“If you can help, help as much as you can.”
-Johnny Huntsman, Founder of Johnny’s Pizza
In 1967, young entrepreneur Johnny Huntsman opened his very first pizza store, located across from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) in Monroe, LA. Little did he know what a legacy he would leave, as his one pizza store in Monroe, LA has now expanded to 38 restaurants and 10 franchises, located in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
Every one of his pizzas, including his trademark “Sweep the Kitchen” pizza, were and continue to be a consistent part of family gatherings, birthday parties, school fundraisers, known to locals as “Johnny’s Pizza Pig Outs,” and just about any sport or church gathering you can think of across the “Ark-La-Tex.”
I loved Johnny’s Pizza and it is one of the things I miss the most about Louisiana. Yet, out of all the times I ever had myself some Johnny’s, one instance stands out above the rest. It is this one that I will focus on now.
One summer, a few years before my family and I moved to Colorado for the first time, my sister, two cousins, and I were at our grandparents, or Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw’s house, one day, just watching TV and being lazy.
While hanging out, collectively we came up with an idea.
We all had at least one “piggy bank.” What if we, then, got all our change and then went to Johnny’s and paid for our Maw-Maw and all of us to have some pizza?
So, that was exactly what we did. We got all our change together, put it in a ziplock, and went to the Johnny’s nearest to us, and then poured out all of our change onto the counter, as a Johnny’s employee slowly counted every dime, nickel, penny, and quarter.
Somehow, in a “two fish and five barley loaves” miracle, we were able to pay for a whole pizza for us to enjoy, while our Maw-Maw got us some Cokes.
My sister, two cousins, and I are now spread across the country and the world. Yet, that one instance is probably my favorite memory of being with them and of being with my Maw-Maw.
We could have gone somewhere else, had some other food, gone to the zoo, watched a movie. Over the years, we did all of those things at least once. You can take a wild guess on which one I did the most. 🙂
Yet, we would not have had that special day eating with and honoring our grandmother, had it not been for the work and impact of a Mr. Johnny Huntsman.
Sometimes, we all feel like we have nothing to offer. Our jobs are mediocre, our talents are too meager and not good enough for others. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves.
Yet, somewhere far above this chaotic and broken world, lies a Father who loves us, who pursues us, and who wants to remind us, time and time again, that He can and will use us, even if all we have is “two fish and five barley loaves.”
So, in the words of Johnny Huntsman, “help as much you can.” Offer up your life, your talents, your strengths, and weaknesses to God. Then, watch as He works in a way that only He can, leaving an impact only He can make.
Until Next Time,
Jacob McGowen
The Adventures of A Warrior 