A Cursory Sketch
I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a few short years spent in Mississippi. I am the oldest of my parents’ four children. Our parents raised us in a Christian home. Church was always a priority in our lives, though I did not always like it. Following in footsteps of my younger sister, I acknowledged my need for Christ and was baptized at 8 years of age. However, my faith was intellectual and practical rather than deeply personal until the age of 18. At that point, God’s grace became very real to me. Despite my contrarian and rebellious nature, God has had a hold on me for most of my life. There have been seasons of fruit, disillusionment, joy, rebellion, and peace. Valleys and victories. Simul justus et peccator.
After earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Mississippi State University and a Master of Science in Analytics from LSU, I moved to Orlando, Florida. I have spent all of my adult life so far in Orlando. During my Master’s degree at LSU and while in Orlando, I fell in love with the church again. Even with all of its brokenness, there is beauty. It truly is the bride of Christ. While in Central Florida I worked in the business analytics world for a season, and eventually became a high school mathematics teacher in a public school. Not just any school though, the GREAT Jones High School. My time at Jones was beautiful and challenging. I learned as much as my students did. God used it as a season of shaping me in many meaningful ways.
I love mathematics and firmly believe that mathematics reveals God's handiwork. It is evidence of design. While complex and frustrating, we can know, observe, and discover the design and the Designer. I will be forever grateful for this part of my background. God never wastes anything, and I am excited to see what he does in the future with all that I have learned and done.
God wanted more from me though. He wanted me to be leading and teaching within a church context. So I listened, prepared, and eventually earned a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. I also interned seasonally at my church in Orlando. As an intern and leader at Grace Orlando, I taught classes on church history, prayer, and spiritual disciplines. Our pastors at Grace Orlando allowed me to lead a large prayer ministry for multiple years. I was also heavily involved in pastoral care ministry and outreach. Scratching the preaching itch, I regularly preached at Orlando United Rescue Mission. Rick Garrett, the Executive Pastor at Grace Orlando, mentored me while I was in seminary and as I led in various settings. His influence on my life has been precious and invaluable.
I met my wife, Whitney, at our church in Orlando and we got married in 2018. She was instrumental in me taking the leap into both seminary and into teaching. She is my beloved, and in her I have a friend, a confidant, and unwavering support. Whitney and I have three wonderful young boys. What privilege it is to have the honor of raising three men!
Currently, I am serving as a Lead Pastor Resident at Trinity West Seattle in Seattle, Washington. The Pacific Northwest is quite the change from Florida, but it is a welcome one. Our God is a global God who reaches from the far corners of the continental United States of America to the big cities and tiny villages around the world. What a mighty God we serve!
You might catch me reading a book quietly in a comfortable chair in the corner or fellowshipping with others over a shared meal and a board game. So check out some of my favorite quotes below just for fun. Feel free to peruse at your own leisure. If you want to continue to get to know me, hop on over to my other content and my Stewarding Our Stories blog.
(This was crossposted as my personal bio here.)
