One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4

One holy passion. I wrote a song with that title many years ago. Today, it is still what I long for in my life - to have a passion and hunger for God. To know the One Who created and redeemed me. To delight in Him and to find my joy and satisfaction in Jesus Christ, my Savior. To be able to say with David, "One thing I have asked of the Lord..." The longer I am on this journey, the further I feel I have to go. The more I know of my God, I realize the less I really do know. However, when I grasp even a small piece of understanding about Who He is and what He has done for me, I am overcome. How great the Father's love for us.

My desire for my ministry is the same as my desire for my personal life. I want to fulfill the purpose for which I was created: to worship God and enjoy Him forever. I want to be transformed by God to be more like Christ and to follow Him in joy and obedience. Through using what God has graciously given to me, I want to offer it back as an act of worship. On my own, I have nothing to offer. I can only offer back what He has already given to me. I pray that I can do that for His glory - to worship Him and serve others.

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I have had the joy of being married to my wife, Cheryl, my high school sweetheart, for over 25 years. She is the love of my life and my best friend. We are the proud parents of three sons and one daughter-in-law. We also have one grandson. I cannot express my depth of gratitude to God for my wife and family. He has blessed me far more than I could have ever imagined. His abundance and faithfulness overwhelms me.

I have the privilege of serving as worship pastor for Christ Community Church in St. Louis, MO. I have been on staff at CCC since 2002. Prior to being on staff, I served at CCC in non-staff leadership roles since joining the church in 1989. These roles included worship team leader and the elder board. The leadership and congregation of CCC have been such a great encouragement and support to us. It is our honor to serve with them. In all, I have been involved in ministry for almost 30 years, including various volunteer and church staff roles.

I grew up attending a local church in St. Louis. I had a stable family life, with parents who loved and provided for us. I do not recall any dramatic spiritual experiences in my life during that time. I do remember committing my life to Jesus Christ in my junior high years, but there was no drastic change in my life. I was a pretty compliant kid before and I still was afterwards. However, in my later high school years, I went through a period of struggle which included times of confusion and doubts about God and faith. As I was dealing with these doubts, I remember saying to God, "I will do whatever it is You want, even if that means going into the ministry." As the words flew out of my mouth, I was not even sure what they meant. I was not even sure I meant them. However, as time went on, I sensed that God was calling me into a deeper relationship with Him.

As I walked through those next months, I was trying to make my life what I thought God wanted it to be. I had a desire to be more like Jesus Christ and to study the Bible. Then, in my junior year in high school, I again sensed God drawing me, but to what, I was not sure. It was at that time that I made the decision to pursue ministry and to go to college, with the intention of preparing for full-time ministry.

I graduated from high school and went off to college. I was hungry to study the Bible. I could not wait for my first class. What came next, though, was not exactly what I had been expecting. I took one Bible class, and then another. My professors, it would seem, did not hold the view of Scripture I was anticipating. The authority of the Bible was being undercut. I began to doubt the truth and integrity of the Word of God. By the time I had finished two years of school, I had stopped reading the Bible. I did not know what was true anymore. A cloud began to hang over my life. Even though I was married that next year and enjoyed my new life with my wife, I was becoming more unsure of everything, including my faith. I finished college and started seminary, but the cloud remained.

There was very little joy in my life. I was serving as a church staff member, but I was just going through the motions. I had nothing to offer those I was supposed to be leading. I was not even sure I believed what I was teaching. I was grasping for answers in my mind. How could I offer hope if I had none myself?

I am so grateful that during this time, God, in His faithfulness, gave me two gifts. First, was my loving wife, who faithfully loved and cared for me. Even today, I know I am not always the most pleasant person to live with. I cannot even imagine what it was like then. How many times can I thank God for His gift of my wife? It will never be enough. She is my best friend and I adore her. Second, God placed a man in my life who was a faithful servant of the Lord. He believed the Word of God and was faithful to proclaim it. He did not beat me over the head with it. He would jokingly call me his liberal friend. He would remind me of the greatness and wonder of God and His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. It might be a word in passing, while we were fishing or riding somewhere in his truck, but he was a constant witness to something that was missing in my life. I am grateful for his faithfulness and friendship.

One day, this friend called me and invited me to listen to a program that was on the radio. I was working a delivery job, so I decided to listen while I was driving. I was instantly struck by what I heard. The program was detailing what a specific group believed about the Bible - about its authority, reliability, and how to interpret it. Today, I cannot remember the words that were said. However, at that time, I remember that it was almost word for word what I had heard in some of my Bible classes in college. And yet, in this case, the source of the viewpoint was a cult - a group that contradicted most of the essential beliefs of the Christian faith. I was stunned. It was then that a light went on in my head. Maybe what I had been taught was not necessarily true. Who were these "authorities" that I had listened to and absorbed their teaching? Why had I been so easily convinced to give up on the authority of Scripture?

That day, I began a new quest. I was determined to find the truth. Over the next few years, I devoured teaching about the Bible and investigated the claims of both liberal and conservative scholars and teachers. I was convinced that the Bible is the Word of God, the truth of God, without error. I made a choice to believe God and His Word, whether or not I could comprehend or explain it all. This was a transforming moment. The Word became alive in my life again. God was renewing my mind and began washing away the junk I had placed there. Yes, I had teachers who undermined the authority of Scripture, but I should have taken that as a challenge to study and dig deeper. Instead, I chose to stop reading and studying the Word and, as a result, my faith was weakened and I drifted from God.

I cannot tell you at what point I was born again. It could have been in junior or senior high. It could have been during this transforming time in my life, when I put my trust in God and His Word. I don't really know. God knows. What I do know is that I believe the Word of God. I do not trust in my own good works to get me into heaven or earn the approval of God. My best efforts are like sewer trash - wretched and dirty. I could never earn salvation. I am trusting in the salvation purchased for me through the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ alone. I have received this gift and declare that Christ is my Lord and King. My desire is that He will mold me and shape me into His image and that He will graciously allow me to know and experience the joy of His salvation and to serve Him for the glory of God.

To that end, I use what God has given me to offer worship to Him and serve the body of Christ. I consider myself to be a simple man and a simple musician. God has put a new song in my heart, so I will share it with anyone who will listen, even if it is only God. I desire to have a passion for Him - to know and worship Him and to enjoy Him forever. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but I press on to take hold of what God has for me.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told." Psalm 40:1-5

See also: The World According to Caleb

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