02/16/2026
Wow, this brought out some emotions in me. May my light shine for Jesus, like this young manās did!
Pray for his friends and family as they mourn his passing, but also celebrate that he is rejoicing in Heaven with Jesus!
My mission is to win hearts to Jesus and I need to step up my game! Iām thankful for the journey that God has put Shannon and I on. Pray for us as we guide our kids, grandkids, and the amazing young women on the OCU softball team!
Itās 2:45 a.m., and my mind keeps drifting back to this same hour just one week ago. A young man was lacing up his cleats, preparing for a baseball game he would never attend. No one around him suspected that he was walking through the final days of his earthly journey. Life felt normal. Routine. Safe.
And then Wednesday came.
And God whispered his name.
The image of that overturned team busā¦the metal twisted, the windows shatteredā¦it has stayed with me. When the bus was finally lifted, the ground beneath it was covered with scattered belongingsā¦papers, books, backpacks, glovesā¦pieces of young lives suddenly interrupted. Seeing those items lying in the dirt broke my heart. Each object belonged to someone who had been laughing, talking, dreaming only moments before. Some who were now injured.
And one person who would never return home.
19-year-old Carter 'Tater' Johnson, of Rapid City, South Dakota died in Wednesday's charter bus accident near Twin Lakes, lowa.
Yesterday I shared an article about the passing of Carter āTaterā Johnson, who lost his life in last Wednesdayās team bus accident.
His father, Jeff Johnson, left a comment on the threads of that post, that touched my heartā¦
āI am the father of this young man. This article is perfect for Tater. His love of Jesus was immeasurable! He told his roommate the night before he passed to find Jesus, that Heaven was going to be amazing, and that heās ready to be in Heaven. God bless you all.ā
He also shared a picture of his sonās baseball gloveā¦now a sacred reminder of a life anchored in Christ.
At a time when our country feels so divided, grief has a way of pulling us back together. Hearts filled with the love of Jesus united in prayer over a young warrior for Christ. In moments like this, we remember that the family of God is still real, still strong, still bound together by something deeper than politics or opinions.
Carter āTaterā lived what was stitched into that glove, Philippians 4:13 āI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.ā
For Tater, those werenāt just words sewn into leather. They were words woven into his heart by the Holy Spirit. His life proved it. His final conversations proved it. His faithā¦simple, bold, childlikeā¦proved it.
The Johnson family, though heartbroken beyond words, knows exactly where Tater is. Scripture tells usā¦āTo be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.ā 2 Corinthians 5:8 and āPrecious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.āPsalm 116:15
Tater is safely home.
Not lost.
Not gone.
Home.
He may have finished his earthly journey, but he has stepped into a place too wonderful for us to understandā¦āa better country, a heavenly oneā (Hebrews 11:16).
How many parents have given their children a faith so real that if tomorrow never comes, they can rest knowing exactly where their child is? That is a gift beyond measure.
A legacy that outlives time.
Tater spent his last night on earth urging his friend to find Jesus. To know that with Christ, he could do all things. That Heaven is real. That eternity is worth preparing for.
His final hours were spent evangelizing. What a testimonyā„ļø
Let this be a reminder to all of us.
Our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors, and the kids in our Sunday Schoolsā¦they are not promised tomorrow. We must tell them about Jesus. We must prepare them for the call we pray never comes, the funeral we never want to plan, the temporary farewell we never want to face.
But it could happen.
I pray that as much as we love sports, we would love Jesus Christ even more. Because when the day comes that our foundation is shaken and the pain threatens to swallow us whole, what will hold us together is not a scoreboard, a trophy, or a season recordā¦hear these words sweet friendsā¦it is the truth of Philippians 4:13 written on our hearts.
May this image of Carter āTaterā Johnsonās glove remind us that the only thing worth holding onto is our faith in Jesus Christ.
May God carry the Johnson family through this season of unimaginable grief. Please continue to pray for them. With everything happening, Carterās dad took time to read your comments. I pray your words brought comfort to a father walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Letās tell everyone about Jesus.
The final inning could be sooner than we think.
Letās get everyone ready ā„ļøShelly
Philippians 4:13
**Editā¦A scholarship by the college has been established in Carter āTaterā Johnsonās name. You can order shirts here to support the scholarship. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DJmadE1T8/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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