Growing up on a farm in west central Illinois, I attended the University of Missouri in Columbia as a journalism major, but ended up with a bachelor’s degree in geography (and a minor in history) so as to graduate in four years and pursue ministry with The Navigators.
Upon graduation from Mizzou in 1993, I moved to Colorado Springs, where I served as program director for Eagle Lake Camp and Glen Eyrie Conference Center, the camp and conference ministries of The Navigators. In addition to camp and retreat work, I also wrote and recorded 60 original songs, traveled to and taught in the African country of Uganda, met and married Megan, and became the father of four daughters.
In 2003, having worked with over 800 college students and 15,000 junior high and high school students, I co-authored and published TwentySomeone: Finding Yourself in a Decade of Transition, a practical theology book for people entering, experiencing, and exiting their twenties (parents of twenty-somethings tend to be readers as well). I’ve also published articles in Christianity Today, Discipleship Journal, and ByFaith.
After 12 years with The Navigators, in 2005 I moved my family to St. Louis, where I earned a Masters of Theological Studies and a Masters in Educational Ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary. During my time at Covenant, I served as teaching assistant to professor Jerram Barrs at the seminary’s Francis Schaeffer Institute. I also taught New Testament, Biblical Ethics, and Worldviews to 9th-12th graders at Westminster Christian Academy.
In 2010, I self-published my second book, Learning Education: Essays and Ideas from My First Three Years of Teaching, informed by my seminary education and my experience teaching.
In 2011, I began my tenure in classical Christian school administration, moving to Oklahoma City and becoming Head of School at Veritas Classical Academy before leading the merger of Veritas with Providence Hall Classical School into The Academy of Classical Christian Studies in 2013.
Second Drafts 