About the Blog & Author

Growing up in California in the 50s and 60s, I saw a lot of radical social upheaval. I grew up in a non-religious family that had very questionable moral standards, with only a potential concern for what people might have thought of us.  At the young age of six, I endured seven major surgeries within a year.  The experience deeply imbedded a sense in my soul…that I could and should trust no one.

My moral compass concerning love and friendship became very distorted during my younger formative years.  As a result, my soul became dark and hurtful, until one day I encountered some young Christians that demonstrated God’s love in ways I could not explain away.  Ever since, I’ve been on a quest to know this God and His ways.

Throughout my 66 years, while I’ve had many different types of jobs, a life-long passion became my primary income stream early on.  I became a certified Master Mechanic.  During those early working years, those invaluable skills and its profession provided me the financial security to ultimately become a full-time pastor and church planter.  For nearly 40 years, I’ve given my life to glorifying God and “making Him known.”

As is the style of my teaching over the years, I ask a lot of questions.  First, of myself and secondly of others.  I find people don’t ask enough questions and generally absorb what they’re told in life, and merely repeat what they’ve heard to others.

It’s my belief that God created man to be like Him in the ability to have relationship and know true happiness – first with our Creator and secondly, with each other.  It’s in pursuit of these relationships with God and others that true fulfillment can be achieved.  It is both a purpose for which to live and give one’s life for.

This blog will have many topics, all circling back to ask the big question, “Am I developing my soul as God intended?”

Rarely do people talk about their soul as if somehow they have arrived.  It is my contention that we’ve become preoccupied with technology and the fast pace of life, that we have become less educated towards developing our soul than we understand. My hope and prayer is that this blog will inspire and energize people toward a deep relationship with both our Creator and others.

About the Author

When I meet someone for the first time, I like to get “a quick read” on some important details.  This helps me understand their journey…both with God, and without.  Here are a few of the questions I generally seek to ask, as I genuinely attempt to appreciate who people are and ultimately, what they’re saying in response.  Providing brief personal insights by answering those same questions below, I sincerely hope you get a better sense of who I am, along with some of the details of my life’s journey to date.

What’s their family background like – parents, brothers & sisters?

What part of the country did they grow up in and where else have they lived?

What are their interests and work related experience?

What major things happened to them both good and bad?

Growing Up

I grew up in a seaside town called Santa Cruz, California.  When I was young, the population was around 25,000 in Santa Cruz itself.  Today, the population across the county has swelled to over 262,000.

Santa Cruz has mild weather throughout the year.  Residents experience a Mediterranean-like climate characterized by cool, wet winters and warm, mostly dry summers. Due to its proximity to Monterey Bay, fog and low overcast clouds are common during the night and morning hours, especially in the summer.

Santa Cruz is most known for its coastline, moderate climate, natural environment including the redwood forests, alternative community lifestyles, and socially liberal leanings. It is also home to the University of California Santa Cruz, a premier research institution and educational hub, as well as the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an oceanfront amusement park operating continuously since 1907.

By the time I was in high school in the late 1960’s, there were four high schools in our area.  I attended a high school that enrolled approximately 2,600 students.

Coming to Christ

By the time I was nearly 18, I had been radically saved and was involved in a youth group based out of an otherwise “sleeping” Baptist church.  Within two years we saw 150 kids get saved and we traveled in two old school buses up and down the west coast, singing and testifying of God’s grace in our lives to anyone who’d listen.

During these spiritually formative 2-3 years, I witnessed amazing miracles that today still stir my heart to magnify God.  Although I learned to structure my life around the scriptures, witnessing many of those miracles constantly reinforced my awareness of God’s power and His intentions towards those He had redeemed.  It is my firm conviction that miracles should be a normal part of every believer’s walk, so they never forget the greatness of God.

Traveling the World

By the time I was in my early 20’s as a committed follower of Christ, I had experienced the privilege of visiting approximately 30 different states in the U.S. and about 15 different countries through ministries like “Youth With a Mission” (YWAM), in addition to my own travels.  These experiences helped me gain a world-wide perspective and invaluable insights having carried the gospel to a broken world.  On seemingly countless occasions, I witnessed many different kinds of miracles from bodies being healed, to natural provisions being supplied, to supernatural information being given for different encounters along the way.  As of 2018 at 66 years of age, I have had the privilege of traveling to and ministering in 46 U.S. states / territories and 40 countries around the world.

Planting & Pioneering Churches

Early in my walk with the Lord, I realized I was called to build the body of Christ specifically by planting churches.  Like many church planters, I too experienced great struggles and difficulties in my early efforts.  While some of the churches failed within a few years of being started, after a few rough starts I learned how to plant healthy church families that would greatly impact the cities in which they were planted.  As a common denominator to each endeavor, I want to acknowledge that it takes a healthy team to make a healthy church.  In no way was I ever the sole reason for success.  Those that have flourished over time have done so through the continual sacrifice of so many who remain focused on developing great bodies of believers. It is my firm belief that the greatest way to reach a lost and broken world is a healthy church family that embodies and honors Christ and His sacrifice.

Love of a Family

I have been blessed to be married to the same sweet lady for over 39 years. I have two grown kids and six grandkids. Both of our kids and their families love the Lord and serve in their respective home churches. There’s nothing better than knowing your kids and grandkids know the Lord and are growing in faith.

Surviving Upstate NY Winters

In 1983, we moved from California to Upstate New York.  As you can imagine, it was a major adjustment.  While I had lived in Sweden in both 1977 and 1979, this was quite a different experience.  Our first winter?  We endured over two weeks where we’d have at least two feet of snow on the ground and it would be 20 degrees below zero.  Over the years, the snow has become less but I thought I would share pictures of the winters that were particularly hard, especially for those who lived about an hour north of us.

Love of All Things Machinery

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved cars and motorcycles.  At an early age I got intricately involved with them.  I had an insatiable appetite for learning about them, and loved to take them apart to discover what made them tick.  One of the things that brought me to Christ, was hitting a car at 55mph while on a motorcycle one rainy day.  Just before crashing, the reality settled in instantly –  I was about to die unless something extraordinary happened.  I had been witnessed to by a number of Christians and the only thing that came to my mind in those split seconds was, “Lord if you’re real and you get me out of this mess…I’ll seek you”.  When I regained consciousness after hitting that car and sliding for 100 yards, I woke up without a scratch, bruise or broken bone!  I was 16 years old, and I was now wide awake.

In the years that followed, I became a certified Master Mechanic in both foreign and domestic vehicles and also in heavy equipment.  Developing those skills helped finance my time in ministry and enabled me to begin planting churches.

Below are some of the true delights of my past with machinery.