May 1985, I was where five of our young people here at Central are in their lives. Like Landon, Gretchen, Abby, Marlee, and Chase, I walked across a stage and received that piece of paper I spent my life working for. I had plans, I had dreams, and some of them came about.

I would finish the summer as a steak cook and apprentice butcher, mow a few yards for extra cash, spend some time with fellow graduates, then it was off to Montgomery, Alabama to begin college at Faulkner University. There I would sing in the chorus on scholarship and learn how to become a preacher from men like Wendell Winkler, Carl Cheatham, Eris Benson, Ken Randolph, Leonard Johnson, Donnie Hilliard, Levi Sides, and others.

Overall things turned out great for me. There were a few speed bumps and pot-holes in the road to here, and I had to attend the UHK as well (University of Hard Knocks) to get where I am now, but I have no real complaints.

Now, thirty-two years later — I cannot fathom (or I refuse to fathom) that I am old enough to say that — I am married to a wonderful woman (Amy, the love of my life and my bride of 28 years this August). We have a bright, talented, 20 year old young Christian man for a son who is working on his degree plan at college. We work and worship with a great group of like-minded folk at Central Church of Christ, and we live in a neighborhood where people still seem to care about each other. I knew that May in 1985 that life held great things for me, life has proven that true. I look forward to what the next part of my life brings brings.

Beyond that, I look forward to the day we all graduate from this physical life and enter eternity with God in heaven. I hope to see you there. Do you think we will get to throw our hats in the air when He says, “Welcome home, my child, enter in!”? I know I will want too.

Scott