Ralph Brandon

Nestled deeply into the southern portion of the state of Illinois, USA, is a little hamlet known as Sunnyside. I grew up there, and my wife Barbara and I still make our home there today.

That little hamlet -- and the wonderful people who have populated it -- have molded me in multiple ways, so it's only natural that as I go about the work I've been assigned in this world -- pastoring, professional counseling, teaching and administrating Christian schools -- I find myself applying years of Sunnyside experiences to those endeavors.

So years ago, when I began writing a column for two local newspapers, I found myself sharing Sunnyside in my lessons and exhortations in those columns. As a result, readers began requesting me to put those articles into a book, and I finally complied. My first book "Stories From the Sunnyside of Life" is the result.

Early in my life, I discovered that the Lord has evidently given me a gift for comedy, and, to my joy, He has made much use of that gift as an asset in carrying out my work in every part of my service to Him. He's made significant use of that gift in my writing. I love sharing the powerful, life-changing truths from God's Word, and when I can offer those truths and lessons wrapped up in some of the "down-home" humor of life in Sunnyside, it's a great delight. I've been thrilled and grateful to see how popular the first book is, and I'm looking forward to offering a second volume of similar stories in 2018.

The Word of God says in Acts 17:26 that He “appointed … the boundaries of our habitation.” I thank God that He chose the boundaries of my habitation to be Sunnyside. The stories I share are not mine alone. They belong to all of those wonderful people.

I love to hear from readers. Feel free to contact me at my e-mail: broralph1@gmail.com.