Taking the train from London to Edinburgh with my brother, Steve.

A native of Long Beach Island, NJ, I have always enjoyed the beach.  My brother, Steve and I both enjoyed our youth at home with our parents, Ron and Marty.  I was a skateboarding kid who pretty much got straight A’s throughout high school.  Raised at a Lutheran church, went to a formerly baptist affiliated college, studied at to two seminaries in west Philly, spent summers at a Christian camp, worked at Calvary Chapels, helped at Methodist churches, spent some time at a Presbyterian church before giving myself a sabbatical.

In 2015 I hiked the entirety of the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, GA to Katahdin, ME.  Over those 2189 miles I wrote, read, mused, journaled and met a whole range of delightful people.  Since then I worked at another Presbyterian church as I finished my second masters (a Masters of Theology), which focused on Contemplative Spirituality, Pastoral Care throughout the Life Cycle (Erik Erikson), and the Christian Mystics.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to speak at and organize more than 100 youth gatherings, retreats, young adult seminars and church trips.  I’ve taught in churches and preached at lakesides, had the opportunity to be a hospital chaplain for a time, and all the while maintained being a voracious reader and movie-goer.  I have 20 years in professional ministry work, and have been known every so often to take an adventure.

Fortunately, I have for the most part worked in ministries that could be considered healthy.  I have also, fortunately, worked in ministries that were severely unhealthy.  While in each situation, I decided to  purposefully chose to wrestle God for each situation’s potential wisdom and insights.  As a result of that intentional decision I sought to have a well-read background in systems theory, clergy self care, boundaries, polity and policy, theories of leadership and communities in transition/crisis on top of my background in systematic theology.

Looking forward, I hope to pass on to the next generation of ministry professionals my passion and input on all of these things at the local church, denominational, and seminary level.  The world is in need of figures that can roam the earth like modern day Rafiki’s, Gandalf’s, Yoda’s, and Jesus’.  As a result of that, I feel called not to A church but to THE church.

For years, I had on my desk an 8x5in index card that said, “Perhaps you are here to do something that no one will understand until they see it done.  And, if even then they don’t understand, perhaps it was not meant for them.”  And so, if you are looking for something or someone to help you get to the next stage of your path, that is exactly what I am here for.

At Hadrian’s Wall in the United Kingdom.