As parents, Brenda and I took our role and responsibilities seriously. We both knew that "parenting isn't for cowards", as Dr. James Dobson would say.

While parenting brought blessings to our family (more than I could count), and we absolutely loved raising our four children (for the most part!), we knew that one day they would be on their own. So we needed to make every effort to prepare them for life. Life away from us in a world that has its challenges.