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A Challenge for Dallas

Written by admin on . Posted in basketball, children, Dallas, parenting, prayer. 4 Comments on A Challenge for Dallas


My son, “Sir Dallas James Rutherford,” had a tough day today. He is a junior at Campbell Hall High School in Studio City, and he’s been having some problems with his left knee. After getting some x-rays and an MRI, the doctor informed us that he has a fractured patella. He will be out of basketball for six to eight weeks.

Now for a young man who loves to play basketball, this was NOT good news. He will basically be missing most of his junior year, but hopefully he’ll be able to make it back towards the end of the season. I checked my phone during a break in the middle of my jury trial and it was heart wrenching listening to my son give me this news. Dallas is a fish out of water if he’s not on the court playing a little basketball.

We are doing our best to let him know that God has a plan and that there are a lot of good things that could come of this.

Please keep Dallas in your prayers. He is struggling to discern what God wants for his life. He has been trying his best to honor the Lord recently. God often shapes us through some difficult times and I’m praying that God would do just that. I’ve watched Dallas play basketball many, many times and you can see the joy in him as he runs and competes. I sometimes think of the OLD movie, Chariots of Fire, where God used Eric Liddell to compete in the 1924 Olympic games to honor God. There is such a memorable quote in that movie from Eric. He said, “I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” I’m not sure Dallas has ever totally figured this out, but I do believe he’s at least thinking about it. So hopefully, this will be a time where he can reflect on how to honor God with his life.

I want to thank, in advance, those of you who will keep him in your prayers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Jrue and Justin Holiday

Written by admin on . Posted in basketball, sports, teamwork, witness. 2 Comments on Jrue and Justin Holiday

No I didn’t grow two extra heads. 🙂 This a silly picture of Jrue and Justin Holiday. These two young men attend Campbell Hall High School and happen to be two of the best basketball players in the country. To your right is Justin Holiday,a Senior, who just signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Washington. To your left is Jrue Holiday which is the number 2 rated player in the country in the 08 class. If you look for them you’ll see them here at Shepherd on Sunday at one of our morning worship services. Both of these young men are quality guys. They compete at the highest level yet they love the Lord. They traveled with us to Japan on a missionary trip. I was blessed to be able to coach them this summer on a travel team. My son Dallas has transferred to Campbell Hall for his Jr year and the 3 of these young men make quite a team. Please keep these 3 young men in your prayers. They have an opportunity to really be a witness for Christ on and off the Court.

Happy Birthday KAYLA RAE

Written by admin on . Posted in basketball, children, Kayla, school. 2 Comments on Happy Birthday KAYLA RAE

I am in a state of SHOCK… My firstborn child turned 20 years old yesterday… Am I getting old or what??? The good side of all this is that Renee and I are blessed with three awesome children.
Kayla happens to be the oldest. She attends Hope International University, which is across the street from Cal State Fullerton. Her love is for the Lord and I know that one day she will be in the ministry serving the Lord… perhaps even here at the Shepherd 🙂

I’ve told Kayla from day one, “Be Humble not Hyper.” The reason I tell her this is because she is the most energetic person I know (besides the person I look at in the mirror each day). She loves life and she loves the Lord. Her spirit is contagious and she leads her school, her team, her friends and her peers to a closer walk with Jesus. If you ever get the chance to spend some time with her, you would know what I was talking about.

Ohhhhhhhh yes, you didn’t think I would forget to tell you, did you? She also is the starting point guard for the basketball team. Now, this blog is complete…hehahahehahahahe !

I LOVE THIS GAME

Written by admin on . Posted in basketball, Church, sports, teamwork. 1 Comment on I LOVE THIS GAME


The N.B.A. is up and running. I can’t really explain it to you but I love the game of basketball. It’s fun. It’s fast. It good for you to get out and run up and down the court. It requires teamwork to be successful. And there are always those who do NOT want you to be successful. In fact, there are some who actually want you to lose. Yet, when you win, even though it’s just a game, there is a certain satisfaction that you have knowing that you’ve done your best and have overcome all obstacles. All of the above statements could be true as it relates to serving in the Church. It’s fun. It’s fast. It’s good for us to be involved. It takes teamwork to be successful and there are always those who are against you. Yet, when you overcome, you have this feeling of joy knowing that you stood up against those who oppose the work of the Lord. Having said all that… jump on in. Get involved. Join your church. Serve the body of Christ. Become a part of the TEAM. We’ve got a great Head Coach and he’ll ultimately help us win. It won’t be boring. And it’s always better to be IN THE GAME than watching from the sidelines. And all God’s people said???? AMEN