For What It’s Worth…

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve had the time to post, life has been so busy lately, really good but really busy. If you have been stopping in only to find me absent again, thank you for your patience, and I hope to be able to spend more time here right away.

Of all the music I’ve been listening to lately, and I’ve been blessed to listen to some great music…Devotion by the Newsboys has been the greatest encouragement to me.

Here are the words to the second verse of the song…

All my past
My tainted name
You stole its legacy
Of pride and shame
You’re all I love
You’re all I fear
I’m drawing near
To face You
To know You
To show You

Devotion
All that I have to give

Here’s my devotion

You’re all that it means to live

Music is such a gift…if you have a moment you’re welcome to share the music that encourages you the most.

Have a great night…

Please remember Emerson Coriell when you spend time with the Lord…he is beginning intense cancer treatment today and continuing for the next six weeks. After which he will be re-evaluated to determine how successful the treatment was, and where to go from there.

If you haven’t had the privilege of knowing Emerson you are definitely missing out. We at Sunshine are very blessed to have him as part of our church family…he’s a great husband, dad, uncle, brother, friend…and great golfer too!

As you you can tell we love Emerson very much. He has a tough road ahead of him…but he trusts the Lord, and he’s counting on his family to lift him up in prayer.

Thank you for praying for him…

Have a great day!

With Father’s day less than two weeks away I would like to make a nomination for one of our Nation’s greatest dads. I say “one of” because I know God has gifted many men with the ability to be great fathers…and I know lots who are living up to God’s call to do so.

With that being said, I still have to make this nomination because this is just too good. Guys you’re going to love this, ladies you’ll think it’s cute…and you’ll both right! OK here’s the story…

My friend and Christian brother Mark Risner is a farmer, a dairy farmer at that. He’s a hard working, good hearted, well respected-in-the-community kind of guy. He’s one of the guys you see driving his tractor down the highway going from one farm to the other to plow, disc, plant, rake, bale, drill, or do whatever farmers do. One thing is for sure…its hard work, it takes commitment, and he’s good at it.

A few days ago Mark was doing that very thing – taking one of their tractors from one farm to the other, and he was passing through the great town of Minford at the same time that his daughter – who is a Minford Elementary student – was to receive some awards at the annual end-of-the-year awards assembly…

What do you do when you’re working and your child is receiving an award? I’ll tell you what Mark did…He drove his John Deere into the school parking lot, climbed out, walked into the school, and watched his daughter receive her awards…one of which was the “Kindness Award,” a very appropriate award for her.
After the assembly was over Mark walked back to the parking lot – climbed into his John Deere Tractor and went right back to work.

Some might think that’s a Redneck thing to do. One thing is for sure…it’s something a great dad would do, and did!

I know this post is a little late but there’s something about Memorial Day I have to share. I’m sure you enjoyed wonderful family functions during Memorial Day…and I did as well. In fact Memorial Day was actually very enjoyable for my family.

We, by that I mean Sunshine Church – had several entries in the Minford Memorial Day Parade, the children – and the rest of us – had a blast.

After the parade Kristin, Kendall, and I went to her parents for a cookout. While we were there Kendall ran up to me, grabbed my arm and said DADDY, you have to come with me, I have a new game and you’re going to love it!

You’ll never guess what it was…

Skipping…we skipped down a hill approximately 100 yards long several times, while holding hands. We did this for about an hour and a half…skip down the hill, climb back up and skip down again – before it was over, two of Kendall’s cousins Abbie and Ellie had joined us.

So, there we were…three little girls and a 6’5” guy skipping out-of-control down a hill, while laughing uncontrollably. I had forgotten how much fun, and MANLY, skipping can be – especially skipping down-hill with little girls.

If you haven’t been in touch with your skipping side lately – you need to do it, and soon! You really can’t skip and take yourself too seriously.

BTW - I’m sure Skipping will be an X-Games event – or even make it in the Olympics in the near future…or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Have a great night!

I’m crushed for our brother and sister in Christ, Jon and Maggie Dobbs, who lost their 18 year old son in a tragic accident a few days ago - I can’t even begin to imagine the pain they are going through.  The funeral was today  - so please pray for them often in the days ahead - that God will comfort them and give them peace and healing.

If you would take the time, please go to Jon’s blog and scroll through the last few days posts, it will give you a much better view of all they’ve gone through - and are going through.  While you’re there, please consider leaving them an encouraging comment - I know it would mean so much to them, especially right now.

You can go to Jon’s blog by clicking here.

I appreciate you so much, and thank you for visiting…

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it

1 Thessalonians 5:23- 24

At a time when everything seems to be performance based…doesn’t it fill your heart with joy – the kind that feels like a fire deep inside, consuming you – when you read these verses?!

To understand that our salvation and transformation is done by His power and faithfulness, and not by our own power – or actually our lack of power…is such a breath of life. It’s actually overwhelming if you allow these verses to really settle in – and I think that’s a right response to such love and grace…to be overwhelmed!

So take courage, breathe deep, smile and have great joy, because you know this…

“Faithful is He who called you…AND HE WILL DO IT!!!!”

I hope your week has been blessed – my week has been very busy, reasonably uneventful, and very blessed…

Today I took several of our Campus Ministry students hiking at Hocking Hills State Park. The place is amazing…clearly God’s handiwork, but it possesses nowhere near the wonder as the people I hiked with…after all we are His crowning creation!

I’m posting the lyrics to one of my favorite songs of all time today - it truly is an amazing song.  As usual a video is embedded in the sidebar to the right of this post. Just click the video and enjoy listening to the song as you read the words.

I hope you’re blessed for visiting – and that you have a wonderful weekend!

My Will – D.C. Talk

I’m setting the stage for the things I love
And I’m now the man I once couldn’t be
Nothing on earth could now ever move me
I now have the will and the strength a man needs

It’s my will, and I’m not moving
Cause if it’s Your will, then nothing can shake me
It’s my will, to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

Complexity haunts me for I am two men
Entrenched in a battle that I’ll never win
My discipline fails me, my knowledge it fools me
But You are my shelter, all the strength that I need

It’s my will, and I’m not moving
Cause if it’s Your will, then nothing can shake me
It’s my will, to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

I’m learning to give up the rights to myself
The bits and the pieces I’ve gathered as wealth
Could never compare to the joy that You bring me
The peace that You show me is the strength that I need

It’s my will, and I’m not moving
Cause if it’s Your will, then nothing can shake me
It’s my will, to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

We’ve got to be children of peace
Don’t you know we’ve got to be children of peace