The calling God placed on my life to enter into a personal relationship with him occurred when I was an adolescent after going through a youth discipleship class. After my profession of faith and baptism, my faith continued to develop, but not without some wayward experiences that made me question by commitment. Like the account of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32, I remember two distinct episodes of wrestling with him that transformed my life as a young man in college. Through these life transforming experiences, coupled with my strong interest in music, God was preparing me for a call to ministry that led me to a point of serving him in the kingdom fulltime.
From an early age, my mother instilled in me the virtue of humility while offering a sacrifice of praise through special music. This continued into my married life and for years I have been privileged to allow God’s Spirit to bless others through the gifts he has given me. In 2002, I decided to leave my place of employment as a teacher and in taking this leap of faith I found myself very dependent on God’s provision. I entered into a local church ministry with enthusiasm for serving God and his people, not realizing that I would be faced with several difficult leadership transitions. Even after a church split and considerable staff turnover, I still found myself called to serve as the worship pastor and yet a few years later was ultimately faced with the difficult decision to leave the church and vocational ministry.
Into the secular work force I went with a significant pay decrease and most definitely a loss of job satisfaction. This was a difficult time to navigate for my family with the uncertainty of moving and growing accustom to a simpler way of life to match the loss of income. It was a humbling time for my wife and I, but God was faithful and he walked with us through these difficult times. It was during this time that I felt compelled to keep my family right where we were, to trust God and his provision, and to plug into a new church family where God could minister to us and through us.
Almost six years later after starting to engage in the faith community known as SJM Church and after having served in a variety of leadership roles in which God called me to serve, I was blessed to join a great team of servants as the Associate Pastor where I serve today. As I look back over the years, God’s will for my life had been unfolding right before me. He was equipping and positioning me one step at a time in circumstances that led not only to changes of vocation, but also in response to His Divine call.