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The Good CrutchBy David Heaton, Executive Director

Jesse “The Body” Ventura was the antagonist of my childhood. He was the evil professional wrestler on television who was always trying to clobber my heroes with a metal chair. I remember booing him mercilessly from the red shag carpet in my parents living room. It was silly, but it was the 80‘s and I was just a kid in Kangaroo shoes and an O.P. tank top.

After retiring from the great farce of wrestling, Ventura was elected as the Governor of Minnesota in 1999. He enjoyed solid polling numbers until he made this comment, “Religion is a sham, a crutch for weak-minded people.” The Christian community was up in arms at this affront to their intellect and strength. Surprisingly, I found myself agreeing with him concerning the weakness of Christians.

In fact, I would say that we are frail and hopeless without our crutch-like God supporting us. It’s the paradoxical nature of life that requires us to embrace our needs in order to be made whole. I would proudly count myself amongst these broken people and I am so very thankful for the God-given community at Cornerstone that has propped me up these last five years.

My point is wrapped up in a reoccurring dream I’ve had. It starts with the image of a person with a disability in the ocean. They can’t swim and they are sure to drown if someone doesn’t help. My wife and I swim under them and push up to get their head above water, but now we are underwater and short on breath. Just when we need it, our staff lifts us up above the

waterline. Then comes our families and the residents’ parents adding to the support. A mass of servants come from local churches and service organizations to swim under and lift us all to greater heights, making a broad pyramid of strength. We fill each other’s gaps and brace the weak just as our own weaknesses are being fortified. Everyone relying on each other, all relying on the Lord.

This week my family will assume a new role in the dream. We are still supporting the structure but from a slightly different angle. We will transition out of the house and our faithful staff couple, Doug and Miranda Schulte, will be moving in to become the lead house parents. I will carry on as Executive Director until a replacement can be found later this summer. Cynthia and I will be active board members and we look forward to seeing Cornerstone grow, caring for even more people with disabilities.

Living here has shaped my family in the best of ways. My three kids know what quiet servanthood looks like. They have seen their parents give their best and they have seen the community rally around us and sacrifice on our behalf. We can never repay what we’ve been given.

We have lived at the center of this dream for so long, we wonder how we will rise to a new season in life. I pray that we will do it with thankful hearts and wonderful memories, ready to limp boldly into a new day.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.2 Corinthians 12:9

The Heatons and the residents at Cornerstone Ranch

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Getting Social

News Brief

Summer Smiles Will is all smiles as he enjoys a shared birthday celebration at the new In-N-Out Burger in Allen.

Sarah spends some quality time visiting with one of her beloved Young Life leaders, Susan Butler.

➡ Thank you so much for your continued financial support. We have raised $52,660 of our $71,000 annual budget and we could really use your help to cover the remainder of the annual budget. We rely on your generosity and want to make it even easier to get involved. You can give online through PayPal or earn rewards with American Express. Just go to our website, www.cornerstone-ranch.com, to see how. You can also drop a check in the mail to 3933 CR 317, McKinney, TX 75069.

➡ The residents competed in the 3rd Annual ManeGait Horse Show on May 7th where their confidence and riding abilities blew the staff and the their parents away. Jason and Amanda even walked away with a first place titles and huge trophies to display in their rooms!

➡ The residents recently enjoyed a night out on the town to celebrate three very special birthdays; Sarah, Will and Jason. First up was In-N-Out Burger to indulge on their famous burgers and fries. A trip to La Dulce finished up the evening for a delicious treat. Happy Birthday!

➡We kicked the summer off right by spending a sunny afternoon lounging by the pool, fishing for bass and munching on summer fare at McKinney Capernaum Young Life’s end-of-the-year pool party. A big thank you to all of the leaders and The Butler family for hosting such a fun afternoon for our Cornerstone friends.

➡ A huge thank you goes out to Fellowship of Frisco, First Baptist McKinney, Chase Oaks, Boy Scouts Troop 207 and Creekwood United Methodist for volunteering your time and energy to Cornerstone Ranch! If you, your church or organization are interested in volunteering or having a work day at Cornerstone, please contact Doug Schulte at doug@cornerstone-ranch.com.

➡Are you looking for a fun and meaningful way to give back this summer? Cornerstone Ranch is seeking volunteer mowers who can put on their overalls and climb on our John Deer to mow the fields every few weeks. If you are interested in helping, please contact David Heaton at david@cornerstone-ranch.com.

The special needs community is not exactly known for being a hotbed of tech savvy hipsters, but things are different at Cornerstone. You can now find Cornerstone Ranch on Facebook and on Twitter.This is a great way to allow our friends and supporters to keep up with the residents on a more regular basis. We will be sharing pictures, news, witty quotes and other glimpses into the busy lives of the residents. Don’t worry, we won’t beat you down with fundraising requests too often.You can easily find us on Facebook by logging into your Facebook account and searching for Cornerstone Ranch. We’re the ones with the “special needs” sub title. Simply click “like” to begin viewing Cornerstone updates in your news feed.Twitter is a convenient social media site that is a snap to start using. Twitter will allow you to read short snippets about what’s happening at the ranch. You can follow us by searching for the username CstoneRanch.We look forward to sharing some special moments with you!

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PerspectivesIn each newsletter we invite someone from the Cornerstone family to provide their perspective on life at the ranch. Doug Schulte and his family have lived at Cornerstone in the past and are preparing to move back in.

I was naively unaware of the gravity of my situation or the significance of the encounter that I was about to have when I received my first blood transfusion. My world had been abruptly turned upside down by a life threatening blood disorder called Aplastic Anemia and my juvenile high school concerns were replaced with the weight of surviving a terminal illness. My peers were no longer classmates, but other patients with leukemia and other hematological disorders.

It was during this first transfusion that my racing mind was interrupted by a sweet two-year-old leukemia patient with Down syndrome who made a game of untying my shoelaces. Her adorable disposition was a welcomed distraction to an otherwise difficult day. Her name was Gracie.

Sixteen years later, I know that little angelic interruption was a providential encounter that would eventually set the course for much of my life. Gracie and I would cross paths occasionally over the next year while receiving treatments for our illnesses. Each encounter resulted in a similar feeling to the first; we connected in a way that made me feel whole. But on my last hospital stay we heard sad news. Gracie had developed an infection that wreaked havoc on her two-year-old body and she was sent home with little chance of survival.

Over the next few years I recovered from my illness and went on to college. During that time I began to work with individuals with special needs and often, thoughts of Gracie flooded my mind. It wasn’t long before I knew that I would spend my life serving this special population. Some might consider this a “calling” of sorts, but as an eighteen-year-old, all I knew was that these people changed me in ways that

made me a better person. My experiences pursuing a career working with the special needs teenagers and adults has evolved into many forms over the last decade. Most recently, it has led my family and I to caring for and living life with our sweet friends, the residents at Cornerstone Ranch. It has been a dream come true to share the burden with parents

and to wholeheartedly serve their children as they mature into adulthood.

This past spring my world was interrupted by Gracie once again. The mother of one of our residents introduced me to a friend of hers who resides here in Texas. His name was Buck and we enjoyed connecting the dots between our mutual friends and experiences. Toward the end of our conversation he asked how I began working in special needs ministry. I told him my story and about the substantial impact Gracie had on my life.

As I spoke I noticed a peculiar look wash over Buck’s face. “Doug, I know Gracie. She is alive. My wife and I have been best friends with her family for nineteen years.” At that moment a multitude of emotions exploded; goose bumps, adrenalin, tears, excitement and joy. For the last sixteen years I had assumed that Gracie did not survive her illness and hearing this great redemptive news was something I’ll never forget.

Several weeks ago my family and I had the reunion of a lifetime when we visited Gracie and her family. I had the opportunity to tell Gracie’s parents about the significant impact their daughter had on my life. On Saturday morning I had the opportunity to read Gracie’s favorite book to both her and my oldest daughter Chloe. If that is not a picture of grace then I do not know what is.

Gracie’s smile and personality are as encouraging as ever and apparently I am not the only person amazed by her generous spirit. Last fall, she was voted the homecoming queen of Georgetown High School.

God’s timing and the outpouring of His grace in my life through Gracie is clearly providential. The first time I was a scared teenager in need of a distraction, and most recently as a encouragement and confirmation as we become lead house parents at Cornerstone. In short, our reunion with Gracie was God’s way of reminding us of the gifts, affections, and burdens that He has given to us for the special needs community. We look forward to this transition with great excitement and I will forever be thankful for the interruption of Grace(ie) in my life.

“Being reunited with Gracie was confirmation of the calling to care for those with special needs.”

Doug Schulte

The Resident Rundown Fifteen Favorites with JasonMy Favorite...

1. television show: SportsCenter

2. meal at Cornerstone: lasagna

3. book: books about football

4. music: Brooks and Dunn

5. activity at Cornerstone: Frisco RoughRiders baseball games

6. Special Olympic’s sport: Basketball

7. vacation: Cancun baby!

8. thing about God: He is awesome

9. beverage: Dr. Pepper

10. sports team: San Antonio Spurs

11. thing about living in community: getting to work at my jobs

12. local restaurant: Twisted Root

13. day of the week: Sunday, because I get to go to church

14. person you see in the community: Tammy from the Samaritan

Inn thrift store

15. way to serve the community: delivering food for Meals on WheelsWW

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Mostly SunnyJason has recently been dubbed the “Cornerstone Weatherman.” He loves the ever-changing weather and he receives great joy in updating his fellow residents on the day’s forecast.

3933 CR 317 MCKINNEY, TX 75069