During the early years of my life (ages 4 – 12), I was abused over three separate long periods, the last of which was by a “so-called” church family.  I did not know Jesus Christ as my Savior, and became a hateful, violent, bitter person.  My reaction to this period of my life was to keep people at a distance. My heart was hardened, and I did not know how to process or share my feelings with anyone. I thought that if this is how Christians behave, and they represent who God is, then I don’t want anything to do with any of them. This laid a foundation in my heart that made it easy to transition into the high school and college “party life.”

After some twenty years of rebellion and trouble, during which time I didn’t understand that God desires a personal and intimate relationship with humanity, God’s sovereign plan for deliverance was revealed to me. In January of 1998, I received a vision from the Lord—Jesus invited me into a relationship with Him, and I was born again.

I immediately found a church and got plugged into the fellowship of believers. I began teaching a home fellowship and serving in the church. About two years later, I attended Calvary Chapel Bible College and graduated with an Associates in Theology, followed by a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies from Horizon College of San Diego, and I became part of the pastoral team at Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego. I continued my studies at Azusa Pacific University, where I graduated with a Master of Arts in Religion and Ethics. During this time, I served as an assistant pastor with Horizon Valley Center, as an adjunct professor for Horizon College of San Diego, and in three chaplaincy programs with the community. I continued my academic studies with Luther Rice University while a pastor in Polson, Montana, and obtained a Master of Divinity.  I finished my academic journey with a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership with Regent University while I pastored in Eastern Montana.

This mixture of experiences from my early years and subsequent later years provides me with a unique perspective “from the gutter most to the utter most,” to quote Billy Sunday, having experienced the despair, fear, and loneliness of the lost—as well as the unity, purpose, and fulfillment of the abundant life Jesus offers.