One man is dead, another in prison. This is not how I envisioned my life would go. I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. Less than a month ago, I had been living the dream of every farm boy in Texas. I was almost sixteen and having the time of my life. I played football on Thursday nights and marched in the band on Fridays. Soon I would get my driver’s license and be able to drive my dad’s Dodge truck. Then I’d borrow it to take my girlfriend on a date. I was even planning to run for student council the next year. But in a span of three days my whole life had changed. Now we were running from tiny Glen Rose, TX to Pensacola, FL, and living the stuff of nightmares. And so began my long struggle with God–who, though I did not know it, would never give up on me. Each of us struggle with unplanned problems. Bad things happen to good people. Through this moving story, may you find hope, help, and comfort only found in Jesus Christ that will enable you not just to survive trouble but to thrive in the midst of it and come out the other side finding perfection only in God’s grace.