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Hello Friends,
A balance of blue sky, sunshine, clouds, and random thunder boomers, have made the month of May cool, comfortable, and colorful. It’s been very similar to the Spring of 1994.
Still Praising After All These Years
Every now and then we get a kid at SHA who—like Charles Spurgeon’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon—is hanging on to life by a thread. In a very real sense, this could describe all of our kids. Yet, these aren’t any worse than any other kid, just more vulnerable to temptation—kids who are only one bad decision away from taking the wrong fork in the road to a life—perhaps an eternity—without God. But, then, as certain SHA team members feel pricked by the Spirit of God to take an extra long reach way back and deep into their spiritual-war chests, something uniquely supernatural clicks in the hearts and minds of such kids. It’s when a decision is made by the student to go the extra mile, himself. A spiritual switch is flipped; and, that’s when the correct fork is taken. It’s only when looking back on it all that he comes to realize how vulnerable and dangerously close he came to unmitigated disaster. Such is the case of one SHA Alumnus who flipped the switch years ago. Recently, he visited our church, online, from Texas. He is a testimony as to how God can use any, or all, of us to play a role in transforming a single life. A few Sundays ago, this SHA alumnus wrote: “Watching from Dallas, TX with my wife this morning! Ten years home from Shepherd’s Hill Academy and still love listening to Pastor A and his sermons. What an awesome sermon to tune in for! Happy Birthday Grove!” If, after 30 years, he was our only long-term discipleship success, it would still all be worth it—but, he isn’t!
Spring Graduation
Another successful, joyous, yet heart-wrenching, SHA graduation of 5 students took place at a special venue in nearby Toccoa recently. I say, heart-wrenching, only because of the attachments so many of the kids and staff have acquired with one another over a year’s time. But, this SHA graduation saw one student who was with us for 2 years; while, another was with us for 3! So, it’s almost like losing one of your own. As their speeches tugged on the hearts of the audience, they gave an assurance that their futures were securely in the hands of Jesus Christ, as one of the graduates is looking forward to attending Liberty University this fall. Their time at SHA has seen a lot of changes—both in our landscape, and in their hearts. Their many insights and experiences at SHA have helped transform them in every way. Some of these graduates actually helped design and build a customized bunny hutch for SHA’s therapeutic bunny, Teddy. Teddy’s hutch is complete with everything he needs to work his therapeutic magic—including an aluminum spiral staircase that takes Teddy to his second floor penthouse suite. I would have loved to have had a spiral staircase for my porch on the hill; but, I guess I missed it by a hair!
30 Years
On the Friday of May 24th, I was working on a written project in my office at home, when Beth brought something to my remembrance that I was completely oblivious to until she brought it up. Until that time, I guess she was too. Being so late in the day, it was actually too late for any kind of special celebration—though, one would’ve been justified. So, I set aside my work and began reminiscing with her a little bit about the significance of this particular date—one I still can’t believe I forgot. So, it was a small and intimate celebration, I suppose—with just the two of us. May 24th, 1994 was our family’s first day and night in our new abode—the old farm house near Shepherd’s Hill. What a crazy adventure! All 5 of us occupied the only room remotely habitable in this dilapidated old house, which wreaked of rodent urine. Still, it was definitely a time to remember. We had no kitchen, no living room, most of a bathroom, but no water heater, no washer, dryer, stove, or refrigerator. We also had no source of heat or air conditioning either. God graciously gave us a mild May back in 1994, as well.
In fact, that first Summer rarely gave us temps that made it out of the 80s. Not until mid-November of that year did we get a wood-burning stove—but it was one that kept us warm when the mercury broached single digits. It’s still there! I recall that first night lying against the screened window next to me, when out of the eery silence came an unfamiliar sound. It was a loud, but lonesome and repetitive haunt that whistled from high atop the pecan tree just outside my window. Before moving to Georgia, I’d never heard a Whippoorwill, nor seen a pecan tree. This foreign, but sweet, serenade captivated me into the night, as my mind raced in rabid anticipation of our first sunrise in this surreal, dark. and remote land of quiet stillness. To this day, each Spring Beth and I vie to be the first to hear that reminiscent, yet almost melancholy, haunt of our faithful feathered friend, the Whippoorwill. For 30 years, now, our friend has returned to SHA each Spring to help us commemorate our hard and humble beginnings. And, yet, after 30 years, we’ve never actually seen one—until recently.
Songs in the Night
I couldn’t identify a Whippoorwill—even from a picture. But, his song is almost a household Spring staple now, as most every evening, right about 8:45 PM, he’s faithful to sing us into a night of slumber. Recently, after some big storms, we went up to check on the mountain house, and decided to sleep over. With all that’s going on at SHA these days, I’m pretty sure it was our first over-nighter there since Beth’s diagnosis—in other words, only one time all year so far! Anyone need a getaway? While sitting on our back deck at dusk, we could hear a lone Whippoorwill in the distance. Before dusk had turned to dark, his song sounded so close that we searched all around the house to see if we could finally catch a glimpse of one of these birds. Striking out, but enjoying his song the whole time, we decided to go upstairs to bed. Still, his song sounded as if it where coming from just outside our house. Not since that first night in the farmhouse had we heard a Whippoorwill so loud and clear.
That’s when, at the top of the stairs, by our bedroom, I looked outside through a second story window and onto our front porch roof. There, on the peak, was this ordinary-looking bird singing a very extraordinary tune. I could have reached out and grabbed him! This was our first actual look at a creature that had brought to us so many fond nostalgic memories—ones that we can’t expect you to fully understand. But, thanks for enduring what, to Beth and me, are moments of special significance over the past 30 years. For a more comprehensive understanding of our greater story, our book, The Miracles of Shepherd’s Hill, is still available at amazon.com. If your faith in Jesus Christ needs a lift; or, if you know someone who needs a lot more evidence that Jesus Christ is still alive and well today, consider it as a gift to a friend. Beth and I both believe it will hit the target it was intended for.
Speaking of Beth
You all have been such a blessing to Beth and me, as she forges ahead to renew her strength. Thank you for all your prayers for her and for SHA. I’d like to be “John Wayne” and tell you it’s been a walk in the park. It hasn’t. Still, she remains a high-spirited super-saint through it all—having nothing but high-praise for our Lord, despite days when everything seems to contradict His gracious, merciful, and loving power and presence. But, how often do our kids feel that way about us, as parents—even when we are loving them in special ways that they don’t understand ? June 6th is a crucial day for her. It’s her revelatory PET scan. Please pray hard for her! Amen.