"Lovin' People"

Jakob and Robbin Brown

What’s the goofiest thing you did in the past year?

Jakob: “I met Robbin, got engaged, married all in less than a year.”

Robbin: “That’s not goofy.”

Jakob: “It’s not goofy, just fast for me.”

Meet Jakob and Robbin Brown. Jake is the Middle School Ministry Director at Discovery Church. They are in their first year of marriage and wise beyond their years. Jakob grew up in Thornton in a family of four. He attended CSU and will be finishing at Metro State. Robbin grew up in Englewood and Thornton in a family of five. She attended Nyack College in New York and finished at Metro State.

When did you decide to follow Jesus Christ?

Jakob: “No one in my immediate family is Christian. A mentoring couple who was part of a STARS program influenced me. One Sunday they took me to Flatirons Community Church. I gave my life to Christ three days later.”

Robbin: “I grew up in a Christian home. My father was the lead Pastor of the Northern Hills Christian Church. I thought the Bible made some sense and I wanted to follow Christ. I was baptized at age nine. We went on an inner city mission trip to New York when I was 12. I rededicated my life and have been on mission trips most summers since that time.”

Jakob’s role at Discovery is part time.

Tell us about your other Job, Jake.

“I work at GOALS, a non-profit organization helping high-risk kids from generally low-income families get through the teen years as healthy adults. We use incentives to help train students to mentor other students.”

Robbin, where do you work?

“I’m a Ministry Advancement Administrator for Dare to Share Ministries. We train students during weekend retreats to share their faith.”

What is your vision for Middle School kids?

Jakob: “Three things:

Ø We want to mentor them. One-on-one mentoring changed my life. Kids need stable adult influence in addition to their parents.

Ø We want to challenge them to think about their faith. Examine what they believe.

Ø We want to challenge them to develop the way they express their faith.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Jakob: “I want to do full-time youth ministry in a local church.”

Robbin: “I’d love to work with the whole family unit including kids.”

How do you keep yourselves refreshed?

Robbin: “I love movies and I love being with friends.”

Jakob: “Watching sports with friends. Hanging out with friends. Talking online with friends. I like to read. John Eldridge’s book The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We Only Dreamed Of fascinates me.”

Holy desire: Our ancient passion for God. Lovin’ people.

I want to help people be the best they can be in God's eyes.

Scott Sullivan is no stranger to Colorado or to churches. Born in Loveland and reared in Colorado Springs, he grew up in Methodist and Nazarene churches. He is the second of four children.

When did you decide follow Jesus Christ?

I was in Jr. High and my friend Troy attended a church with a youth group that was more active than mine. I started going with him and they talked often of Jesus Christ and salvation. It was through his influence that I chose to follow Jesus. It was a social decision at first, but deepened the more I attended, studied and was mentored. It led to my choice of Olivet Nazarene College in Illinois.

Did you graduate there?

Oh no, I came home and then went to Southwest Baptist University in Missouri hoping to get into their physical therapy program. However, I always loved music, especially composing. So, I moved to Nashville hoping to break into the music scene. I wrote for some groups and did some demos. I got homesick and decided to come back to Colorado. I really felt as if God was telling me to stay in Nashville. It's the only time I consciously made a life choice that conflicted with God's direction for me. So I returned to what was easy – the restaurant business. I started leading worship services at Pathways Church in Denver.

How did you meet Angie?

Pathways Church. She walked into one of our young adult worship services one night and I was immediately attracted. We dated, were engaged in six months and married seven months after that.

Scott, you've been through a 10-year ordeal of terminal liver disease that culminated in a liver transplant last summer. You and Angie knew the risks when you married. Tell us about that journey.

I don't think God gave me liver disease. I think he used it to make us stronger. When you are newly in love, some things go over your head. They are not an immediate concern. It's when the doctor says, “We need to get you a liver, you could die any day,” that things change. You hug your children and your wife tighter. You treasure friendships, family and real relationships. Other things you spent your life collecting start to fade. It changed our focus which led to our next step.

You are a recent addition to the Discovery staff with intern responsibilities in Music and Discipleship. Describe your call to ministry.

Angie and I developed a formal life plan, determining where God has been developing my gifts. I love to develop experiences that can draw other people to Christ. Whether in music, speaking or men's ministry, I want to help people be the best they can be in God's eyes.

Let's Party!

Jack Paul has been working in the hospitality industry for years. He is the General Manager of Doubletree Denver North Hotel and understands the needs of his guests. Our impending move to the Arabian Horse Center will offer a whole new environment in which to welcome and serve people.

What will happen when I walk in the front door of the Center?

The Arabian Horse Center gives us a new opportunity to design the interior for welcome, worship and classes. Along with this we plan to alter the way we greet guests by making it warmer. This can be done with colors and general design of the areas we use. We'd like our greeters to meet our guests and escort them to worship, even sitting with them if it is appropriate. Wouldn't it be great to have kids escort kids to Kid's Quest? It is the personal attention that has been the mark of people who love.

Explain the “10-Minute Party.”

The goal is to help our guests make a lasting connection with people at Discovery. Guests will join our volunteers representing different demographic groups (20-somethings, families, empty-nesters) in an adjacent room for 10 minutes after our worship service where they will have, music, home-made snacks (cookies, rolls) and -- “party.” We will meet guests, find out about them and answer questions about our church and her programs. It will be an opportunity to hear their needs and offer direction or assistance. These are conversations that can develop into friendships. We plan for our hosts to distribute information cards with their own name and phone number. It is a focused effort to start something lasting with people. They will have a person or a face as a friend. Discovery is more than a church – it is a community.

"We were looking for a church that takes transformation seriously."

Transformed. Global.

After a summer at the South Pole during college, Greg Loring was assigned to work in Denver. Worshipping at Littleton Bible Chapel he met Renae, a UNC graduate and school teacher who was going to Ecuador to teach in a mission school. They first dated on Memorial Day. She left for South America on July 18^th. They were married on July 19^th the following year.

When did you become a Christ follower?

Greg: As a high school freshman I went with my parents to an Amway motivational weekend seminar. Inspired by a former Baptist minister on Sunday I made a commitment during an altar call. The first person I told was my Dad.

Renae: I made a commitment to Christ when I was 5. My Christian parents nurtured me. I struggled with my faith in high school and during my freshman year in college.

God delayed my longstanding prayer for a mentor until my sophomore year. Then many women came into my life to encourage and help me define what faith means. They confirmed my gift for women’s work and suggested I learn about mentoring. I eventually was put in charge of the women’s mentoring program at Grace Chapel. It was as if God had provided mentors for my life and was now saying, “You do it.”

What brought you to Discovery Church?

Greg: The drive to our old church from Thornton was long and our children needed a fresh program.

Renae: We were taking classes in Spiritual Formation at Denver Seminary and met Tim Daly who invited us.

What do you like about Discovery?

Renae: The children’s program really met our kid’s needs.

Greg: Our life group is important. We share a commitment to live life together with them.

Renae: We love watching God do amazing things in people’s lives. We love Steve and Lisa.

How has your faith fleshed out in service at Discovery?

Renae: The children’s department and women’s ministry have been important.

Greg: I’ve helped usher. We’ve hosted Life Groups.

You supervise the Global Partners program. Tell me about it.

Renae: Dan Reich helped get it going. We select an advocate for each of our global partners. They bring the heart and life of the mission field to Discovery and convey the heart and life of our church to our global partner. It’s important because this is the heartbeat of God for all nations.

Greg: We’d love to involve families – our children’s ministry – in this. We’d like to do family mission trips.

We were looking for a church that takes transformation seriously. We’ve got to be different – growing in character and connection to Christ. We learned that we are “transformed together” through community. That’s Discovery Church.

Prayers for Discovery Church and Our Global Partners

Discovery Church Prayers

1. That God will continue to burden us with people who are: outsiders, deeply broken, unchurched, and that God would use us to be His hands and feet to these people.

2. For our location plans; that God would lead and provide as we move to Arabian and then to our land. Part of this is prayer for wisdom about selling some land to fund our building plans.

3. Prayers for the people in our church in need of healing, comfort and peace.

4. Prayer for our leadership team and staff - that we would listen to God, have the courage to follow God's direction

5. Prayer that God would use our community with each other in study of His word and service to shape our hearts and grow our faith.

From Ylli and Nikki Docci in Albania

1. Praise God for the 103 Albanian staff that serve with us. Pray for unity and healthy relationships among us all.

2. Pray for each of the teams as they plan this month for their respective ministries for the '09-'10 school year (grade schools start Sept 15. University starts 0ctober 1st).

3. Pray for godly marriages among our staff that will shine the light of Christ to Albania.

4. Pray for the staff wives who will be going through the book The New Dare to Discipline. Pray for application of what we learn (there are 40 children among our staff, all under the age of 11).

5. Pray for our family - wisdom for Ylli as he leads this growing ministry, that we will minister out of our love relationship for God, that God will protect us and our children. Pray for His peace to reign in our hearts and in our home.

6. Pray for preparation for the Josh McDowell outreaches Oct. 21-25. Pray that many students, parents and politicians will come to Christ as a result of Josh's week here!

Praise God for wonderful people like you who partner with us financially and prayerfully.

Aaron Carmichael in China

1. Motivation for language acquisition

2. Divine gifting for the ability to learn Chinese

3. Staying connected to his old students/relationships built in previous years

4. Continued partnership with other Christian teams and Chinese Christian leader (house churches, college ministries, etc.)

a. to be able to be an encouragement to these people

b. to be a resource to them

c. to be a support to them

5. Transition from being on a 24/7 Christian team to a potentially more isolating "independent" missionary .

Dan and Christie Reich in Paraguay

For their family:

Encouragement and prayers for continuing to do both Paraguayan school and home school, though it is more and more overwhelming for Christie. The last two weeks were weeks of exams (even elementary schoolers have to take EXAMS, these tests where they have to study what they copied into their little notebooks and be ready to reproduce it. The hardest tests have been (not surprisingly) Guarani, but others were challenging too. Some days instead of home school, Christie helped the boys study their Paraguayan school stuff. We so like being part of the school and this year Christie is the parent council Treasurer... the school year will be winding down in a couple of months, ending end of November or so.

Praises....

1. For believers who are trying to win their families.

2. For numerical growth in Bible studies and on Sundays.

3. For good health.

4. For the boys doing great in both schools.

Prayer requests...

1. Complete restoration for a 20-something single girl Christian who got pregnant and then had an abortion... in her admitting her failure she is struggling to feel forgiven. We are sticking with her and we think she is sincere in her repentance but unable to accept herself and believe that God will accept her.

2. For believers to not only learn God's word and put it into practice, but to be so impacted by Jesus that they teach others what they are learning as well. Pray they would be like Ezra: (Ezra 7:10) ...Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the Lord and to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel.

3. For us to hear from God what is most important for each day, to be able to plan ahead while remaining flexible to the Holy Spirit. That even though we as missionaries are doing many things, that the way we do them and the way we structure church ministries will make them "batons" that can be passed to different believers and effectively carried by them... so that when we leave for another home assignment in 2 years, they truly will be carrying the batons and we will leave a ministry that functions and keeps growing without us. For true conversion, not just superficial acquiescence to a different religion but a heartfelt, grateful faith that is aware of personal sin, repentant, joyfully receptive of salvation as a free gift, and totally committed to living out what Christ teaches.

The 10/10 Project

(Denver based non-profit addresses systemic global poverty by creating awareness, initiating action, and ultimately encouraging participants to become activists on behalf of the global poor.)

Praises

Michael Nyangi was the victim of a carjacking. He is safe and unscathed, though you can see from his email that is a major blessing from God:

It was on Tuesday 11th at 7pm when I arrived at my place of stay in Ayany at the parking yard. Immediately I switched off the engine of my car, then a group of 3 armed men came pointing me with the gun. They forced me to re-start the engine of the car for them and they sped off with me sitting at the back seat. My face was covered and I never new what was taking place. The watchman managed to escape, he informed the police and at 10pm the police manage to track the car. One funny thing is that the police opened live bullet not knowing that I was inside.

The thugs run away leaving me as a victim. I thank God because I was not hit by the spraying bullet, though the car was seriously damaged and two innocent people were also hit by the spraying bullet. One of them died after two days. None of the thugs were arrested, all escaped unhurt. I went to the hospital for first aid and I proceeded for an x-ray the following day. I was hit by splashing wind screen on the face and the head. I thanks God for having saved my life I'm doing well now and continuing with the work of breaking the cycle of poverty. The story is very sad indeed and I find it difficult to explain how I came out safe.

Pray for a Computer lab for Candlelight

We have a very important fundraising campaign ending on September 18th for a computer lab at Candlelight school. It is important for several reasons.

• First off, it will provide primary school students with essential computer skills that will empower their educational and vocational future. For each of the 307 kids, this will be their first time using a computer or the internet! How exciting
• Secondly, this is our pilot project on Global Giving, which is an online marketplace for projects like ours. If we reach $4000 from 50 donors we get a permanent spot. This would be a major blessing for us. It would give us access to whole new circles of donors for our future projects. We are a bit behind on meeting that goal, only 25% of the way there. So if you could bring up this need for prayer and consideration, visit http://globalgiving.com/3695 to find out more and support the project.

Fred and Alice in Kenya

Much greetings from us here in Kenya. We are all doing fine as we continue spreading the Gospel and minister to the children God has entrusted on our care. I had gone for a prayer and fasting about a month ago and felt a great challenge from God. My prayer was based on the prayer of Jabez 1 Chronicles 4:10, 'Jabez cried out to the God of Israel: “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

Before going to pray I felt I had so many things and wanted to relinquish some of them but as I was praying I found asking God for more opportunities for service and His kingdom.

Recently I went to the police cells and some of the prisoners asked for prayers. When they were released they went talking about the way they saw Christ face by face. Since then I decided to embark on preaching every week from Wednesday to Saturday night.

I started by preaching in Matopeni and the following week we went to Njiru and have been interchanging just like that and surely we have seen God moving. I did not think I could do well preaching in crusades but God has given me the grace for that work. The only challenge I am facing is to have good public address system so I cannot strain when preaching and to have to voice reach out to many. Pray with us that we shall get good instruments to use. I mainly need four good and strong speakers, a bigger amplifier, a mixer and 4 microphones to help me do the work effectively.

I have also seen God bringing more people our way to be ministered to. I recall a pastor that had once attended my teaching in one of the pastors conference that I was teaching came to invite me visit his church. When we went to this church we found out that all members remove their shoes as they entered the church. John looked at me and asked "Dad, should we also remove our shoes? I told him we were not to remove our shoes so in the whole church it was our family that had shoes on.

It was a tough situation and I wondered what I was to preach in this church, during the worship time God gave me a word to preach about our calling. I started from the time God created Adam, to Abraham's calling, Moses and to when Jesus called the disciples. I talked on how God told Moses to remove the shoes because he was approaching a holy place. I tried to inform them that the shoes Moses was wearing was the sin he had committed and he could not approach a Holy God with sins in his heart.

This again has given me a burden of reaching out to teach pastors with the true gospel. I am so happy that the bishop of the church came with his pastor and has requested I organize training for his pastor. I pray that I become an instrument of change to these pastors so they can stand with the truth in their churches. Pray that we can bring transformation in such churches as we reach out to them.

We admitted an new student in the safe house called Ruth whom we need you pray for. Ruth has come from a very difficult background since her child hood. Her parents passed on when she was still young and from then she has been moving from one guardian to another. Always she says things have been happening when she is with these guardians, maybe death or loose of job and is forced to be taken elsewhere. The last person she was staying with (her brother) passed on two months ago leaving her with no where to go. In the family she says now are left with one more sibling. She has been blaming herself thinking she has a curse. As God has brought her our way we would like her to see God's love on her life.

Everline is another girl we would like you pray for, she last her mother while still young and the father married again. The step mother was not so loving to her, unfortunately the father whom she loved so much passed on early this year. When the father died she wanted to commit suicide and someone brought her to us. She still has not forgotten about her father, we encourage her to know God loves her and has better plans for her.

Pray also for the meetings you will be having when you come over in November, we do pray that you will touch many lives.

Thank you for the invitation to stay at your home when I come. I will be happy to do so, you can arrange with Adam because I believe he will be in charge of that.

Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples. (psalm 96:2-3)

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Mathew 28:16-20)

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, (psalm 105:1-5)

This is What the Love of God Looks Like...

Dearest Discovery Family,

Where do we begin to tell you with our hearts thank you? Our journey with you in some ways feels like it has only just begun and in others it feels like we have been with you a lifetime. Let us begin by saying thank you for showing our entire family the love of Christ in so many ways. Our Discovery Church family has shown us what being a part of the family of Christ is to look like: community, service, sacrifice, love, and commitment. When many of you first learned of Scott's deteriorating health and wondered what could be done, many of you came forward and said, "I want to be a donor, by giving part of my liver." That spoke to not only us, but our extended family in so many ways by saying this is what the love of Christ looks like, feels like, and acts like. Thank you, our hearts are forever filled with deep love and honor to know and be a part of such a beautiful body of believers. The countless meals and sweet love and labor that went into that, or the maintenance around our home to pulling weeds in our garden (isn't that a beautiful picture of Christ's love for us!). To the deep love for our children, Noelle and Noah who alongside us have seen and felt what it is to be literally held up by fellow believers when we have little strength left. Thank you for the countless ways you have served and loved us!

Secondly, we want to say we are incredibly thankful for your most generous love offering taken on our behalf. We have seen God in so many ways through each of you as we have walked through the waters of Scott's liver transplant and continued recovery. God is so faithful and He has proven to show us new mercies every day. the words we type are only a small piece of what our heart feels for the body of believers at Discovery that we are blessed to call family!

Discovery, it is a blessing and honor to be a part of you, to call your our family, to serve and grow right alongside of you as a community of believers seeking to serve our Heavenly Father! We desire the opportunity to serve you as we move into a new beginning in our lives.

We are blessed!

Much Love,
Scott, Angie, Noelle & Noah Sullivan

Keith Johnson - My Story. My Journey.

I grew up Roman Catholic. I was baptized when I was little, so I didn't even really understand what was happening. Growing up, my mom took my sister and me to Mass every Sunday at 7am. We also attended CCD classes - Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. My dad was mostly absent through all of this and would exercise, rather than attend church. Except on Easter and Christmas. We call him a Creaster. I didn't find out until much later in life that he is an Atheist. Throughout my childhood, I learned a lot about the Bible, faith, and the story of Jesus Christ, but wouldn't say that I really believed or that I had a relationship with Jesus. I was going through the motions to appease my mom.

Growing up our family had our fair share of issues. My childhood wasn't all peaches and cream. Why isn't essential to my story. The what happened is. I was 14. I was depressed. Life ceased to have a meaning for me. I wanted to escape yet I couldn't figure out a way to run away. I couldn't drive a car. I didn't have a passport. My options were limited. I decided that the only viable option for escape was to end my life. I use a razor blade and made 23 lacerations on my wrists, my arms, and my neck. Yes. My neck. I took pills. I did everything I could to end my life that night. I left a note. I prayed. I prayed to God that He would not send me the hell for committing murder. Premeditated murder at that. I felt a sense of peace and warmth even as my hands shook and did their work. I prayed again. And again. To let this be the end. To not send me to hell, but to forgive me for what I have done. I passed out. It was over. Finally.

Then something amazing happened. The next morning, my alarm clock went off. I woke up. I was astonished to find myself alive. I won't go into details here but it is truly a miracle. God saved my life. There is no way I should have lived after what I did.

Being alive, waking up was the scariest moment of my life. I had to face my parents. I wanted to be dead. I confessed everything to them. What I had done. Why. I cried. They cried. There was anger and confusion. I was rushed to a medical hospital. Then I was taken to another hospital where other teenagers lived too. I wasn't allowed to have shoelaces or pens. I could only see daylight through a window. For 30 days. I worked through my issues with my parents. I refused medication because I knew in my heart that my healing could not be done with a pill. I opened up a piece of my heart to God and allowed Him into my life. I started to live my life. For me. Not for anyone else. I no longer cared what my parents thought. I no longer strove for perfection. To please them. I came to grips with the fact that I was imperfect and that it was OK.

I will never forget the day I left the hospital. How blue the sky was. White clouds floating by like big tufts of cotton. The warmth of the sunshine on my face. Birds chirping. A slight breeze. I had no idea why He saved me, but I knew in my heart that He did. I prayed to God that moment in the car. I promised Him that I wouldn't let my life be a waste. That I would follow him wherever He leads. I said that same prayer and thanked Him for the gift of life every morning for a year. I quit keeping track how long I said that prayer after that. I had no idea why He saved me. All I really know it is on that awful night, God had a different plan for me and He turned a tragedy into a miracle. I tried to take control but He reigned supreme. He wanted me alive and because of that, every time I looked at a blue sky, I am reminded that I owe my life to God. This is not my life. Each new day is a gift given to me to fulfill His purpose.

Fast forward to college. I moved 1000 miles away from home and went to college in Colorado. God inserted an amazing Christian woman into my life. She is the love of my life. My friend. My partner. She is my wife, Heather. God put Jeff Clark in my life. God put a LOT of people in my life who were good Christians. Much better people than I. They helped me make decisions for myself and begin my personal journey with Christ. I wasn't sure what to believe but knew that God existed and things started to change.

I fell in love with Heather, the daughter of a pastor, in a big way. My best friend, Jeff Clark, was attending Wheaton college in Illinois where he was expanding his knowledge of the Bible and Christ. Heather introduced me to her friends. Good people who believed. Jeff called me regularly. He sent me "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. We talked about Jesus and the Bible. I questioned everything. Jeff sent me more books. For a long time Heather worked on my heart and Jeff worked on my mind. Heather bought me my very own Bible. A student NIV bible. She encouraged me to write in it. Growing up Catholic, I thought that must be some sort of sin. It isn't. I will never forget the trip I took back to Chicago during college and made a stop at Wheaton college to spend time with Jeff and meet some of his professors. A revival broke out on campus. For days people were praying and coming to know Jesus Christ in the middle of their auditorium. Sins were confessed. College kids slept there. Miracles happened. It was truly amazing. You can Google it. Wheaton College, 1995. It was one of those moments in life that you place a mental marker in your brain and say to yourself, "don't forget this day." Up to that point, I had no doubt that God existed, yet I still had not fully accepted Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior, but I knew then. I knew Jesus was the answer.

I waited a long time to say the prayer. A LONG time. If I said it, I wanted to be sure I meant it. It was early 1998. I lay in bed and I silently dedicated my life to Jesus Christ. I acknowledged that he was my personal Lord and Savior. I confessed my sins. I prayed for forgiveness. I prayed for strength. I prayed that I would follow him wherever he led. No matter what. I meant it. I still do. Yeah, it's scary to place your entire future in the hands of God, but really what better option is there? He has a plan for me. I don't always know what it is, but I am willing to go. To serve. To follow. I will do anything he calls me to do. That is what was in my heart on that night and what is still on my heart to date. The hard part for me is that I don't know his plan. Here I am. Waiting. Ready. Willing. In the meantime, I try to be content finding ways to do his work in my day to day life.

I also have been blessed to witness the other miracles in my life.

In 2000, I found out that I had a tumor in my inner ear that had eaten away almost all the bone and much of the nerve tissue. There was some risk than half of my face would be paralyzed for life. Six surgeries and four years later in 2004, that tumor returned. The CAT scan showed it clear as day. Other tests were done. There was no doubt whatsoever the tumor was back. I booked an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. We pray for healing, for comfort, for his will to be done. Our family prayed. Our friends prayed. About two weeks later, I went in for surgery and the tumor was completely gone. Gone. My doctor, one of the best surgeons in the country, perhaps the world, could only say this to my astonished wife post-op: "I don't know what you believe, but there are some things that only God can explain." He had no idea that we were Christians or that we had been praying for healing.

If you don't believe, just noodle on that for a while.

Tyler our son is truly a miracle baby. You should ask my wife Heather to tell you that story sometime. Holy wow.

In September of 2007 Pastor Steve gave a sermon reminding us that we need to keep coming back to the cross. Later that Sunday night I woke up in the middle of the night. It hit me that I needed to get baptized. This was a step I had never taken for myself. I needed to come back to the cross. My urge to get baptized right then and there was overwhelming. I told Heather the next morning about my experience, about my decision. On September 30, 2007 I was baptized at Discovery Church by my father in-law.

It was a great day.

Since becoming a Christian, I have enjoyed having Him walk by my side. I'm constantly reminded of my failures, of my sin, but also of His goodness. Yes I am a good man. But I am no better and no worse than anyone else who joins us on Sunday morning. There are many days I still fall short, but I recognize it when I do. The real beauty is that every time I fall down, Jesus is there to pick me back up. He is the Redeemer. I know I am imperfect. And I have a strong desire to be the best father, husband, and servant of the Lord that I can be. His purpose gives me purpose. I love Him.

Before I close, it is important that you know a lot has changed over the years. I love my parents both very much. The past is past. Although they are now divorced, they're wonderful grandparents and good people. I am honored to have them in my life. I owe them both a great deal. I also continue to pray that my father would come to know Christ.

That's my story. My life. My heart poured out on these pages for you.

My Passion & Gifts

I believe I have been given a gift for serving others. At any given moment, you may find me serving Discovery in a variety of roles or our children's school, Cornerstone Christian Academy. I also find that doing the little things such as shoveling our neighbor's sidewalk on a snowy day can provide joy. Manual labor with a purpose is nourishing for the soul! If someone need help moving, I am right there. I also have a gift for giving. At times my heart leaps ahead of my mind. Heather and I work together on many of these endeavors. We consistently support my cousin, Patrick and his wife Amy, who are missionaries in China. We give to other missionaries, local charities, our-reach programs and of course, Discovery. We try to put our time and our money where our heart lies and teach our children to do the same. I also have a burning desire, a passion to use my business skills to help other non-profits build sustainable business models. I have done some work with Cornerstone Christian Academy and Healing Waters in this regard. My hope is someday I would be able to work part time and dedicate my remaining time to non-profits that further God's mission here locally and around the world.

My Weaknesses & Strengths

One of my weaknesses is in my not being able to perform exacting recall of Biblical passages. Memorization has never been my thing. The stories resonate with me though, and finding ways to connect them to modern life comes easy for me, but ask me to quote anything other than John 3:16, and I am at a loss. Another weakness is not being able to loudly broadcast my faith with strangers. I will never be one to stand on a street corner with a sign and a Bible, not because I can't do it, but because I don't think it is effective. I think it makes a spectacle out of the Christian faith. I try to share in my own ways like listening to worship music in my office. Most recently, God has answered a prayer by opening up my brother in-law, Joaquin's, heart to listen, see and learn about Christianity and my faith. I pray every day for him and try to share my story in a nonthreatening way. Bit it doesn't always come easy for me.

One of my strengths is a really strong connection to the Holy Spirit - with God. It is hard for me to share with nonbelievers and even some believers until I am close to them, because I don't think they understand. But here's the deal: many times when I sing praise and worship songs, I feel totally overcome with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is so overwhelming that it is all I can do not to fall down on my knees and cry. The feeling is so completely overwhelming that it seems like all my emotions - joy, sadness, happiness, pain are all hitting the meter at 100%. The only word I have to describe it is overwhelming. Completely and totally overwhelming. I just want to fall to my knees and let it all out - I hold back. And it's very hard. I can't really explain it yet I know that I am filled with the Spirit and for that I am truly thankful. I wish everyone could have this experience. If they did, they would believe. There is no other choice. For me there is no doubt. I know I will never understand how everything works or why this happens and I'm OK with that. All I can say is a prayer of thanks and offer up my heart, my soul and my life to God.

Theology:

Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Spirit are all one. Three persons. One being. How does this really work? To be totally honest, that's a question I need to save for God himself. And I'm OK with that.

The Bible: It is an historic document and also the inspired word of God. Different books are written by different authors and each have a different purpose. Sewn together this is a resource, a manual, to provide education to Christians about our faith, our history, and how to live a godly life.

Gifts: Everyone is blessed with different spiritual gifts. Together as a church, Discovery becomes a body of Christ - each person having a different strength so that by working together - we may fully serve His needs.

Salvation: Salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. We are imperfect. We sin. We will never measure up to God's standard. Jesus paid the ultimate price. He was the ultimate sacrifice. He's our Lord and Savior. He died on the cross so that all of our sins may be forgiven. Through Him, the slate is wiped clean. We are pure in the eyes of God and can be united and have eternal life together.

Discipleship: God works within us to create a desire to follow Him. To strive to be more Christ-like. Discipleship is this natural process of learning from Christ, God, the Holy Spirit and other Christians as we seek to become closer to God. This is a natural process for all Christians. We're all on our unique walk, each has a different path, but we share a common goal.

Baptism: Is an outward expression of an inward condition of the heart. It is the public declaration that you are committing your life to Christ and believe that Jesus is the son of God and our one and only Savior. There are numerous examples of baptism in the Bible including that of Jesus being baptized. This is something we are called to do as Christians.

Missions: The lord commanded his disciples to go and share the good word. That is our job. That is what missionaries do. Missionary work is important to grow the Christian faith and to bring others to salvation and to embark on their own personal journey with Christ.

Questions:

1. Define "the church." The church is the body of Christ on earth. It is singularly unique. It is made of people, of a community of people who seek to accomplish the work of Jesus. Every member is a part of the church that has an important function. Like parts of the body. The hand, the foot, the mouth. No one part is more important than the other. Who was to say the little toe was not as important as the eye? All the members become one body.

2. Where is the line between sacred and secular? Sacred is holy. Secular is apart from religion. I will quote the bible here because I think Jesus made it pretty clear in Mark 12: 17 "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." I would add that the real wisdom is in knowing the difference.

3. What are some compelling books that you have read in the past year? Why did they intrigue you?

a. White Blindness by Jose Seramango. This was impactful because it showed how quickly the human condition, heart, and ethics can evaporate under extreme duress. I think it proves that people can be good but that it may not come naturally. In that respect it was a bit saddening. You wish more for people. It also made me wonder how would Christians act in that situation? Would they others? Would they lose their faith? Ultimately, humans are different from animals and we do have the ability to choose.

b. The Road by Cormack McCarthy. I was completely inspired by this man's love for his son. The extraordinary lengths he would go through in the bleakest conditions to put his son first. To provide. To protect and ultimately to give everything.

c. Boomsday by Christopher Buckley. Okay so now you're probably wondering what I read, but this one is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. The satire was on a whole other level!

d. The God Illusion by Richard Dawkins. To be totally honest it made me think. But is also made me realize how weak most Atheist arguments are. While it is easy to poke holes in faith, it is equally easy to poke holes in Atheism.

e. The next 50 years by John Brockman. I found this book very interesting from an intellectual point of view about what may be possible in our lifetime from a scientific standpoint.

Practical aspects:

1. Availability. I travel for work. Typically every other week for a couple of days. While that shouldn't interfere, it is a fact of life that my job is somewhat demanding. To a large degree, I can schedule around leadership meetings, but I'm sure there may be a time that I will need to prioritize my day job.

2. Willingness. I'm all in. I feel like I've been praying to God about a lot of things and this is one way to force me to "step up." I'm ready and I am willing.

3. Decision making. Well, I've served as VP in 3 different roles and 2 different companies and am currently the General Manager of the division that is set to dwarf our current business. So from a professional standpoint, I have a proven ability to make good strategic decisions for both the companies I work for and for our clients.

4. Leadership style. I want to encourage, equip, and to train others so that I am not really needed. I am honest. I also tend to be very direct. This can be good and at times can also be challenging because others may not be able to take direct feedback. I'm very conscious about the fact that I need to be sensitive to other personality styles. I will stand up for what I think is right. I strive to treat others with respect at all times.

5. Contributions I can make. Serving. Giving. Passion. Energy. Big ideas. Business skills. Running an organization. Marketing experience.

Titus & Timothy:

These passages clearly describe the requirements for being a church elder. I've no doubt in my mind that while I am completely imperfect, and continually strive to improve (i.e. having well behaved children who respect him) there's nothing written here that would prohibit me from serving on our leadership team. What would change? I take this role very seriously and I am acutely aware that if offered, and if accepted, I need to work even harder to step up and work even harder to set a good example 100% of the time. I would no longer be representing just myself with my actions, but also Discovery. I don't take that responsibility lightly.