A Word from Ferg

A word from Ferg.

The ad popped up on craigslist.org late Monday night - it was just what we were looking for, and the price was right.

I made the call scant minutes after it had been posted, and I wasn't the first. "Do you still have it? I can come in the morning, and pay cash." "Well, I'm leaving in the morning, but if you want to come tonight, then come on."

It's 9 pm, and I'm driving to Hendersonville to buy a lawn mower.

We have a lot of grass. Almost three acres of mow-able grass that last year I either a) mowed myself with a 20-inch push mower, or b) paid someone to mow. You can guess which option I chose. No? Well, let's take a look at the scouting report on John Ferguson - "good heart, likes kids and animals, wants to help, bit of a lazy streak, can't lay off the high fastball." Now guess.

However, now I have a new lawn tractor, which as the seller labored hard and long to point out to me, is much different than just a lawn mower. I didn't care what he called it - in my mind I was already calling it 'the new toy that means my son will mow instead of me machine.' Christian is thirteen now, and I won't lie - I've been waiting for this day to come, the day when I can point and say, "Mow the grass, boy." Glory.

Of course, first I have to play with my new toy. The sun is out, the grass is growing (well, the weeds are growing) , and I'm out on my newly-acquired Craftsman 20 hp, dual-overhead-cam, 46-inch deck, hydrostatic drive LAWN TRACTOR. To quote one of my current favorite TV personalities, "POWWWAHHH!"

My new toy - needs a name.

The yard has no chance whatsoever - I mow the entire thing faster and more easily than ever before, and I find that I still have some mow left in me. So I start in on my neighbor Eddie's yard.

Eddie is a great neighbor, and is the opposite of me, which means that he's handy and knows how to do, make, and fix things. A guy like that makes it hard for a guy like me to return neighborly favors - unless he needs a P.A. system wired, a web site set up, or some fluffy nonsense written, he probably doesn't need my help.

That changes today. I attack his backyard with gusto, feeling good that I get to give rather than receive for a change. Does he know I'm doing it? Well, no ... but if he doesn't want me mowing his yard, he needs to build a big fence; otherwise, his grass is mine.

I got the chance to be a good neighbor, help a friend, and make my local world a bit better. All with just a little bit of effort, and, of course, 20 hp of pure POWAAAHHH!

I tell you that story to make this request.

Kris Freeman is the kind of man we want in our community. He tells our stories, teaches our kids, coaches our sons, and generally makes White House a better place to live.

He and his family are planting a new church here in the area, called Revolution Church, and are planning to start in September. They're raising money for the plant with help from the General Baptist National Missions, and are about $10,000 short of the mark they need to hit to unlock an additional $100K in funding from the organization.

This is our chance to mow our neighbor's grass, gang. There are about 10,000 of us in the White House area, so we just need a buck apiece. OK, not everyone in White House will read this, and some of them are babies (literally - that's not just me calling people names), so maybe we could give a little more to cover us and a couple more people, maybe 20, 50, or even more.

Never mind your religious views. I don't care if you're Baptist, Methodist, Hindu, or atheist. The Freeman's plan is to reach out to the community through service, and I think we can all agree that this is a good plan. It makes our local world a little better. We want people like Kris in our community, and here's our chance to help make sure he sticks.

Does Kris know I'm doing this? Well, no ... but if he doesn't want me spreading the word about his work, he needs to take me off the mailing lists; otherwise, his grass is mine.

You can help by donating to help this group get started. All donations are fully tax-deductible, and if you use PayPal (my business account) I assure you that ever single penny will go to Revolution Church. If you plan on making a donation of $100 or more, I would encourage you to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so that you can get a receipt.

Thanks, gang - and let's all work to make our world a little better.