I entered God’s world in the spring of 1970, the son of two country folks who had been transplanted to the big city. In addition to working a full-time job as Mr. Fix-It (as he was called) my father pastored a small church in the suburbs of St. Louis. My mother worked at home keeping me and other neighborhood kids out of trouble. I have a brother who is 19 years older than me. (When he bugs me, I call him ‘Dad’ in public.)
My dad set the standard for devotion to the Word of God and the people of God. His pastoral example was superb. Anyone thinking of entering the ministry would be eternally grateful for the opportunity to watch him study, care, preach, lead, etc. Problem was, I had no thoughts of entering the ministry. In fact, I was utterly certain that God did not want me to be a pastor. I was going to be the next Steven Curtis Chapman.
During a period of entrepreneurship—hoping to make a lot of money in order to build an expensive recording studio—the Lord made it clear that He had called me to pastoral ministry. (Apparently, God didn’t think we needed another SCC.) I immediately enrolled at Covenant Theological Seminary, pursued licensing with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) and began serving as music director and youth pastor at a small C&MA church. Although I love music and kids, I knew that I had been called to a church-wide preaching and teaching ministry.
In January of 1999, I accepted the position of associate pastor at Front Range Alliance Church in Colorado Springs, CO. The following years were a tremendous gift of our gracious Lord in that I was able to complete my seminary training and establish a strong theological foundation while serving a church body. In January of 2006, the previous senior pastor retired and I was selected to replace him, a call that continues to provoke within me great excitement, joy, and humility.
In September of 2008, I began publishing an online magazine, New Covenant Journal, for the purpose of advancing New Covenant Theology.
In August of 1992, I did something else which had previously been on my “never going to happen” list. I got married. In all my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined how wonderful life would be as a married man. It’s not just the status, it’s the woman. Sorry guys, I got the perfect wife. Krista and I have been blessed with three children—two girls and a boy.
If you live in the Colorado Springs area and are not committed to a church, please come an join us at Front Range Alliance Church. If you do so, please introduce yourself; I’d be delighted to meet you.