Genuine fear. That's what I felt the day after my 12th birthday. Allow me take you back. A couple of friends and I stayed the night at a buddy's house for his birthday. We played games, watched TV -- kid's stuff. But the next day -- the day -- one of us found an itzy bitzy, harmless, spool of wire outside. So what did these little boys do? Played with it, of course. We bent it, rolled it, played Army with it. No harm, no foul. That is, until we stuck it into the valve stem of a parked car tire.

SSSSSSSSSSsssssssssss. DOWN...Down...down....flat. Mind you, it would have been bad enough had we stopped with that first one. But no, we three geniuses decided to hit every other car in the entire apartment complex. I'm chuckling as I type this question but..."What was I thinking?"

Sitting in the apartment office, I stared out the window at flashing police lights. But truthfully, I wasn't thinking about the police, I was thinking about Daddy. Waiting for our parents to show up, I knew I was dead. The other two boys knew I was dead too. See, they knew Papa Peña. Before I knew it, I heard his voice from the other room. The first words out of his mouth? "Where is he?"

I won't go into too much detail -- to protect the innocent -- but suffice it to say that little Jimmy never got into trouble again. Later that night, both my parents came into my room to give me love. Even though it was hours later, I was still crying because of how I disappointed them, and because my older brother kidded me "in all seriousness" that Mom and Dad were shipping me off. (Pretty sure my brother got in trouble for that.)

Why do I tell that story during our "Fear Less" week? Because to this day, I love and respect my Daddy more than life itself. Growing up, I loved him, respected him, and feared him. And guess what...I still do.

PrayFit friends, help me wish my sweet Daddy a very Happy 70th Birthday come this Saturday. I love you, Papa.

Still my father's son, Jimmy

For Discussion: On this Halloween, I thought I'd share the scariest moment of my life with you, wink wink. Love and fear. Isn't that an amazing combination? It molds us. Shapes us. Develops us into the kind of people God designed us to be. 

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