In September of 2004, Carrie and I celebrated the start of an amazing journey together. We love married life and have three daughters, Chloe, Roxy, and Kinley. They’re truly remarkable, and it’s taught me a lot about life and how quickly it goes by. We learned this all too well when our first child died before we were able to meet her.
The miscarriage really rocked our family, but we wouldn’t be in the place we are without godly men and women who loved on us. As we learned about the tragedy, my wife lost her mom just a year and a half later. While we’ve been blessed in many ways, we’ve seen firsthand how pain can either push you further from God or closer to Him. We’ve always chosen to run to Him when given the choice to turn our backs. Our family is striving to share that same love for God with every person we meet. We want everyone who is far from God to come into a personal relationship with Him.
Never would have dreamed that in 1998, I would be doing part-time ministry. While graphic design was my heart’s passion, God had different plans. My plans to eventually head to art school were slipping away. Instead, he brought me to a Christian camp in my senior year, and I watched a young man surrender his life to God. I would never be the same. I wanted to be there for kids like that. People like that. The ones in this world who wanted to have a voice and felt like the church had given up on them.
So, I set out to try and understand God more or to rule Him out completely. Bible college impressed on me that He is real, and desires me to live the best life He intended for me- to bring Him glory. So, I set out into ministry. Another goal was to be a leader who didn’t fall out of ministry for selfish reasons. Every one of my mentors (count them, 5) had fallen out of the ministry because of sexual misconduct and selfishness. I wasn’t going to be another statistic.
So, I work hard on keeping people in my life to hold me accountable (even though I still fall short at times). My wife and I put a lot of effort and energy into our marriage and into our kids. If we’re strong at home as a family, we’re going to be better for the people who are counting on us. That’s why it’s been amazing to work in a few different places, from student ministry to video production & design. I continue to do graphic design for tattoo artists and churches. I’ve also had some opportunities to lead worship. But nothing is more rewarding than to get up and preach about God’s story every week.
I’m humbled that an average guy like me gets to do something this amazing for a living.
