I’d love to tell you a little about the journey on which the Lord has graciously led me…

My wife, Kristen, and I have been in full-time ministry for 12 years.  In that time, The Lord has given us 3 wonderful and crazy kiddos and brought us through a variety of unique situations and churches, ranging from a small country Nazarene church of 70 in Northern Indiana to a mid-size metro Evangelical Free church of 300 in Milwaukee.  While I’ve served each church in different ways – leading worship, preaching, teaching in small to medium size group settings, leading staff, ministry volunteers, and small group leaders, developing curriculum and organizational infrastructure, and a multitude of 1 on 1 shepherding -- the Lord has grown me significantly each step of the way.

He has grown me in humility – The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.  The Lord has used so many people to stretch and mold me into the image of Christ.  I continually learn how much I have to grow and how much I need to rely on those around me in the Christian journey.

He has grown me in patience.  The things I think should happen right away always work out better when they are in his timing, not mine.  He is sovereign and in control, and I am regularly reminded to trust in his goodness and faithfulness.

He has grown me in doing the hard work of walking through difficult situations.  Ministry is messy.  People are complicated.  There are rarely straightforward answers and even more rarely is there one right way through any given situation.  Rather than run, the Lord calls us to engage and work through things in unity and love.

Of all the lessons he’s taught me, perhaps the most important one that he continues to press into my heart is this – that the church is his bride.  He established it as the means through which he would bring the lost into his kingdom.  The Holy Spirit is the one who changes hearts, leads people, and wills the Father’s work to be done in this world.  It is by the power of the Spirit, through the person and work of the Son, and to the glory of the Father that I exist and am redeemed. I am an under-shepherd under the Great Shepherd, here to serve him by serving his bride and equipping the saints for ministry.  As I continually seek to be used in whatever ways he allows me, to him be the glory and honor forever!