Dad

My dad, James T. Bonner Sr., never went to church with us and it was mom who seen to it we went to church. In my senior year, mom came into my room and woke me up and told me to go into the living room. I obeyed and walk into the living room half a sleep when I suddenly came wide awake. There sat dad in his easy chair with a suit on and a bible in his hands. I also noticed he was sober. He never quit going to church until he could not drive any more (Hebrews 10:25). He never drank again after that Sunday morning (Ephesians 5:18). Also dad never said a word to anyone about his change as far as I know, at least to his children. When dad was sober, he was kind and loving, but when he drank he was a mean S.O.B. (Proverbs 20:1).

It took me years to go to him and ask about that situation. I was about 35 years old. I asked why he started to go to church and quit drinking. He said, "Son, I was able to see I was losing my children and I didn’t want that so I quit." (II Corinthians 7:10)

Now dad was a man of few words. I had just joined the Primitive Baptist church and I knew God was in the matter back then. There was no preacher that got to him because he had chased off every preach in Charleston, Arkansas. So what happened to my dad? My dad’s heart was not stronger than God (II Timothy 2:13, Galatians 4:6). It was the Lord who showed him his true situation and the end result of losing his children and perhaps his wife (I Thessalonians 4:9).

Dad died at 87 years old with his five children next to his bed. We all worked to keep him out of a rest home by caring for his needs and were blessed by God to see him take his last, smiling breath. I know my dad is in heaven and is singing his favorite song, “Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine.” (Revelation 14:13).

- Sonny Bonner