Deployed!

Our son has deployed...

For those of you who do not know that term, he is a United States Marine, and has left for Iraq...

Nick is a Lance Corporal and his mom and I are VERY proud of him... Because of security issues, we have been asked not to publish deployment dates, deployment locations, etc. on the Internet...

As you can ask the relatives of ANY of our brave members of the Armed Forces, it is a "Double Edged Sword". Of course we are proud, but at the same time we worry about their safety, and pray daily for their safe return.

God tells ALL of us to put on our armor daily - (Ephesians 6: 10-17)

"...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. "

Each of our brave men and women put on physical armor when they go to war - but they should also put on the Armor of God to protect them from the ULTIMATE enemy, as should we all! In these days of international conflict, moral decay, and national dis-unity, we all need protection and help from God!

From the day we are born, we are "Deployed" into a world of sin and battle. Just as we worry about our Armed Forces fighting the "Enemy", we should also worry about the rest of the world who is in CONSTANT battle with "The Enemy".

Please pray for our son Nick, each of the Brave Marines that are fighting for our freedom, and each member of our Armed Forces that help to physically protect us EACH DAY from those who want to hurt us. Pray constantly for protection from "The Enemy" who wants to hurt us every day and put on your "Armor of God" each and every day!

Who Am I?

Ron Bishoff is a guy who has seen and done lots of things in his life!

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