When did Jesus change your life?

I was raised by Christian parents and have always attended Church. I believe I have loved Jesus from the time I was a little kid, but my relationship with Him was immature and performance based for years.

How has your life changed since meeting Jesus?

It wasn’t until I got married over 15 years ago to my lovely wife when God began to expose me to just how sinful I was and how much I needed Jesus to rescue and redeem me. I finally began to see that my great moral behavior in and of itself was not adequate enough to save me; it just made me more prideful and self-righteous. As Jesus continues to teach me about his amazing grace and glory, I have been free to love and serve my wife and 3 kids, and share the good news of the Gospel with the flock at MH Church.

How long have you been a member of Mars Hill?

My wife and I have been attending MH from the very beginning back in 1996. We were floundering in our marriage and faith, and were hoping for some guidance from older, more mature married couples, but nobody attending the church at that time actually fit that description. All the same, we felt like God wanted us to stay and grow roots, so we did. We became members 10 or 11 years ago during a spaghetti dinner at the Laurelhurst Church where all prospective members ate dinner together and signed a member’s covenant.

When were you called to serve Jesus at Mars Hill?

We started serving shortly after our son was born in November of 1996. He was the first MH baby, so we were the nursery for the first few years of the church. We served consistently in children’s ministry for 7 years or so and I actually had a year long stint as the Children’s Ministry Director when we were Downtown at First Pres and 20 kids were attending. We got plugged into community groups about the same time and later I led a community group for two years with future Pastor JD. I officially became an Elder in 2005 about a year after I first began to hear God calling me to step up and serve in that capacity.

What ministry are you currently serving in?

I am a Pastor of Biblical Living with my primary area of service being Marriage Ministry. I teach the Considering Marriage Seminar and the 8 week long Preparing for Marriage Class quarterly and do the majority of premarital counseling for Ballard couples as well as marriage counseling for those already married. I have also recently become more involved in Redemption Group Ministries, helping support and teach leaders.

What is your biggest challenge in this ministry?

It is a challenge to keep up with all the couples that get married and providing them with follow up and shepherding for the first year of their marriage. Many couples are not well connected as they are new to following Jesus and attending Mars Hill and need the guidance of Christian community. We always have a great need for experienced married couples to emerge that can help lead the newlyweds.

What is your greatest joy while serving in this ministry?

It is a great privilege to be able to teach the premarital class with my wife. Every time I see her in the class, I am reminded of the redemption God has brought forth in our marriage. It is a great joy to meet and counsel dozens and dozens of couples that want to follow Christ in their marriages as they are the future leaders of MH Church. Teaching them to be worshipers of Jesus, legacy builders, and disciples who disciple others is an enormous responsibility and honor. In premarital and marriage counseling it is both humbling and joyous to see Jesus renovating hearts, relationships, and marriages that need repair.

What are you looking forward to seeing God do in this ministry?

I anticipate serving even more and more couples as they enter into the covenant of marriage. I look forward to seeing Jesus transform this city by equipping literally thousands and thousands of godly married couples to raise godly children and realize that their marriages and families can represent God’s Glory and the Gospel well to a city that is independent and intelligent and perceives little need for Christ.

What books have fueled your thinking or challenged you in the last few years?

I always try to be reading a book that will teach or challenge me. I recently read “The Reason for God” by Tim Keller and have “What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter” by Voddie Bachman in the hopper.

“God, Marriage and Family” by Andreas Kostenberger is an excellent resource for any family or pastor. “Love That Lasts” by Gary and Betsy Ricucci is a good read for couples thinking of getting married or are already married. The questions at the back of the book are great ways to initiate conversation in couples.

One of the first books I read after becoming a pastor was “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands” by Paul Tripp. It helped challenge me to counsel people with a Gospel focus aiming for the heart. “Death by Love” by Pastor Mark has been a great recent book for helping me make further connections between the cross and counseling.

“Humility: True Greatness” by CJ Mahaney is a little book that packs a big punch. “The Mortification of Sin” by Puritan John Owen was a difficult read, but some of his words have been permanently seared into my thoughts: “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you” and “Think greatly of the greatness of God.”

What’s playing in your iPod right now?

Some of my favorite Pastors: Tim Keller, Matt Chandler, John Piper. Some of my favorite teachers: Dr. David Powlison and Dr. Winston Smith. Some of my favorite music: Death Cab, The Shins, Radiohead. Music my kids like to listen to, so we crank it up in the car: Relient K, Ruth, Switchfoot, Thousand Foot Krutch.

What’s your favorite Scripture? Why?

I Cor 16:13-14 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” It’s my favorite challenge to men, including myself.

The book of Ephesians is my favorite book of the Bible as it addresses vital marital pillars like identity, grace, oneness, Holy Spirit, communication, roles and responses of husbands and wives, parenting, spiritual warfare and love incorruptible.