I would like to take a moment and introduce you to someone . . . me! The youngest of five children, I grew up in a Christian home with a father who was a minister. I was a good kid growing up but always felt drawn to push the envelope. I played sports and had the opportunity to play at the collegiate level, but I felt more drawn to prove that I could make it on my own. So I decided to join the US Army and became an airborne medic with the 82nd Airborne Division.

When it comes to personal stories of salvation, a backdrop of intercession is significant to the process of transformation. To intercede means to stand in the gap for someone else. Salvation history is made when people prayerfully stand in the gap for someone they love. In that regard, one could say that to intercede is to love and to love is to intercede.

I have fond childhood memories of testimony time at our weekly church services. The same people testified every week and said the same thing every time—even the kids. I had my testimony memorized so I wouldn’t forget anything. I still remember it. While comparing notes with a co-worker in my building the other day, I learned that her childhood testimony sounded pretty much like mine! The testimony tradition continued in my experience at a Nazarene college.