Joel’s Hope: A Devotional Memoir

By Richard A. Bullock

This book is a collection of true life stories; some tragic, others much more light hearted, but all will pull at your heart strings. From early childhood through adulthood, the author’s life had been one of struggle with a determination to succeed against all odds. Each story will draw the reader into it as if you were present when it was happening. The devotionals following each story will help the reader understand how to have personal victories over hardships. You will find in each one a ‘life application’ for your life today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664201859

Richard A. Bullock

Having grown up in a group Children’s Home, Richard is able to bring to life some unique struggles from early childhood through adulthood and his victory over them. With a degree in Behavioral Science, Master’s work in Counseling in Human Services, and a career in the military, he demonstrates a personal resiliency that is inspiring.

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Copyright © 2020 Richard A. Bullock.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0184-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0183-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0185-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020914932

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/14/2021

This Devotional Memoir

is dedicated in memory

of

Joel Lee Bullock

(Father)

August 7, 1925 – August 31, 1988

Gregory Marshall Bullock

(Brother)

August 20, 1950 – July 20, 1995

Clifford Lynn Bullock

(Brother)

June 11, 1954 – June 13, 2010

Minnie O. Avant Bullock

(Grandmother)

February 4, 1883 – March 14, 1970

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Safety in a Ditch

3. Cake in the Cotton Field

4. Six-Shooter (or Two)

5. The Hiding Place

6. Momma Luella

7. Ketchup Biscuits

8. A Joyful Noise?

9. Amazing Grace

10. Coasting Down the Driveway

11. Feet on the Sofa

12. Ten Rattles and a Button

13. Unexpected Lesson

14. The Cat Nap

15. A Tough Decision

16. A Friend Indeed

17. The Big Screen

18. From Matron to Mother

19. More Than a Coach

20. Chow Time

21. Reunited

22. Summer House

23. Hot and Dusty

24. The Great Rat Hunt

25. New Ground

26. Green Eggs and _____?

27. The Plate Glass Window

28. The Mobley Boys

29. Snake in the Grass

30. Manna From Heaven

31. The ‘Home’

32. A Fathers Devotion

33. Attention to Orders

34. Change of Command

35. Deutschland Tour

36. Life in East Carrol Parish?

37. Saying Goodbye

38. Mission of Mercy

39. ‘Square’ Harrison

40. The Grandfather I Never Knew

41. The Block

42. The Fishing Trip

43. High Pockets

44. My Father’s Footprints

45. My Friend William

46. Running the Race

47. Asking Why?

48. My Father’s Face

49. A Trip Back In Time

50. Foster Camp

51. High on That Mountain

52. Unexpected Request

53. Memorial Stones of a Father

54. Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION

TO JOEL’S HOPE

T his book was a project born out of a heart that was broken in the fall of 1957, and a life lived since. It has been written through many tears and much laughter. Tears, because the memory of the events and people written about within these pages were painful when originally experienced and painful when recalled these many years later. Laughter, while remembering the many good times and positive influences in my life. I admit that I still struggle with my emotions about the early life path blazed for me by the choices made by others.

As detailed in some of the stories in this book, my Mother chose to leave our family in the fall of 1957 and move to Texas where some of her siblings lived. She evidently decided that she wanted a different life than one as a wife and mother scratching out a living on a small, eighty acre farm in northeast Louisiana. As a consequence of her decision, my Father, Joel L. Bullock, was forced to farm the acreage to support our family while at the same time taking care of three little boys ages seven, five, and three. He did that successfully for over two years until our Mother sued him for her share of the equity in the farm. After losing the one thing he could do to support his family, my Father, with the assistance and counsel of our pastor, placed myself and my two brothers in the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home (LBCH) in Monroe, Louisiana. That placement took place on June 6, 1960.

For the next ten years, the LBCH was our home. It was a group Children’s Home that some might still relate to as an orphanage. There were no true orphans living there at the time but all the children on campus were what I call ‘social orphans’; children whose parents, for one reason or another, could not care for them in a traditional family setting. So, here I was, now a seven year old boy, born into a small, rural, farming family that is now disjointed and broken, placed into a group home with over a hundred other children, away from my father, brothers, and close relatives, living with total strangers.

With that kind of beginning, it should be no surprise to anyone that the past sixty plus years for me, have been an exercise in behavioral science, social adjustment, and coping. My life has consisted of years of trying to live above the ‘fray’ of what society says my start in life would dictate for me, trying not to succumb to someone else’s low expectations, and not creating my own negative ‘self-fulfilling prophecy.’

I feel I have lived major portions of my life trying to protect myself from the ‘prophecy of doom’ outsiders seemed to place on the children who grow up in group homes. My adult life was characterized by an aggressiveness that raised its ugly head when I felt my family, especially my children, were being abused, cheated, disrespected, or mistreated in some way. Circumstances beyond my control took my birth family from me, and I wasn’t going to sit idly by and allow those things to happen. My children weren’t going to be treated any differently than others. Part of that determination came from seeing and understanding how much my Father hurt when his family was taken away. My attitude throughout most of my life has been tethered to June 6, 1960. That was the day that my Father followed through on the most difficult decision he ever made; to place his three sons in the Children’s Home. That seven year old of June 1960 is still inside me. Accompanying him are the memories and pain of the most traumatic events of his life.

Some of the accomplishments I attained over the past fifty years were only achieved because of my fear of failure and of not being ‘good enough.’ I felt I had to work extra hard to ‘amount to something’ and live up to the love my father invested in me. One common thread you will find throughout this book is the unwavering love and devotion of a father for his children. A devotion characterized by self-sacrifice, the consistent practice of making his sons his number one priority, and the hope he expressed through his actions that we would have a better life than he did. The stories in this book will also define many people and events that are still important to this writer because they have played important roles in this space of time that has constituted my life. Additionally, many stories in this collection more expressly define the title of this book; Joel’s Hope. They contain that common thread; the hope my father had for his three sons. Just as the Prophet Joel voiced the hope and promise of God’s blessings upon the nation of Israel (Joel 2:21-27), my Father, Joel, desired that my brothers and I have the best opportunities at fulfilling, happy, and prosperous lives that for him, was a constant struggle.

We are all products of our experiences. I am a much better and stronger person today because of those experiences, hardships, and difficulties. I learned that to have some relative successes in life, I had to be intentional in my decision making. I had to make decisions based on facts, my experience, and the experience of others in whom I trusted. Growing up in the environment of a group home and following that with over twenty years active duty military service taught me that decisions have consequences and those consequences have both short-term and long-term impacts. Consequences change things; not only for me but for those around me.

The best decision I every made was to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. Because of that, I experienced the transformative power of Christ in my life. In so doing, my life was given purpose and I began to understand that God had not thrown me away, that He had a plan for my life, that He could take ‘me’ and make something of me if I would let Him.

A mistake many people make is missing, or not looking for, the ‘Life Application’ of scripture. The, what does this scripture say to my life today, understanding of what God’s word says to us. The scriptures were applicable when originally inspired by God and are applicable today. We should simply allow the scriptures to ‘speak’ to us in a way that the application will be obvious. My hope is that the central thought of each devotional story in this book will help the reader do just that. Our understanding of scripture’s application to our daily lives will make God’s word come alive for us. Even in the little things, the seemingly insignificant events of life, God can and will teach us life lessons and principles that will be constant blessings and wise counsel. My prayer for you, every reader of this Devotional Memoir, is that through these true stories the truths found in the attached devotional thoughts will be manifested in your life to the glory of God.

SAFETY IN A DITCH

T he date I do not remember, but it was around 1956 or 57. Although this event happened over 60 years ago, it is remarkably fresh in my memory.

My family and I were living in an old house on the small family farm while the main house was being remodeled. One day during that time, as my brothers and I were playing and mom and dad were working around the house, we all noticed the sky grow dark and the wind begin to blow really hard. I remember my Dad coming around to the front of the house in a real hurry. He grabbed me and my older brother, Greg, while yelling to my mom to get Clifford, my younger brother, and come to the front ditch. As mom scooped up Clifford, my dad led Greg and myself toward the ditch. About that time we all noticed a funnel cloud coming across Joe’s Bayou and directly down Panther Lake Road toward the house. Dad placed Greg and me face down and end-to-end in the ditch and then laid down on top of us. Mom did the same with Clifford.

After a few minutes of heavy winds and a lot of noise, the tornado moved on and we got out of the ditch to survey what damage had been done. The initial review of our surroundings indicated little damage with the exception of a few broken windows. As we made our way across the road and down to the main house, more damage became obvious. The truck escaped damage but the house under renovation had been lifted and moved about a foot off its concrete piers. Also, part of the barn roof was missing as was the chicken coop and some of the chickens. We later found some dead chickens in the pasture, but never found any part of the coop.

The damage was soon repaired and all was well again. I remember my Grandpaw Harrison laughing as Greg and I told him about us hiding in the ditch. I suspect that he was laughing at the animated manner in which we were telling him the story. I can just imagine how we must have looked; our faces lit up and our arms flailing around as we imitated the wind, noise and excitement of that day.

I often wonder where that chicken coop ended up.

Devotional text: (Psalm 23)

(Key verse) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me; (Psalm 23:4)

The Psalmist, David, writes one of the most beloved Psalms, our text, during a time of exile from his own people. He was in fear for his life as he flees from Saul and lives among strange people. David expresses his complete confidence in the Lord to sustain and care for him even among his enemies.

As one Bible theologian stated, we can just imagine David thinking back to the days of his youth when he himself was a shepherd caring for his sheep. Realizing how much he cared for and protected those sheep, he now pens this Psalm with that same confidence in his Lord and visualizes himself as one of the Lord’s flock.

David feels safe and secure in the care of the Lord to the point of being able to rest and restore himself although not in the most ideal place in his life. Even in the most fearful places and times, he is comforted. His every need is met through the abundance of the Lord and he even expresses a confident hope in the days ahead.

Today, we can draw strength from David’s experience and the Lord’s promise of His divine care for us. Even in the most dangerous circumstances, God’s hand of protection is upon us. When we find ourselves standing in the place where we might feel the most insecure or the most danger, God is there in power and glory. We can be assured, by the testimony of David and of scripture, that nothing can penetrate God’s hedge of protection; His will for our lives.

The day the tornado came down Panther Lake Road was a frightful day mainly because I could see the concern on my Father’s and Mother’s faces. I had never experience a tornado before but they obviously had. God gave them clear thinking to quickly get my brothers and me to the safety of the ditch. My parents did what they could do and left the rest up to God. I think that is a good biblical lesson for us all; do what God expects us to do and then leave the rest up to Him. We can feel secure and be confident in God’s care for His flock.

CAKE IN THE

COTTON FIELD

J uly 14, 1957 was a typically hot, dry day on Panther Lake Road. But, it was a good day to cut a birthday cake. This day happened to be my fifth birthday and my mom had baked a cake for the occasion. Usually, she would cut the cake with my Dad, older brother Greg, younger brother Clifford and myself sitting around the dining room table. But this time, that did not happen.

My dad owned a small 80 acre farm in the rural Monticello Community, Louisiana. In addition to his 80 acres he rented 20 acres of schoolboard land making his total farming operation 100 acres. That was enough to support a family in the 1950’s. Two of my Father’s brothers still farmed and four of the five Bullock boys still lived within a few miles of their mother, Minnie Maw Bullock, on Panther Lake Road/Parish Road 7707.

But, back to the birthday cake. This was not going to be the typical birthday. On this particular day, dad decided to take the cake out to the field where the farm hands were hoeing cotton. The cake was placed on the tailgate of the 1955 Ford F-100 and the party began. The cake was cut, Kool Aide was poured and everyone enjoyed a brief respite on a hot day. Those working in the field that day seemed to really appreciate the break, the cake and the kind gesture. The event didn’t last long as the cotton still had to be hoed and much work had to be done. A good crop was essential to the well-being of our family. What made this so unusual was that you did not hear of white families sharing cake with farm hands in 1957. The farm hands were the Melvin Fair family and his mother, Luella, African-American’s who lived on the farm and worked for my Dad. That kind of thing is part of what made my Dad so very special. He was a man that grew up in poverty and developed a compassion for those that had even less.

Of all my birthdays, I remember this one the best and often think about it. It wasn’t but a few minutes in a cotton field but it made a profound impact on me as a five year old. I learned a lot about my dad that day along with a lesson in basic humanity.

Devotional text: (James 2:1-8)

(Key verse) "If, however, you are fulfilling the