The Man…
The story
Born in '68 with an irregular skull growth that can result in severe
retardation or in most cases death, little Steve underwent a new & experimental
operation, & the surgery was successful, his life spared…but why? Raised in
the artistic village of Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, Steve has known many of
the pains & experiences of his generation. He has known what it’s like to be
a child of broken homes & the feelings of abandonment and mistrust that can
go along with it. He has been the "latch-key kid", home alone surviving when
he should have been learning how to live. He has known the temporality of drugs
& alcohol, & the flightiness of image. Searching for some kind of meaning in
life, he has traveled the empty roads of philosophical babbling & new age gimmicks.
By gambler’s odds, no one should have wasted their time on Steve…but someone
did…God did. He used people like Tony, Karen, Dean, Brent, Rachel & countless
others to show Steve his love. And he used the pages of his story to reveal
himself to Steve & call him to a life of serving God and people. Since then,
Steve has known the answer to the "why." God had spared Steve’s life for the
One who had given his own life for us!
His likes
Steve just loves people! Whether
he’s laid back & relaxed at home with friends, or in a crowded room in front
of all kinds of people, Steve loves to meet and spend time with all kinds
of people from all kinds of places with all kinds of backgrounds. Steve also
loves to spend time on the slopes! He loves skiing, really…but then he met
the snowboard - his new mistress! He enjoys riding his motocycle and playing
his guitar. Now that they'v moved to Portland, Oregon, Steve is excited to
hike, climb and even learn how to do other outdoor sports. He's already been
able to bike the Gorge with friends, walk the coast with his family and even
summit Mount Hood and snowboard down with a few friends! Steve enjoys reading
& studying the pages of the ancient pages of Scripture. But more than that,
he loves to "paint" this story of God into his own life and the lives of others
around him.
His family
While Steve was still in college & working as a kindergarten teacher and volunteering
as a youth worker in his church, he met another youth worker who caught his
eye and heart. By 1990 he married this lovely "1980 Johnson County Fair Queen,"
Renee Dawn Franklin, making him a "KING" by marriage!
Celebrating their tenth anniversary in the year 2000, they are the proud parents
of a seven year old, Zechariah Stephen Brooke, and a three year old, Noah Stephen
Brooke who will turn four around Christmas. And since he has been in Oregon,
they have had a third kid, a gorgeous little one year old girl, Grace Victoria
Renee Brooke! Steve loves to spend time with his family and his friends.
