Let me just share with you some of what happened behind the scenes with my recent Pro BBQ "adventure". I left the Sam's competition in Daphne and got to just the other side of Mobile out of the tunnel. Was talking to my wife on the phone and actually lamenting about where I came in... poopy poop finish. Of course, I blew by my 3rd place rib and went right to the other bad finishes and had that "kicked in the gut" feeling of losing. As I'm talking on the phone, I feel my trailer kick to the side. I look out the driver side mirror and see nothing, I look out the passenger mirror and I see my wheel detached from the trailer and the hub hitting the ground and exploding in sparks. I look out the driver mirror again and see the wheel and tire bouncing toward the median. I'm going 65 mph and I know I have to get off the freeway. God puts exit 25B - Virginia Street RIGHT THERE and I take the exit and pull to the shoulder, dragging my trailer with me. All Safe and Sound.
I get out, walk around and see the picture below....OK, NOW what do I do?? Thought for a moment, and then... call Bobby! a year ago this past fall, coming home from Lakeland, FL my truck blew the engine. Put a post on Facebook and within minutes, Bobby and family were there.
Bobby had the truck towed to his shop and eventually we sold it, for scrap, but he took care of it... so who else would I call :) Bobby is at the competition packing up and says, just hold on, I'll send Miles Lankford over and
I'll be there as soon as I can. Miles gets there and we assess that this is a really poopy situation LOL... Bobby has me call Pitts towing and we start that process. In the mean time, cooks are driving by and see me on the side of the road. My phone starts to blow up. James Lirette and Justin Proctor drive past, turn around, exit, park and walk up the ramp to check on me. Jay Rowell is calling to see what needs to be done... All is good, we load up the trailer on the tow truck and head to Bobby's shop and "dump" it there. I know this is bad, the axle is wasted, the leaf spring is shot and this is going to be a BEAR of a job to get it done right. I notice when we pull up to Bobby's shop that there are at least a hundred trucks stacked up in the service area.. I know for sure that Pensacola is not an option and Bainbridge is questionable at best for the following weekend. Bobby tells me, "you're cooking in Pensacola".. ok Bobby, sure, whatever you say. As I'm driving home, feeling beaten down from the competition and then the trailer and not having the extra cash to get it all paid for, I knew that I would have to cancel some competitions and for the first time in my BBQ career, I started to question if I should be doing this. I knew God
wanted me to keep going, but I started to doubt my desire to keep going.. what's the use? Why?
As I'm driving home, without, my trailer, I get a phone call from David Mauro. David goes on to ask how things are and tells me I gotta still cook Pensacola. I tell him he's nuts. Then he goes on to say, "Hey look Jeff, I'm taking my big RV to the contest which means that my little 24 foot porch trailer will be at home. I'll keep it all plugged in so the fridge is good and all you gotta do is hook up, throw you cookers on it and get to the comp." I'm thinking, dude, you have eaten way too many donuts, you're nuts, no way... to think that he would offer his trailer to me AND persistently push for me to go, that I had to be there.... God was starting his "breakdown" process.
Monday comes and it didn't take long. Bobby is texting me pictures of the crew picking up the trailer with a fork lift, and tearing it down. Axle off. The pictures just keep coming and I'm thinking about the shop and all the work
going on...and man, these guys are busting a move on this one. A little later, early afternoon, I get a text from Bobby telling me that it took some effort, but they found an axle and will get it installed and finish up Tuesday Morning.
In between all this, I get calls from Jay Rowell and David Clarke and they have the audacity to tell me that a group is getting together to make sure I don't have a bill to pay. Earlier in the day, I put a post up that I would need help
and a bunch of guys started sending chunks of money to our pay pal account. The whole time, I am humbled and, quite frankly, overwhelmed, by what's going on.
So then, Bobby sends me a phone video of the trailer rolling down the road outside his shop... I cried, I cried...Not because of the trailer being fixed, but because of the LOVE that was behind the whole experience. I told Caroline that what tears me up is that I KNOW it's not me, it's the Jesus in me that they see and want to do it for... it's amazing.. Bobby and I talk later and I ask, "Bobby tell me what the bill is." His response? "For you, nothing." I'm like, COME ON, no way. Bobby, tell me what it is? He is persistent and his response was, "you're not taking away my blessing, this is on ME". Talk about feeliing the Love of JESUS. He also went on to share that they had plans to use a flatbed trailer to haul mine to Pensacola if necessary. These boyz are NUTS, i tell ya NUTS!
Trailer was completely repaired, and I cooked Pensacola! God is good. I share this as a testimony to how God moves in our lives when we give Him our whole Heart. He will involve others, and truly touch our hearts with fruits, with undeniable proof that God is God, He loves us and - "ALL things work together for good, for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom 8:28)
Thank YOU God, and thank YOU BBQ Family! Give it to God, what are you
waiting for?
I get out, walk around and see the picture below....OK, NOW what do I do?? Thought for a moment, and then... call Bobby! a year ago this past fall, coming home from Lakeland, FL my truck blew the engine. Put a post on Facebook and within minutes, Bobby and family were there.
Bobby had the truck towed to his shop and eventually we sold it, for scrap, but he took care of it... so who else would I call :) Bobby is at the competition packing up and says, just hold on, I'll send Miles Lankford over and
I'll be there as soon as I can. Miles gets there and we assess that this is a really poopy situation LOL... Bobby has me call Pitts towing and we start that process. In the mean time, cooks are driving by and see me on the side of the road. My phone starts to blow up. James Lirette and Justin Proctor drive past, turn around, exit, park and walk up the ramp to check on me. Jay Rowell is calling to see what needs to be done... All is good, we load up the trailer on the tow truck and head to Bobby's shop and "dump" it there. I know this is bad, the axle is wasted, the leaf spring is shot and this is going to be a BEAR of a job to get it done right. I notice when we pull up to Bobby's shop that there are at least a hundred trucks stacked up in the service area.. I know for sure that Pensacola is not an option and Bainbridge is questionable at best for the following weekend. Bobby tells me, "you're cooking in Pensacola".. ok Bobby, sure, whatever you say. As I'm driving home, feeling beaten down from the competition and then the trailer and not having the extra cash to get it all paid for, I knew that I would have to cancel some competitions and for the first time in my BBQ career, I started to question if I should be doing this. I knew God
wanted me to keep going, but I started to doubt my desire to keep going.. what's the use? Why?
As I'm driving home, without, my trailer, I get a phone call from David Mauro. David goes on to ask how things are and tells me I gotta still cook Pensacola. I tell him he's nuts. Then he goes on to say, "Hey look Jeff, I'm taking my big RV to the contest which means that my little 24 foot porch trailer will be at home. I'll keep it all plugged in so the fridge is good and all you gotta do is hook up, throw you cookers on it and get to the comp." I'm thinking, dude, you have eaten way too many donuts, you're nuts, no way... to think that he would offer his trailer to me AND persistently push for me to go, that I had to be there.... God was starting his "breakdown" process.
Monday comes and it didn't take long. Bobby is texting me pictures of the crew picking up the trailer with a fork lift, and tearing it down. Axle off. The pictures just keep coming and I'm thinking about the shop and all the work
going on...and man, these guys are busting a move on this one. A little later, early afternoon, I get a text from Bobby telling me that it took some effort, but they found an axle and will get it installed and finish up Tuesday Morning.
In between all this, I get calls from Jay Rowell and David Clarke and they have the audacity to tell me that a group is getting together to make sure I don't have a bill to pay. Earlier in the day, I put a post up that I would need help
and a bunch of guys started sending chunks of money to our pay pal account. The whole time, I am humbled and, quite frankly, overwhelmed, by what's going on.
So then, Bobby sends me a phone video of the trailer rolling down the road outside his shop... I cried, I cried...Not because of the trailer being fixed, but because of the LOVE that was behind the whole experience. I told Caroline that what tears me up is that I KNOW it's not me, it's the Jesus in me that they see and want to do it for... it's amazing.. Bobby and I talk later and I ask, "Bobby tell me what the bill is." His response? "For you, nothing." I'm like, COME ON, no way. Bobby, tell me what it is? He is persistent and his response was, "you're not taking away my blessing, this is on ME". Talk about feeliing the Love of JESUS. He also went on to share that they had plans to use a flatbed trailer to haul mine to Pensacola if necessary. These boyz are NUTS, i tell ya NUTS!
Trailer was completely repaired, and I cooked Pensacola! God is good. I share this as a testimony to how God moves in our lives when we give Him our whole Heart. He will involve others, and truly touch our hearts with fruits, with undeniable proof that God is God, He loves us and - "ALL things work together for good, for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom 8:28)
Thank YOU God, and thank YOU BBQ Family! Give it to God, what are you
waiting for?
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