I was born in Kokomo and grew up in southern Cass County. I graduated from Lewis Cass Jr.-Sr. High in 1979. I joined the Navy two months after graduating from high school. While in the Navy, I became a submarine nuclear trained electrician and served on two different nuclear submarines. While in the Navy I also had two shore tours, one at Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando and then at the Naval Prototype Training Unit in Ballston Spa, NY.
I had spent most of my life not believing in God. In 2006 I started to think about right and wrong. I finally concluded right and wrong do exist. But this led to thoughts about who determines what is right and wrong. If it is just my opinion, then right and wrong, good and evil, are subjective. I had long thought the evil in the world proved God could not exist. As I continued the thought process, I had what I call one of my three God moments. God asked me a question, if evil proves I do not exist, why does good not prove that I do. As I considered this thought, I concluded that God does exist.
I became a seeker at this point, but it would still be a year before I would make a faith- commitment. I had a health scare in July of 2006 and received the benefit of the goodness of a pastor who stopped to help me while I was incoherent along a country road in northern Delaware county. Then my mother, father, and I went to Grace UMC in Hartford City.
I became a Christian and joined Grace in March of 2008. In 2009, I began teaching a Bible Study Sunday School class which I continued doing until September of 2018. In 2011, I began to desire more understanding and knowledge of God and I began studying at Indiana Wesleyan University. In 2014 I received an associate degree in Christian Ministry and in 2016, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies.
In February of 2016, I received a call to ministry during a service of Holy Communion. I had an inkling of a call for quite a while before this, but the call was undeniable at this point. In July of 2016, I began the process to become a Licensed Local Pastor in the United Methodist Church and completed the process in May of 2018. I was appointed as the Associate Pastor at Grace at this point.
I continue as pastor here at Trinity Methodist Church and am also the associate pastor at Grace Methodist Church.