20 years ago today, Holly Roanna Frank and I stood in the front of a church filled with friends and family and publicly stated vows to each other. We were filled with love and excitement at what the future would hold, and were ready to enter that future together.

Today, I marvel at the road that we have travelled together. As with all couples, there have been highs and lows, joys and sorrows, but the key is that we’ve walked that road together, hand in hand. There is no doubt that Holly is the closest person in the world to me, and I to her. When I travel around the world, at each stop she is the first person I try to communicate with. On her phone, her world clock has a long list of time zones in various countries where I travel so she always knows what time it is for me when we are talking (which she says is very romantic.) We share together experiences like pastoral ministry in California, having three kids and watching God grow them into young adults, living in East Africa, taking family vacations, and spending hours on our knees in prayer together.

In Ecclesiastes 4, which was part of our wedding ceremony, Solomon reminds us of the power of two in partnership together, and when Jesus Christ is at the center of the marriage, the strength of the bond is exponentially magnified. By God’s grace, He has been faithful to keep us intertwined with each other, and today we are more thankful for each other and devoted to each other than ever before. I thank my Lord and my wife for the past 20 years of companionship, ministry partnership, adventures and blessings, and energetically step into a future with her by my side expecting the Lord to be there waiting for us, leading us on.

I love you, Holly Belz!