Ten Years Ago Today…
On this day 10 years ago, my wife and I sat across from our final interviewer at the Chick-fil-A Support Center. After nearly 2.5 years of interviewing for a franchise opportunity, we had finally reached the last step.
Then came the question:
“Could you ever see yourselves living in West Des Moines, Iowa?”
We’d just flown in from Pittsburgh a few weeks earlier to explore the area. Our children were still young, and we didn’t know a single soul in Iowa. Truthfully, it felt like foreign territory. We were from the East Coast, and stepping into the Midwest was a stark contrast. “Midwest nice” really is a thing: people greet you warmly, smile at strangers, and even the items in the hotel convenience store run on the honor system. Back home, that sort of setup would be under lock and key—or else it would disappear without anyone paying for it! Coming from an environment where everyone can be on guard and a bit rough around the edges, we felt as though we’d stumbled into the movie Stepford Wives. It was culture shock—in a good way.
Yet, despite feeling completely out of our element, we sensed a divine nudge. So when we were asked, “Could you ever see yourselves living in West Des Moines?” we didn’t hesitate.
We said, “Yes.”
Yes to the unfamiliar.
Yes to stepping into the unknown.
Yes to what we believed was God’s next move for our family.
We answered with our hearts, convinced we were the right people for this new franchise opportunity—despite all the reasons we shouldn’t have been. The interview ended. The interviewer stood up. And in that moment… everything shifted.
How did we get to this place?
Let’s just say it was a journey that unfolded in ways I could’ve never written on my own; a journey filled with unexpected turns and surprises.
It’s been 10 years since that day. And looking back… it still feels wildly unlikely that I’d be chosen for this calling.
That’s why I finished writing my new book, “Unlikely Candidate.”
It’s the whole story—raw, authentic, and full of unexpected grace.
Preorder your copy today and read about how God brought us to our promised land:
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
– Ephesians 3:20–21 (NLT)