Despite not possessing any superb physical attributes, I discovered the Lord can still allow everyone to pursue their own path toward success. Not all men have been blessed with strong athletic physiques and growing up as a thin kid living on a cattle farm in western South Dakota, the odds were against me achieving any athletic success. However, the Lord had other plans for me!

It seemed that all the opponents we played in high school basketball games wanted to guard me (the skinny kid). However, they quickly discovered that although I was skinny, I could still play. Before many contests were over, they were even double-teaming me. My high school success allowed me to continue playing basketball in college where I was told the game would be much rougher and players would be bigger and stronger. Despite the pessimistic warnings, and remembering God’s amazing ability to allow us to achieve the extraordinary through trusting Him, I achieved great success as a college basketball player. I was a four-year starter, was named All-Conference three years, led our team in scoring one season, and the most amazing statistic of my college career was that I never missed a game due to injury, proving that God truly has a sense of humor as He silenced my critics.

After college, I continued to recognize God’s amazing plan for my life. As unlikely as it may seem, this shy, thin boy who graduated from a class of 11 students, met the woman of his dreams. My beautiful wife of 50 years graduated from Washington High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., and out of a graduating class of 400, she ranked fourth academically. My friends say I definitely out-punted my coverage! It seems that the Lord always wants to give us His very best. We have seen His love for us through the blessings of our four children who are all married, successful, and solid in their Christian faith. We also love and adore our 12 grandchildren.

Although it may seem hard to believe, we have even felt God’s love and presence in our life through family tragedy. Recently, we lost our beloved daughter-in-law to cancer. Julie was a saint and loved by all. Despite our loss, our faith continues to grow as we have learned to trust Him through both good and bad times.

We can all be confident and rest assured that God has a plan for every life, and as we trust Him daily we will see it unfold.