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Happy 16th Birthday!!!!!

Justin Bieber who? Today is all about Kerri!
Saw that today was Justin Bieber’s birthday and truthfully I really am not concerned.
What I am concerned about is that today is my daughter, Kerri’s 16th Birthday.
Sixteen years ago I remember every detail of that special day and with it brings so many mixed emotions.
Primarily, it reminds me that your children grow up way too quickly, as she is the youngest of our three.
But there is something different with this one because with Kerri I know it won’t be long before
she, too, like my other children, will be grown and headed off toward full independence. I know that’s supposed to happen, but oh does that hurt. Like most parents, I look back over my children’s adolescent years with nothing but fond memories and realizing that one can never turn back the hands of time.
Never one day have I ever seen Kerri with a bad attitude.
Never one day have I ever seen Kerri treat someone unfairly.
Never one day have I ever been disappointed in her actions.
Never one day have I ever not seen her honor God.
Never one day have I ever not seen her honor her mother and me.
Never one day have I ever thought she’s on the wrong path.
Never one day have I ever seen her not be concerned about helping others.
Never one day have I ever heard her use bad language.
Never one day have I ever not seen her jubilant smile.
Never one day have I ever not been blessed with her life and spirit.
Never one day have I ever seen her not love Jesus.
Never one day have I ever felt worried about how she would turn out. Well, except for one thing!
She told me once when she turned 16 she wanted to start dating boys and I only have ONE THING to say…..
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Well, at least I got that out of my system.
Kerri, Happy Birthday Girl! You are the bright and merry star!
I love you more than all the stars in the sky!
I love you more than all the french fries at McDonald’s!
I love you more than all the cars on the freeway!
I love you more than all the birds that chirp!
I love you more than all the sand along the shores.
I love you MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!
Love Dad

Click link to view – Hillcrest Christian School Washington DC Trip Re-Edit

Took a trip with the 8th grade class from Hillcrest Christian School and visited New York, Philly, D.C., and visited many of the sites from the Early American Revolution and then spoke at for chapel service afterwards and showed this video to the young people. Hillcrest is where all 3 of my children attended and I am so thankful for the Christian Education that they received. Click on link (ABOVE) to view video.

A Championship Year

As many of you know, I have been coaching the Hillcrest Middle School girls’ basketball team that my daughter plays on. Recently, the VARISITY Coach, Debbie Haliday, who played at UCLA and is also the school’s athletic director and has a daughter on the team, wrote this article and thought I’d share it…

“There’s just something really pure about their faces. I love watching them play…practice or game, it’s really the same. They play with desire, but desire isn’t even quite the right word. I heard today that when they come out of the locker room they always all touch the poster that is entitled, “Effort.” How great is that? Maybe it is about effort. They really do work very hard, all the time. But even that description falls short. It is effort maximized, from the heart. Actually, I think the word is earnest…they play with earnest desire.

I don’t know if you can teach earnest. I’ve watched their coach for years and he is certainly demanding of full effort. They drill, and drill, and drill. It is basketball at its most fundamental best. These are 12 and 13 year old girls who don’t shy away from any hard thing their coach asks them to do…and he asks, every day. If anyone could teach earnest, I’d say he could. Even so, it’s more along the lines of him drawing it out than teaching it… which of course is an art in and of itself.
Effort, desire, earnest hard work… some might think these qualities are in short supply in “kids these days.” But I get to see it every day. I walked through the gym today and they were playing a game, the score was 19-2 when I arrived. Every one of the girls on the court was hustling hard, hands and feet and legs flying everywhere. The other team tried to drive into the key and landed in a trap. The ball got tipped away, a quick pass to the point guard followed by three long legged dribbles and a hard pass to a girl sprinting from the left side led to a layup in about four seconds. The whole bench exploded in applause. It was awesome!
Similar scenarios happened over and over again, no matter who was in the game. And the same look was on all of their faces. That pure, earnest, desire, love of the game, and effort on the poster expression that is so captivating to me. It is sport at its best in my opinion, and I’m very thankful I get to watch. “

If you would like to read more articles regarding faith and sports, check out this website:

It’s a great encouragement to both parents and children involved with sports!

It has been a phenomonal year with these girls, and they just won the League Championships! They’ve worked really hard, and it’s been FUN!!! A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE GIRLS!!!
Also, a BIG THANK YOU to Stewart Uy, who came out to take pictures at three of the girls’ games! To view more of his great photogrpahy skills, you can visit his website here: http://www.s2cphotography.com/

Phantom of the Opera



My youngest turned 13 this past week and it was fun taking her to the Phantom of the Opera. She loves the ARTS and it was a blessing when some friends blessed us with a couple of tickets for her birthday. Kerri is such a joy and every day she honors the Lord in all she does. If you see her wish her a Happy Birthday.

Kerri and the gang…



It is one of the great joys of my life to have coached my two older children and now I am coaching my youngest… Kerri Brett Rutherford. She is number…. ahhhhhhh I will let you guess….. lol

The name of our team is the BRUINS!!!! God worked that one out… and to my knowledge all of these girls are Christians and one of them was actually baptized in the ocean last week.

Kerri is a reflection of her moma… the same spirit and demeanor.. I’m not sure she really likes basketball… I think she plays because she knows I like to coach.. hahahaha but she is a great girl who seems to bless all who come in contact with her.

I am a blessed man to have a daughter like her and to have so many of her close friends who serve and worship the Lord each week. Through in an occasional basketball game from time to time… what else could you ask for???????

Thank you Jesus!!!!

What a Team!!!



I have been coaching Kerri’s middle school basketball team. It is comprised of 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls. They are a great bunch of kids. They all love to play and we are having a good season. I have not posted a picture of Kerri recently so I thought I’d post a few. Kerri doesn’t really like to play as much as my other two children but she runs up and down that court primarily because she knows I like it so much.
As her father, I’m a little torn because she does a pretty good job but I’m never sure if she really wants to be out there. It was interesting that when we begin stretching before practice that Kerri ( a 6th grader at Hillcrest Christian School) is always the first in line to LEAD the stretching. Usually and 8th grader would step up to lead but Kerri is always anxious to lead.
You see, I think she is anxious NOT because she LOVES the game of basketball… you can ask her… she doesn’t really enjoy it that much… but the reason she leads the stretching is because she is a LEADER. God placed that within her!! And God has placed different gifts within each of us… and when we use those gifts the Lord is glorified.
Not only is Kerri leading the stretching, she is always quick to say a prayer or lead a devotion. Yes, I am thankful that I get to hang out with her on the basketball court, but i’m most thankful that she has a heart for God.
We have a few games left…. I think we play L.A.B at Hillcrest Christian School on November 2nd at 3:15 pm. Come out and cheer us on if you’d like.