Life highlights, written around March, 2002
	I was born.
	
	I was born thank God to physically two parents. There was a marked difference however in my relationship with each one. I mostly take after my father, who would spend many hours with me; reading, working on projects, and listening to all off the oddities that come out of my mouth. My mother was a good mom, she cared for us and worried over us until it almost made her sick at times. I remember often slipping into the parents room on Saturday morning perplexed that they were not interested in cartoons or a big McDonald’s breakfast to find my father on his knees by the bed.
	
	I have two brothers.
	One I was real stern with and learned a lot about my own nature
	One I have tried to show Christ to as often as I can
	I was born intensely competitive and trying to figure out every detail of every thing.  I was raised to be serious and independent.  I would need all of these for the road that God would use to point me to Himself.
	
	One of my earliest memories:  I was looking through my babysitter’s national geographic magazines and the cover of one showed a skeleton embedded in some dirt that had been carefully stripped away.  It wasn’t the nice and neat Halloween skeletons that people hang on their windows.  It was kind of hunched over and was grasping a couple of large golden rings.  It’s hard to remember what set me up to be that sensitive that day, but I began to bawl and scream that I don’t want to end up like that.  It strikes me as funny that I couldn’t even understand what that would mean to me later on in life.
	
	At some point so long ago that I don’t even remember how young I was I accepted an invitation to pray a prayer of confession and acceptance of Jesus into my life.  This was the beginning of my life.  It was in church at a children’s message in front of the congregation.  A couple years later, I did this same thing again at our churches AWANA on a Wednesday night where it was explained to me that I did not need to do this more than once.  AWANA was more important in my growth with the Lord than I would realize for many years after.  As part of the activities we memorized sections of scripture. All of this is evidence of God’s careful planning for my life.
	
	I grew up as a geek and always a few core friends that were loyal beyond my own understanding.  We made up games, they taught me to not pull my socks all the way up to my knees.  I have always been kind of the utility person of the group.  Into junior high it’s been a gift for me to be in the back seat and watching until we needed some obscure knowledge or a random idea for something strange to do.
	
	Junior high brought about a pivotal discovery in my life.  I was good at something that could make me popular: sports.  God also provided another important character in my life, my English teacher and coach of six years, Mr. Graner.  At this point I made an oath to God that I would use my talent to run for His Glory alone and if I were to become arrogant I asked Him to intervene and “break my legs”.  Back then, competition was pure and I took joy in either first or second place.
	
	Senior high school began the testing.  Our high school had an entering class of over 600 kids.  You tend to not know everyone, but you usually know something about nearly everybody.  Without realizing it, but definitely not fighting it, my identity became the fast track kid.  Early on I wouldn’t say that it was a point of arrogance, but it slowly became the first thing people thought about or asked about when they saw me.  Slowly, those became my first thoughts about myself too.  This was compounded when my Freshman season hit a phenomenal finish.
	
	The years went on and I discovered girls, rebelling against my parents, made a lot of friends, and became increasingly discontent and moody concerning my running (this began to seep into the rest of my life).
	
	My Junior year, despite my attitude worsening, I was blessed with another great finish to my competitive season, but instead of rejoicing at God’s provision I internally took the glory for myself.
	
	My Senior year was great fun.  The cliques in my class broke down and everyone hung out together.  I still kept my reputation spotless, but had quit going to AWANA and reading the Bible.  Since I was a Christian and was still very moral by most standards I figured that was ok.
	
	My Senior track season didn’t turn out quite the way I had planned.  I was too uptight and worried about defending my ‘title’ to enjoy it.  Without even knowing it I had become like that skeleton clutching the talents God had given me.  Then, three weeks before the state meet, I hit a speed bump on my bike and shattered my collarbone.  This was possibly one of my Father’s greatest gifts to me.  I was still able to compete, but only in a limited fashion and had to realize the larger scope of things to deal with the loss.
	
	That summer I went, practically on a whim, on an evangelistic mission trip to Chicago.  I still don’t understand it, but I was elected by the team as the chaplain.  While my reputation may have been ready; my heart and discipline weren’t.  I was forced to do my first individual Bible study.  The whole trip from my standpoint was how the Lord can lead a willing team despite their limitations and use them for His Glory.  This was the most influential single event in my entire life until now.  It’s one thing to claim to be God’s people, it’s something entirely different to put your life in His hands.
	
	As part of my duties as chaplain I was to compose a Bible study (that surprised me). I realized over the course of that trip that my Biblical knowledge was the various remains of quickly memorized verses, stuff dad had read at my bedside from books like Ezekiel, and a Hanna-Barbara series of cartoon Bible stories.  I knew very little of Jesus’ actual life and teachings. With God’s grace I limped through the trip and possibly even made a difference in a few people’s lives.
	
	I have since gone on to college.  My competitive story is still a cycle of my wandering, worry, resultant losses, God’s provision, and my joy in that (sounds kind of like the Old Testament doesn’t it).  I praise Him for making my talent and accomplishments less important in my vision, while still allowing me to learn all of the lessons that I have in my sport.
	
	My personal life at NDSU has been a steady growth in reading God’s Word and prayer.  As a side note, I still don’t believe that not reading my Bible was the problem in high school, but my lack of desire to do so should have a been a red light warning that something was not right.  My advice to a Christian in a similar situation would be set yourself up for some devoted times of quiet reflection alone before the Lord, and to make it a habit to be near God’s people in their times of prayer and praise.  With a sincere heart the Spirit will show you what is next.
	
	While my heart becomes increasingly separated from my friends in this world and less satisfied with the entertainment of our age.  I have been given friends who enjoy watching for our God’s interaction in everyday life and are able to see me beyond my limitations.  Above all that, I increasingly look forward to everything that will happen in my life because I know that “Our God is in the heavens and He does whatever He pleases”.  He will work out everything for His Own Personal Glory.  Where does that leave me?  I will happily be the servant/soldier of an all powerful King.  And with His Son who loved me enough to call me “brother” when I deserved nothing more than to live and die apart from real love.
	
	Now I want to wait daily for signs of the Holy Spirit and I’m still driven to not end up as just another skeleton with a couple golden rings.  I will not be satisfied with my life unless I stand before my Lord Jesus and His Father and will say without hesitation “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith”.  Let it be that One of Them will pronounce over my one chance at life on earth, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”