On February 24, 1955, Stephen was born in San Francisco to an unmarried mother named Joanne Simpson. Joanne was a graduate student at the time and had concluded that her life was just too hectic to raise a child. We don't know what thoughts went through Joanne's mind, but given a similar set of circumstances, many pregnant women in our world face the following decision: to have an abortion or to bring the child to term and put the child up for adoption. Joanne Simpson chose the latter and gave birth to her son.

Stephen was almost immediately adopted by an accountant named Clara and a machinist named Paul, two parents who would provide a loving home for him. Stephen would go on to graduate from Homestead High School in Cupertino, California, and attend only one semester at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. For the next 18 months, he spent his nights sleeping on a friend's floor and spent his days returning empty coke bottles for the 5 cent deposit and dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland in a San Jose mall for $3 an hour.

But in 1974, Stephen's fortune changed. He would become a designer for the video game giant Atari, where he would create one of the most popular games of the era: Breakout. He would stay there for two years before leaving to start a new computer venture with two friends. They chose a simple name for their company: Apple.

Today, the late Steve Jobs is considered one of the greatest creative minds of the modern era. Many cultural observers place him among the ranks of innovators such as Thomas Edison in terms of his contribution to the way humans live their everyday lives.

Throughout the week many of you will use an Apple computer or an iPad. Or you may listen to music downloaded on iTunes and played through your car stereo speakers by your iPod. Many of you have an iPhone sitting in your pants pocket right now. You've enjoyed memorable moments with your children while watching the latest film from Pixar, a company Jobs founded that pioneered computer animation. He was executive producer of Toy Story, one of the most beloved children's films of the last twenty years.

Even though, as far as we can know, Steve Jobs never came to know Jesus, millions of Americans have encountered the Word of God through apps on his products. It will take decades to assess the impact of his inventions on modern society. Steve Jobs has changed our world. And all because on February 24, 1955, Joanne Simpson said yes to life and yes to adoption.