ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Tim Luke for working to bring this vision to the printed page. There is no way I could have done this without him. Not only a great writer but a great friend.

To Jason Chatraw and Ampelon Publishing for believing in this project and for all his hard work to get it to the world. Also to Jennifer Wolf—her excellent editing skills make me sound much smarter than I really am.

To my personal weight loss coaches at QWLCA: Tina Couch, Amanda Littlefield, Diann Roberts, and Erica Taylor. These ladies were the best and kept me in line. It's always good to have accountability partners. It didn't hurt that they loved to laugh and have fun, too.

To Billy Lord and Mark Lowry, two of my best friends. They both observed firsthand my journey to heavy city and the return trip to where I am today. I thank them both for being true, sometimes brutally honest, friends.

To my pastor Tim Dowdy and my entire church family at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church for being there and feeding me all the good spiritual food.

And finally, to my wonderful wife Donna for walking side by side with me during this journey. Most of my humor comes after fighting with her! She loves it. It pays the bills.