I sensed God’s call into ministry while on a summer mission trip in West Africa in 1983. John 4:35 became a life verse of mine to call the Church to “lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” While on that trip, I concluded it was unjust that anyone should hear the Gospel twice until everyone had heard it at least once. Many years later, I still believe that is true.
My overriding life’s passion has been to inspire and equip Christians into the beautiful and powerful reality that we are all ministers and missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus. Often I see where the Gospel is not — be it a remote village or a neighbor’s heart — and it keeps me awake at night dreaming of ways to mobilize God’s people into an army that manifests His Kingdom in those places. As Christians we are the only people who have a 6th sense to “see dead people” and actually do something about it!
I find it rather miraculous that God would redeem, restore, and continue to use a broken individual such as me to call others to redemption and restoration. I have been blessed to lead and manage teams with staff and many volunteers. I enjoy developing and preaching relevant and Biblical messages that (1) lead people to take their next steps with God, (2) moves them into environments for discipleship, and (3) sends them out as witnesses of the Gospel.
Currently, I serve as Sr. Director of U.S. Church Engagement at Living Water International, where I help US churches partner with networks of churches in the field to bring clean water and the hope of the gospel to communities around the world. My journey has also included leadership at Samaritan’s Purse (Operation Christmas Child), International Justice Mission, and Saddleback Church, where I developed scalable strategies for volunteer mobilization, fundraising, training, and global outreach.
I am a graduate of California State University at Long Beach, Mechanical Engineering. My wife Kellie and I are the parents of two grown children.