Psalm 119:105 — “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

There is no greater joy than being a father, right next to that is being a husband. God’s path for me to those things wasn’t traditional. However, that broken path leads to a faith-filled journey landing me here in Iowa.

Where My Husband Journey Began

I grew up in central Indiana, and my wife is an Iowa native. Our paths crossed in New Orleans at an American Society of Photographer’s banquet. Honestly, the dinner would bore the socks off a sloth, but not this night. I could not take my eyes off her sitting at the table adjacent to mine. We both dressed a bit unique, but fitting for the Mardi Gras night, while the remaining collective of creatives opted for the traditional penguin suit and conforming to the norm. We stood out from the crowd, but hey, it was New Orleans. As the banquet was ending, I heard these words, “Hey Mr., you want to get your photo taken?”

I get my photo taken with a beautiful mystery girl and engage in excellent conversation. We could have chatted all night. However, we both had obligations early in the morning, and I had a flight to catch as well. I waited around for the photos to print, little did I know I would be waiting until nearly 2 am to stay true to my word that I would deliver her image before I left. On short sleep, I caught her at the trade-show booth to provide the photo, grab a hug, and one last glimpse of her smile.  I honestly thought I would never see her again. I didn’t even ask for an email or social-media connection. I don’t know what I was thinking.

God Has His Own Ways

Two weeks passed, and I get a request for materials for a company that sponsored me to speak at the convention.  It was then that I heard these magic words “we need to connect you directly to our marketing director,” which turned out to be Karen. Little did I know she worked for them, I had thought she was a vendor guest at the trade-show and had no idea she worked for the sponsor company.

A few weeks of conversing via email and text I receive an early morning text around 6:30 am that read, “I sure could use one of your hugs.” That was all it took. I replied, “if I leave now, I can be there by the time you get off work.” Like clockwork, I arrived at 4:45 Friday afternoon, and it didn’t take long before I would make Iowa my home.

Scrambled and Difficult

From there, the road was scrambled and difficult. Karen became pregnant when we weren’t expecting. We weren’t married, lived 457 miles apart, had no idea where we were headed, and now this massive surprise.

It was this broken road that leads us to our faith journey. We married after Heston was born, and our families blended well together. We took small steps to faithful church attendance. First kids program, then watching online, until finally regular attendance. This all led me to enter a seminary and launch a full-time ministry called Little Iron Mom.

God can use our broken road, our miracles, and our story to reach others who feel they have reached the ultimate low.  

About the Author: Lew