Celebrating 40 Years of Life Together
40 years ago, Karen and I got married on a blustery day in Chicago. She was 21 years-old and had never been out of America.
We flew to Indonesia, that largest of Muslim nations, and took up residence in an apartment in the slums. We didn’t have a fridge and cooked on a bunsen burner. An open sewer flowed by outside. We learned the language and navigated Jakarta in tuk-tuks.
From there we moved to the Dominican Republic and did the same thing all over again. Two years later, we had our first baby and before she was 30, Karen was pregnant with our fifth child.
You can look at that and say we were crazy. We didn’t have any pre-marital or pre-field counseling. It was sink or swim. You can say that our parents or bosses should have protected and prepared us more.
But we learned to swim and we are still swimming.
Maybe the current parenting philosophy will swing back to the one that gifted us with resilience. Maybe not. I’m thankful to God for a woman who was up for an adventure, parents who trusted me to God, and for a God who takes our failure and uses it to craft marvelous stories of redemption.
The forty years have come and gone quickly. We have sought to live in such a way that we will be able to die without regrets. We have taken risks that many thought imprudent. We’ve been pioneers when others played it safe.
And I like the fruit. Karen and I are still in love. When we go away together as we will tomorrow to an island off Belize to celebrate, that old flame is still there. We are blessed to have fallen in love young and to figure out how to stay in love.
In a world gone crazy this past year, that’s something worth celebrating.
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Felicidades y muchos mas!!!! Thank God that we too learned to SWIM!!!! We have been swimming for 32 plus years and are still swimming, swimming….
WOW Seth, just WOW!!! Our lives have been richly blessed because of you.
Congratulations to you and Karen! 40 years is incredible. Your marriage is a great example, and both of you individually too.
That’s awesome Seth. Congratulations to you both. Have a blessed time in Belize.
Congratulations to you and Karen. I was at your wedding – was it really 40 years ago? Enjoy your time together in Belize. Keep up the good work.
Thanking the Father for your lives, marriage, testimony, and family.
Congratulations to you and Karen!
What a refreshing post. Enjoy and celebrate together.
Congrats Seth! A massive celebration to be sure!
Love this! Huge congratulations to you and Karen!
Praise God for all He has done and continues to do through both of you! Congratulations Seth and Karen……blessings on your trip as you continue to seek God. Enjoy your time together. Love you both, Rose
Congrats!
I deeply love and respect you both.
Thanks, Butch. Love you too. I’m thankful God has allowed us to be friends over the years.
Thanks, Rose. Love you too!
Ha! Us and Nemo.
John! Wow – great to hear from you. Will write you an email.
Thanks, Leo. Thanks for blessing us as well!
That’s absolutely amazing. What an amazing life and marriage. You’ll have impacted this world in so many ways. Congratulations.
Richard
Thanks Richard. I have so appreciated our partnership with you!
Congratulations Seth and Karen. Your story inspires me …so thankful I connected with you via your blog years ago.
Thank you, Sam.
Wow, congratulations! That’s a truly inspiring story
Hello Seth: I found one of your books on Amazon and have followed it to your website. It’s so good to see the wonderful ministry that you’ve been working with all of these years. And congratulations on your 40th anniversary! My husband and I will celebrate our 40th in January!
God is very good!
Mary Ellen, wow! So good to hear from you. So many years have passed since we were in youth group together. Glad to hear that you have done well. Thanks for getting in touch!
Congrats Seth! I love the story and the picture!