First Go-round!

Well, here it goes, my first blog. I feel so cutting edge, as this blog thing is brand new technology. It has only been around for a few minutes...or maybe years. It is hard to put into words the blessings we have felt and received since God has led us to start the ranch. Here is a thumbnail sketch of how the ranch was inspired.

In the fall of 2004, my wife Susan and I started asking God if we could be doing more to serve Him. We also asked if He would show us His direction for our lives in serving Him. In the spring of 2005 our prayers were answered in a very real way. As my daughter read a story to me from the book Hope Rising by Kim Meeder. Kim told the account of the boy who came to their ranch in Bend, OR. She noticed that the boy's front teeth were broken and missing. She asked the counselor if that is what she thought it was. The counselor took a long moment to answer and when she did her voice was gripped with anger and compassion. She said that not only had the boys "dad" knocked out his teeth with his fists, but before his dad went to prison he would get drunk and make his son run around the yard while he shop at him with a rifle. At that moment I started to weep and I cried out to God in my heart, asking "Why is there so much pain in this world?" God's answer was clear. "That's the way it is, but this is what I want you to do. Start a ranch like Crystal Peaks." I wept as the reality of the moment sank in. I then shared the idea with my dear wife and we started to plan.

I still get choked with emotion as I think about this story. You will need to get the book Hope Rising by Kim Meeder to see how God worked miraculously through a small pony so show the young boy he could be loved. Check out Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch on the web at www.cpyr.org.

I have so many stories to share with you about how God has not only answered our prayers, but filled our needs even before we thought to pray for them. I will try to write about an old story along with current news as I write to this blog.

We have a group of children coming today that are wheelchair bound. Today they will ride horses at HIS Ranch, but someday, by God's grace they will run and jump with a new body on streets of Gold.

In HIS Grace, Shannon