When did Jesus change your life?
Jesus has always changed my life.  At the age of four I heard in Sunday School that I have sin and I need Jesus to take away my sin.  It wasn’t until later I heard that he does it for free, but even then I thought it was a good deal.  That was the moment I came to a knowledge of salvation, but that wasn’t the end of Jesus changing my life.  Through schooling I still called myself a Christian, but I never acted like one.

I moved to Seattle in 2002 to try and find a place where I wouldn’t spend my time chasing booze and women by going to school at SPU.  After about a year of being unhappy at this “Christian school”, I found the booze and women I was looking for.  I also found Mars Hill.  Jesus used the teaching, the community, and my sin to point me towards Him.

How has your life changed since meeting Jesus?

The greatest change has been who I fear.  As Jesus changed my life he opened my eyes to the fact that I feared everyone and everything.  Every decision I would make came from worry of how people would see me and a fear of failure.

As Pastor Mark taught during the Religion Saves series, I listened.  When he talked about how to overcome sexual sin, he was talking about overcoming all sin.  The third point, Live as a new person with a new mind, was the one that hit me.  “… put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:24  I hadn’t been living entirely as a new person with a new mind.  My life had been driven by my fear of someone seeing me as inferior.  My central object of worship was not God, it was my own comfort, reputation, and self-assurance.  Now the only thing I fear is the Lord.

How long have you been a member of MHC?
Since Fall of 2005.

When were you called to serve Jesus at MHC?
During the summer of 2005 Pastor Mark preached a sermon talking about acting like a Christian if you call yourself a Christian.  There were a few basic areas he covered: service, giving, reading the bible, getting in community.  I wasn’t doing any of these and became convicted that if I want to keep calling myself a Christian I should start acting like one.

I walked up to the sound booth and asked Joel Brown if I could start mixing.  I joined a community group on the SPU campus.  I gave some of the little money I had to the church.

In January 2006 I started an internship as the audio guy for Ballard.  Six months later I was asked by Pastor Bubba to help launch the West Seattle campus in Fall of 2006.  I learned to lead teams of people during that time, starting with the struggle to lead 5-10 people at first which grew to a team of nearly 50.  I served there until Fall 2008 when I joined the Production Technology Department to help launch campuses and maintain production equipment at the current campuses.  In January 2009 I was laid off from Mars Hill, but in God’s providence found another role with the Bellevue campus as the production manager.  Now in June 2009 I am joining the Ballard campus to work with the productions team to serve the body.

What ministry are you currently serving in?
I am currently the Production Director for the Ballard campus.  This means that I oversee the volunteers who make the live Sunday services and events happen.

What is your biggest challenge in this ministry?
Finding enough volunteers and pointing them towards Jesus.  It is so easy to disconnect the interesting technology from the God we serve.  The challenge is to show that we can worship even through the audio mix, the lighting design, and the powerpoint slides.  Its all about using technology to love people.

What is your greatest joy while serving in this ministry?
Seeing people come to Jesus.  Without all the audio, video, and lighting the preaching is just yelling in a dark room.  I really do get a great joy from supporting the preaching and teaching that happens at Mars Hill by making sure that all the technology runs smoothly and helps more people to see and hear the gospel.
Along with that, there’s an amazing change that happens to many people who serve in productions.  I’ve seen it over and over where people come to play with the buttons and lights and stay for Jesus.  Its my story too and I love to see other people experience that change.

What are you looking forward to seeing God do in this ministry?
Greater understanding and value of worship.  I long to see people better understand that we are created as worshipping beings and that our worship should be of the Creator, not merely created things.  When that comes down to productions that means hearts changing to be not only about the audio mix, the lighting design, and the PowerPoint slides, but about reaching people for the gospel.  We have the privilege of being a very attractional ministry which can be fun to serve in, so my hope is that many will come to see and hear and be affected by Jesus through that.

What books have fueled your thinking or challenged you in the last few years?
I think I’m still reeling from reading Unceasing Worship by Harold Best.  Its one of the greatest books on worship that a person could read.  I read it nearly four years ago now and still keep it close on a bookshelf to remind me that: “Worship is at once about who we are, about who or what our god is and about how we choose to live.” (pg.17)

What’s playing in your iPod right now?
I’m rocking some Rilo Kiley right now, after a long playlist of Ghostland Observatory , Pedro the Lion, and Kings of Leon.

What’s your favorite scripture? Why?
For a long time I’ve kept 1 Timothy 4:12-16 posted on my wall wherever I have had an office.  It reminds me that nothing should stand in the way of learning the Word and teaching it to others.  No fear of being despised should stop me from trying to live as Jesus commanded.  Often times leadership can be a scary place where people are watching our every work and only by leaning on Jesus can anything be accomplished – the end goal of which is the salvation of all who hear.

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

*Photo by Jerome Tso