I grew up in a Catholic household, and was in constant fear of sinning. Every childhood indiscretion was met with a full accounting of poor decisions, asking for forgiveness through an earthly mediator, and a rote recitation of prayers.
In High School, I came to the conclusion that I was a god-fearing individual, yet that seemed at odds with everything I knew about God. In essence, I was devoid of a personal relationship with our heavenly Father. I pursued a more scientific approach to the meaning of life, self-described myself agnostic, and was left empty and continually searching for purpose.
When I first started dating my wife Nicole, church was a package deal, so I would go through the motions each Sunday. One day I flat-out challenged God to prove His existence, and I was overtaken by a nearly impossible coincidence that proved He was listening. It immediately humbled my core and demanded my attention. The details, in hindsight seem unimportant, but from that moment forward, I pursued the Word with an open mind and expanding hopefulness.
Over the next few years, Christ’s message of hope was an anchor through hardships including unending curveballs, unexpected deaths, and my cancer diagnosis while having an eight-month-old at home and routinely working 60-hour weeks.
Through it all, Nicole and I remained steadfast in our commitment to one another and in the hope offered through Jesus Christ. We are so proud to be raising our three children with the community at Grace Chapel, and remain steadfast in our commitment to raising men of Christ.
Be it my career, relationships, or life in general, I make it a priority to focus on the positives, commit myself to goals, and remember that life itself is linear; full of peaks and valleys. But with a fixed gaze forward and hope in Jesus’s Word, I am never alone despite any struggle, and can share in every victory.
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