THE WORD GRATEFUL PROMPTS joyful thoughts of and warm affection for the many people who encouraged me during the writing of this book—listening to my ideas, reading a chapter or two (or more!), helping me formulate the flow of an argument, or telling me what really didn’t connect. I owe a lot of thanks to Ellen Beauchamp, Jim Beavers, Barbara Brand, Mike Calkin, David Case, Dave Fossum, Mitch Glaser, Derrick Lovick, Mark Lundquist, Dave McGaw, Mike Metzger, Jim Roembke, Joe Scimecca, Stan Wallace, David Walnut, and George Selden for their time and suggestions.
I’m grateful to the members of the Pentagon Prayer Breakfast, Burke Community Church, Barcroft Bible Church, McLean Bible Church’s Life Builders’ class, and the faculty fellowships at George Mason University and the University of Maryland for allowing me to “try out” my ideas in messages to them.
Thank you to my greatest encouragers and challengers—Lin Johnson, Spencer Brand, Patrick Dennis, Don Carson, and J. P. Moreland—for taking the time to evaluate my writing and urging me to keep going.
I am delighted to say to my three sons—Dan, David, and Jon—that Dad will be more available now that this project is complete. It would be a display of God’s grace if this book helps you reach out to your peers—people I can’t even begin to figure out!
Most of all, I’m grateful to my wife, Pam, for loving me and cheering me on. At times, you believed in me and this work more than I did. Writing the chapter on marriage was a delight—because of you.