Life Story
My story is one filled by God’s amazing provision and grace. My great-grandfather was a farmer and lay preacher for a small church in the Black Hills of South Dakota. His prayer for his children and family was, “In my secret chamber I have carried you before the throne of grace, and I believe the Lord has heard me,” and God has answered his prayers for many generations.
My parents are faithful Christians who passed their knowledge and love of Jesus on to my brothers and me as we grew up in a small town in southwest Kansas. I have many relatives that are pastors, missionaries and leaders in their churches. I never knew a time when we did not go to church or have the influence of Jesus or the Bible in my life. I cannot tell you a specific date when Jesus saved me, but at an early age He turned my passions and heart to serve Him.
I was a “good kid” through my junior high and high school years. I never got in trouble at school or out of school. I participated and served as a leader in our church’s small youth group. Sports were a huge aspect of my life. Looking back, I can say that football was where I received my identity and worth as a person and was an idol in my life.
In my junior year of high school football, I was tackled and blew my knee out. I couldn’t play sports for six months, and this gave me a lot of time to contemplate my life. During Christmas, I spoke with one of my uncles, who was a pastor, about struggling with what to do in this hard season. He said I needed to spend this time getting closer to Jesus, so that is what I did. I would come home from school and read my Bible as much as I could. I began to lead a Bible study at my home and at school. God became the priority in my life from then on.
God graciously gave me the opportunity to continue to play football in college, but during that time a passion to be in ministry began to grow in my heart. I began my Master of Divinity at Denver Seminary, as well as serving at a church as an associate/youth pastor. In 2006, I was hired as the church-planting strategist for the Acts 29 Network and moved to Seattle. In the summer of 2012, I moved to Flower Mound, Texas, to continue in my role as assessment director with Acts 29 and then transitioned to The Village staff in the fall of 2015.
One of the most amazing acts of God’s grace has been introducing me to my wife, Jodi, while in college. We were married in 1999, and God has blessed us with four amazing children: Jaden, Gage, Danika and Tate.
Hope for The Village Church
My hope for The Village is that Jesus would continue to be our greatest joy and that His good news of forgiveness of sins and new, redeemed life would be the stories we hear daily in the lives of those God brings us.