He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)
The one thing anyone ever needs to know about me is, the Lord Jesus has saved me and I’m a new creation in Him.
October 16, 2008 is a day I will never forget. It was that night, as I was hearing the gospel preached, that God finally opened my eyes to see that my sin was truly against Him and that I deserved His righteous judgement. My eyes were also opened to seeing the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, the One who suffered, bled, and died – so that my sins could be forgiven. It was that night, God granted me repentance and faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. From that time forward, I have been His to use, as He has seen fit – though I am unworthy of even being called unworthy. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
I was born in Nebraska, but grew up in Memphis, TN with my mom and grandparents. The journey the Lord had me walk till the day He saved me is one of many ups and downs. That journey, as I look back on it, had
My days in the 82nd Airborne Division
the hand of the Lord all over it. I would encourage you to listen to my testimony of His saving grace on the podcast episode True & False Conversion – Part One and Part Two or read it here. As a young man in junior high and high school, I liked sports, as typical of most boys. I especially liked soccer and still to this day, find it fun to watch. The military was the next major area of life and I served two years in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. This is where I had the opportunity to earn my German Jump Wings, along with several other awards. Being honorably discharged from the military, the Food & Beverage profession seemed like a great fit for a profession. Twenty-nine plus years, have been devoted to it. I have loved and worked every aspect and position, at one time or another, during this time frame. Everything from fine dining to fast food, has crossed my path – each with its challenges and opportunities. Then came that amazing night in St Augustine, FL, when God opened my eyes and saved me! Again, I say, the one thing anyone ever needs to know about me is, the Lord Jesus saved me and I’m a new creation in Him.
Perhaps one of the greatest privileges the Lord has granted me, since saving me, is to declare His praises every day. I like to say for the first forty years I did not live for the Lord. Now, by His grace, there has been rarely a day where my lips have not proclaimed His excellencies – praise the Lord Jesus for that! Shortly after the Lord saving me, He placed on my heart to go forth and share His Word with all people, everywhere. I felt in my heart the Lord had called me to be an evangelist – or had gifted me in evangelism. I found myself, regardless of where I went, wanting to tell everyone about Jesus and proclaim His glorious gospel. One of the very first Scripture verses God had ever placed in my heart came back and has been with me since:
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall speak. (Jeremiah 1:7)
One year after I was saved, the Lord placed in my heart to begin a missions evangelism ministry – United In Christ Jesus (UCJ). Every step of the way, the Lord continued to verify His hand upon me and upon my calling. But there was one thing which was missing in my being completely assured this was of the Lord. I knew from Scripture, when God calls someone, there is usually an acknowledgement of the Body, a laying on of hands and a sending by the church. That changed on Mothers Day, May 9, 2010 when I was approached by the Pastor of the church where I belonged. He informed me that the deacons (elders) and himself felt
Mothers Day, May 9th, 2010 being commissioned
they needed to have me come before the church, after service, to lay hands on and send me out as their missionary evangelist. It was on that day, I knew UCJ was of and for the Lord; the one aspect I knew was missing the Lord provided and accomplished before the Body of believers. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Since that day, UCJ has been on three continents, eleven countries (I’ve been in nine), and numerous states and cities in the USA. Our gospel tracts have been translated into 4 languages and distributed to tens to hundreds of thousands of people. My estimation is several hundred thousand people have heard the gospel directly from this Lord’s ministry, as we have openly preached the gospel along the highways and byways, in the local church, on college campuses or wherever the Lord would open a door for the gospel to herald forth!
At the beginning of 2011 United In Christ Jesus received it’s official 501c3 status as a non-profit ministry. From the time the Lord saved me until today, the Lord has been pleased for me to be bi-vocational. While serving the Lord in proclaiming the gospel, He has also granted for me to continue in the food and beverage business. I believe the Lord has been pleased to keep me working a job is so others will know the genuineness of the ministry. Yes, we do share our needs and ask for help, but we also work full time so as to demonstrate the grace of God in and through to the praise of the Lord Jesus. One day it is my hope I may be granted to serve fully and wholly to the Lord in and through UCJ – Yes, Lord may that please You and You grant me favor in that. Until that day arrives, may the Lord continue to strengthen me and grant me His favor.
I could not write this page without thanking the Lord Jesus for my dad (Ron) and mom (Darla). Since the time the Lord saved me, He has granted for my dad and my relationship to grow. For a large portion of my life, his and my relationship was strained, at best. But, when the Lord restored, He did so in such a manner that I look upon my dad and rejoice at the work of grace in and through him. My dad has been instrumental in my growth as a person, as a Christian and the building up of this ministry. Though our relationship got started later, nonetheless, I feel it is deeper than if we had never been separated. I praise God for him and for his love, prayers and support. Darla is not my biological mother. My biological mother, Joyce, passed away a few years ago. However, Darla has treated me and cared for me as her own for the longest time. I can say with a genuine and clear heart, calling Darla my mother/mom is just as simple and natural as can be. I cannot see her as anyone but my mom, and I praise the Lord Jesus for placing her in my life. I am grateful and humbled by their faithfulness and love.
She wore pink camo for me and gave me caution tape for using my tools.
Lastly, what you need to know about me, is that I am the husband of an amazingly beautiful wife, Holly, whom I initially met on Twitter, while I was in Norway. Her heart for the Lord is humbling. So many times, I have heard her talk about the Lord Jesus and what He has done for her, which always leaves me rejoicing. She has traveled with me since 2013, on all but one evangelism trip/tour. Each and every step she has been there and my most faithful prayer warrior and support. I praise God for the gift of Holly, as my wife.
I have a step daughter (daughter), who I love as my own. She is a gift and blessing of God in my life. Holly and I now live in the upstate part of South Carolina where we have opportunity to see the mountains on a regular basis. Truly, one of our favorite things to do on the weekend is to just get in the car a drive to the mountains. The mountains never get old and we are always more at peace when we are there. How we came to be here is also an opportunity to praise the Lord as He is the reason why and how we got here.
I do like college football and am a fan of the very best college team: the Nebraska Corn Huskers. Sadly, this is the only flaw I have found in Holly, as she roots for a horrible team: the Oklahoma Sooners (don’t tell her I said that as I will be in trouble…lol). I enjoy hiking when I have the time as well as building projects. We also have a cat, who I try to pawn off on people – OK not really, but he is not that bright of a cat. But mostly, almost exclusively, what I like to do is just be with Holly. I don’t care if we are in separate rooms doing different things; I just like being with her and, Lord willing, I will have many many more years of being with her.