Church was not part of my childhood. I started going in Middle School without my family and eventually became a Christian. In that time, I got to know a man named Dr. Jeff Justice.

Dr. Justice was amazing. He was a great father, a great husband, and very active in our church.

The first time I met Dr. Justice he was teaching a Sunday School class when I was still new to this whole thing. He gave a simple quiz - one of the questions was along the lines of what is Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - which anyone who has been going to church would answer easily those are the Gospels. But I didn't know that. I didn't really know anything about what was in the Bible.

Since I didn't know any of the answers to the quiz, it was a quick quiz for me. So I turned in the quiz with no answers. I wouldn't say he called me out, but I think he thought I was being a punk middle schooler not wanting to do the quiz. Not realizing that I had just started coming to church and knew nothing, he kind of teased me a bit for it.

I love that story.

Beyond that though, the one thing that struck me about Dr. Justice was how well he was respected outside of church. It's hard to describe unless you live in a community like Fort Wayne, IN, but everyone within the Medical/Legal/Business community kind of knows everybody. It's big enough to be something of substance. But also, small enough that most people know each other.

Often my church was a topic of conversation with people outside of my church and I would eventually talk about people inside there and when I would get to Dr. Justice people would stop and say how much they liked him and respected him. How much the nurses liked working with him. How much his patients liked him.

That wasn't always the case with other doctors.

Dr. Justice modeled what it was like to be a great father and husband, but also what it looked like to be a Christian out in the marketplace. Respected first for his marketplace impact, but also for a character that forces the question, "what else is there to this man?" Why is he different?

I am not naive to the idea that this core value is probably the most controversial for a business. Partially for reasons that might be warranted. But also for reasons that aren't.

We are glad that you are here regardless of who you are and what you believe. My life was impacted deeply by Dr. Justice and I want us to have that same impact in our marketplace. I would be remised if I didn't establish the same foundation Dr. Justice modeled for me. One that loves, that respects, that gives, that rests, and that creates a positive family environment.

Thank you, Dr. Jeff Justice. I will strive to be like you.