Each person is a storyteller. Our lives are full of beautiful stories that need to be shared, be they good and bad. When we listen and share our stories together they begin to make sense, and in this sharing we begin to see where our stories and God’s story intersect.

Here is the ‘formal’ part of my story:

I have served alongside First Presbyterian Church of Lincoln, Illinois as pastor since the summer of 2013. I received a Masters in Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a Masters in Spirituality from Bellarmine University and a Bachelor of Arts from Greenville College. I have served as a Youth Director and Student Pastor in churches in Indiana and Kentucky. In the winter of 2012, I traveled to Kerala, India where I studied Christian spirituality and social justice. During this time I had the opportunity to dialogue with religious leaders of other faith traditions. Spiritual formation and the worshipping life of a community of faith are of particular interests of mine.

On a more personal note:

I am originally from Central Illinois, and my family still lives in Peoria. Baseball is an essential part to my story, and words are deeply important to me. I read, I write, I journal, and on occasion I blog. I prefer memoirs to novels, the Chicago Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals, and coffee to tea. Wendell Berry, Maya Angelou, Thomas Merton, Rowan Williams, Delores Williams, and Abraham Lincoln are a few names you will find on my bookshelves.

I work to live contemplatively, intentionally, and mindfully of the world around me, especially my neighbors whose story I’ve yet to learn. I am a hopeful visionary, not afraid to dream, and am always looking for the places where Love has, is, and can emerge.

This is my story, for now.