In April 2006, I was a happily married man with four children. We were members of Faith Baptist Church in Taylors, SC and our church had an incredible Bible quiz program for seventh through twelfth graders. During a Sunday evening service, our church did a Bible quiz demonstration. My wife and I had never seen Bible quiz before and we were blown away by the fact that Mr. Swinton would start asking a question and kids would fly off their seats before the question was even close to being completed. We talked that night about what we had seen and what was happening. My wife and I got very excited about the prospect of getting our children involved someday.

The same year our nephew and niece (Deven and Kelsey Davies) got involved in a Bible quiz team in Florida. Over the year that followed, we went to watch them compete. My wife, who had been an elementary school teacher, determined that James and Romans were the Bible quiz books for the first year that Kelton (our oldest son) would be eligible to participate. She then designed his homeschool Bible curriculum to involve memorizing James and Romans. In fact, we printed off James 1 and had copies in the Bible at the kitchen table. Before breakfast every morning, we would all read through James 1 together. My wife got us to change the inflection of our words at different points to make it easier to memorize. Before long, we were all just quoting it instead of reading it.

As we attended Bible quiz tournaments, we discovered that we already knew many families that were heavily involved. On a family trip to Florida, I went to the house of our former next door neighbors, Greg and Jenny Tyrell. I asked them every question I could about Bible quiz and how they worked with their children to prepare them for Bible quiz tournaments. We incorporated many things we learned from them and other successful Bible quiz families. After more than a year of preparation, the day finally came for Kelton’s first Bible quiz tournament. It was the 2007 KIQ tournament, at Indian Creek Baptist Camp in Maukport, IN. We had a great time at the tournament fellowshipping with other Bible quiz families and getting involved in camp activities. However, the highlight was the Bible quiz competition. We found ourselves on pins and needles as we rode the ups and downs of the competition. Kelton’s team made it to the last two teams and then took a loss to Pleasant View, Kentucky. They were considered a power house and we were on edge. After the loss, Kelton’s coach asked him what he wanted to do. Kelton said, “I want to run.” He then ran through the field by the tabernacle and the girls on his team followed behind him. He then came back for the final quiz match and his team won the tournament. Kelton also won top quizzer for the junior division. Our whole family was then hooked on Bible quiz. That tournament started a fire that would impact the lives of our children in ways that we never would have imagined.

I am blessed beyond words by the impact that Bible quiz had on my family. In 2009, the day after Kelton’s team won the national championship at SCQANIT, My beautiful wife of sixteen years, Kristy Anne Balka, passed away delivering our fifth child, Kierstin. When Kristy first passed away, I didn’t know how I could survive and raise five young children. I decided to keep our children involved in Bible quiz so God could guide them through His Word. I was blessed with the opportunity to run the Bible quiz program at Temple Baptist Church for a decade after my wife passed away. Bible quiz was a stabilizer for our family as it got the Word of God in our minds and our hearts.

Today, I have five children that love God and serve him which is rare in the world we live in. My three oldest children graduated from college in honors and have had tremendous success both academically and in their careers. My youngest son, Carson is in college pursuing a degree in finance and works as a licensed plumber when he is not in school. He also works in a ministry with bus kids in our church. My youngest daughter, Kierstin, serves God every opportunity she gets. She has worked at Mount Moriah Christian Camp the last two summers. She is involved in our church soul winning efforts, youth choir and VBS. My four youngest children have all been invaluable to me in my current ministry with the Teens for Christ Club at Carter High School (the public high school closest to our house). I knew when Kristy passed away that I was desperately in love with her and would never remarry. However, I didn’t know I could experience so much joy later in my life. That concept seemed crazy and impossible. However, I poured my life into my children and God’s Word and I can’t believe the joy that I get from every success God bestows on my children and grandchildren.

I am truly grateful to God for the way he used Bible quiz in the life of our family. I am nothing more than a sinner that was saved by the grace of God. Our family was tested by great adversity, but God and His Word brought us through. The final chapter has not been written yet because one day I will breathe my last breath and soar beyond the skies to thank my God for his goodness and be reunited with my beautiful wife for all eternity.