Secret Service Special Agent Ken Valentine protected three sitting presidents, all while he and wife Sandra reared five children. In Cheating Death, he details his experiences and shares practical and inspirational advice on living your most abundant, victorious life.

“Everyone, and I mean everyone, will give you advice on which way to go with your life. Friends, acquaintances, classmates, teammates, your friends’ friends, family, teachers, counselors, and neighbors will nose into your business. They will want to help you with everything from how to dress, to how to act. They will tell you what and where to eat, where to go and what to do. Before you know it, your whole life will be planned out for you, by someone else. If you are susceptible to influencers, choose your influences wisely.

“Not all advisors, or advice, is equal. In fact, some of the advice coming your way courtesy of well-meaning friends or family may be downright awful. Truly wise and useful advice will come from very few. The world will give you the same crummy advice it gives everyone. “Get fame. Pursue fortune. More is better!” The world consistently perpetuates the lie, that fame and fortune will make you happy.

“The world lies. Fame and fortune will not fill the void in our heart that was designed to be occupied by Christ. Only God can fill that God-shaped space within us. The world keeps trying, and people keep following the siren song down the wide path to happy destruction.

“Happy is hard to define. I have determined that Happy is an elusive place. All of the world’s unfulfilled and dissatisfied people will call you to the same wide path, life-plan they followed—and expect a different result? I challenge you to take the narrow road. I urge you to trust in the Lord in all your decision making.”