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I was born and raised in La Mesa, California, about 10 miles inland from San Diego, where my father was a community college president and my mother a painter/belly dancer (yes, belly dancer!). I had no particular religious upbringing, and my father once told me that we were "stay-home Congregationalists", meaning that we were Congregationalists who never went to church. After graduating from U.C. Santa Barbara in 1972 with a degree in philosophy, I moved to Berkeley, where I became a street artist making jewelry on Telegraph Avenue and where I met my wife, Brigitte, who was studying English at U.C. Berkeley on a year abroad program from Germany. Brigitte and I were married in Freiburg, Germany, in 1978 and have three children - Jessica, David, and Rebecca. I spent 16 years as an elementary and middle school teacher, and I've been on staff at PBC since August 2006, pastoring the R&R ministry and working with our older adults.
As far as my becoming a Christian... I spent basically 20 years living in the 60's (yes, it's possible!), pushing the self-destruct button in as many Hippie ways as I could find. Eventually, at the urging of a friend who had become a Christian, I began reading the Bible, and I soon came to realize (to my amazement) that I actually believed what it said. Brigitte and I spent 6 years in Berkeley doing church planting and I pastored a small church in Palo Alto from 1986-87. Brigitte and I began attending PBC in 1987.
Biblical Passage for Consideration
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6. There have been many times when my life has seemed like a box canyon with no way out, and these famous verses have been a source of strength and encouragement to me.
Ministry Passion
I know what it's like to have made a horrible mess out of life, and it's given me a heart for those who are struggling and in despair - particularly those who are battling various addictions. I also have a heart for the older members of the congregation, many of whom feel lonely and neglected. I believe that Jesus is calling us to minister to those who are on the fringes - to those who are marginalized and disenfranchised. He is calling us to step out of our comfort zone - to step out of the world of Country Club Christianity - and to be willing to take risks. when we're at the end of ourselves, ministering by His grace to those who are at the end of themselves, then the life of Christ is revealed. This is where we see God gloriously at work, drawing people to Himself and bringing about profound change.