Mark Pittman spoke at the annual Men’s Ministries gathering at First Baptist Church.  And he shared his grief and joy at losing his oldest son in an auto accident.  But the evening was not about death, it was about joy.

Pittman is a great story teller.  Here is a sample:

Mom cooked 73 biscuits every morning for breakfast.  Pittman was number eleven of sixteen kids.

He said he once wrestled a bear at the Whispering Pines.  “I won the $100 but the bar tab was $138,” he said.

And he said he wrote the book about raising his son while leaning against the boy’s headstone “but it’s not about death, it’s about life,” he said.

His story is inspiring.  Pittman revealed his whole live, warts and all, including grieving for his lost son and celebrating the success on the football field of his remaining son.

Pittman said, “I was in pain after losing my son, but God was grieving with me.  It took this to realize the pain of the sacrifice.  The sacrifice of God giving up his son.  I know that I will get to see Cole again because of that sacrifice.”

His message was summed up with a bit of advice.  Pittman said “Be the daddy you always wanted.  Be the spouse, be the child you would want.”