The Church at West Franklin Archives

Our Tiny Surprise Turns 40. . . . and Continues to Surprise Us

03/17/2017 By: CCPearson14 Comments

From the night of his birth until this very day, our middle child and only son, Matt, has continually surprised us.

1. Matt was due to arrive on May 19, 1977, but decided instead to burst into the world at 12:13 a.m. on March 22. In the first few moments, everything appeared to be okay. He was small (4 lbs. 13 oz.) but healthy. However, within a few hours, the doctors realized that he had aspirated during birth, so he had to fight pneumonia in addition to his prematurity. I have thought so many times that we didn’t know he’d survive for 40 days, much less 40 years. But God had a plan.

Tiny Baby Matt.

2. Matt seemed to be sick constantly in his first two years. We were ALWAYS seeing his pediatrician, Dr. Walker, and he must have consumed gallons of “the pink stuff” (a.k.a. amoxicillin) to cure his ear infections. However, after his SECOND set of eartubes (inserted on his 2nd birthday), he suddenly got better, and he’s never looked back. He’s now 6′ 4″ tall and weighs 200 pounds. God had a plan.

Matt, age 16 months.

3. As a toddler, Matt roamed the house with both his thumb AND his blanket in his mouth and said repeatedly, “I love you. Do you love me?” Who would have thought this insecure little bundle would become such an influencer?? I was a teacher at Hartselle Junior High School during the years Matt was in Junior High. I loved hearing “Hi, Mom” as we passed in the halls. The surprise came when I would walk from the chorus classroom to the office every morning and be greeted by a dozen of his friends also saying, “Hi, Mom!” Then, in the summertime when our family would go into housing projects to conduct Backyard Bible Clubs, Matt was the one we counted on to draw a crowd. He would start shooting hoops, and within minutes, there was a court full of players who then stayed for our Bible stories and refreshments. He was a pied piper. God made him that way.

I can’t quite count all the candles. 18 or 19, maybe?

4. Matt’s sisters, Laura and Julie, — while rolling their eyes and calling him “The Golden Boy” — clearly adore him. He can have them laughing within seconds with only a quick text or phone call. He can say one word or phrase and a whole family memory is recalled. Julie’s daughter Maggie recently remarked that she’d never seen Matt say anything that didn’t make people laugh. I agreed but then told her that there were certainly times when her Uncle Matt was dead serious, and that’s when he’s preaching the Word. She seemed to like that and thought it would be nice to hear him sometime. And while I’m talking about Matt’s preaching, I have to say this. I am 66 years old. I’ve been in church all of my life. I’ve heard thousands of sermons and participated in dozens of Bible studies. Yet, Matt never fails to teach me something new when I hear him preach. Yes, I know I sound like a prejudiced Momma, but it’s true. Matt LOVES God’s Word, and he mines it for nuggets of truth every week. His stated goal is to help those who grew up in church really know the God of the Bible.

Matt with Laura and Julie, circa 1981.

1st day of school, mid-1980’s, with Laura and Julie

5. Both sisters scored high enough to be in gifted classes through school, while Matt missed the cut-off by a couple of points. It took some tall convincing that he was “plenty smart” when they were going on cool field trips and dissecting sharks in the 2nd grade. Both girls have bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but Matt showed us all when he went a giant leap further and got his Ph. D. Let me quickly add a huge shout-out here to his wife Katie who was with him all along that particular journey. Thank you, Katie.

6. Matt did NOT enjoy reading when he was in grade school — he was much too social and energetic to be still long enough. He even bragged that he finished high school having read only two books from start to finish: The Moose Goes to School and Bo Knows Bo. But, when God called him to preach, he also turned him into a prolific reader. An undeniable transformation. He CONSUMES books now and absolutely LOVES reading. God’s power, no doubt, is at work because not only does Matt benefit from the reading, now a whole congregation benefits as well.

7. Matt dated some precious girls during his teenage and college years. But, God had the perfect one picked out for him. Matt’s cousin Jenny was also at Auburn when he was and had a sorority sister she thought would be a great match. Jenny arranged a meeting between Matt and Katie Bellows, and “the rest is history.” December 18, 1999, their wedding day, was a blessed occasion for our whole family. Katie is a wonderful mother to their children and an exemplary pastor’s wife. Katie is SUCH an evidence of God’s plan at work.

December 18, 1999 — oh, happy day!

Matt and beautiful Katie.

8. People may not know that besides being an avid Auburn fan, during basketball season, Matt is a big Duke fan. It all stemmed from a summer basketball camp at David Lipscomb University in Nashville when Matt was between 6th and 7th grades. Christian Laettner and some other Duke players came to the camp as guest coaches that summer, and Matt was hooked. Ever since, he has loved the fact that his birthday coincides with March Madness — which almost inevitably includes plenty of Duke match-ups. He recently shared that his dream birthday scenario would be to have a great day at work, come home, order a pizza and watch basketball. Is it “Christian” for a preacher to pull for the Blue Devils?? My guess is that it ONLY applies to basketball games.

The remarkable resemblance between Matt’s son Luke and Matt when he was Luke’s age.

Matt and his dad posing by Junior High School Matt.

I could go on forever about my boy. Mothers and Sons do have special bonds, don’t they? But, let me leave you with a few pics from last night’s surprise party given by his church — The Church at West Franklin in Franklin, TN. They did such a thoughtful job of planning and implementing this great party. Even in the middle of Vandy and Vol country, they had Auburn colors and even Auburn music playing. The folks shared lots of laughs, hugs and great food. I’m so glad Steve and I got to be a part of it.

Some of the great party decorations.

More thoughtful decorations. War Eagle!

Cupcakes adorned with Matt heads.

Matt’s daughter Birti happily serving drinks at the orange and blue table.

This great family — actually Alabama fans — went all out to dress for the occasion.

Matt accepting a gift from the church.

Matt, Birti and Grandmomma in another selfie.

A selfie with Grandmomma, Luke and Seth.

Matt thanking the people for the great party.

I suspect that Matt will continue to surprise us in the remaining years of our lives. I am so very grateful to God for allowing me to be his Mom and to have a front row seat to watch in awe as God uses him to advance His kingdom.

3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Merridee’s Breadbasket and Gray’s on Main in Franklin, TN: Tasty Lunch Choices

04/27/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

Let’s take a quick time-out from touring Louisiana Plantations.

Having 3 grandchildren only an hour and a half up I-65 from our house has a lot of benefits — not the least of which is the chance to explore their hometown of Franklin, TN. We recently had a 3-day babysitting gig while their parents were away that gave us yet another opportunity to explore . . . . and EAT! As a result, I want to blog about our 2 latest lunches. After all, Franklin has many festivals and reasons to visit. You definitely need to know where to eat. And, as you know, when I’m given a choice, I ALWAYS choose a non-chain. I want to support small business owners while soaking up local color and regional cuisine.

Our first lunch on this visit was enjoyed at Gray’s on Main — located specifically at 332 Main St. in downtown Franklin. The building was actually constructed in 1876, and in 1930, it was purchased by Frank Gray, Jr. and D. C. Kinnard. They established Kinnard Gray Drug Company. In the 1940’s it was renamed Gray’s Drug Company, and in 1952 the now-famous sign went up. More of this building’s history can be found on the website.

Steve had been hearing about the Hot Chicken that Nashville is becoming known for, so he ordered the Hot Chicken Sandwich. Let’s just say that his water glass had to be refilled numerous times. I had the crabcake with fried green tomatoes, roasted corn succotash and remoulade sauce. We were both very pleased.

The next day, we again drove down Main St., but this time we turned onto 4th Avenue South and parked in the free, 4-story parking garage. It’s a good thing Franklin has this — and probably they need to start building another one. We finally found an empty spot on the top level. A LOT of people like to go to downtown Franklin, TN.

Merridee’s was right across the street. Rightfully, it is officially called Merridee’s Breadbasket, and there are many very tempting baked goods for sale.

For this lunch Steve chose the smoked salmon roll-up, and I had what was called their “most popular sandwich,” the chicken salad. I am something of a chicken salad fanatic. It is one of my favorite things to order for lunch. Merridee’s chicken salad was good, but this time I think Steve’s choice won the prize. His roll-up was bursting with flavor and color. We shared some key lime pie — another thing we both have trouble resisting — and it was good, too.

A Taziki’s franchise is now open on Main Street, and there is a Mellow Mushroom at the end of the street. Puckett’s Grocery is very popular, but I haven’t tried it yet. We did try 55 South several months ago. We should probably give it another chance before I give you a definitive opinion. Maybe we just made unfortunate menu choices.

There are dozens of cute shops in the downtown area. Of course, Cool Springs is popular, but I believe you’ll find something special in the non-chain stores of this great town. And, don’t forget about my favorite preacher who “just happens” to pastor The Church at West Franklin at 700 TN-96. Tell him I sent you. 🙂

Historic Main Street, Franklin, TN — Through the Eyes of Grandchildren

07/01/2015 By: CCPearson4 Comments

How excited my Silver Fox and I were when our son, his beautiful wife, and their three children moved just an hour and a half up I-65 from their previous town which took a minimum of 9 very hard hours to reach! Franklin, Tennessee, is in a magnificent part of the Volunteer State and is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. A million and a half more people are expected to move in during the next 10 years. Imagine what that means for the economy, the schools, the highways, the stores, and, of course, the churches. Our son is the new pastor of The Church at West Franklin. If you or any of your friends are nearby on a Sunday, I really hope you’ll attend a Sunday worship service. I believe you’ll get a warm welcome.

But, I digress.

A few days ago I had the privilege of having those three grands all to myself for about 4 hours, and I decided to let THEM show ME downtown Franklin. I knew that I could find lots of treasures and interesting products on my own, but what fun would that have been?? I wanted to see this new town through their eyes. Naturally, that meant going to a kid-friendly place for lunch and for a treat, but between the two restaurants, we also explored 6 exceptional stores. The assignment I gave them in each store was to spend several minutes looking around and then show me either their favorite item(s) or the ones they found most unique or interesting.

First stop– since I had just picked them up from Vacation Bible School — was LUNCH. MELLOW MUSHROOM, located right at the beginning of the blocks we wanted to explore, was their immediate choice. Oh, and before I forget, allow me to introduce the day’s main characters — Luke, age 10; Seth, age 8; and their sister Birti, age 7.

Don’t worry. Once they posed for this photo, we DID use our best manners. 🙂 After devouring every bite — and using the restroom (very important), we began our quest for special “things.”

SAVORY SPICE SHOP

Of the six stores we visited, this actually turned out to be their favorite, even edging out the toy store. Surprise! Surprise! Here, you are invited to smell and taste, so they went straight to work. The employees have devised a very hygienic way to do that, which they carefully explained. I was proud of the way the kiddoes followed directions.

INSPIRATIONS ON MAIN

Luke really enjoys art/painting. Birti, as you’ll see, is partial to jewelry and sparkly, swirly, girly items. Seth has recently gotten interested in learning to play the guitar. Could it be the influence of nearby Nashville, Music City, by any chance?

HEY DAY

Luke found a book he loved when he was younger. Birti, again, found accessories. Seth made a bee-line for the Auburn items.

PATCHWORK PANTRY

This is a pretty store. Again, it was artwork for Luke, jewelry for Birti, and a fun saying for Seth.

THE HEIRLOOM SHOP

Lots of breakables here, so we mostly looked without touching and even “used our inside voices” to promote calmness and decorum. Not that they needed any reminders, you understand. 🙂

MAIN STREET TOY COMPANY

Luke LOVES dolphins, Seth gravitated to the Civil War figurines, and Birti found the Barbies. They also showed me a sign they liked.

FRANKLIN THEATER

Luke proudly told me that he would be going to a drama camp in the upcoming week, and their final production will be at the Franklin Theater. Now Granddaddy and I will know right where to come. 🙂

SWEET CECE’S

Finally, it was time to cool off, sit down, and enjoy a treat. What could be better than yogurt and toppings in this attractive place with a vintage vibe? We all satisfied our chocolate cravings on a very hot afternoon.

After this break, I believe they could have happily kept going, but it was time to rejoin their parents. Before long, I’ll likely return for an all-about-me shopping trip, but yesterday I was shown things I probably never would have found on my own. No breakage occurred. A big win in my book.

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