Growing up in Bluffton
Growing up in Bluffton
Growing up in Bluffton
Family Life
Growing up in Bluffton
Growing up in Bluffton
Fostering
Growing up in Bluffton
Fostering
Ministry
Pallet Art
Fostering
Pallet Art
Pallet Art
Pallet Art
Camping
Pallet Art
Pallet Art
Growing up in Bluffton
If you have not figured out by now, I am a Christian. No hating!!! Actually, let me promise you something. I promise I will not hate you. That does not mean we will not disagree or have different opinions, heck, the people I love the most have different opinions, beliefs, worldviews than I do. I do not think that is a problem, I actually think we can grow a lot by discussing our differences.
I grew up in the same church all my life and I just recently completed my 10+ year assignment from God as the student pastor and then as an associate pastor at that very church.
I see myself generally as a pastor. I pastor or shepherd people. That is who God has created me to be.
Family Life
I have been married for almost fifteen years to an amazing woman - Michele. A question we get often is, "How many kids do you have?" Our answer is, "Well... what do you mean by that?" I have two sons - Kaleb (29) and Kameron (26). Michele has two children - Ashley (30) and Hunter (19). We have an adopted daughter who has been with us since she was six weeks old - Ava (9).
We are also licensed foster parents. We just recently transitioned off of staff at a local church and into the role of House Parents for the BrickHouse Program of Loving Shepherd Ministries. Our home is for teen girls who are on the verge of aging out of the foster care system. This is a very vulnerable place to be in our society. We are passionate about partnering with our community to provide safe adult relationships for these teens. These mentors will help them transition from adolescence and into adulthood. We have had four teen girls so far. Three of them have transitioned to other placements. We are currently looking to add another girl to our family in January.
Ashley, Kaleb, and Kameron are all out on their own. Win!!! We have one granddaughter - Reagan.
Two other people (and their family) are very special to us and need to be mentioned. Hadley and Harper are twins. They were born at 23 weeks 5 days! Twins! Each of them weighed in at just over 1 pound. Harper was placed with us when she was about 4 months old. We were able to bring Hadley home when she was about 6 months old. They have been adopted by two amazing parents, along with another 10 year old girl. It was a very difficult decision for us not to adopt them ourselves, but Michele and I thought it would not be fair to them because of our age. A young couple came forward and the entire process had God's hand all over it.
We started fostering after God had been working on both Michele and my heart. After looking into the epidemic that the state of Indiana is experiencing, Michele and I felt like we had to help.
God continued to work on our hearts giving us a burning passion to give our lives to this need. We looked into the possibility of opening an Emergent Foster Facility. But those doors seemed to be closing.
Shortly after we realized that was a no, another opportunity opened up for Michele and I here locally. In May 2020 we began serving in the BrickHouse Program of Loving Shepherd Ministries. We sold our home of 25 years and moved to a home that is the first home in the state of Indiana to provide Structured Foster Care.
Ministry
I am currently in a season of transition. In early October, 2019, I transitioned out of Student Ministry. I transitioned into the role of Associate Pastor until late March when I transitioned off of staff at FCC.
I was on staff at the First Church of Christ for over 10 years. Prior to being on staff, I was the team leader of our Ministry to Men.
When I started working in ministry, I had no formal education. My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Technology from Purdue University..
After receiving my bachelor's degree, I worked for 15 years in construction management for a local commercial construction company.
Through immersing myself in books, siminars, blogs, and email feeds, I have become an expert in both - Ministry to Men and Ministry to Students. Now, do not let that word "expert" scare you. Many if not most of us are experts in something. Being an expert just means you have knowledge, experience, and competency in a certain field.
I love working with students!!! I love that they see know reason why their dreams can not come true. They have not lived long enough to become cynics like some of us.
I love their unbridled energy. They keep me young. I love the sense of urgency with which they live life. Us adults would do good to take a lesson from our youth!
Now, Michele and I working with a local ministry and the Indiana Department of Children's Services to pilot a program that will provide "Structured Foster Care" for teens who are aging out of the system.
Pallet Art
Michele introduced me to pallet art. She wanted me to make a bench for our kitchen table so we could fit more kiddos around the table. So, eventually I made one. Unfortunately, the bench was not quite the right size, so it now sits on our front porch. I have also made a bin for different pallet supplies that have been broken down, two adirondack chairs for our firepit, the cross pictured to the left, a hat rack, a coffee table, and a tv stand.
I recently realized that I need a hobby. Something outside of myself that I can find joy in. I also need to create space in my life where I can accomplish something outside of my employment.
My next project is going to be a storage shed for our firewood. I am so excited!!!
I am also have some items and willing to build an item for you. Click below for more information.
Camping
Ever since Michele and I married everytime we were driving and I would see a camper or motorhome along the road for sale, I would try to get her to stop and look at it with me. For 12 years, she was adamant that we were not going camping. Well, one day while I was at work, she sent me a link to a camper for sale. Ten days later, we had shopped, purchased, made reservations and went camping in our new camper.
After our first weekend camping, Michele wanted a better camper. So over the next couple of weeks we sold the camper we had just bought and purchased a different one.
As a pastor, introverted at that, camping provides a way for me to get away from the heavy relational interactions I have through the week. Camping is a way for me to get away with my family and to have some solitude from my normal schedule.
It is important that we all find ways to balance our lives with the demands we experience and the enjoyment we receive from the different activities and relationships we experience. My advice to you is to find that one thing for you, your spouse, and your children to do that makes memories special to you.