The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; thy steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of thy hands. –Psalm 138:8
We have all been created with dreams and passions. God gives us dreams and passions to bless life. There are many ways that we bring these passions to life. Some people focus their energy and passion in their work while others focus on their personal life to bring their passion to reality.
Micky Thornton is a person who had a passion and worked hard to bring it to life in his backyard. Since Micky was 9 years old he had a dream to have a swimming pool in his backyard. He dreamt about a pool for his family until he was 39 when he decided to make his dream come true.
Micky’s dream was no small dream. He was very clear that he wanted a pool that you could swim around in and not feel like you were trapped in a box. Micky began work on his dream, a 20 feet deep pool, 95 feet across, that holds more than half a million gallons of water. The enormous pool covers a significant portion of the pasture behind his house.
Since 1993 Micky and his wife, Jane have opened their pool to family, friends, neighbors and just about anyone who would enjoy Micky’s dream. The Thornton family has hosted birthday parties, sports team parties, weddings and they have even hosted the Chinese National Baseball team. In a recent interview, Micky Thornton shared that their pool has been used in over 400 baptisms. Their pool has truly been a dream come true and has been a huge blessing to others.
Each of us has a passion, a dream. The Thornton family has shown that when you work to make a dream come true, and share that dream with others, you find great joy. When you share your passion with others you become a blessing. God has created you with passion and the ability to dream big dreams. With our eyes opened by grace, let us consider how we will use our dreams to be a blessing.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
