Dick Sheets had it all—a successful career, a beautiful home, nice cars and yearly vacations to exotic locations around the world.  After 20 years of living in the fast lane, however, Dick realized that there was more to life than acquiring and accumulating material possessions.  He finally came to understand that God had a different plan for him.

            
Ever since he was a child, art was Dick’s first love.  After earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Ohio State University, he pursued a career as an illustrator, designer and art director.  Eventually he moved into real estate, developing residential communities across the country.  But there was something missing. “I didn’t handle my success very well,” he says.  “I wasn’t conducting my life with the proper focus, and I wasn’t trusting in the Lord and what I knew He wanted.”

It was his wife Judy who helped alter the path of Dick’s career—and his life.  She suggested that he use the artistic gifts that God had blessed him with.  At the same time, after completing a large real estate venture, he couldn’t find a new job.  Dick, who had not picked up a paintbrush since before he was married, went back to the drawing table.  And one of his first works was a colorful calligraphy of a verse from Luke: “Not my will but thine be done.”

Eventually Dick found other real estate jobs, but he didn’t find them to be very rewarding.  It was clear to him that the Lord was pulling him in a different direction.  In 1996, he moved his family from Sarasota to Augusta, and began working full-time as a Christian artist.  After making the commitment to follow God’s path, Dick started getting real estate job offers.  The temptation was great, but despite the fact that he needed the money, Dick turned them all down.   “I finally learned to put my trust in the Lord, to be Christ-centered instead of self-centered.”

Most of his work expresses a Christian theme and displays quotes from Scripture.   “God has given me the ability to glorify His name, and he fills me with ideas every day.  I get great satisfaction knowing that I’m finally doing what the Lord wants me to do.” Dick Sheets, who is blessed by God with great talent, blesses us with his inspiring story.

As the director of the Management Information Systems department at Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia, Craig Floyd is a daily problem-solver, guiding people through the complex and constantly changing world of computers. 

                 Outside the office, Craig also guides people through everyday life, but on a much higher level: he teaches the word of God to disciples both locally and abroad, helping them to understand that accepting Scriptures is the key to living a full and spiritually satisfying life.

Craig, 40 years old, was brought up in a church-going family that attended services regularly.  According to Craig, however, "For a long time I was a self-centered Christian living in my own little world, trying to be successful in business and other things.  It took a while before I figured out that I needed to be Christ-centered.  I needed to stop living only for myself, and I needed to start making an impact on the world around me."

There was no stopping Craig once he opened his eyes to what was really important.  He met a black man at his office and started teaching him about God during lunch breaks and after work.  Craig gave his new friend a variety of reading materials and encouraged him to speak to others.  Shortly thereafter, his colleague was spreading the word to a whole new group of men. 

In the meantime, Craig formed a Bible study class that now meets every week.  "The idea is to explain what Christian life is all about," he said.  "We have learned that living for ourselves is foolish, but by doing it God's way, there's joy, peace and happiness."

In 1995 Craig traveled to Honduras, where he spent a week putting up the walls for a Seminary building.  The next year he went to the Philippines and spent three days teaching ministry to more than 300 Filipino pastors.  He formed a bond with one of them that continues to this day: Craig disciples him through the mail, sending Bibles, books and other information on a regular basis.  That pastor, in turn, disciples others all over his country. 

“Here I am sitting in my living room in South Georgia, helping to change people’s lives thousands of miles away,” said Craig.  And just last year, on a return trip to Honduras, Craig helped start the construction of a hospital—which includes a chapel—in the middle of a jungle.  "Once it's finished, the hospital will heal their bodies and minister to their souls," he said.  "It will have a big impact."

Back home, Craig reaches out to Hispanic migrant workers and plans to disciple students from the local college, especially those who come from different countries.  Said Craig, "We need to fill these young people with the spirit of God so when they go home, they'll turn their families and friends to God."

Craig's efforts to serve his community and make the world a better place for his children—and grandchildren and great-grandchildren—are a testament to his strong beliefs and an inspiration to us all.