I have been a bad guy, I have been a good guy...
I have had money, I have been poor...
I have been alone, I have been married...
I have been without God... I have been saved!
To go through all the phases of my life would probably take up more time than anyone would ever want to spend, but there are very few things I cannot relate to - and if it had not been for God and my family, I am sure I would not be where I am today, and it is very possible that I would not be here on earth and probably spending the rest of eternity on Hell...
Sounds a little drastic and dramatic? Well, it is... and it is true...
Fast forward to today...
I am married to a wonderful woman who puts up with my crap day in and day out - Jennifer...
I have 2 wonderful sons (actually my step-sons - but to me they are no different than if they were my "Bio" sons) - Nick and Jake
I have a beautiful daughter- who I love and adore more than life itself - Shelby
I have wonderful parents who live in Tennessee, but are preparing to move back to Ohio to live out their retirement years ( Personally, I would have moved farther south - AWAY from the cold and snow)
I have an absolutely awsome sister - who I took for granted for many years - but I am so glad we have become close again - and she is a tremendous Aunt to Shelby and wonderful friend to Jennifer!
Jennifer, Shelby and I live in Kentucky and are preparing for Mission Work in Central America with an organization called "On The Wings Of Doves" - (The Story of On The Wings Of Doves" is for another day)
Nick is a Marine based at Camp Lejeune, NC and set to deploy to Iraq in March. This is a "Double Edged Sword" as we are very proud of him, but yet we do not want to see our son in harm's way.
Jake is preparing for college and his future... He is contemplating several colleges, but has yet to decide... He has also become a awsome "Man Of God" and we could not be more proud of him!
Shelby is in Kindergarten and learning faster than we could ever have imagined... She has been blessed with beauty and brains, and will probably end up being our translator in Central America...:)
Jennifer is a absolutely wonderful human being... She is a wonderful wife and awsome mother. She cares so much for not only for her own kids, but for all kids... She is a teacher by trade, a gymnastics guru, and a brilliant "Woman of God". Plus ...she TRIES to keep me in line which is a totally hard job!
We all belong to the family of God - We were all Baptised as a family (and Shelby was "Dedicated") November 13, 2003 by my dear and long time friend Brad Allred... (Brad swore to me along time ago he would never be a pastor, but he is now ordained and living a life for God. He and his wife Pat are partnering with us in "On The Wings Of Doves" - But more on them at another time)
We have attended and been part Cedar Creek Church in Ohio and now attend and take an active part in Southland Christian church in Kentucky.
Over the past 10 years, God has brought us all together... brought us back to Him... brought us wonderful friends... Humbled us... Humbled us... Humbled us... performed miracles in our lives... taught us how to live for Him... and is always there when we need Him! He is now preparing us for the next leg of our journey - Missions Work!
If you would have asked anyone 20 years ago if I would EVER have been in this kind of life, they would have totally laughed! (I probably would have too) But I cannot express the happiness, the peace, the fulfillment and the love I have inside - which I had never felt before... Its AMAZING!
As this blog continues, you will probably hear much more about my family, my life, my friends, "On The Wings Of Doves", "The Panama Project", and get a better feel for who I am, and who God is!
You could also catch up on the "Going On's" of On The Wings Of Doves at that blog site -
www.OnTheWingsOfDoves.blogspot.com
