If someone were to ask, “Do you know Preston Gillham?” what would you say?

“Why, sure I do. I read his blogs. In fact, I heard Pres speak at our church, and even had dinner with him while he was in town. I read his first novel last summer and have his second book nearly finished.

“I know Pres is an avid fly fisherman and that he has a barkless dog named Braxie whom he walks with every night. Yeah, I know Preston Gillham.”

But if someone were to ask my wife, Dianne, “Do you know Preston Gillham?” a distinction would become apparent. Other people know about me, but Dianne knows me.

While others hear about the fish I caught, Dianne understands why I go fishing. Others read the articles I write, but Dianne lives with me as I sort through the experience of the article and then labor to express my heart.

Dianne shares my dreams, dances with me when they come true, and laces her arm through mine reassuringly when they fail to materialize. She laughs when I laugh, cries when I am sad, and is silent during my solitude.

Dianne knows how I like my coffee, where my favorite haunts are, which pocketknife is my favorite, and where my keepsake box is kept. She knows which shirt is my favorite and which pair of boots fits me best.

Dianne is not only acquainted with me. She knows me, understands what drives my soul, and steps to meet me in the inner recesses of my heart.

And next, what if someone asked if you know Jesus Christ?