I grew up in a Christian home and came to know the Lord at an early age. Shortly after moving from Texas to the suburbs of Chicago, my parents divorced.

Part of how I dealt with the anger and pain was to work hard at school and take pride in my intelligence and academic success.  I was always good at school – I got good grades, placed into Honors classes, and I scored well on college entrance exams.  Like many graduating high school seniors, I was told that I could do anything I put my mind to – so I chose to pursue mechanical engineering as a course of study and eventual career path.

However, a month into my sophomore year, my grandfather passed away – the first family death I'd ever experienced.  I took it hard, and missed a week of classes for the funeral, which also included missing four exams.  While I was given an opportunity to retake them, I retreated into friends, video games, and spending time with the Christian organizations I was a part of instead of buckling down and getting my work done.  I failed 4 classes that semester, knowing that engineering wasn't where I wanted to be.  Though I tried to switch majors, I received a letter 1 week before the start of second semester telling me that I had not kept up with the required standards of the college and was no longer welcome at the University of Illinois.

I was devastated.  How could I have failed?  I still remember heading to Champaign to gather all my things from the dorm room and seeing my friends who were excited to start the next semester but telling them that I wouldn't be back.

Through much praying and tears, I enrolled at the local community college.  In my first semester there, I met and studied with a kid that turned out to be a drug dealer – and through sharing the gospel with him I was introduced to some Christians that had a church they were passionate about.  I came that Sunday and was blown away – here were people that (unlike many in my high school youth group) took the Christian walk seriously, and read their Bibles, and actually wanted to follow what it said!  I can't explain it better than to say I felt like I had come home.

I began helping with the worship ministry, volunteered to lead the youth ministry, and was asked a few years later to go on a church plant/church restart on Purdue's campus in West Lafayette.  In 2009, my best friend and I moved to Indiana to live and work and share the gospel in and around Purdue.
Through following Christ, dedicating my life to Him, and seeking His kingdom, I've been blessed beyond belief – He's given me an amazing wife, 5 wonderful children, a 13+ year career in banking that I recently stepped away from to pursue full-time ministry, and a loving, generous and Christ-honoring church family to call my church.

We serve a mighty God who can use us for great things in His kingdom even in spite of our failures!