Hoops, Prayers and Dreams

Inspiration

By Mike Gilland

I remember it so well. It was a brisk day in Southern Indiana – Evansville, to be exact, my hometown. I was in 8^th grade and alone, shooting hoops on the outdoor basketball court behind my school yard. For whatever reason, no one was around that late afternoon. I was alone on the court and in my thoughts. And they were happy thoughts! I can’t explain why, but I began to dream that day, about a day when I might be blessed to have a son with whom to shoot baskets. I had grown up with a dad who did that very thing with me. In fact, he was always there – at every Little League game, or at every event in my life that mattered. That always meant the world to me. Later, when I was a guitarist in a band, my dad and mom drove all over the place to just be there to support me. That was just amazing to me, even then. I never knew life to be any different than having my parents' complete love and support.

So there I was daydreaming about, of all things, the day that I might have a son of my own, and promising the Lord that if He would bless me that way, I would do my very best to be with him, to support him in the same way as my parents had supported me.

Fast-forward 16 years, to 1983. My wife Cindy and I had already been blessed with an amazing daughter, one that was the apple of our eyes. But we had also lost a child – my first son – a year earlier. That heartbreaking time did a lot in my life, more than can be contained in this post. But it did not rob me of hope, nor of the vision that was born in my heart on that breezy Indiana afternoon so long ago.

Then, in late August of that same year, we were blessed with our son David. And wouldn’t you know it, he grew up sharing my passion for sports (especially basketball), and also for music. Our years in the ‘80s and ‘90s were spent, amazingly, just like I had dreamed they would – shooting hoops, riding bikes, camping, and then following him around to watch his high school basketball team play. Add to that years of jamming together, and then driving all around Florida and beyond, watching David and two of his sisters play music with their own band.

Time has a way of passing, and now David and his beautiful wife are parents to four beautiful children, the last of whom was born less than two months ago. And he was a boy, joining David’s two other boys, and his beautiful daughter.

In Psalm 127:4-5, it says: Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. (NIV)

Even though they live in Texas, I’m getting to relive that original vision all over again, through the wonderful gift of FaceTime, watching my son train, love, and dote over his children. Cindy and I will soon be making a visit to hold that newest grandson in our arms.

I’ve said it many times, but it is oh so true: Of all the job descriptions I ever held, my favorite by far was being a Dad. And now, being Grandpa isn’t so bad either.

Mike Gilland is Operations Manager for The Shepherd Radio Network, a group of radio stations in Florida that features the “Christian Teach/Talk” format. Mike hosts a daily talk radio show in the 2 PM hour called “Afternoons with Mike”, talking to local pastors and newsmakers. In Orlando, The Shepherd is heard on WIWA, AM 1270. In addition to his broadcast experience, Mike spent 36 years in full-time ministry as a pastor and worship leader. As a guitarist, Mike performs at concerts, restaurants, private parties, etc. He is married to Cindy, the father of four grown children and grandfather to seven grandchildren.