It’s a Bama Thing!

By Rob Lewis

The book is a humorous comparison on growing up in Alabama to a young athlete leaving home, undergoing, or enduring “The Process” and “growing up” in Crimson Tide country. It explores what it’s like to be a “Bama” fan…its experiences, the friendships, ups, and downs, trials, and tribulations of wearing the crimson and white. So, what’s it like to go anywhere in the country and hear “Roll Tide” loudly proclaimed by another fan? It’s the society of the “A”, the houndstooth coat and hat, about title town and eighteen football national championships (and counting!).

Whether you’re from Alabama or not, if you’re a fan, you can relate to this story (haters beware!). At a Bama game, participation can be a raucous occasion, full of pageantry, passion, purpose, and pride. Big Al dances, the crowd feverishly roars out “Roll Tide” at every venue. It’s an event!

Do you wear the colors? Do you bleed crimson and white (admittedly, difficult to do)? Have you declared your allegiance to the crimson “A” or the houndstooth pattern (usually happens at birth)? Do you tremble with excitement and delight whenever a team from title town plays (preparing your voice to erupt with “Roll Tide”)? Then far be it from me not to recommend this book as a good read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder and say to yourself, “Hmmm.” Hey, it’s relatable. Get comfortable, pull up a chair or sit up in bed, read and soak it in. I mean really…it’s a Bama thing!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664274044

Rob Lewis

The author grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and is a die-hard Alabama Crimson Tide fan. He currently resides in Great Falls, Montana, where he is the Senior Pastor of Greater Faith, Church of the Open Door, along with his wife Alice, the co-pastor. They have two children, both in the military, one in the Air Force, and the other, in the Navy. He is also a twenty-year veteran of the Air Force, collects comic books, and loves to read, write, sketch, and occasionally fish. Additionally, he and his wife have a granddaughter and enjoy spending time in the kitchen, developing new recipes, and cooking delicious dishes. Most of all, he loves Jesus!

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Copyright © 2022 Rob Lewis.

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.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

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.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7403-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7402-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7404-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022913958

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/23/2022

To the Crimson and White, the big A. To champions. Roll Tide! To the strugglers. To the hard workers. To the red clay and to porcelain. To life’s challenges, its ups and downs. To my wife, Alice, who is my gracious number two, and to the most important person in my life, my Savior and Lord, Jesus, our soon coming King!

I am looking for the Upper Taker, not the undertaker … to God be the glory!

CONTENTS

1 Legacy

2 A Beginning

3 Red Clay

4 Water

5 Breaking Point

6 Sweet Home Alabama

7 Pursuit

8 Friendship

9 Porcelain

10 Something ‘bout a Winner

11 Rivals

12 Military

13 Homeless

14 Three Tags of Faith

15 Family

16 The Lord

17 Pastor Rob

18 Champions

19 Roll Tide

Epilogue

Bibliography

Endnotes

1

LEGACY

C all me Rob. Uh-oh. Did he really say that? Did he just go all Herman Melville on us? Okay, okay, I get it. It’s an introduction, an attention grabber, something to get you salivating and chomping at the bit, and yeah, I had to go there. No, it’s me, not Herman Melville, and no, I did not write Moby-Dick (although it is a great read). I have my own story to tell, and yes, as the title implies, it’s a Bama thing!

I am an Alabama Crimson Tide fan. Am I a card-carrying, rabid, diehard fan? Well, after reading this book, you be the judge. Let me lay it all out there for you. I love watching the Tide play. There’s just something about this football team; whenever a game is on, I want to—have to—watch it! But here’s the thing. It can be football, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, softball, or baseball (anyone sensing a theme here?); whatever it is, I want to watch it. So I suppose the question is, where does all this Bama fanaticism come from? Hah, there’s the rub.

I can tell you categorically that it did not come from my dad. He does not like—I repeat, does not like—the Crimson Tide, especially the football team and its coach, Nick Saban. In fact, it goes beyond not liking the team; he has a serious loathing of it. If you mention the team or Coach Saban, his eyes reflexively roll back, he gags, and he shakes his head in utter disgust and intense revulsion (his reactions are priceless!). But I digress. Let’s start at the beginning. Even I may discover something about myself in this crimson-and-white, cathartic journey. After all (is he going to say it again?), it’s a Bama thing.

There is a legacy about the state of Alabama. So let’s begin by asking, What is a legacy? In some cases, it can be a birthright, a provision, an inheritance, or a gift. It can be something I could be privileged with from birth or something that may have been furnished or supplied for my use. Or it could be something I inherit, something passed on as a title or right. It could be something that was already paid for and given willingly to me. The plot thickens.

When I look at Alabama, all those things stand out. I was privileged to be raised in this southern state that has supplied me with such a dynamic, mixed, and diverse culture. It built and gifted to me strength, character, integrity, and a kind of charm that infused itself deep into the core of who I am.

Was there some good or bad? Yes, yet if it were all good, if there was no failure, what would be the point? In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are concepts that are used to describe how opposite or contrary forces can be complementary. Additionally, the Bible tells us in Romans 8:28 that God takes the good things as well as the bad, the negatives and the positives, the ups and the downs, the ins and the outs, and even the things we see or don’t see and uses them to mold us, shape us, and make us into something the world has never seen before. The verse reads, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

In other words, no matter what happens in our lives, the Lord makes it all work out to where it has a benefit, and ultimately, His glory is revealed. I like God. He does not lose sight of us. He does not forget about us but is along for the duration of the journey.

Anyone have a mountain to climb, a giant to face, or a storm to drive through? Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that with faith no bigger than a mustard seed, trouble or circumstances the size of Mount Everest can be moved. He did not mention the mountain by name or say to climb the mountain, as one popular gospel song alludes to, or get some dynamite and blow it up. There are no rough sides to climb, and aside from God’s grace, I am still trying to move my problems, and doing my best at times is just a train wreck waiting to happen. Ah, but if I just have faith and speak to the problem, God will move it out of the way!

We are not given an extra measure to destroy the giants that threaten us. They may seem to loom larger than life and know our life address, and Lord knows how often the giants show up unannounced. Yet that same mustard seed-sized faith is more than enough to conquer any giant!

In 1 Samuel 17, young David reminds King Saul that there had been a lion-and-bear-sized problem in his life that God helped him overcome. And now here was a giant whose bravado and arrogance instilled fear that seemed to take on a life of its own. Yet through the eye of faith, a small stone killed this mountain-sized giant. The giant was bigger than David, but he was not bigger than the God of the impossible or the victory gained through a faith-sized stone!

Finally, we may have life-sized hurricanes showing up with enough power and ferocity to shake our life foundations with their level of intensity. Their driving winds may often force us to change direction when we don’t want to. Their pelting rains may have us ducking for cover from the constant pounding. Their unrestrained power may be overwhelming and make us feel insignificant and small, and the level of unchecked destruction can drive us to unimaginable grief, sorrow, and despair. We may even doubt that Jesus cares for our souls!

Still, He never leaves us and is always there. In Mark 4:39, Jesus, the Master of the storm, simply spoke to it: Peace, be still. He told the storm to be quiet!

As I look back through the journey of my life, when the shadows and darkness of mountains, giants, and storms monstrously sought to bury me in deep pits of depression, grief, misery, discouragement, and fear, Jesus never left me. He brought me through to the other side, to a haven of rest, comfort, and peace of mind.

A legacy, heritage, or birthright, so to speak, have foundations based on a mixture of the good and the bad. At times, foundations crumble, get shaky, and can heave, fail, or fall. Or they can be shored up, strengthened, reinforced, or bolstered. Either they can be mortared with the strength to sustain, or they can be void of substance and disappear. Some legacies are passed on, others earned, yet they are a legacy nonetheless.

Even now, whenever I think of home, whenever I think of Alabama, it conjures up precious memories. Were they all pleasant and wonderful? No, not really. Nonetheless, they are part of me, the sweet and the sour, the ups and the downs, the wins as well as the losses. They made me what I am, how I am, why I am, and who I am—Bama!

It’s more than just an abbreviation or reference to a school; it represents a place, a time, a feeling, and a people. Alabama is home, pure and simple. The sweetness of the air, the lush, green forest, the babbling brooks and streams. The blueness of its sky, the rich green flora, and the abundant fauna. The sights and sounds. The majesty and grandeur of its gulf and beaches, as well as the innate beauty of its diverse people. And did I mention the seafood? Oh my, my!

Alabama embodies the spirit of competition. The desire to be the best! Bama is not just the school located in Tuscaloosa, although that nickname is generally derived from it. But if you were a native and knew the redness of its clay soil; if you knew the flavor and richness of its southern cuisine; if you knew the trails and the backwoods; if you knew the tenor and tone of its birds and the pulsating heartbeat of its culture; if you ever heard its siren song, then you would know that the pulse of Bama beats strong and steady, and the crimson runs deep. It’s a revelation!

It’s the friendships, the families, a touch, a look, a familiar longing for the smell of its pines,