Life is full of impact. Some of those impactful collisions change the direction of your life in ways you never could have imagined. An 85-year-old woman named Mrs. Crabtree shared Christ with me, and I’ve never been the same. I gave my life and put my trust in Christ at age 17.
I started to feel and experience change that I knew only God could do. My hard heart was softening in ways that I couldn’t explain. At the time, I thought it was more important for me to have a hard demeanor than really show care and compassion for people. This seemed to be the Chicago-way. God was sanding off rough edges, and I found myself searching after Him and petitioning Him on behalf of others.
I begged God to use me in some form or fashion. His thoughts were not my thoughts. He was directing my steps. Someone had called my local church and asked if anyone would be willing to speak and visit at the nursing home. I was a high-schooler, what could I offer? Before long, I was having the time of my life and was so thankful to be His representative to what seemed to be a forgotten people. It was also at this time that God put a Bible verse on my life that is still my heartbeat today. Jude 22 says “and of some having compassion making a difference”. That was it! With God’s help, his compassion and care, I knew those around me could be changed forever for the kingdom. This was a foundational principle Christ used in building my faith.
I soon gave up other aspirations as I felt God leading me to vocational ministry. I felt His calling to work with teenagers and after college, my wife and I did so for the next 12 years. God was so gracious as we saw so many teens commit their lives to Christ and make impactful decisions that would alter their lives for good. Once again, we were having the time of our lives.
After working with teenagers, we recognized God’s calling to our next ministry and worked with young adults for the next 6 years. However, once again, God was moving (He always is!) to begin a work with small groups and counseling. I served in that capacity for the next 12 years. It was thrilling to see people grow through discipleship/counseling watching them grow step by step owning their faith.
Unfortunately, we experienced some church hurt. We had to dig deep in our faith and trust God completely for what was next. We thought we would look at several churches in the area and then pray to see where God would have us. When visiting Rivers Crossing for the first time, we made it 20 feet into the lobby and physically stopped moving as we felt God’s presence in this place. We attended for about a year when an elder suggested I submit a resume. I have served 8 years on staff and am loving my current role of Care Pastor. I am the most fortunate man to be able to walk in these shoes, sharing the love of Christ on a daily basis. Living a life devoted to God’s calling can never be matched. It’s a front-row seat to seeing God mold and change hearts and it’s one amazing show. I am blessed.