Sonlight Lex

We’re so fortunate, thanks to some very special people, to be able to feature Lexington’s Assurance Care for Women and Girls on January 11, 12, 13, and 14, 2010!

The four-day series will introduce this organization to those who aren’t aware of what they do. It will also highlight their special mission and the innovative programs they offer.

Assurance is saving and changing lives and generations. I’m sure you’ll agree they need our prayers and deserve our thanks.

I’m certain everyone will agree that the preemie section of a hospital can be one of most heartwarming of settings. It’s a miracle that all those little miracles are so well-cared-for and helped along the way to childhood and a long, healthy life. There are times, however, that the story doesn’t have a happy ending. Regardless of the outcome, which often isn’t known at the time, Project Seahorse is there to provide for parents and families in a trying time.

The people at Project Seahorse have accepted a challenging ministry. They’ve been where the parents they help are, which, at the same time as it adds difficulty for them, it provides insights into what the families of preemies are feeling and the ability to help them manage.

Sonlight Lex is blessed to be able to feature Project Seahorse on January 9, 2010. We can’t wait to bring you their story.

I don’t know professional skateboarder Tony Hawk’s thoughts on God, politics, or charity, but I do know he’s a cool guy.

First of all, he’s a young 41, just like me, and I strive for his level of coolness. Truth is, I may surpass him someday.

In all seriousness, I admire Hawk because he’s doing, even at 41, what he loves to do. He has been insightful enough to realize that his business wouldn’t be successful unless he continued skating.  Aside from continuing to skate, Hawk sits atop a video game, skateboard, bicycle, clothing, shoe business empire.

Hawk was recently asked if it was important for business that he stay active in his sport.  In response, Hawk said, “You’ve got to walk the walk. You’ve got to be out there skating and seeing what people are into. If I don’t make time to skate, I feel like I’m faking it.”

Each of the businesses and people who have bought days in support of Sonlight Lex and the two organizations we support have that same passion about what they do.  They’re eager to find new opportunities to reach out and be a part of their community.  They’re demonstrating they care about where they live and work.

Each person or business taking part in Sonlight Lex is much more than simply what it is they do. They realize they’re a part of something bigger than their profession.

I’m glad to know there are people like that, right in our midst.  Walking the walk.

Image courtesy of Dizzo, iStockphoto.com profile.

Source: “Innovators+Tony Hawk,” Gary Cohn, Entrepreneur, October 2009.

Follow Dr. David and Marty Sperow on Facebook and you will experience a variety of thoughts and feelings; happiness, anger, love, confusion, motivation, kindness, you name it. Most of all, you’ll see how dedicated they are to La Cima World Missions.

Genesis and Growth

Most of us think about doing something real, plan to take action that makes a difference. While we’re thinking about it, the Sperows and La Cima World Missions are busy doing it. 

A few years ago, David and Marty sold everything and moved to Honduras to provide medical and dental care to a region sorely lacking any form of care.  During their time in Honduras, they realized that, although they loved what they were doing, the care they were providing could exponentially improved by bringing people into the fold.  The returned to the states and established La Cima World Missions. 

The following video says more about La Cima than any words.  It has approximately a 12-minute run-time.

We’ll have more about La Cima and what they’re doing today in the coming days and weeks.

Finding a realtor that is dedicated to his/her profession and clients is a big decision. After all, you’re putting a great deal of your life in the hands of someone you want to trust.  Looking at FindMyKYHome.com, hearing Nick Ratliff talk about his work, and seeing what he has planned for his business and clients will give any potential client confidence.

We’re happy to announce that Lexington, Kentucky realtor, Nick Ratliff, has purchased January 7, 2010.

Today we’re introducing the two non-profit ministries supported by SonlightLex.com. Look for expanded profiles in the future, highlighting special features about each, current endeavors and their plans for the future.

All God’s Children - In 1986, Pam Smith, founder of All God’s Children in Nicholasville, began volunteering as a counselor for a crisis pregnancy center in Lexington, following a passion to help girls who were in hopeless, crisis pregnancy situations.

She continued following her passion and In April 1999, Pam and her husband, Karl Smith, opened the doors of All God’s Children (AGC) in a historic pre-Civil War home located just south of Nicholasville. That first day they welcomed three moms and three babies. “Since that time, we have had more than 250 moms and babies through our doors.”

According to Mrs. Smith, “We’ve had some incredible, life-changing moments and we’ve had some moments of tears and heartbreak…Their [the residents] presence here and their pregnancies are symptoms of other things they’ve had to endure in life,” Smith says. “We’re trying to protect them—it just so happens they’re pregnant and have children.”

The mission of AGC goes well beyond merely providing for and protecting the mothers and babies. “Our goal at All God’s Children is to help the girls learn effective parenting skills and independent living skills so they can learn how to have access to things and people in the community and continue their education,” Smith explains. “We want to give them a safe and healthy pregnancy, and stop drug use, abuse and neglect for the safety of the teen and the unborn baby.” Beyond their safety for today, Smith hopes their time at AGC will give them hope for a brighter future. “Just to make these girls successful in any area of their lives is going to help them go forward,” Smith says. “They have been beaten down their whole life. Any gains they make—however small or large—are directly impacting their future.”

Source and excerpts: “A Legacy of Change: All God’s Children,” by Ami Williams.

La Cima World Missions - The first on the list of La Cima World Mission’s goals is as follows: “We go there. Taking medical and dental care to places in need, regardless of risk. If The Call is there, so are we.”   For La Cima, that goal could be placed in the “achievement” column, because it’s no longer simply a goal, they’ve done it time and time again.

La Cima was founded by Dr. David and Marty Sperow.  They are a husband and wife team that spent time living and working as full-time missionaries in Honduras, Central America.  There they worked in a small medical/dental clinic in the village of Canchias.  In the time they were there, they were pushed well outside their comfort zones as God accomplished many amazing feats before their eyes and at their hands.

Presently, La Cima is operating and organizing mission trips in Honduras.  A partnership with MediBoat, which will operate out of Brisbane, Australia, is allowing them to extend their reach and service the Solomon Islands. They are also in the planning phase of organizing missions into ravaged areas in Southeast Asia.

The motto of La Cima World Missions is “We didn’t come to watch.”  The many people they’ve served in just a few short years can attest that the motto is much more than mere words; it is faith in action.

Central Kentucky is fortunate to be home for these two organizations, and many others like them. Their faith and their actions are guiding lights for us all.

When I put the Sonlight Project and SonlightLex.com out there, I started hearing comments like, “What a unique idea!” and “That’s a fantastic concept.” I have to say, yes, yes it is.

It’s true that a good idea is a good idea, no matter who comes up with it, and the concept behind the Sonlight Project is a great one. As I say on the About the Sonlight Project page, this isn’t my original idea. I’d like to take this opportunity to give credit where it’s due.

Several months ago, I came across a website called IWearYourShirt.com. At the time, although the creator, Jason Sadler, had put up a great looking site, I didn’t put much thought into it. He had sold several days in various months, it looked great, no big deal. Having successfully obtained a college degree without taking a math-related class (don’t tell EKU or they may take it back), the financial possibilities of his concept didn’t occur to me.

I didn’t think of IWearYourShirt.com again until I came to another site, based here in Lexington, using the same concept. Dan Sherman’s ReviewLex.com is showcasing Lexington and Bluegrass area features and people and it is a great place for those new to this area, or even native to Lexington, to learn about its people and places. When I saw Dan’s site, and that he was donating a large sum to local charities, the light bulb lit up, finally.

I decided to narrow the scope even further and focus on Christian life in this area. I’m more than pleased with the response we’ve gotten so far, even though the site isn’t finished and I’ve done little marketing.

I want to say thank you to Dan and Jason for coming up with a great idea. All I’ve done is change the focus a little.

Since ReviewLex.com has a hometown, regional focus, just like SonlightLex.com, give it a visit. Dan started the site on August 1^st and the features will run through July 31, 2010. He already has plenty of great features, like Lexington Rescue Mission, Lexington Farmers Market, and Ann and Chester Grundy, to name but a few. There’s certainly more to come from ReviewLex.com, and from us.

Image Source: BlackJack3d, iStockPhoto.com profile.

We’re pleased to announce that Christian Business Women United (CBWU) will be featured on January 3 and 4, 2010.  They are being sponsored by Lexington’s RB Design Studio LLC and we’re thankful that RB Design opened our eyes to this unique organization.

CBWU is dedicated to assisting women in business, not simply women business owners. Women in business face challenges that their male counterparts do not, and CBWU provides encouragement and prayers for all women in the workplace.

Look for more information about CBWU soon, and for the feature stories in January.

I’ve said there are three main goals for the Sonlight Project and SonlightLex.com:

1. Make a financial contribution to La Cima World Missions and All God’s Children;
2. Provide a social media platform and display for Christian life in Central Kentucky; and
3. Provide an opportunity for businesses, organizations, churches and individuals to demonstrate their support of Christian life and growth.

As I’ve thought about this web site and what it can potentially become, I believe even my three goals fall short of the ultimate aim; to help people find Christ.

If SonlightLex.com is successful, and it will be, it won’t be because of anything I’ve done; quite the contrary. It will be a success because of and through you, the readers who visit and the buyers, people and places profiled and featured here.  It will be achieved through the efforts of all Lexingtonians, Central Kentuckians, Kentuckians and people everywhere.

Think about it.  If every day is sold, every month is sponsored, every day is filled with a feature story, hundreds, if not thousands, of people will have taken an active part.  The numbers of people visiting and talking about the site will be exponentially larger.  A new location to feature Christian activities will be established.  The new place to find businesses with Christ at their heart will have been created.  There will be a new place to find the heart of Christian life.

If statistics and studies are correct, nearly 800,000 live in the 20 or so counties that make up the central area of Kentucky.  Over 75% of those people identify themselves as being Christian.  That’s 600,000 people. With your participation, in whatever manner and on whatever level, we can grow that number well beyond 600,000 and bring all of us closer together.

If these sound like a lofty goals, so be it.  Insurmountable odds are overcome every day. This is far from “insurmountable.”  We can do it without really trying.

All God’s Children and La Cima World Missions have altered the course of untold lives and generations, against worse odds and larger challenges.  We can follow their lead.

When SonlightLex.com is successful, it will achieve the ultimate goal.

Image Source: ImagineGolf, iStockphoto.

We couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2010.  Serif Group, an award winning Lexington marketing and advertising agency, has purchased January 1, 2010.  They’ve also asked that Lighthouse Ministries be our feature story for their day.

Lighthouse Ministries is a non-profit corporation serving men, women, and children of Kentucky with a three-fold ministry designed to meet the practical and spiritual needs of those in crisis situations. Dating back to the early 1990s, Lighthouse has been changing lives in Central Kentucky.  We look forward to being blessed by featuring them on January 1.