About Me

Well, you can probably tell by the title what this is going to be about. I originaly wrote this to be in my profile "about me" box, but it told me it was too short at first, so I lengthened it, and then it told me it was too long. So I decide to leave that box blank, and write a blog about my life up to this point. It's kind of like a Mini-Autobiogrpahy actually:

I was born July 23, 1987 at Grandview Memorial Hospital in Sellersville Pennsylvania. My Dad had told my mom that after they almost lost my older sister, they were not going to have anymore kids, but my mom really wanted to have at least one more. So she begged my dad, and finally he caved. From that argument, I was conceived.

As a child I was fairly well behaved. Actually from what my brothers and sisters have told me, I used to always side with my mom on everything! I was the picture of a “Mama’s Boy.” They said I used to sit next to Mom when she was reprimanding them and just nod my head in agreement. Looking back I think I would even be annoyed by that if I was the older brother.

Anyways, at about the age of 5 I made a profession of faith, but I know I didn’t really understand it fully. I just knew that everyone else in my family was saved, so I wanted to be too…

On August 1st 1995, I finally got saved. I remember my sister and I were praying in her room before we went to bed, and Sara was praying that I would get saved. I remember during the prayer, asking myself what was holding me back. So afterwards I asked my sister if I could get saved, so she took me to my Dad and he led me to the Lord. I actually remember one thing my dad did when he was talking to me that night…if you know my dad, you know that he’s really cheep right? Well, he was trying to show me the example that Christ offers to us salvation that we don’t deserve. So my dad hands me a dollar, and asks me if I deserved it, and I told him no. After that I ask him if I could keep it, and he said no…that’s my dad for ya!

Well, the years went on, and I was living the life of an average Christian Kid, going to church every Sunday, but just kind of skating by…

I had heard every story so many times, that I had allowed myself to have the attitude that I’d heard it all before. It wasn’t until the 8th grade that I really began to surrender my life to the Lord. Up till that point I had gone through the gambit of jobs that I was considering in the future. None of which I can tell you were being a Pastor or a “Navy Man.” I’d always determined that I was too weak to be in the Military, and that there was no way I could stand up in front of a hundred plus people every Sunday and preach a sermon! Anytime anyone would bring up the subject of being a pastor, I would say “no way!”

Well I have discovered some things over the years, and that’s that God has a tremendous sense of humor. I remember one time I was talking to my mom about my future, I had gotten to the point where I realized that none of the Jobs I was considering really fulfilled my desires. I knew I wanted to help people, I liked to get up in front of people and act and sing, and I liked to teach. So my mom brings up being a pastor again. Of course I gave my usual reaction: “No Way!” So my mom asks me, “Aren’t we supposed to be fully surrendered to whatever God wants for us?” She continued… “I know that it seems like every job you’ve wanted kind of had an aspect of it that was similar to what a pastor does.” So I had to admit that she had a point. So I told her I would pray about it. So I did… for the next couple to months I prayed about it a lot! Finally one night in my bed I was praying, and I remember asking God straight up if he wanted me to be a pastor. Right at that point my heart started pounding really hard. I felt like God was trying to tell me something. So I remember breathing out really heavily and saying “You do want me to be a Pastor don’t you?” Immediately after that I felt this peace. I could almost hear Christ’s still small voice saying “Yes, that is my will for you.”

So of course natural course after that is planning about what college to go to. I decided based on a bunch of colleges I had visited that the best one was Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar WI. The Problem now was…how do I pay for college? I did everything I could to try and find scholarships, but in everything I did to try and find a way to pay for it, I didn’t feel like God was behind it. So I remember in the fall of my senior year my family was watching a speech by President Bush, and he was thanking the troops for all they’re hard work, and sacrifice, and I remember at that point my heart pounding really fast. It was just like when God was trying to tell me he wanted me to be a pastor. I tried to reason with God in my mind, by telling Him I couldn’t do that, but He wouldn’t let up. It was almost as if I could hear Him saying “Why not…my grace is sufficient for you…” I tried to ignore it and went up to bed, but I couldn’t get rid of the feeling. I tossed and turned for about 20 minutes before I finally said, “alright God, do you want me to join the Military?” Again like before, I immediately got this peace in my heart, and could almost hear God’s voice saying “Yes, that is my will for you.”

Well, about 2 and a half years later and here I am. In the Navy stationed on the USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka Japan, living the dream. Well sort of…the Navy isn’t easy sometimes, but I know it is right where God wants me. He has blessed me with a wonderful Church, with wonderful people, and a wonderful pastor! I am truly blessed. My plan after I get out is to move to Wisconsin while I’m going to college. After that, I really don’t know what Gods plan is for me…but I can tell you one thing, whatever it is it will be Gods will and not my own. For God’s perfect will is always accomplished. When we are surrendered to Him, He can help us to do what we thought impossible! I would like to close this mini autobiography with my favorite passage of scripture:

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
I John 5:1-5