Trials to Triumph

Prologue

When it comes to what I believe, I base my thoughts and words on the lifelong faith that continues to develop in me. Through life experiences, my theology has grown and expanded. But I note that over time there have been many questions, doubts, and misunderstandings, as well as answers, reassurances, and hard-earned wisdom. Faith has urged me to question that which I believe, which is the key to the whole concept of faith. I believe that God wants us to be certain of what we believe, so that we can better and more effectively proclaim the Gospel. We can only learn and grow when we question and seek understanding about that which we face with clouded vision and muffled hearing.

When I question the things that I believe in order to better understand a difficult situation, I must consider that which I am surrounded by in my life so to better comprehend my faith in God. My Christian faith is certainly not limited to the words of Scripture. God created this great big world and all that it contains, so we might be blessed with even a glimpse of His power, wonder, and grace.

To be honest, I fail daily to understand and appreciate the glory and splendor of God. I fail daily in my life, for that matter. But I am assured by my faith as it grows from glory to glory.

Personally, I have dealt with a lot of trials in my life. It is God's grace and my faith which have pulled me through these situations. I have discovered that I need hard times. I do not learn or grow without them. I thank God for these times, but not often enough.

This story begins in the summer of 1969. It is a story borne out of the words in Romans and the grace of God.

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5, NRSV)

My parents and older brother, Mike, lived in Lancaster, California. They were active at Lutheran Church of the Master, and my mom was expecting her second baby. We've often joked that it all began with a sneeze, when my mom's water broke. You see, they lived in the high desert and the wind was always blowing. My mom is allergic to what often seems like everything. So when the wind blew, her allergies flourished.

The stories I have been told never spoke of a miserable pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Considering all that women know today about their unborn child, it is sometimes difficult to understand the day I was born. Even after I was delivered, my mother did not know anything was wrong. I can only imagine what the doctors and nurses thought when they first saw me: fear, shock, disgust, and concern for my survival~ this I will never know. What they saw was a baby, just under six pounds, with uneven limbs, many profound birthmarks, and tumors bulging from within her body. Someone, perhaps a doctor, looked at my mother and asked her accusatorily "What medication did you take while you were pregnant?" How afraid and responsible she must have felt even though she had only done as her doctor had instructed.

The pages of this book tell the story of trials that followed that shocking question one hot summer day and how trials were overcome by God's strength, love, and grace - a story which continues to blossom and grow each day. My hope is that you will be inspired to actively seek God's triumph through all the trials that come your way.