Today, June 26, my beautiful bride celebrates her 35th birthday. So I thought it only fitting to pause the Venture and pay tribute to the best friend and partner a poor Vagabond like me could ask for. In case you are not familiar with the story, I first met Rose in the Lottie Nelson Dining Hall at Messiah College. I knew from that moment, if she would ever be willing, that I would marry her. For the next 3 years I did everything I could think of to encourage her to be willing, but she wouldn't even agree to go on a date with me, much less think about marriage. We were friends, yes - even good friends, but to talk about anything beyond that ... the light turned red, the breaks squealed, and the discussion ended ... abruptly. No negotiating, no pleading, just "No."
Finally, in January of 1996, the armour cracked, the defenses faltered, and she agreed that we could be more than just friends. Not wanting to waste anytime, lest she might change her mind - I proposed to her seven weeks later, and we were married that August.
Since then we have lived in: Bridgeport/Clarksburg, West Virginia; Whitehall/Allentown, PA; Mechanicsburg, PA; and now St. Louis, MO. We have served in at least 4 different churches. We have thus far survived the raising of our two (soon to be three) children. We have known financial comfort and strain. We've built relationships and also seen some dwindle due to laxity and distance. We've shared joys and tears, success and failure, happiness and fear.
Through all of the past 13 years, the truly beautiful thing is that we've done all of it together. My bride has been my biggest encourager. At times, she has helped my vision more than LASIK ever could. She makes a perfect compliment for my weak areas. Together, we make it work. Together we have sought the Lord's will for our marriage, our family and our future. In February 2008, when we were deciding whether we should stay in Pennsylvania, or come to St. Louis so I could go to school, she was the one who had the confidence in God's calling on our lives to give the thumbs up on the move. Our time here in St. Louis is not about me going to school; instead, it is about us - training together for the present/future ministry that God calls us to.
So to my bride I say, "Happy Birthday and I love you!" The Venture would not have come this far, nor been this much fun without you. I cherish our past and look forward to our future together.
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