HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!

Every family needs an ANDY! 35 years ago today he entered this world. He had a head full of black hair standing straight up and we were in love instantly! We'd been talking to him for 9 months and waiting for his entrance while decorating the nursery in puppy dogs. (It was the time before sonograms were common but we just KNEW he was going to be a he! )

Holding him for the first time was euphoric! Watching him grow has been nothing short of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

He's IS the adventuresome sort! The first clue that we were in for some interesting times could have been the day he flipped his little circular walker completely upside down from a still position. That happened in his pre-walking days. He was quietly sitting in this little contraption on wheels smiling sweetly, perfectly content to watch the birds fly by and the grass grow. The next minute the thing was upside down, his legs were in the air and his head was smashed on the concrete sidewalk. We never did figure out just HOW that happened.

Next came the usual elementary events, first bike ride, first fight with the neighbor kid, first heartbreak when his new bicycle was stolen. At age 12 he won a trip to England and Scotland as one of the 52 newspaper carriers of the US. We LET him go on that international trip with complete strangers for 10 days. That was his first clue that the world was very large and he needed to experience every corner of it.

Next came Little League tournaments, basketball play-offs, school plays, piano recitals, before and after-school jobs, girlfriends, car wrecks, church camps and graduations.

How did we pack all that into 18 short years? And how did it go so FAST?

Today he is a terrific husband, father of 5, minister, President of his own company, athlete, Christian author and international speaker. He has the ear of today's teen and is sought out by parents for help, advice and comfort. When he speaks the audience is mesmerized because he has something profound to say to them. He introduces them to God and challenges them to think. Lives are changed. It's an incredible sight.

He and his beautiful wife are building a spiritual community in Durango, CO that is a model of the purity of the Christian life, loving God with all their heart, soul, and mind and their neighbor as themselves. Young people are flocking to the message of Christ and rejecting phony religion. His vision now includes reaching teens in Rwanda, the Philippines, China, Saudi Arabia and as of this past month RUSSIA!

Do I sound a little biased? If so, it is because I am filled with pride and immeasurable love. My son has grown in statue and in favor with God and man. And this mom couldn't be more "well pleased." He is now my friend, confidant, and counselor. I can not imagine life without him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY....You have re-defined the word LIFE for this mom and dad. We love you!