What do you do at First Cov?

As Associate Pastor here at First Cov, I support our Senior Pastor, and my best friend, Jesse Smith, with whatever he needs to lead this church. I also get the opportunity to preach and, as a member of our Executive Staff, I get to wrestle and pray over the vision and direction of our church community. I also get to work with and support our amazing staff as they work for the gospel. Finally, I get to oversee our Equipping Class Ministry. As a teacher and shepherd, this fulfills a great passion in my heart as I get to inspire and train people to use the spiritual gifts God has given them in impacting those around them.

What about your family?

Somehow I talked a smart and attractive woman named Shanen into marrying me on June 17, 2000. As newlyweds, we came to First Cov to lead and grow the College and Career Celebration Ministry that had such a profound impact on the entire Sacramento region. Now, after all these years, God has brought us back to continue to His work at First Cov. In the years since, God has blessed us with three amazing boys. Caleb was born in 2003 and he is independent and athletic. Tyler was born in 2005 and he is smart, funny and cool. Shane was born in 2009 and he is our aggressive and social son. I guarantee you will love our boys, but if you work in Children’s Ministries, look out!

When/How did you first come to First Cov? And why did you stay?

I have been at First Cov for as long as I can remember. This is my home church and every Sunday I see my old Sunday School teachers, youth leaders and mentors. As a middle school student, I worked on the maintenance staff mopping the gym and setting up the rooms for Sunday. As a high school student, I discovered that the key to my house also opened the church gym... of course, I considered it a spiritual miracle (Galen, our maintenance supervisor, didn’t feel the same way and constantly kicked me out when I was playing basketball late at night). And now my kids get to experience the same love and community that I enjoyed and that God used to shape me into the man I have become.

What famous person do people tell you that you look like?

If you ask me, I think I look a lot like Tom Cruise. If you ask my wife, she will tell you I look like Adam Sandler. Obviously, according to Shanen, I have a great personality.

What book has changed you the most? (And, no, you can't say the Bible.)

I was an English Major at UCLA so this is a dangerous question. First of all, Paradise Lost by John Milton had a profound effect on me during college. The epic story of Satan’s fall from heaven and temptation of man fascinated me and inspired me to learn more about the God who pulled us from the wreckage of a fallen world and redeemed us. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton made me bold in my faith as he proved that Christianity is the answer to the riddle of the spiritual quest of our lives. And lastly, my favorite book of all addresses the issues of race, the proper handling of wealth, the corruption of power and the principles of pride and humility in the most interesting fiction story ever written. My wife told me never to admit it because it would reveal the fact that I am a nerd, but I'll admit it, anyway...I love The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Sorry Shanen!