Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
I was born and raised in Glendale, California. My parents were Catholic but they did not force me to practice, probably because they had been forced to practice when they were young. I made my first profession of faith when I was a junior in High School. It was right after attending a Thursday night youth outreach program called Sonburst. A leader in the group gave me a ride home and we sat in front of my house for about 45 minutes as we discussed what it meant to be a Christian. I was genuinely excited and immediately told my parents and friends. This conversion proved to be short lived and I liken it to the seed that "fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away." (Matthew 13:5-6) Although I had an initial excitement, I don't believe there was an actual conversion. There was no depth to my belief and by the time I went to college, my life was no different than it was before. In college, I became part of the typical party scene - drinking, carousing, etc. It wasn't until my senior year, through the aide of some missionary dating, that my curiosity regarding Christ began to peak. It was through this event that the Lord brought me back to church and I became subjected to His Word. When the relationship didn't work out I found myself at a crossroad. The one road leading me back to the life I had been living and the other leading me to the cross of Christ. It was at that point that I truly realized the emptiness of my former life. It was there that I saw the real me - desperately wicked, lost, and hurting. It was at that time that I chose to travel the road that led to Christ. It was in January of 1989 when God picked me out from the pit of despair and my life has never been the same. I immediately began reading the Word and got involved in a small group. Shortly after that I became involved in the College Ministry at my church and worked with students who were being bombarded by the lies of this world. I have since worked in a variety of ministries and am currently the Children's Pastor at Calvary. I oversee a variety of ministries including AWANA, Children's Sports, Calvary Kids, V.B.S., and various family events. I live in Burbank with my lovely wife (Cristina) and three wonderful children (Jordan, Abby, and Joel). I have a Bachelor's degree in Communications with a Minor in Business from the University of Southern California and a Master of Divinity degree from the Master’s Seminary. I love working with children and their parents and find myself wanting to do nothing more than serve God and be obedient to His Word.