There are moments in life when you look back and realize the Lord was weaving a story long before you had language for it. My journey has been one of faith, family, calling, exhaustion, grace, and the slow, steady work of God shaping a reluctant leader into a willing servant. I often tell people that I did not set out to become a pastor-theologian or a chaplain or a man who teaches worldview and Scripture for a living. But God has a way of writing our stories with a pen dipped in both mercy and mission.
This is my story. I pray it encourages you on your own
Beginnings and the Grace That Pursued Me
I grew up learning that faith was more than an idea. It was a compass. Colossians 3:23–24 became one of the first verses to settle into my bones.
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord.”
That truth followed me into adulthood, into ministry, into the workplace, and later into leadership roles I never imagined.
Life was never linear. Music shaped me. Ministry drew me. Marriage refined me. And slowly, the Lord began turning scattered desires into a cohesive calling.
A Family That Grounds Everything
If faith is the foundation of my life, family is the heartbeat. Melody, my wife, has been my anchor, my encourager, and the one who reminds me that ministry begins at home. Our children, Connor and Delaney, have taught me more about patience, joy, and presence than any textbook ever could.
Our move to Bryan, Texas, brought us physically closer to them, but emotionally it brought me back to what mattered most: showing up, being present, and loving well. Every leadership lesson I teach traces back to these two truths: God is faithful, and family is a stewardship.
Storms, Servant Leadership, and the Breaking That Heals
My years with Austin Disaster Relief Network became a crucible of both calling and character. Hurricane Harvey in particular reshaped me. Long days and sleepless nights blurred together. Teams were tired. Families were devastated. Leaders were stretched thin.
I hit a wall physically and emotionally, and for the first time in a long time, I had no strength left to push through. It was in that exhaustion the Lord gently reminded me: leadership is not about me. It is not about capability, credentials, or charisma. It is about faithfulness. It is about serving Christ by serving others. It is about being poured out and trusting Him to fill what is empty.
Charles Colson’s words anchored me during that season:
“Faithfulness, not success.”
It was no longer theory. It became survival. It became worship.
Learning Myself, Losing Myself, and Finding Grace
Leadership has a way of exposing the cracks in our confidence and the corners of our character. When I first discovered I was an ISTJ, I nodded, laughed, and thought, “Well, that explains a lot.” I like structure. I like clarity. And if we are being honest, I like control.
God used that wiring for good in disaster relief and ministry, but He also used it to reveal my limits. My CliftonStrengths assessment confirmed what my soul already knew. I love responsibility, sometimes too much. I learn quickly, but I carry too heavily. I lead boldly, but I sometimes forget to let others in.
Those strengths and weaknesses collided after Harvey. I realized that trying to carry everything alone is not heroic. It is unhealthy. It is unbiblical. It is unsustainable. The Lord began teaching me to breathe, to trust, to share the load, and to let His people use their gifts.
That shift — from control to collaboration — became one of the most freeing movements of my life.
Where Calling Became Clarity
The more I served, the clearer my calling became. Ministry was no longer something I did on the side. It was in my bloodstream. Teaching the Bible, helping believers gain clarity, connecting theology to real life, walking with people through storms and decisions and doubts — this was the work God built me for.
Shoe Leather Gospel grew out of that conviction. I watched believers struggle not because they lacked sincerity, but because they lacked biblical literacy. They loved Jesus, but they didn’t know how to walk with Him in a complicated world.
My mission crystallized:
Teach the Bible faithfully, make truth accessible, and help believers put Scripture in their shoes.
A Story Still Being Written
God continues to shape my journey. Graduate studies at the Bush School and Redemption Seminary have sharpened my theological, civic, and pastoral lens. The Colson Fellows program gave me the worldview language to articulate what I had felt for years: that culture is not an enemy to escape but a mission field to engage.
But more than degrees, deployments, programs, or platforms, what marks my story is grace. Grace that caught me. Grace that carried me. Grace that keeps drawing me deeper into the call to teach, disciple, and serve.
I am still learning. Still growing. Still wrestling. Still trusting. And through it all, I remain convinced that the greatest stories are not the ones we write, but the ones God writes in us.
A Final Word
If there is one thread running through every chapter of my story, it is this: God is faithful. Through storms and studies, victories and exhaustion, family joys and ministry burdens, He has been constant. And He is still shaping who I am becoming.
Thank you for taking the time to enter this story. My prayer is that somewhere in these lines, you find encouragement for yours.
Selah.
