Our Story

Born and raised in Ohio, we met in college, got married, had two boys, and began building what we thought would be our happily ever after. Surrounded by a loving family, a faithful church, meaningful work, and a place to call home, we had little reason to imagine how quickly life could change.

Everything changed with the sudden death of our sixteen-year-old son, Nicholas. Grief reshaped our lives and challenged everything we thought we knew about God, suffering, and hope. Yet in the years that followed, God faithfully met us in our deepest sorrow. He taught us that while we cannot choose the trials we face, we can choose to trust the One who walks with us through them.

The name Courage for the Journey comes from Romans 5:1–5, where Paul reminds us that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope—a hope that does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. That passage became more than a promise to us; it became a way of seeing every season of life through the faithfulness of God.

Today our desire is to encourage others who are walking difficult roads. Through Bible studies, speaking, writing, and the Courage for the Journey ministry and podcast, we share the hope we have found in Christ—that no trial is wasted in His hands, and that He faithfully gives His children the courage they need for every step of the journey.