We Will Rejoice...
Testimony
T
he following testimony was given at Save
The Cowboy a few weeks ago when our
Trail Boss Ty Weber was out of town. Ty
asked Dennis to give the opening remarks
and this is the story he shared.
I was born in the middle of a herd of four boys, less
than two years apart in age. We were raised in the
Catholic church, where, to me, it seemed easy to get
lost in the crowd.
In college I met and married Becky and we started a
family, who I thought I was leading because we went
to a church that Becky knew about from her friends.
The Bible says as husbands we are the leaders of our
households and since I drove us to church on Sunday,
I was leading - not true. Soon we were baptized in
Cherry Creek and I was learning how to use a Bible!
My favorite scripture became Psalms 118:24 - This
is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be
glad in it.
This is the verse I leaned on when Becky was
diagnosed with cancer and died soon after. Though
it was hard to rejoice, I did try to find some good - I
prayed more and talked to God more, but I didn’t
feel like I was capable of leading anyone - myself
included.
That was 2002. In 2009 my only son, JD, committed
suicide, leaving behind a wife, two children, and
6
Dennis Shy
another hole in my life. He was the one most like
his mother and working cattle with him was like
working with my dad. How could there be any
good from his death? John 3:16 says that for God
so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have
everlasting life. And I know JD believed in Jesus
and that I will see him again. Still, for me, the most
amazing thing is that God loved us so much that he
sent his only son, knowing that we would torture and
kill him. And that Jesus would rise from the dead
and take away all our sins if we just believed. What a
gift! And all we have to do is receive it. How can we
not rejoice everyday?
God has brought a new wife into my life. Rhonda
is a great helper and encourages me daily in my
work and my walk with God. We have recently
been blessed to reconnect with JD’s kids and their
mom. We are working at repairing that relationship
and catching up with them as often as we can. The
twinkies are with us now and we have a chance to
make a difference in their lives. Just some of the
many things God has blessed me with.
We’ll just keep looking up and moving forward,
looking to the sides to pick up any strays - and every
once in awhile - looking back to see if anyone is
following our trail.
www.SaveTheCowboy.com