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I'm the youngest of 4 children born to liberal protestant parents in Providence, Rhode Island. My father died of a heart attack at age 46 when I was 4 years old. I was baptized, confirmed and served as an acolyte in the Episcopal Church until I went away to boarding school and became an aggressive and persistent skeptic, doubting God's very existence, let alone His benevolent and gracious nature. Nevertheless, I can see now that He pursued me relentlessly, using many different people from high school through college and medical school, and finally into residency. Ultimately, I was drawn into His eternal family by the unbeatable combination of a beautiful godly woman (now my wife) and a PBC intern (Jeff Farrar), speaking truth into my life and showing me His love in their lives. Chris and I got married in 1980 after I pursued her to Nigeria where she was serving as a missionary nurse. We have 3 children in college: Faith, Dan, and Ben. They are our joy and passion, but leave us plenty of time now to pursue our other daily passion, trying to glorify God as a physician and a nurse. We have been at PBC since 1977.
Biblical Passage for Consideration
Asking me to identify my favorite Bible verse feels like asking me to name my favorite child. So many are so special and so important to me, but none of them have any real meaning or power without being a part of the whole. I first read the Bible when I was considering Christ's claims on my life. I didn't know the Lord, didn't even know if He was real or what His character was. I started with the New Testament and had only gotten as far as Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven" when that verse slapped me across the heart. I felt as if I had been "outed", He knew who I was. My real identity and motivation has been revealed. Without even trying to memorize it, that verse was instantly a part of me. I closed the Bible for that day, resolving to open it again another day. When I began reading it again, it was with the sense that it really did have something to say just to me, later, I accepted the Lord, and that realization that He knows me intimately has been a constant encouragement since then since He loves me despite what He knows about me.
Ministry Passion
It is said that there are 3 levels of belief in the Scriptures. At the first level, we acknowledge their existence. At the second level, we accept their truth and value in our lives. At the third level, our acceptance of the Scripture's truth and value results in acts of faith. That is, we must move from acknowledgement to acceptance to action, or from persuasion to power. Unless we are living a life involving acts of faith, reflecting our understanding of Jesus' sacrifice for us, we haven't truly believed the Word of God. Any ministry that helps people move from simple persuasion to expressing the power of faith is one I'm eager to support and encourage.