What does your job involve?
I do primarily marriage and family counseling, as well as work with adolescents. I also do various individual counseling.
Where were you born and raised?
Lakeland, Florida.
How large is the family you grew up in?
I have an older and a younger sister.
When did you come to know Christ?
I grew up in a Christian home and received Christ as a young child around the age of 5 or 6. It was around ninth grade when I made a total commitment in my life to follow the Lord and was willing to submit to whatever He wanted to do with me.
What is the first job you ever had?
I mowed yards and was also a bag boy at a local grocery store.
Where did you attend college?
I went to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, where I received a degree in Music. I’m a percussionist, a frustrated drummer! I also minored in Behavioral Science, which laid the groundwork for me as far as counseling goes. I have a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
Have you ever served in the military?
No, however, I have worked as a Military Family Life Consultant. A service where I stayed at military installations for about 45 days. Now I am available in an “on-demand” status for soldiers and their families. I talk to couples about the adjustments they have to make when a soldier is leaving, or the transition families need to make when the soldier returns after a 12- or 15-month deployment.
When and to whom did you marry?
My wife’s name is Nancy and we met when I was serving as a youth pastor at a church in Idaho. If started with a cup of coffee. We married April 3, 1981. She is the smartest woman I know!
How many children to you have?
Four, two daughters and two sons.
How did you get into ministry?
During my years in college, I spent five different summers with a music ministry, called Lost and Found, traveling throughout the country, Europe and South Africa doing drama and music. We would stay at churches for three to four days, hang out with the kids then give concerts either at the church or out in the community. We also did seminars on soul winning. During those years, I ended up being a road manager. That gave me the opportunity to talk to many pastors. I would talk to them about how they handled certain situations. Many of them would look at me and say, “I don’t feel equipped [to counsel people].” The Lord really used those situations to equip and prepare me for the ministry I eventually went into. In fact, after I got my masters, the church we were attending wanted to start a counseling center, so that’s what I did.
Have you ever done any short- or long-term mission work in the U.S. or overseas?
Not recently. I consider what I did in college as short-term and hope to do some in the future.
Where else have you served?
I started the counseling center at Central Nazarene Church, and I also worked with adults and adolescents in several psychiatric hospitals. I ran an experiential-therapy department which involved using an outdoor ropes challenge course. In the 1990s, I was the Florida director for New Life Clinics, a Christian psychiatric in-patient program. Throughout the time when I worked for hospitals, I also had small, private practice. I had a full-time practice for about 10 or 12 years before coming here. In collaboration with a friend who is an entertainer we created an event for families called Celebrate Family, a fast-moving event with entertainment, education and interaction all aimed at strengthening families. We did the program at various conference centers and churches around the country.
What brought you to First Orlando?
Private practice left me feeling a little isolated. I had a sense that God wanted me to come back to a church ministry setting. The ministry to families was my passion and working at a church would give me the opportunity to do that on a much larger scale. In the meantime, Dr. (Charles) Bell (First Orlando’s current director of the Counseling Center) have known each other for 25 years and I was very aware of the work being done here. When (Senior Pastor) David Uth came, I had a sense that something significant was going to be happening here and I wanted to be a part of it. I called up Dr. Bell and shared this with him, and that eventually led to me coming here.
What was the turning point of your life?
I feel like I’ve had several, but I think the first one was when I was in the ninth grade when I was very much into playing the drums. I became a part of the youth choir and remember making the decision that I was only going to play my drums for God. I said, “Lord, I’m giving You my talent; do whatever You want.” He used that as a tool to teach me about what can happen when you surrender your life and abilities for His glory.
What do you like most about your job?
I like having a glimpse of seeing someone being transformed because of what God has done in their life. In counseling, that doesn’t always happen, but when you do see it happen, it’s a wonderful thing.
Do you have a favorite Bible verse?
Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” I also like all of Psalm 34.
Do you have a significant ministry moment?
There have been many but one that stands out was a few years ago while speaking to several hundred families when I made a statement that it was my prayer that none of them would ever go through a divorce. They broke into spontaneous applause. It was a stark reminder of the pain of divorce for people of all ages. It is always a sobering moment when I meet with a child who has been through a divorce. I usually ask what they would change about their life if they had a magic wand. Ninety Five percent of them say they wish that their mom and dad were together and they were a family again.
What do you like to do with your free time?
I enjoy playing drums, of course. Also, I enjoy water sports, including water skiing.
If you weren’t a counselor, what else would you be doing?
In another life, I would have liked to have been a professional water skier.
Is there something about you people would be surprised to learn?
We are in the process of adopting a little boy from China.