My early adult and married life brought times of spiritual clarity and times of struggle. I was blessed by God to meet several godly men in my 20's and 30's who were willing to invest themselves in me. Through one of these guys I learned what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus. As I had for my most of my christian life, I claimed that I was a christian, but I never read my Bible or prayed. I lived off the faith of my parents. I had very little knowledge of Jesus.

God was working in my life making Jesus real in new ways. It was good.

At about this same time, I met a new companion: depression. Depression is a strange thing, and I believe that it manifests itself differently in people's lives. For me, depression came at odd times. I would wake one day with a pressure on my soul that couldn't be relieved. Constantly tired, feeling hopeless and drained, I would plod through life. I don't understand depression, but I have come to see it as part of my physical brokenness. A piece of me that needs to be restored. A thorn that I long to have removed, but is left in me so that Jesus' strength may be seen....