1 Old Man, 70 Years, and ONLY 3 PREACHERS!!!

My Daddy, my Old Man died on Friday, May 3, 2002. 5 days earlier on Sunday, April 28, 2002, we celebrated Homer Bruce Dupree's 70th birthday. On Saturday, May 4, 2002 the qoute of the day in the Opelika-Auburn News was, "When an old man dies a library burns down."

And boy did a library burn...... stories, generations, links to my family heritage all burned down. Except for a few stories I still remember... much like early Spanish explorers destroying ancient Mayan and Aztec records and ruins and nothing but a few stories left.... dog gone shame.

If my Daddy told you something you could take it to the bank. If he told me someone was a good man..... he was a good man. If Homer told me a fella was bad....he was a bad fella....No if's and's nor but's about it.

In my Daddy's(1 old man's life) 70 years of life, he only cared or liked 3 preachers. Daddy was never a church going man. Bad experiences with preachers left a bad scar on him.... except for 3 preachers.

Many a Sunday come and gone with Mama and me begging Daddy to go to church.... many a Sunday asking in vain... with no success at all.... except for 3 servants of the Lord would he want to listen too.

Preacher Number 1) Billy Graham. Daddy would sit many times listening to Rev. Graham's Crusades night after night. "Billy Graham is the only good, honest preacher there is.", he would say.

Preacher Number 2) Rudet Adkinson. Bro. Rudet and Homer Dupree somehow connected. I believe it was by Bro. Rudet's farming/poor stories... simplistic sermons that my Daddy could always relate too and understand. Daddy would always say, "Now I like Bro. Rudet, even though he is a preacher."

Preacer Number 3) Scott Smith. Scott was a good man who left a good job making plenty of money for the ministry and I'm thankful he did. Other than my parents, Scott had a profound positive influence/impact upon my life....even to this day. Daddy told me, "I like Scott.... he is a good man and has been good to you." Because Scott was good to Daddy's son, Daddy liked Pastor Scott Smith.

Preachers are to be trusted only when they earned their trust as anyone else, not because they have a title of a "preacher/pastor"... thats the way Daddy saw it and thats the way I see it too......