My Story

For most of my childhood, I grew up in a single parent home. My mother always made sure that we had a basic knowledge of God. I believed what she taught; I believed He existed, but I didn’t believe that He cared about me personally. Due to my parents’ divorce, we were kicked out of the Catholic Church. Back then, people used the term “bastards” to describe us because the marriage was considered annulled.

At the tender age of 8, I found out that all the beautiful things I believed in were not real. They were lies -- such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and most of all, what a family should be. It was profoundly devastating to my young heart when my parents divorced. I was present in that courtroom on my 11th birthday.

I always performed great in sports. I had great accomplishments in football, baseball, and any sport I tried, but this meant nothing when my father did not take the time to be present. So, I quit. Soon after, I was introduced to the illegal world of drugs and alcohol which took me down a long, dark path for many years. It wasn’t long before my new goal was to become a drug lord. I pretty much got there, making a lot of money, but it never satisfied anything my heart craved.

Eventually, I became tired of the lifestyle and desired a change. In 1981, I moved from Indiana to Texas, hoping to leave that life behind. However, the problem came with me, so changing my location didn’t change my life. I very quickly was given drugs to start selling on the streets. I continued that for another 10 years. During this season, I met the woman who would become the mother of my children. When my son was three years old, he saw me put something white up my nose. From that point on, anytime he saw something white like sugar or salt, my son would say, “Up the nose, Daddy. “

I knew this was not the life I wanted for my children. I felt like this was the Lord talking to me. I was working for the City of Arlington as a crew chief for the water department. I went to my boss and admitted I needed help. They sent me to an outpatient rehab center for a 13-month long program.  It was during the days of getting clean that I found the Lord.

It was in 1987 that I had a Damascus Road type experience while sitting in a pickup truck with my boss, Kenny Michael. From that moment on my life was radically and permanently changed. I went from a Saul to a Paul. I went from being a drug addict whose greatest ambition was to be a drug lord, to being a sold-out believer whose sole desire is love people out of darkness into Christ’s marvelous Light. As radical as I had been for the dark side, I was now twice as radical for the Kingdom of Light.

Within a few years, I started feeling a tug on my heart to be in ministry 24/7.  And in 1991, 10 years from the time that I had initiated a change in my life with my move to Texas, I turned in my notice with the City. I went from getting a stead paycheck with great benefits to “living by faith”. For the next 10 years, I volunteered my time, serving the local church like Ana in the New Testament. I lived in the church nursery and then later in homes the church rented across the street.

I learned to live each day by faith, trusting God to meet my needs. I have witnessed Lord do so many miraculous things! Even without a job, I got to travel abroad, visiting Central and South America, and I went to Africa 8 times! My children never went without. I graduated from the former Arlington School of Biblical Studies as well as Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI). Throughout these years, I was single. My kids’ mom had decided to take a different path, so I remained single and celibate for the next 23 years, until the Lord brought me my wife, Susan.

There were many steps that led me from that pickup truck, that Damas Road type encounter to where I am today. I started early in my walk feeding people from our church’s food pantry, handing bags of groceries out of a window to people standing in line. After lots of twists and turns, I am proud to have founded the HIM Center which has grown into one of the largest private food banks and food pantries in North Texas. A pantry gives directly to families in need. A food bank provides food to other pantries. HIM Center does both on massive scale, helping hundreds of thousands of people each year!

Over the years, I have served in a variety of church positions and have assisted with innumerable outreaches and events, both at home and abroad. Serving as a domestic disaster director, I was instrumental in developing food distribution hubs during Hurricane Katrina, the Oklahoma floods, and the North Texas tornadoes. In local churches, I have served as youth pastor, young adult pastor, associate pastor, and elder. Currently, I am serving on the Pastoral team at Freedom Life Church in Mansfield, Texas.

Though there have been times of great miracles and also great difficulty, not one step was wasted.  My story is a beautiful story of redemption. It’s a story of a loving Father who never gave up on me and constantly pursued me in the darkest of places. I have traveled the world with many ministries and across many nations. I have felt great triumph, and I have experienced heart-breaking disappointment. The scripture that has held me up through the years is John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”  

I am so thankful Daddy God did not give up on me. He continually pursues me. I’ve come to realize a deeply profound truth, that everything we do for the Lord and others must flow from our heart. Our love and service come from an attitude of “It’s a get-to, not a have-to.” When you live life from that vantage point, you are free and you constantly experience God’s transforming power all around you.