Reaching Milestones: A Personal Note

Last week, my wife and I reached a milestone in our marriage. We celebrated our fifteen-year anniversary. This was a powerful moment for me who had given up on the idea of ever having a wife and a family. What a joy to be able to look back fifteen years and see the miracle that God did in my life. A man who had given up on life is renewed through the power of God to change lives. This is one thing that sets Christianity apart from other religions. God is not a statue or image that capriciously makes decisions about whether to bless or curse: The God that changes lives is not an idol that demands worship, but instead is a personal God who has compassion and concern for his creation. That’s why he cared enough to sacrifice his son as the remedy for our rebellion and sin.

This is why I’m excited to be able to minister in a place like Taiwan. A place where people struggle under the bondage of serving gods, that don’t know them or have any regard for their welfare. My daily prayer is that God will demonstrate his miracle power through my ministry. That people will see the compassion of God as well as his ability to change lives and fortunes. No idol can do that. No philosophy can do that. Only the God that created the universe with a word can do that.

So thanks to God for giving me a marriage that can be sustained over 15 years. Thanks to God for a wife that can put up with me day in and day out for all those years. Thanks to God for children who love and care for me. God let me be a good husband and father for many more years to come. Thank you Brenda, for your love and loyalty all these years. Thank you Elizabeth, for being an obedient and cheerful child, who is able to absorb all the changes in your life. Thank you Emily, for being a “Daddy’s Girl” who even though you struggle with certain things, you really try to overcome.

I know some of the things that have taken place recently have been an upheaval in your lives. But thanks to all three of you for allowing me to follow God’s call on my life. I love and appreciate all of you.