Chapter 24: The God Who Walks Among Us

Family Photo. Steven stands with his sister Heidi, his mother Magdalena, and his father Earl in April 1995. The shot was taken just before the annual yearbook banquet honoring Hoover High School’s senior yearbook editors. Photo sourced from the author’s archives

When I glance over the passage of years, there are key transformative moments that stand out, riding the deep blue waves of my memories like orange buoys.

One moment was the night I first found God at the age of eight, kneeling beside my bed, my father’s gentle arm around me, confessing my sin and feeling a burden fall away. Another occurred during my baptism at the age of 12, kneeling in front of my community as our gentle new bishop splashed water on my unruly brown hair, binding my spirit to God’s in a sacramental ceremony.

I did not notice the Hound of Heaven slinking into the back of the sanctuary as the sacramental waters flooded my heart and soul. It would be years before I realized how often his sharp bark caused me to st…