I am not a prolific author. I don’t say or write profound things. I am not a great thinker. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I don’t follow Him to receive something; I’ve committed my life to following Him because He loved me, He rescued me from my sin, and He reconciled me to God. I could live a thousand lives and never repay Jesus for what He has accomplished for me and given to me. I love Him, but only because He first loved me.
I am husband to my wife Rebecca. I’ve been married to the love of my life for thirty years. She is my best friend, and she is the second greatest gift I’ve ever received. I can’t imagine life without her, and I praise God continually for allowing me to have her as my bride.
I am a father to my children, Jordan, Evan, and Meagan. When Rebecca and I began praying about having children, we never could have imagined the enormous blessing these three kids would be. Life with them is so much fun, and being their Dad is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received. Two of my kids are married, so I’m honored to have two bonus children, Joel and Allison. It is also one of the most personally sanctifying roles I could ever experience. My imperfections as a father stand in stark contrast to the perfection of my heavenly Father. In my weakness, I ask God continually to fill in the gaps caused by my failure with His radical, life-changing grace.
I am a grandfather to three precious girls. I loved being a father, but I really love being a grandfather! There is nothing like holding your children’s children and developing a relationship that is vastly different from the one I have with my kids. Spending time with my granddaughters is one of the highlights of my life.
I am pastor of CrossPointe Church in Westerville, Ohio. I love the fact that I get the opportunity to invest in people–and I make a living doing what I love. CrossPointe has a great history, and I believe she has a greater future. It is an honor and a blessing to be part of this faith family and to do what I’ve been called, gifted, and created to do.
I am a leader, not because I have great insight, wisdom, or natural ability. I lead because God has called me to this task. I am only qualified to lead so long as I am following Him in submission to His will as revealed in His word. My aim is to follow Jesus, and to lead others to know, love, follow, and trust in Him.
I am a learner. I’ve always been a naturally curious person, and I greatly enjoy learning new things. Throughout my life, I’ve been the type of person who learns best by reading, watching, and doing. I have earned a Bachelor of Arts from Spurgeon College and a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. However, the older I get, the more I realize how little I know–and that understanding drives me to learn more. Ultimately, my greatest desire is to mirror the desire of Paul: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”