Editor’s Note: Barry Scott & Second Wind enter the holiday season as nominees for the prestigious, “Country, Southern, and Bluegrass Gospel Album of the Year” Grammy Award. Yet, Barry pauses to share with us some reflections on his upbringing, and what matters to him most … his family and his faith in Jesus, Christ.

Barry Scott & Second Wind

When I was young my grandparents owned a farm outside of town. We would visit them regularly and spend time helping them take care of their animals.

I remember that my grandpa would relax in one of two places. He would either sit on the front porch whittling a piece of wood with his worn out knife, or he would sit in his recliner and study his worn out Bible. He was a Sunday School teacher most of his life.

I’ll never forget when he whittled out a couple of slingshots for me and my cousin. We would target practice and play war with them.

We got in so much trouble one day when we found a couple of dry corn cobs from my grandpa’s mill and shot them with the slingshots at the hens while roosting. Needless to say, we were flogged by the chickens and then flogged all the way home.

I remember that my grandpa carved out a wooden walking cane. He used the cane to help his weak legs as he walked around the farm checking on his animals.

About fifteen years ago my grandpa died. I visited my grandma not long after his death and I noticed his old walking cane hanging on a bent nail under the front porch. I asked her if I could have the cane. I’ll never forget her reaction. “What do you want with that old thing for?” she said. I told her I wanted to remember him and the cane was something he made with his own hands.

I took the cane home and propped it up in the corner of my bedroom. At night while trying to sleep I would look at that cane and think about him. I remembered how much he loved God’s word.

I began to compare his study of the Bible to his old walking cane. He used God’s word to help him walk through life just like the old wooden cane helped him walk through the farm. I wrote a song about this story called “Grandpa’s Walking Cane.” We have yet to record the song, but a group called the Chapmans recorded it on a project a few years ago.

I am so thankful for my family. Without them I would not be playing music, or have forgiveness of my sins.

Pray for our band as we go across the country singing and most importantly telling others about the wonderful blessings of a new life through Jesus Christ.

God Bless,
Barry Scott

This post was submitted by Barry Scott.