and making sure they get to their doctors’ appointments and all the stuff that comes with daily living. He gives of himself day-in and day-out to put his family’s needs first and Jacob second. Check. Fine qualities. Jacob is a man of great integrity. He stands firmly for the things he believes to be true. His strong moral principles are based on Scriptures and he strives to live a life that would be pleasing to God. Jacob is a man you can be depend on. He loves people. I don’t ever recall a time going somewhere with Jacob that he didn’t know somebody or spend a few minutes talking with people. He has never met a stranger. When his family or friends are in need, I’ve seen him go out of his way to help them countless times. Check. A person who is greatly admired. Just spend a few minutes talking to his family and friends and you’ll realize he is a person who is greatly admired. Phrases like “that man really loves his family,” or “he is a true genuine person,” are synonymous with his name. There’s no doubt he has the respect of those who know him. Check. Check. Check. The Miracle
On December 8, 2011, my heart was saddened to hear the news that Jacob was in a Tallahassee hospital in critical condition. Just the day before, Jacob and I met at O’Neals for lunch (If you know Jacob, you know that’s where he will be every day at 11 a.m.!) and it appeared to be a typical day.
Around 10 a.m. the next morning, it happened. Jacob literally died sitting in his chair at work. Thankfully, with the help of God and the paramedics, they were able to revive him and transport him to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for further treatment.
Jacob was no longer able to communicate. He lay in the hospital bed for days with very little chance of walking out alive. Spending days at the intensive care center, pacing the floor knowing there was nothing I or anyone else could do was a helpless feeling.
As I prayed by my bed one night, I begged God to heal Jacob’s body. The doctors were doing all they could for him, and although he has a multitude of family and friends, there was nothing anyone could do to rescue this hero. It was beyond our control.
I have taught many Bible classes over the past few years as a youth pastor. To simplify the meaning of a miracle for the children, I described it as an act performed that can’t be done or explained by humans. During the time Christ walked the earth, He performed works that could not be reasoned by man. With His touch, blinded eyes could see, the crippled could walk, and deaf ears could hear. With His words, Jesus raised Lazarus from death. Now, it was Jacob’s time. Only God could bring Jacob back from death, and only God could restore his health.
In prayer, I told God, “I need a miracle from You; I’ve done all I can do.” Just moments later I grabbed a pen and paper and jotted that line down on the back of an envelope.
Having spent my life on the road playing gospel music, I’ve always expressed my feelings through songs, just like a writer through poetry or a book. On December 31, my friend Ethan Brooks and I sat down and penned a song titled “Miracle” that was inspired by Jacob’s miracle.
You see, Jacob didn’t stay down very long. After weeks and several treatments in intensive care, he began to make significant improvements. Soon, Jacob was communicating with the doctors and eventually came back to his normal self. Today, Jacob is back at work and going on with life as usual
God performed a miracle in his life. Although the paramedics assisted in reviving Jacob back to life, without Jesus Christ touching him, it wouldn’t have happened. And had God chose not to reach down and heal him, there wouldn’t have been enough medical treatments on the planet to save him. God took a situation that looked hopeless and turned it around. Jacob is an example of a miracle.
The song Ethan and I were blessed to write has inspired and touched many lives, just like Jacob has. By the end of this book, you’ll see that every now and then even heroes need a miracle, too. Bryant Thigpen
View Sudden Death: God’s Overtime and other books I have available for purchase
The post Foreword to Sudden Death: God’s Overtime appeared first on Jacob Bembry.
January 27, 2015
Unsolved 50-Year-Old Murder
Check out my new Book Table for information on how to buy this book and others I have written.
Below is an excerpt from my book “Crimes Seen: A Collection of True Life Murder Stories.” This chapter, entitled in the book as “The Monsters Who Came Early for Halloween is about the almost 50-year-old unsolved murders of three members of the Sims family in Tallahassee, Florida. One of the people suspicion fell on was C.A. Roberts, minister at the church that the Sims family attended. You can order “Crimes Seen: A Collection of True Life Murder Mysteries” on Kindle or in paperback by going to Amazon or by sending $12.99 ($9 plus $3.99 shipping and handling) for a signed copy to Jacob Bembry, P.O. Box 9334, Lee, FL 32059.
Halloween was a little more than a week away that October night in 1966 but the monsters showed up early at one house in the city that Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters had immortalized in song just nineteen years earlier as “the Southland at its best.”
Autumn was one month underway in the Capital City of Florida that evening. The weather was still brushing off the sweat from the sweltering humidity of summer that lingers on into late fall in north Florida. With leaves falling from oaks and needles falling from pines, the crisp feel of autumn was in the air, along with the smell of burning leaves as people took advantage of the cool Saturday air to do yard work.
Across Tallahassee, the Florida State Seminoles, coached by Bill Peterson who had a young assistant coach named Bobby Bowden on the sidelines with him, were engaged in battle with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Seminoles had tussled with the Gators a couple of weeks before and came up a field goal short on the 22-19 score for the game. This evening, the Seminoles would pull out the win 10-0 on their way to a date in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas against the Wyoming Cowboys.
While FSU battled Mississippi State, Jenny and Judy Sims, the teenager daughters of Robert and Helen Sims babysat for people attending the game. Their younger sister, Joy Lynn, stayed at home with their parents for what was supposed to be a quiet evening.
Jenny Sims, who got home before her sister, Judy, was stunned by what she found when she arrived home. Mr. Sims, the Director of Data Processing for the State of Florida, had been shot in the head. He was then blindfolded, gagged, and tied. Robert, a nationally known computer expert who also served the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee as its Sunday School superintendent, had died due to the vicious attack.
Joy Lynn had been stabbed six times and shot in the head. Like her father, she had been blindfolded, gagged, and tied. The twelve-year-old junior high school student, who had many friends and sang in the choir, was also dead.
Still breathing, though barely, was Helen Sims. A pretty thirty-seven year old, she worked part-time as the secretary of the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee. She was also bound, gagged and blindfolded. She had been shot in the head twice and once in the leg.
Items used to blindfold and tie the Sims family included neckties and lingerie. The family members were all found dead in the master bedroom of the small brick home in Tallahassee.
Mrs. Sims was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital where she lingered for days as law officers hoped that she would gain consciousness at least long enough to tell them what had happened that ill-fated evening.
The next day and days after that there was a rush on hardware stores as people bought guns, ammunition and knives. Locks were also at a premium. Ladies were taking judo lessons. Children were not allowed outside the house after dark and adults chose to stay inside because they did not know what lurked in the shadows.
Reward money was posted for the capture and conviction of whoever perpetrated the heinous act on October 22, 1966. The money poured in from the State Cabinet, Florida State University, The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper and from a plethora of private donors wanting to unmask the monsters who had struck fear into the peaceful little town which had not known terror like it now faced.
On October 25, 1966, a funeral was held for Robert Sims and his young daughter at the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee. The pastor of the church, C.A. Roberts, delivered the eulogy. Roberts and Dr. Mode W. Stone announced an education fund had been set up for Jenny and Judy.
Robert W. Sims, Sr., the father and grandfather of the deceased, was unable to attend the service. After he arrived in Tallahassee to care for his surviving granddaughters, he suffered a heart attack and had to be hospitalized.
When Halloween rolled around, Tallahassee’s children were relegated to having to trick or treat before dark because it could prove to be too deadly to do so after dusk.
Earlier that Halloween day, Helen Sims had become the third victim of the unknown monster, who could still be stalking Tallahassee for all anyone knew at the time. She succumbed to the gunshot to the head and passed away without being able to share anything with law officers.
Jenny (Norman Jeanette) would turn seventeen years old on November 30, 1966. She had been a senior in high school before dropping out after the tragedy, along with her sister, Judy (Judith Ann). Judy, who had just turned sixteen years old, was a junior. The two girls had been living with the family of their church’s assistant minister, Marion L. Hayes, until he suffered a heart attack. After his heart attack, they moved in with another friend in Tallahassee so they could be near their mother’s bedside.
They moved to Alabama to live with their mother’s sister after Helen Sims’ funeral in Tallahassee. Mrs. Sims was taken to Meridian, Mississippi where she was buried between Mr. Sims and Joy Lynn.
Almost fifty years later, the crime remains unsolved. At one time, Rev. C.A. Roberts, who Mrs. Sims served as secretary to, was even a suspect. This idea was quickly dismissed by Leon County Sheriff William P. Joyce and his crew after they viewed film of the Florida State-Mississippi State game. Roberts was the team chaplain for the Seminoles and he was at the game at the time the murders occurred. The accusations, however, led Rev. Roberts to resign from the pulpit. Roberts was killed in a car accident years later. Today, there are still those who believe that he was involved in the murders.
Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell who worked as a deputy at the time was the first law officer on the scene. He said that he doesn’t believe Roberts had not role at all to play in the murders. He said that he believes he knows who committed the murders but there is not enough evidence to convict them. He said the only chance of a conviction is from a confession.
Neighbors of the Sims family have speculated that the assailants were two teenagers who lived in the neighborhood at the time.
At the time of the murder, there was no evidence of a break-in at the Sims home and there was no report of a sexual assault. Many years later, Sheriff Campbell said he believed there were two murderers and that the murders were a sex crime. He believed one of the assailants had participated in necrophilia (sex with a corpse).
If the monster or monsters who preyed on Tallahassee that night are still alive, they may be stalking your neighborhood at this moment or they may have met the Grim Reaper.
If they have not died, they need to be discovered and brought to justice to give some degree of peace to the family, friends and colleagues who survive them.
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January 26, 2015
Excerpt from Sudden Death: God’s Overtime
Read his own personal story of how Jacob Bembry went into sudden cardiac death at work, was revived by EMS and how he hovered near death in the hospital and read about the miracle from God that kept him here.
Note: On December 8, 2011, I went into cardiac arrest and suffered sudden cardiac death. I was clinically dead, according to my physicians and according to the paramedics. I did not see the “Light,” the glories of Heaven, or God while I was clinically “dead.” I feel that if I had I would still be there and would not, nor could I, come back. I wrote a book about the experience called “Sudden Death: God’s Overtime.” Below is an excerpt from the book which is available at a number of online book retailers or you can receive a signed copy by mailing $12 plus $3.99 shipping and handling to me at Jacob Bembry, P.O. Box 9334, Lee, FL 32059
When I went to work at the newspaper office on December 8, 2011, the last thing I had in mind was dying.
I had gone to work concerned with a comment left on Greene Publishing, Inc.’s website. Unable to sleep, I had gotten up at 3 a.m. in the morning and checked my company email account. I found a report on a crash that had happened the night before, which took the life of a man I had known for years. I wrote the story and posted it on the newspaper’s website.
My memory is fuzzy but I believe that I went back to sleep and awoke a couple of hours later. I checked the newspaper’s website and saw a comment left by the victim’s daughter. Apparently, she had not been told by the Florida Highway Patrol or by family member’s that her father was dead. I tried dealing with the comment by answering her in what I thought was a diplomatic fashion.
At about 8:30, my publisher, Emerald Greene and I began instant messaging each other about the comment left by the daughter. Emerald was in Monticello where she is also the owner of The Monticello News and The Jefferson County Journal, in addition to The Madison County Carrier and The Madison Enterprise-Recorder, where I serve as editor of the paper her father and mother founded (the Carrier. founded in 1964) and the oldest newspaper in Florida (the Enterprise-Recorder, founded in 1865). Later, she sent me a couple of stories to edit that were running in Monticello because they do not have an editor at that newspaper.
The transcript of our instant messaging session shows I stopped typing a little after 10 a.m. Emerald was still asking me questions and my answers before had been rapid fire because of my typing speed. I never answered her.
At 10:15 a.m., Emerald stopped typing. She had been told what had happened to me.
The two reporters, Kristin Finney and Lynette Norris had heard strange noises coming from the area of my desk, which is divided by partitions, separating me from Kristin, who sits to my left as I face, the wall, and Lynette, who sits to my right. Dee Hall, who works in production on the other side of the room, heard me and she and Lynette came to my desk, thinking I was snoring and shook me to wake me up.
“It was so strange,” Lynette told me later, “because I thought you were asleep but your eyes were wide open.”
Kristin called 911. Dee Hall got me out of my chair and onto the floor.
I listened to the chilling 911 call for the first time on February 15, 2012. On the call, Kristin Finney is heard, along with Sarah Leigh McGraw. McGraw gives instructions and Finney relays them to the people in the office who are working to revive me. Kristin, the then nineteen-year-old daughter of Doug and Sherry Finney, amazingly kept her calm in spite of the excitement going on around. Only once did the dispatcher have to tell her to “Calm down. Slow down your breathing” and that was near the beginning of the call. Kristin took a deep breath and walked through the call.
Helping perform CPR were Dana Williams and Lynette. They tried to revive me and at times my breathing would stop completely and then come back. The breaths were shallow and uncertain.
About six minutes into the 911 recording, you can hear that EMS is 1097. They have arrived on the scene. Heather Bowen, the production manager, leads them in to where I am at.
The paramedics who attempt to revive me and finally succeed are Michael Raines and Mica Taylor. Assisting at the scene also from Madison County EMS are EMS Director Juan Botino, Logan Brennan and Linda Kent.
Someone who was there to answer the call filled out a run report on me. On it, it says that my blood pressure was 0, my respiratory rate was 0, my systolic blood pressure was 0 and my diastolic blood pressure was 0.
I was dead.
View Sudden Death: God’s Overtime and other books I have available for purchase
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January 24, 2015
A Dreamer and a Wrestler and a Writer
M
y name is Jacob. I am a dreamer and a wrestler. I am not just any wrestler. I will even wrestle the unbeatable, even if it keeps me awake all night and makes me walk with a limp the rest of my life.
My name is also Jacob. I am a dreamer and writer. I write about the Lord, or use my words to encourage others. I tell true stories and, sometimes, I make up stories. I dream of being a best-selling author. I dream that my blog will go viral. Neither has happened yet. Still I dream.
Like Jacob of old, who wrestled with the angel of the Lord, I wrestle with my dreams and won’t let go of them until I blessed with the dreams coming true.
I wrestle with writing books. I wrestle with writing blog posts. I wrestle with getting more Twitter and Facebook followers. I wrestle with marketing the book and the blogs. I wrestle with getting book reviews. I wrestle with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), dreaming of getting noticed by thousands, and millions, of people.
I wrestle with these dreams for my family. I dream these dreams so I can make money to provide for my family. I wrestle with them so I will have the money to pay bills.
In the Bible, Jacob made a coat for another dreamer – his son, Joseph. I was listening to a sermon by Mark Chironna, who pointed out that the Hebrew word used for “made” in the verse meant to continue making. Joseph grew older, so Jacob would continue to make the coat.
I trust that the Lord is continuing to make and reshape my dreams. Like Jacob loved his son, God loves me and he takes needle and thread in hand and continues to work on the coat of my dreams. Joseph saw the dreams he dreamed fulfilled and was able to help others, including his own family. He saved the world he knew from famine. I want to use some of the resources I get from my dreams being fulfilled to help my family, my church, and others.
My name is Jacob. I am a dreamer and a wrestler and a writer. I am holding to the dreams the Lord makes for me with His needles and thread until I can see them fulfilled according to His will.
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January 23, 2015
Video Tribute to My Dad
This is a video tribute to my father. One year ago today, January 23, Robert Eugene “Bobby” Bembry, passed away. This video is the slideshow that I made for his memorial service. I miss him every day but know that he is with His Savior.
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Video Tribute to My Father
This is a video tribute to my father. One year ago today, January 23, Robert Eugene “Bobby” Bembry, passed away. This video is the slideshow that I made for his memorial service. I miss him every day but know that he is with His Savior.
View books I have available for purchase now
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January 20, 2015
Happy Birthday
Today is the birthday of two special people, one who has been in my heart for all of my life and the other who has been in there for 20 years.
My father, Robert Eugene “Bobby” Bembry would have been 79 years old today. Last year, on his birthday, he received a gift from a nursing tech at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The gift was a balloon and attached to the balloon was a small teddy bear dressed in nurse’s scrubs. My sister, Debbie, told me that the nursing tech had fallen in love with Daddy. One of the nurses who was in his room told me that all of the nurses had fallen in love with him.
My father, Robert Eugene “Bobby” Bembry
I prodded my father and asked him for his secret of success with the women, and he answered, “I just tell them about what Jesus can do for them.”
That was my father – always willing to tell others about what the Lord could do for them and what He had done for my father.
Another “gift” he received that day was the diagnosis of leukemia. My father had already accepted the fact that his days on Earth were short and he knew that he was headed Home.
January 21, 2014 was my father’s last birthday. He went to be with the Jesus He loved two days later and is now living gloriously in Heaven.
It’s hard for me not to still think of the next person who has a birthday today as a little girl. She is someone I have known my entire life. Today, she leaves her teenaged years behind and embarks on life as a twenty-something.
I always remember Brooke Kinsley’s birthday because she shared the same birthdate as my father. (I will always remember her older sister, Cheltsie Kinsley’s birthday also, because it falls on November 27, the day after my mother’s birthday.)
Brooke on her 19th birthday, January 21, 2014, during a little party they give for the workers at Greene Publishing, Inc. on their birthday.
I worked with Brooke’s family at Greene Publishing, Inc. and worked for them for almost 22 years. Through the years, I saw Brooke and Cheltsie grow up and even become my bosses, which felt strange to me because Cheltsie was only a couple of years old when I began working there and Brooke was born when I worked there. They are the daughters of Emerald Greene Parsons and Paul Kinsley. They are both very polite and, to this day, still call me “Mr. Jacob.” I am sure Paul and Emerald are both very proud of them. I am proud to know them and to call them my friends.
I wish the best for Brooke on her birthday. Though she is a Florida Gator fan, she will begin Florida State in August. I pray that she allows God to lead her life and that she always puts Him first. As a Florida State alum, I also pray that she converts and becomes a Seminoles fan. Haha!
Happy birthday, Brooke.
Happy Heaven Day, Daddy.
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Learning to Ride Without Training Wheels
I don’t remember who “Scott” was. I think he was an in-law of my grandfather or grandmother. Perhaps he was married to my grandfather’s niece or he may have been my grandmother’s cousin’s husband. I do remember that Scott had been to prison. I can’t remember the details of why he’d been there, only that he had.
There is not I lot I can recall about Scott, but one thing is embedded on my memory – he taught me how to ride a bicycle when I was a young child.
My father had tried teaching me to ride but I was still stuck with the training wheels and when Daddy would try to push me away, I would hold on fiercely to his protecting arms. In him, I sought refuge, not freedom. I wanted to hold on to my daddy forever. I didn’t want to fall off the bicycle and get hurt.
The day that Scott and his wife visited my grandparents, for some reason, he began teaching me how to ride the bicycle. My grandparents and parents sat on the front porch, watching him. I took a few falls and got a few bumps and bruises, but with urging from the porch, I got back up again. Finally, when Scott gave me a push, I began pumping the pedals and rode the bicycle.
I didn’t hold to Scott like I did my dad. I didn’t think I would find protection in his arms, like my father gave me.
Scott taught me to ride a bicycle that day, for which I am ever grateful.
Through the years, I learned more and more that my father would be there to protect me, but that I didn’t need to hold so tightly to him. While Scott taught me to ride a bicycle, my father took a frightened little boy, afraid of falling, and taught him balance and put wheels under me.
“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.” Proverbs 4:1
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January 17, 2015
Beautiful Music
Courtesy of Rostislav Kralik at http://publicdomainpictures.net
Alone in my room, I wait for the music to begin. I wait for the music to begin playing so I can waltz with the words.
Many times, my muse remains silent and I am left staring at the blank page on my computer’s screen.
I must make the music play, whether it’s an upbeat happy tune in 4/4 time, or whether it’s a sad progression of minor chords. I must write.
I sigh and put my keys to the keyboard, knowing that the only way I will write is to “Just do it” as the Nike advertisements say.
I began writing what words I can, and, the music begins as words flow from my fingertips onto the screen. I keep time by tapping on the keyboard.
Mine is not the sound of a great pianist. Mine is the sound of me –Jacob Bembry.
The words and music swell until they reach a crashing crescendo.
That’s beautiful music to me.
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