The Amazing Journey

My wife, Jo, says that one reason she married me was because I wasn’t boring. Personally, I like to think our marriage is more exciting than a 007 movie. As I write this, we have just returned from a major Muslim nation where, in the midst of political and military turmoil, Jo and I taught 150 pastors and their wives the practical and biblical theology of marriage.

I believe God wants marriage to be an exciting adventure. When Jo and I married, we prayed that we would glorify God in our marital journey. We wanted our marriage to be an example to others and a witness of Christ’s love. When that is your goal, every event takes on meaning. We have experienced five moves, the death of my parents, two career changes and my wife’s cancer — all while realizing that God faithfully led us through each moment.

We could have never written the story God had for our lives. But we can look back over 30-plus years and see a few critical things we did right.

We never stopped dreaming. After our honeymoon, we started a habit of taking evening walks. After reviewing Jo’s day as a schoolteacher and my struggles to establish myself as a writer, we often talked about our future. Out of those talks emerged a nine-week trip across America and the launching of a successful business from home. Occasionally we looked into the distant future. We agreed that we wanted to see the world together — places like England, France and Italy.

Today we look back and realize that God has fulfilled all our dreams. But instead of Paris and Rome, He’s taken us to Katmandu, Nepal, and Lahore, Pakistan. Rather than being tourists, we have enjoyed a vibrant ministry in Muslim countries. And instead of photos in front of historic landmarks, we have accumulated a rich treasure of friendships and lives touched by our marriage.

We made our children part of the adventure. While our hopes for seeing the world never dimmed, the responsibilities of raising three children on a writer’s meager income meant a lot of delayed gratification. When our son Joshua arrived, followed by Jonathan and Anna, our adventure focused on discovering their gifts and God’s plan for their lives.

Since we couldn’t go to the world, we brought the world into our home. We often entertained missionaries, authors and other guests. One memorable night Brother Andrew, the author of God’s Smuggler, transfixed our kids over dinner as he told about surviving as a teenager during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

Our adventure included praying for and watching our children blossom spiritually. One of my proudest moments as a father was when Joshua called me at work to tell me he had committed his life to Jesus Christ. Another equally dramatic moment occurred at a Promise Keepers event in Denver when Jonathan walked forward before 70,000 witnesses to give his heart to the Lord. And Anna’s vision for world missions grew during a trip to Brazil.

We lived by faith. About 10 years ago, Jo and I sensed that God wanted to prepare us for something new. That’s when we decided to do a very un-American thing: sell our dream house and move into a smaller home. This allowed us to become debt free, fund our children’s college education and have the flexibility to go anywhere.

So where did God send us? To the persecuted church in the Muslim world. I began writing books with Brother Andrew about the church in the Middle East. That meant frequent trips to the world’s hot spots. Fun for me. Faith-building for Jo.

That is our adventure. What will yours look like? Your marriage will be unique. Talk about it together. View each change in life as an adventure preparing you for the next one. Meanwhile, follow the words of our Lord — lose yourself and surrender your plans to Him. When you do so, God will reveal His adventure for your life.