Writing about oneself is more paralyzing than taking a bath in Oragel. Like a blind date it is always awkward and you are very likely to end up sounding dumb. That said, I have been asked to start this weekly neue blog with a bit about me so here goes…
I am from Washington State. Not the cool coffee drinking Seattle side but the extreme temperatures-irrigated-desert eastern side. Our side does not produce suicidal grunge rockers but we do make a nice apple.
My hometown, Omak, is small. To say that it was in the middle of nowhere would give nowhere too much credit. Living on this island of smallness is probably why I like big cities. I am the fifth of 7 children. Our home was kind what you might imagine if you saw one of Dr. Dobson’s nightmares – not very Christian and very, very loud. We laughed a lot.
At 16, while stealing an Elton John album from my older Sister, I impulsively nabbed a Bible she had too. Flunking, self-medicating and lonely, I came to faith one night as I read Matt. 7:7. I have being asking, seeking and knocking ever since.
I was an art major and highly involved in campus ministry in college. After graduating I decided that leading my small group was way more enjoyable than flipping burgers. I trained to be a campus pastor with Chi Alpha (www.chialpha.com), married another art major, Kelly, and we moved to California.
Once we got into the sun, we quickly realized that eastern Washington winters really, really suck. In the cold states everyone’s all, “if you move to California you’ll miss snow and become a communist.” After more than a few years, I do not miss snow (or ice) and so far we have avoided joining any collective property political groups. Boogie boarding in San Diego beats a white Christmas every time.
That said, we did move out of the sun for a few years. When my mom got sick, we bounced back to Washington for a short tour as youth pastors and after that spent time on the Chi Alpha National team in Missouri.
Right now we are in the Sacramento area traveling a lot to help start up new Chi Alpha campus groups in AZ, CA, NV and HI. We have three kids, two giant dogs (a Great Dane and an Old English) and one cat.
I have been changed the most by my marriage, my friendships, and fly fishing – in that order. I tend to write about these same three topics or their first cousins. Most of all, I love telling a good story (or hearing one told). Make me laugh (or laugh with me) and we will be friends for life. Ok – that’s about it.
Just as I worried – that ending was a bit awkward. Oh well.
