So what are you up to these days?
I'm a computer geek. Big surprise, right?
I write software for the Web, working for a non-profit human services agency in Tulsa. My company helps a lot of people in the Tulsa area, with everything from easing the pain of divorce on families and children to counseling victims of sexual abuse. Working where I do helps me to recognize all the blessings in my life and keeps me humble.
My wife and I also volunteer a lot of our time and talent at our local church, helping our community of believers to discover and utilize technology in ways that are meaningful to their spirituality and helping them to connect with one another.
December 2001
Who did you marry and how/where did you meet them? Any special stories together?
My wife's name is Jennie, an amazing woman who has taught me a lot of things, not least of which is that God provides.
Jennie and I met in college, when we were both a part of the Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF) organization there. Our story is interesting: I had no money, but had mentioned to a couple friends that I would go on a domestic mission trip with CCF if only God would provide the money. In all reality, that was my way of saying no — sort of a kinder way of saying when pigs fly.
Meanwhile, Jennie, who didn't know me or even who I was, was moving some stuff in her apartment and found several hundred dollars she had unknowingly misplaced. Only weeks earlier, she had made a pledge that she would donate some amount of money to a charity if God would provide it. She didn't have the money (or so she thought), but had utter faith that He would provide what she needed to follow through with her pledge. When she found the money, she knew it was more than happenstance.
Later, my friends mentioned that they knew a guy who wanted to go on the trip but had no money. Jennie quickly recognized providence and that she had almost exactly the amount of money to meet this need. They hatched a scheme to give me the money anonymously, with a note that simply read “From God.”
As it turns out, her faith was the counter to my un-faith. While she knew God would provide the money to complete her pledge, I knew that money doesn't fall out of the sky from some invisible god, and I would not be going on this trip. Looking back, that mission trip and the events just prior to it played an important role in building my faith in God.
Christmas 2008
And so, I went on the trip, and Jennie did too. We met, worked together, and became good friends, and more than friends by the end of it. The whole time she held onto the secret that I was there because of her generosity, even while I was telling her the story of receiving the money I needed to go on the trip. I told her that all my friends and everyone I knew adamantly denied giving me the money, and that I had no idea who it was! It was surely difficult for her to keep from chuckling.
Jennie and I have been together ever since. We've been married seven years now, and I love her more now than I did that first year. The story of how God brought us together through faith is still as amazing to us as it was when it happened.
Tell us about your kiddos. What have you learned while being a parent?
Mackenzie is our two-year-old girl, and Kai is our two-month-old boy.
Mackenzie Grace and Wesley Kai
Kai is still so new to us that we are still learning who he is. Though, it's clear he is an awesome prince, and is completely in love with his momma.
Mackenzie, or Mac as we sometimes call her, is full of energy and personality. She is constantly talking and asking questions, learning something new every second of every day. Mac is very compassionate, always knowing where everyone is and what they're doing, sharing her food, blanket, whatever they need. She cares more about people than any two-year-old I've ever met, and more than many adults I know, for that matter.
She is also sensitive, and we have to be careful about what we say and our tone.
Being a parent to these two amazing souls is beyond words. I've learned so much from them and from being their dad, including patience, consistency, steadfastness, and a different kind of love.
Any adventures or excursions or vacations you'd like to tell us about?
We try to travel whenever we can, usually a couple trips a year to somewhere we haven't been before. The best vacation so far has been our trip to Disney World early last year. We had tons of fun, unlike anything I've ever done.
Of course, every vacation is an adventure, especially with kids.
What has been the most valuable lesson you've learned since high school?
Done is better than perfect. It might not sound very profound, but it's a lifesaver for perfectionists and procrastinators alike.
If one of your classmates could know just one thing about your life in the last 10 years, what would it be?
I'm happy. I love my wife, my family, and I love being a dad. I'm very proud of my work, and believe I'm doing something meaningful in the whole scheme of things.
I guess that wasn't just one thing, was it?
If you could tell a current senior one thing, what would it be?
The world is very little like high school. High school may prepare you academically for college or a job, but it does little to set you up to have healthy social relationships or a realistic outlook on life, unfortunately. Enjoy it, yes, but don't get caught up in it. Live in the present, but look toward the future. And remember, God loves you, and has great things in store for you.
And, most importantly, what is your favorite song from the nineties?
Pearl Jam, Yellow Ledbetter
