Just over 10 years ago on January 15, 2002, my life was shattered when my first wife died and my skull was fractured in the horrible car accident that occurred.

As a preacher, I shared with our church's congregation 3 of the most significant ways I had been changed over this past decade, as we stand at the 10 year mark of that life-changing event.  I'll do my best to explain them over the next few blogs here.

The first one is the character point of PERSEVERANCE (endurance) that grew significantly in me.  In the original Bible text, perseverance means to "endure under pressure," like a warrior in battle with a shield, pressing on toward the enemy while under attack.  Scripture says that trials produce perseverance (James 1:3).  In our words, it simply means "never quitting," "never giving up," or "always pressing forward."

More to come...

And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope.   Romans 5:3-4