My wife Lori and I were married in February of 1991. Each year since has gotten better and better. We met in the college group of the church we were attending at the time. After our first date we spent 2 solid days together. On the third day I told her that I was going to marry her. She broke up with me. Thank God she eventually took me back. We ran together, prayed together and did ministry together. We became best friends. That's one of the things I like best about Lori . . . she's not just the beautiful woman I married, she's my buddy!

Our marriage is a bond between three of us . . . Me, Lori and God. We depend on Him daily. We share our struggles with each other and bring them to God. We both depend on Him to help us through the rough times. As much as we love each other, I don't know how we could do it without Him.

God gave us three wonderful kids: Alec, Alyssa and Ashley.

Alec is 16 and he has got a heart of gold. He's a talented writer (Here's an article he wrote for The Journal of Student Ministries) and loves to draw.

Alec is an amazing kid. His generosity and heart for others never ceases to surprise me. I'll never forget when Alec was little and the two of us somehow started talking about giving. I was talking to him about how God wants us to give our "first fruits." Alec thought for a minute and ran to his room. He came out with his favorite toy that he had just received for Christmas. "I want to give this- it's my best toy!" We gave it to a local Youth for Christ ministry that works with inner city kids. The person in charge of this ministry couldn't believe the generosity of a six year old.

Alec is my buddy!

Alyssa, my 14-year-old, is our middle child- although I hope she doesn't feel like the proverbial middle child. She, unlike her siblings, is quiet and steers from trouble. She sometimes draws, or creates art projects in her room for literally hours. But if I turn my music loud enough, Alyssa has been known to break out in some crazy dance moves in the middle of our living room!

Alyssa has scared us several times throughout her life with close calls. First, she scared us when she was born. My wife Lori had to rush in for an emergency C-section that improved my prayer life!

Another scary moment occurred when she was almost four. I heard her scream from across the hotel lobby. My family was at a Youth for Christ conference in a Southern California hotel. One moment my children were running around my feet and, with the blink of an eye, they were gone. Alec, barely six at the time, had stepped onto the outside ledge of an escalator in the hotel and, holding on to the rail, started riding up to the next level approximately thirty feet above. Alyssa, followed suit and rode up right behind him. Catastrophe waited up top where the ceiling blocked them from going any further up. Alec was agile enough to hug the rail and squeeze to the top to safety . . . Alyssa was not. The scream I heard was as she was falling 30 feet to the marble floor below where she landed on her side. As I rushed up to her, finally realizing what happened, I was sure that this was it. I had blown it- I had taken my eyes off my children for the one crucial second that I needed to be there . . . and I wasn't there! As I sat on the cold marble floor waiting for the ambulance to arrive, I knew nothing. I thought surely her back was broken or worse yet, severe head trauma- but Alyssa just lied there crying, responsive, and with her attention focused on the nurse helping her. People gathered around us in a circle crying and praying through the time that she was rushed out to the hospital. I think that was the worst time, waiting for the first news from the doctor, picturing all the bad things that could have happened internally and loathing the word we were about to hear.

I prayed pretty hard that night. As I prayed, I kept telling God that I knew He was in control. I knew He had the best plan for me, but unfortunately it might not be the plan I wanted. So I took it upon myself to remind God how much He loved children and how much He needed this one around a little longer. I tried to convince Him how much He would be glorified if Alyssa were saved. Then I did the hardest thing. I gave it up to Him. I told Him that whatever happened, I knew He was in control and it was for the greatest good.

The doctor came out scratching his head. "Are you sure nobody caught her? I don't understand this- but there are no broken bones, no bruises and most importantly, her head hasn't been touched. You have one lucky little girl . . . somebody was looking out for her." God is a gracious God, and I'm glad to testify that I've now seen the work of an angel first hand. I started playing with my kids a little more since that evening when I realized what I almost lost.

Then there's Ashley . . . my 12 year old. Ashley tests our patience daily (I'm afraid that she has inherited my keen ability to cause trouble)! She's as cute as ever and entertains us regularly. We don't need a TV in our house- we just watch Ashley.

I now know why God made children so cute. Because if they were ugly we would go ahead and kill them! (yes- I'm kidding!) When Ashley was a toddler, she destroyed something valuable every day of her life. She continually invented new ways to damage things-- writing on a walls, knocking over anything made of glass, tearing expensive books, and spilling anything with raspberry on anything white!

Ashley has also always had an obsession for string. Since she was small, if she finds a string, a piece of yarn, or a snag in your sweater . . . she'll pull on it until completely satisfied and then she'll begin to floss with it. This has led to several stylish "half-sweaters" in my house, frayed curtains, bald carpet and a hairless dog.

Now Ashley has grown out of some of that and is taking out her energy on the soccer field. She can't get enough soccer. And our family can't get enough of Ashley-she's wonderful!

All three of my children (even Ashley) are a joy. They are blessings from God, true "arrows in my quiver." I wouldn't give you one of my kids for a billion dollars, wouldn't take another one for a dime!

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